I'll come right out and say it: I'm not big on PvP games. It appeals to me, and I even understand why some of my friends are more interested in it than PvE. But PvP and I haven't had a great history, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I'm not a very competitive person, for one, but I also don't have the time or willpower to train myself to be more effective against other players who either have more time than me or just have an ability to play competitively. Hence my newfound love for it Arc Raiders is so surprising to me, but after playing it for almost 40 hours, I totally understand why.
As a PvPvE game, initially, Arc Raiders scared me. I knew there was a high chance I would be brutally destroyed by other players just minutes into my first round, which ultimately led to me playing more cautiously than I do as the more seasoned player I am now. But after a while I started to notice something really strange Arc Raiders which I had not expected. Specifically, this PvPvE game is actually so challenging on the PvE side that there are many players out there who are just trying to survive like me. And while there have been times when I've been shot in the back by another Raider, for the most part, Arc Raiders restores my faith in the gaming community.
PvP and I have not had a good relationship
I'll unashamedly admit that the reason I'm not that into PvP games is simply because I'm not good at it. It requires a level of speed and precision that I simply don't think I'll ever have, mainly because I'm not willing to put in the time required to develop such skills. And when it comes to games like Arc Raiderswhere PvP is optional, I fall on the more compassionate side in that I feel guilty for killing another player in cold blood – unless they shoot first.
But it makes it inherently frustrating when someone makes it their sole purpose in life to make sure you can't have fun while playing a game. No matter how much you refuse to engage with them, there are some players who will stop at nothing to prey on the weak. I see; I'm an easy target, so why not take the shot? One might suggest that I never play a PvP game if I can't take the heat, but forgive me for being curious about games that Call of Duty or being stuck on a PvP World of Warcraft server because that's where my friends are.
Arc Raiders teaches me that not all players are out for blood
Then Arc Raiders is an extraction game and none of my friends really like extraction shooters, I've been playing it solo most of the time. I tried a few matches with other players just to see what it was like, but what I noticed is that it leaned more towards the PvP side because you naturally feel stronger when you're in a group. That's not to say that my time in solo play has been entirely without PvP play, as I've been ambushed and tricked into falling on my own sword a time or two.
But the very few interactions have had no effect on my desire to continue playing Arc Raiders. Why? Because I've encountered far more players who are passive, kind, and actually helpful than I have the opposite. Playing Arc Raiders solo, I can use emotes like “Don't shoot!” and “Collect?” to deter other players from attacking, and somewhere around 95% of the time it works. I know this hasn't necessarily been the story for everyone, but it has been for me – and it teaches me that not all players are out for blood.
Again, I'd say a lot of this depends on how good it is Arc Raiders balances its PvE and PvP gameplay. Embark has created a world that is almost as unforgiving as the typical competitive player, which inadvertently leads to its players doing whatever they can to ensure that their raids are as safe and efficient as possible. Maybe that's really what it is. But maybe that's also just why Arc Raiders seems to have a good community so far.
- Released
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30 October 2025
- ESRB
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Teen/violence, blood
