ARC Raiders have a huge ace up their sleeve that needs to be played eventually

Probably the scariest part of going from above ARC Raiders runs into an ARC machine that completely outclasses the player. Even the smallest machines, like Wasps and Wasps, can quickly take down an unprepared player, making behemoths like Bastions and Bombardiers all the more threatening. However, ARC Raiders seems to be teasing players with the biggest enemy yet, and it seems only a matter of time before raiders will get the chance to take it down.

ARC Raiders already offers players opportunities to test their skills and teamwork to take down monstrosities like the Queen and the Reaper during Harvester Events, but adding more late raid bosses would go a long way toward improving the game's staying power. As some players have already seen, ARC Raiders has the perfect endgame boss hidden right under your nose. The question of when players will actually get the chance to take them on still has an unclear answer.

ARC Raider's massive “Emperor” ARCs need to become a threat sooner rather than later

Although these machines have not yet received an official name ARC Raiders the community has dubbed the walking titans seen just outside the borders as “Emperors”. Following the naming conventions of ARC machines such as the Queen and the Baron, the Emperor stands as the largest enemy seen in the game. Although the Queen currently stands as the biggest boss in the ARC Raidersthe emperor's addition as more than just a fixed play for the game's maps would far overshadow the queen in terms of scale and potential danger to the players.

Where to find Emperor ARCs

Currently, emperors can be seen walking around in the distance on ARC Raiders' Blue Gate map, towering over the map almost the size of the mountains they stand next to. While it doesn't appear that players can interact with these ARCs yet, the menacing presence creates a menacing aura that can serve as a warning of a threat still to come.

ARC Raiders 2025 Content Roadmap Infographic

There have been theories that these emperors will become enemies with the release of ARC Raiders' upcoming Stella Montis map, given the map's proximity to the Blue Gate. While the roadmap for ARC Raiders does not confirm this to be the case, there is a distinct possibility that players will be able to face these enemies in the near future that ARC Raiders continues to roll out new content.

The ARC Raiders the roadmap for the rest of 2025 includes the addition of Matriarch and Shredder ARC enemies, but these enemies do not appear to be the same high walkers that society refers to as Emperors.

ARC Raiders can't drag their feet on adding endgame enemies

arc raiders low graphics unfair advantage

Although the roadmap confirms that new ARC enemies are on the way, the game would be wise to continue with the endgame challenges as more players begin to reach that point in their character development in the wake of ARC Raiders' launch. Compare that to a similar live-service multiplayer shooter with a meteoric rise, such as Helldivers 2reveals the refresh rate which ARC Raiders should follow to keep pace with keeping players interested. The time it took Helldivers 2 adding a major new faction like the Illuminate after teasing them for so long may have hurt the game's appeal in the long run, and ARC Raiders cannot afford to go the same way.

Arc Raiders players on top of a structure

At the moment, ARC Raiders massive success and promising roadmap should keep the game active for the rest of the year. But dropping a massive new boss in the form of the Emperor would go a long way towards reviving this level of excitement down the road. As such, ARC Raiders would be in an excellent position if it made these enemies available sooner rather than later, perhaps as early as 2026.