ARC Raiders reveals plans to "reduce friction" in future updates

Embark Studios provides more information behind the latest crafting changes ARC Raiderswhile teasing out additional plans to further reduce friction inside the extraction shooter. As the name suggests, live service games are constantly evolving over time thanks to continued updates. In this sense, ARC Raiders is no exception, having received tons of new content and a constant stream of updates since the game originally launched in 2025.

In fact, the Flashpoint update for ARC Raiders was another big patch for the game, with a new map state called Close Scrutiny, new weapons to hunt like the Dolabra energy shotgun, and more. In fact, players will now find a new in-game event on maps with Close Scrutiny active, as they battle to extract loot from a new unit called the Assessor. But doing so is harder than it sounds, as they will have to battle the newest machine enemy called the Vaporizer. On top of that, the Shredders, once locked in Stella Montis, have seemingly escaped and are now populating the other maps in the game.

a close up of the scrappy rooster in arc raiders

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ARC Raiders players shouldn't sleep on the new Scrappy update

A new ARC Raiders update makes some big changes to Scrappy the rooster that players won't want to sleep on, as some valuable items are up for grabs.

ARC Raiders addresses additional points of friction for players

One of the major quality of life improvements for ARC Raiders in the Flashpoint update came crafting. The improved user interface now allows players to quickly acquire materials directly from the crafting view, in addition to being able to recycle, refine or purchase, helping to further reduce the time needed to be in menus and screens. This change was largely driven by player feedback after many indicated that crafting was not intuitive enough, causing more work than necessary.

In an accompanying blog post, Embark discussed the design changes in more detail, including the streamlined Buy Resources button that was added. Selecting this option from the crafting screen now displays a list of all available resources, whether from the player's inventory, materials that can be recycled, or can be purchased from Celeste's shop. It gives players the option to act immediately without having to search through many different screens and menus, a common friction that many have reported to Embark.

In fact, Embark makes it clear through this blog post that this streamlined craft is just the beginning. Towards the bottom of the post, Embark teases that it is looking at the other pain points players have reported. Embark acknowledged that one button doesn't fix everything ARC Raiders for now, but more changes are on the way as the studio continues to tease out the issues, with more information coming soon.

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A major focus area for Embark will probably be included ARC Raiders' endgame content offerings. Most recently, production manager Caio Braga admitted that the studio wants more for players who have reached the end of the content, potentially offering more challenging content to tackle. It's possible that players could get their first taste of these plans later this month when the Riven Tides update will be released. According to the roadmap, players will get a new map (most likely Volcano Rise), condition, as well as a large ARC to fight against, with many speculating that it could indeed be the highly rumored Emperor.