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ARC Raiders Shared Watch Exposes Matchmaking Flaws | Is the Game Losing Control?

Category: ARC Raiders Posted: Feb 14, 2026 Views: 936

ARC Raiders is currently the best Extraction Shooter game, even exceeding the developers' original expectations. However, since its release, the debate surrounding PvE versus PvP has never ceased.

While the aggressive matchmaking system addressed this issue to some extent, the controversy surrounding Shared Watch event suggests that the problem hasn't been completely resolved.

ARC Raiders Shared Watch Exposes Matchmaking Flaws  Is the Game Losing Control

Official Dilemma

The developers are keen on the game's casual positioning. They want both PvE and PvP players in the game. The development team attempted to walk a tightrope between the two paths, neither favoring one side nor the other, hoping to cater to both. However, this ambiguous approach has led them into an awkward situation.

Shared Watch PvE Event

On February 10th, the developers launched a PvE-themed event called Shared Watch. The core idea of this event was for players to cooperate against ARC threats, unlocking rewards through collaborative efforts, including new skins, cosmetics, and Raider Tokens.

The unique aspect of this event is that killing or injuring other players doesn't grant any Merits, effectively stripping the game's PvP cycle.

On the surface, this seems like an official encouragement for players to temporarily set aside confrontation and cooperate. However, the problem is that Embark has placed this PvE event directly within PvP matches. Currently, PvP matches suffer from numerous issues, with a player environment far worse than PvE environment.

Firstly, there's the issue of exploits. Recent updates have introduced serious bugs, including infinite duplication and ammo exploits. Many players are killed by cheaters in PvP matches unless they also use exploits to counter them.

Furthermore, because Free Loadout is so easily obtained, players can engage in unlimited PvP battles with zero risk. Using the guaranteed free safe pocket, they can accumulate enough medical supplies for a day's worth of PvP in just a few minutes.

The Problem with Shared Watch

Therefore, players matched into PvP matches based on an aggressive matchmaking system will find it extremely difficult to complete Shared Watch event.

Even if you genuinely just want to complete the mission, all players are already caught in a dark forest situation. Besides your teammates, you might be facing cheaters, feigned friendly traps, or just another overly nervous player. As a result, most people choose to shoot first.

This means that even if you kill an ARC, you can't easily escape with the loot. Because the developers placed the PvE event within a PvP match, it's essentially inviting players who don't want to participate to ruin others' gaming experience. For some players, their purpose in entering the event isn't cooperation, but ensuring others can't enjoy the game.

Fundamentally, the core gameplay of Arc Raiders is PvP combat. In a game where the core objective is to acquire loot, why bother struggling instead of directly stealing resources already collected by other players? The equipment brought in by players participating in PVE events is ready-made loot for PVP players.

Buy Cheap ARC Raiders Items for Shared Watch Event in IGGM

Casual Players

Although ARC Raiders The development team attempted to make the game easier to attract casual players. However, for players who actually have to work, the game is no longer relaxing, as hardcore players are pushing the difficulty to an extreme.

The developers have repeatedly stated that a purely PvE mode is not viable, even though the game's initial operational model was designed in that direction. In reality, providing a safe gaming space for PvE players, whether through limited-time events, map conditions, or dedicated PvE maps, would make them feel valued and respected.

The current state of the game proves that a market exists that combines PvE and PvP, but the key lies in whether the developers are willing to take the necessary measures to allow both communities to coexist within the same game.

For players who prefer PvE, choosing to participate in PvE activities on a PvP server requires accepting the game's rules. They must either bring more friends to increase their chances of survival or simply not participate.

Aggression-Based Matchmaking System

The core of the current controversy and the game's current state is actually the aggressive-based matchmaking system. This matchmaking system monitors your playstyle and matches you with players of similar playstyles.

If you never fight, only loot and run, you'll be matched with other peaceful players. This results in Friendly Lobbies, where players rarely attack each other, even at extraction points. They know that firing a shot will land them in Hostile Lobbies.

If you prefer combat and eliminate other players, you'll be matched with equally aggressive players in PvP lobby. According to the developers, the highest priority for matchmaking is aggressiveness, followed by skill level, and then network connectivity.

However, Friendly Lobbies aren't all good. While you can easily and safely farm all components and ARC Raiders blueprints and craft weapons, this completely devalues high-end gear. Also, everyone will team up to kill Queen or Matriarch within three minutes. Often, you enter the map and the boss is already dead, forcing you to rush to the extraction point.

How to Solve This Problem?

Since Friendly Lobbies already exists, the official team could be more direct and allocate servers based on rules:

  • PvE Servers: Players cannot damage each other, and only Arc enemies pose a threat. This mode should have its own loot pool and balancing mechanisms.
  • PVP Servers: Focused on the core player-versus-player experience, with its own loot system.
  • Hybrid Servers: Allowing both modes to coexist, high-risk, high-reward, with their own loot pools.

The key to this separation is that loot from each mode should not be shared. Otherwise, players could easily acquire resources in PvE mode and then bring that advantage to PvP mode.

Currently, Arc Raiders is still great, but the official team might need to establish a clearer boundary between PvE and PvP, and otherwise, official events may be met with complaints from some players.

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