ARC Raiders design lead Virgil Watkins is teasing some big gameplay changes with his next balance update, tweaking both the Kettle Rifle and Trigger Nades. The shooter from Embark Studios has been one of the biggest breakout stories in the gaming industry over the past few months, with the game enjoying massive success following its launch in late October. ARC Raiders saw gamers counting on Steam competing with mega-popular franchises such as Battlefield and Call of Duty after its debut, and has already sold more than 12 million copies. A big reason for the continued success has been Embark's support for the game.
ARC Raiders has received consistent updates since launch, with everything from bug fixes and balance adjustments to new content. With the exception of a break during the holidays, ARC Raiders has consistently released new patches for the game every week, resuming its update cycle with the 1.7.3 update on January 10th. The Cold Snap update in December even brought a whole new map state to the game, with severe wintry weather masking footprints and reducing visibility. ARC Raiders is now preparing to make some significant changes to a couple of weapons as part of the game's next new patch.
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ARC Raiders changes the kettle and triggers
During a recent interview with GamesRadar, ARC Raiders design lead Virgil Watkins talked about some of the changes in the next update. The Kettle is set to be one of the biggest focuses of adjustments in the next balance patch, with Embark Studios planning to lower the rate of fire cap on the gun. Trigger Nades will also receive some notable changes in ARC RaidersThe next January update, changes the drop curve of the grenades and requires players to be more accurate with the explosive weapons. The Kettle and Trigger Nade changes are set to arrive ARC Raiders as part of the game's January 13 balance patch.
The ARC Raiders dev went into more depth about why Embark is also looking at the particular changes to Kettle and Trigger Nades. Watkins pointed to videos of ARC Raiders players taking advantage of the high cap on the kettle and noting that players who shoot close to the limit can “insta-kill” other players. Watkins cites the studio wanting players to be more precise with ARC Raiders' Trigger Nades, while adjusting the lead time to throw the grenade so it doesn't detonate immediately. Watkins even hinted at some future changes to the weapons, suggesting that the dev team is considering where the weapons “sit on the rarity spectrum.”
ARC Raiders has been a breakout hit for Embark Studios
ARC Raiders' early popularity has already led to the game collecting some hardware from various awards shows to end in 2025. Despite only being released just over a month before the awards, ARC Raiders captured “Best Multiplayer Game” at the 2025 Game Awards. The Steam Awards also saw a strong showing for Embark Studios' latest game, winning “Most Innovative Gameplay” and earning a “Game of the Year” nomination. The shooter has even been shortlisted for six different awards at the British Academy Games Awards, which will be held in April.
For all success ARC Raiders have already seen, 2026 is likely to have plenty to excite fans of the shooter. Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund recently confirmed that several studios have already expressed interest in creating one ARC Raiders TV or film adaptation. The game has received some criticism from fans for its use of generative AI, both with art assets and voices, though the controversy has done little to slow the game's rise. ARC Raiders fans should keep an eye on the shooter as Embark looks set to bring even more new content to its breakout hit.
- Released
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30 October 2025
- ESRB
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Teen/violence, blood
