ARC Raiders Studio officially clarifies how matchmaking works

After much debate and speculation, Embark Studios finally clarifies how the matchmaking system will come into play ARC Raiders works, what it can't do and describes some recent changes to it. While matchmaking has been a topic that Embark has largely avoided going into detail about, things seem to be changing as it's not just ARC Raiders is moving away from its monthly content, but the studio is now ready to set the record straight when it comes to matchmaking.

After the game's launch, fans tried to figure out how lobbies were brought together and if it could be affected by playing a certain way. While Embark refused to release any kind of details about how it connects players, hints and teases from the developers have confirmed that the game analyzes player behavior. It has been widely believed, and members of the development team such as CEO Patrick Söderlund seem to confirm that ARC Raiders relies on an aggression-based matchmaking system to pair similar players. Basically, more aggressive PvP players would then be in lobbies more geared towards that, while PvE-centric ones would be paired up elsewhere. But with things constantly changing and tweaks being made, Embark is finally ready to give players the details.

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ARC Raiders can change its most iconic feature for the better

Big changes are on the horizon for ARC Raiders, and developer Embark Studios is teasing a potential tweak to one of its biggest features.

Embark Clarifies ARC Raiders Matchmaking

In a new blog post, Embark decided to put to rest the rumors and speculation about how their matchmaking system works. Kicking stuff, the post confirms it ARC Raiders wants to lean into the unpredictability of matches, not knowing who to trust and give players the freedom to make their own decisions. There is a limit to that though, as Embark isn't looking for dedicated PvP players to completely roll lobbies, as that can be frustrating and just not fun. To that end, the studio strives for a system built around fairness, such as equal squad sizes, as well as enjoyment by matching players with a similar playstyle.

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For that purpose ARC Raiders looks heavily at player behavior from previous rounds when forming lobbies with a continuous scale. While there are some that are pure PvE and pure PvP, most players usually embody both for various reasons. As such, there is a scale that works behind the scenes to match players who are closer on that scale, while avoiding those who are very far away. That way, things remain somewhat unpredictable, but it's also worth noting that “playstyle-based matchmaking” prioritizes similar playstyles, but that's not guaranteed. Similarly, player behavior shapes future lobbies gradually over time, it cannot be changed immediately.

The post goes a bit further by dispelling misconceptions, specifically that there are only two types of lobbies for PvP or PvE, which is not the case. Additionally, shooting another player or killing them does not automatically send that player to PvP lobbies, nor does the feedback you leave or the loadout you select affect the lobby. Matchmaking isn't solely on the leader of a squad either, and even better, ARC Raiders Updates do not reset lobby progress, as player history is the main driver for which the raid lobby is entered.

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Finally, Embark highlighted two key issues raised by the community, indicating that the studio will address them. Previously, the system made no distinction between starting a fight and defending against an enemy player. Naturally, this resulted in both players being marked as PvP by the system, but a future update will help make this difference. Second, Embark plans to de-emphasize rounds with little interaction, play and leave quickly, or generally give up. In the past, this had a greater effect on a player's perceived play style.