Will ARC Raiders Continue to Optimize ABMM Matchmaking to Deliver a Better Frozen Trail Experience?

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• ARC Raiders October Comeback Faces Major Rivals | What Frozen Trail Needs to Deliver?

  After remaining relatively quiet for several months, ARC Raiders will make its comeback in October. The development team hopes to use Frozen Trail update to give the game a major reset.

  However, October is not an ideal time for this comeback. Aside from the impact of GTA 6, ARC Raiders will face numerous competitors in the extraction shooter space alone. At the same time, the official team cannot keep delaying the update indefinitely.

  Here are the competitors ARC Raiders and its Frozen Trail update will face:

  

  • Active Matter
  • Arena Breakout: Infinite
  • Escape from Tarkov
  • CoD Modern Warfare 4

  Active Matter

  Active Matter, which launches on September 15, will clearly be the first major challenger to ARC Raiders. Both are extraction shooters, although their core elements are somewhat different.

  Compared with ARC Raiders' post-apocalyptic wasteland and industrial sci-fi aesthetic, Active Matter offers a much stronger focus on surreal elements.

  Players will need to enter quantum-unstable areas to collect Active Matter and other loot. Localized gravity wells, gravity reversals, shifting terrain, and other physical distortions can appear across the map, instantly changing cover positions and lines of fire.

  The development team behind Active Matter has considerable experience creating shooter games, while its setting is also highly distinctive. Its overall quality should not be overlooked, and some players who are waiting for Frozen Trail may decide to give it a try.

  The release date of Active Matter is not far from Frozen Trail. If it manages to attract enough new players, it could clearly become a serious challenge for ARC Raiders.

  

  Arena Breakout: Infinite

  Arena Breakout: Infinite will also enter Full Release on September 15 after remaining in Early Access for an extended period.

  Although the game is not as popular as ARC Raiders, it has still built up a loyal player base. Its visual quality is quite impressive, although its overall style feels somewhat dated. However, the developers have been more willing to focus on gameplay systems and mechanics.

  On September 15, the game will introduce a brand-new season along with major gameplay updates. In PvPvE Infected Zone mode, the official team will replace the fortified lockdown zones in Farm and Armory, as well as the lockdown zone in Valley.

  Players will have to survive attacks from infected mutants while also staying alert for other tactical squads. White Zombie Endless is a completely PvE-focused mode.

  Although this is hardly an entirely new concept, many ARC Raiders players have been looking for a purely PvE mode. As a game in the same genre, Arena Breakout: Infinite adding a dedicated PvE mode could potentially attract some players who would otherwise be playing ARC Raiders.

  

  Escape from Tarkov

  As one of the veterans of the extraction shooter genre, Escape from Tarkov will also introduce major updates throughout September and October. The game is scheduled to upgrade its engine to Unity 6 in October, improving optimization and updating vegetation visuals. A Halloween event is also planned.

  Escape from Tarkov actually introduced a PvE mode back in 2024. However, the mode was initially restricted to a version that cost $250, which went against promises made to players years earlier and triggered a strong backlash.

  Despite that controversy, the developers did not remove PvE. Instead, they continued expanding it. The official team will introduce Prestige system with version 1.2.0.0 in October, while also reworking Bot spawn system and AI behavior in PvE areas and improving raid reconnection functionality. This shows that demand for PvE has not disappeared.

  The dedicated player bases of Escape from Tarkov and ARC Raiders may not overlap very much, but Frozen Trail and Update 1.2.0.0 are scheduled to arrive relatively close to each other, which is certainly bad news for ARC Raiders.

  

  CoD Modern Warfare 4

  Launching on October 23, 2026, Modern Warfare 4 will undoubtedly be another major rival for ARC Raiders. Call of Duty franchise has long been one of the biggest names in the shooter genre, with a massive fan base.

  As a return to Modern Warfare series, the official team has already confirmed that MW4 will include Campaign, Multiplayer, and DMZ.

  DMZ is Call of Duty's official extraction shooter mode. The series had already experimented with this gameplay formula through Warzone 2.0 DMZ back in 2022.

  DMZ is set in large-scale conflict zones that change dynamically. Players will need to complete missions, gather resources, and find a way to extract while dealing with changing weather, moving military targets, and other threats, offering a deeper extraction shooter experience than previous versions of DMZ.

  DMZ could become a major rival for ARC Raiders, but it will launch after Frozen Trail. If ARC Raiders delivers enough content in its October update, it may avoid losing too many players to the new release.

  

  Can Frozen Trail handle these challenges?

  Since the official team changed its update strategy, Frozen Trail will be the largest content update since the game's launch.

  The new frozen map in Frozen Trail is set in a mountainous settlement on the outskirts of Rust Belt. It will feature a more vertical and layered design, which is expected to have a major impact on how players move and fight.

  The official team has also promised to add more dangerous ARCs, meaning players will need to carefully decide whether to aim their weapons at other players or cooperate with them.

  Additionally, the freezing environment may continuously drain player health or shields while outdoors; players will need ARC Raiders items to mitigate these adverse effects.

  The development team behind ARC Raiders has established a 10-year update plan, with the goal of gradually revealing more of the game's world through future updates. The question is whether players will have enough patience to wait for the official team to create more content.

  The extraction shooter genre evolves rapidly, and ARC Raiders' lengthy update cycle risks making the game feel outdated.

  Several games in the same genre are launching around ARC Raiders Frozen Trail, while the game has already suffered significant player losses. Hopefully, Frozen Trail will be engaging enough to bring those players back.

• ARC Raiders Will Remove Cred System with the Launch of Frozen Trail: How Should You Deal with This Change?

  With the launch of the major Frozen Trail update fast approaching, ARC Raiders has seen a recent uptick in activity and content updates. This week's Update 1.45.0, for instance, brought a wealth of new information.

  Perhaps the most notable announcement is that Cred, a special in-game currency, will be removed on October 8, coinciding with the official launch of Frozen Trail. It will be replaced by a brand-new reward system offering greater depth and a tiered structure.

  This decision marks a significant shift in the game's economy and core loops, signaling a comprehensive restructuring as the game transitions to its new version.

  Here, we analyze this major change by examining the role and function of Cred, as well as the underlying reasons for its removal.

  

  Understanding the nature of Cred

  The core gameplay loop of ARC Raiders involves scavenging for supplies, successfully extracting, using those supplies to upgrade your character and base, and then heading back into combat.

  Currency is fundamental to the smooth operation of the game's economy and market. If Coins serve as the primary currency, then Cred acts as a specialized intermediary and a metric for tracking progression.

  Players earn one unit of Cred for every 2,000 XP gained in combat. Consequently, it provides a predictable, reliable baseline return while serving as a direct numerical reflection of player engagement.

  In terms of utility, Cred is used to trade for resources with the vendor Shani and to unlock rewards and progress through Raider Decks (a system similar to a battle pass).

  Thus, Cred is essential not only for Shani's trading loop but also for the proper functioning of the Raider Decks system.

  

  Why retire Cred?

  Given the analysis above, Cred appears to be a crucial element of ARC Raiders. So, why has the development team decided to scrap the system?

  For starters, while there is a hard cap on how much Cred a player can accumulate, experienced players can easily replenish their supply after using it, a feat that newcomers or casual players often cannot match.

  This creates an imbalance as the game cycle progresses into the mid-to-late stages; certain players can leverage Cred to instantly acquire materials from Shani's shop or unlock Raider Deck rewards, thereby disrupting the game's balance.

  Since the launch of ARC Raiders, the game has introduced an increasing number of gameplay features; however, the inventory in Shani's shop is rarely updated, and the current Raider Decks system feels somewhat monotonous. Consequently, the utility of Creds has steadily declined.

  Given the upcoming overhaul of Raider Decks system, rather than going to great lengths to tweak Creds mechanic, it makes more sense to scrap it entirely and replace it with a richer, more detailed reward system.

  This approach not only prevents the accumulation of useless currency but also allows Raider Decks to integrate seamlessly with the new mechanics introduced in Frozen Trail, encouraging you to engage deeply and consistently with the update.

  How will the removal of Creds affect you?

  First, between now and October 8, when Creds mechanic is retired, you should consume as much of your accumulated currency as possible to minimize waste.

  To date, only three Raiders have been released; if you have been playing regularly, you have likely unlocked them all. Therefore, most players will likely focus on using their Creds at Shani's shop.

  This vendor primarily sells various quick-use items and modifiers; while not necessarily high-rarity, they can subtly enhance your raid experience and help you progress through Expedition 5 damage output missions.

  

  Furthermore, the development team has confirmed that any rewards obtained via Creds prior to the launch of Frozen Trail will be retained and remain valid under the new system, ensuring that the time you have already invested remains valuable.

  In the long run, the new reward system shifts your focus away from the monotonous accumulation of currency, allowing you to engage more strategically with the diverse content introduced in Frozen Trail based on your specific needs.

  This not only extends the lifespan of Frozen Trail and ARC Raiders as a whole but also diversifies team-play dynamics, offering you a richer and more enduring gaming experience.

  What should you do now?

  With the deadline approaching, you should devise a smart plan to use your current Creds, ensuring that every last unit is converted into a tangible advantage for your character once the new version goes live.

  To that end, your first step should be to prioritize unfinished Raider Decks and check for any locked nodes, particularly those offering exclusive skins or weapon finishes, so you can secure more permanent assets.

  Once you have claimed all the permanent rewards available in Decks, you should consume your remaining ARC Raiders Cred with Shani, prioritizing frequently used mods or augments, such as Angled Grip 2, Combat Mk. 2, and more.

  While Frozen Trail may introduce new gear, equipping mods is essential for ensuring consistent and reliable weapon performance in ARC Raiders.

  However, there is no need to simply hoard resources in anticipation of the new update; the current Expedition 5 window is active, and completing specific damage-dealing missions allows you to unlock additional high-value permanent rewards.

  You can therefore use the substantial resources gained from these final Cred exchanges to fully upgrade your character and weapons, aiming to hit the ultimate milestone of 100,000 damage before September 29.

  Ultimately, the removal of Cred is not merely a simple mechanical tweak in ARC Raiders, but the first step toward restructuring the game's economy, demonstrating the development team's commitment to the game's long-term operation.

  After a hiatus of nearly six months, this is a rare opportunity for a trading spree in ARC Raiders before Frozen Trail arrives, so make sure to grab the loot you want while you can!

• Destiny Inspired ARC Raiders 10-Year Plan | And It's Not Just About More Content

  Were you surprised when the executive producer of ARC Raiders revealed that the team aims to make the game a decade-long journey? To be honest, players aren't afraid of a long-term commitment; what they fear is a long haul that offers nothing new.

  However, the developers have outlined specific directions for this journey, so let's take a closer look at what players can actually expect in each area.

  New Locations

  When it comes to adding new maps, many games simply swap color palettes or reskin monsters while keeping the gameplay loop exactly the same.

  But the new locations mentioned for ARC Raiders promise to be far more complex. Imagine that the survival strategies you've mastered - where to hide, where to find resources, and which routes are safest - become completely obsolete once you step into a new zone.

  For instance, if they introduce a zone with permanent sub-zero temperatures, managing your body temperature would suddenly become your top priority; gear for staying warm - previously an afterthought - would require careful planning and resource management.

  Alternatively, consider a radiation-filled zone: you can no longer scavenge with reckless abandon. Every movement must be calculated, as prolonged exposure could easily mean you won't make it out alive.

  If the new locations in ARC Raiders' ten-year plan achieve this level of depth, it won't just be about having more ground to cover; it will force you to rethink your entire survival strategy.

  Every quarter or year, you'll find yourself exploring the rules of a new environment just as you did during your first week in the game, recapturing that fresh, newbie sense of discovery. That is precisely what makes a decade-long journey so exciting.

  

  New Events and Threats

  If we look objectively at how dynamic events usually play out in games, they often amount to little more than asking players to team up and grind a boss at a set time.

  But if the new events and threats promised for ARC Raiders are implemented effectively, they should be capable of interrupting whatever you're currently doing.

  Picture this: you and your teammates are excitedly hauling loot back to your base, Speranza, when a system broadcast suddenly signals an anomaly in a nearby sector. The ground beneath your feet begins to shake, and a horde of never-before-seen enemies spawns right in a previously safe corridor.

  ARC Raiders items you're carrying were originally only enough to handle standard enemies; now you have to decide - do you grit your teeth and fight, ditch your supplies and run, or take a long detour and roll the dice? 

  These new events and threats arrive without warning or countdown; it's entirely a matter of luck.

  Moreover, a new threat implies more than just a cosmetic reskin; it could involve attack patterns we've never encountered before - such as enemies capable of completely disabling your electronic devices, or stealthy ARC units that track heat signatures.

  If ARC Raiders can roll out one or two new mechanics every six months that keep players scrambling to adapt, the game is sure to win widespread acclaim.

  

  A Deeper Narrative

  In reality, most players diving into an extraction shooter focus on the opening two or three minutes of cutscenes at best; few care much about the actual reason for the conflict.

  However, since the developers have explicitly promised a deeper narrative, it's clear they intend for the in-game storytelling to be a key draw for players.

  Right now, we only know that ARC enemies relentlessly hunt us down. But perhaps after an update next year, you'll receive logs detailing ARC's origins, followed by an event the year after that reveals their mission objectives.

  Naturally, the game will also weave in various clues to help you gradually piece together the enemies' background; with every passing interval, you'll gather another piece of the puzzle.

  Individually, these pieces might not reveal much, but once assembled, they'll fuel your curiosity and spark increasingly intense speculation about what ARC is actually up to.

  Stretching the narrative out over time is far more effective at whetting your appetite than dumping all the information at once; it keeps you voluntarily engaged on ARC Raiders battlefield, eager to uncover more astonishing secrets.

  After all, with a ten-year plan in place, the developers need a substantial amount of story content to keep the experience engaging and prevent it from becoming monotonous.

  Progression and Game Systems

  Finally, let's look at progression and game systems. Regarding the skill tree changes and new weapons or items mentioned by the developers, the ideal approach would be to let players choose between several useful options, rather than simply handing them a more powerful item to use.

  For instance, following a major update, a skill tree might be split into two new branches, forcing you to make a fresh choice.

  Similarly, new weapons might not necessarily deal more damage but could offer functional changes that completely alter your tactical approach.

  If the item system also allows players to combine items into more powerful gear, we'll have to put even more thought into our preparations before each battle.

  Changes like these will undoubtedly inject a fresh feel into the decade-long journey of ARC Raiders.

  Frozen Trail

  

  Everything discussed above is based on reasonable speculation drawn from official reveals, but Frozen Trail update - arriving on October 8, 2026 - will be the first opportunity to put those theories to the test.

  Of course, it likely won't realize every single vision right away, but it should give us a real sense of just how different the new map and events are.

  Nailing Frozen Trail update is essential; only then will players have reason to believe that the ten-year journey of ARC Raiders can truly deliver fresh challenges.

• ARC Raiders Update 1.45.0 Brings New Project Ascending the Mountain: Complete It In Time to Accumulate More Usable Gear!

  Released this Tuesday, Update 1.45.0 is not just a routine weekly update for ARC Raiders; it is also the final major online update before the launch of Frozen Trail on October 8th, making it a crucial event to pay attention to.

  Update 1.45.0 brings the usual bug fixes and optimizations, but it also introduces a new project, Ascending the Mountain, and opens the departure window for Expedition 5.

  Here, we detail the contents of Update 1.45.0 to ensure you can keep striving for rewards over the next 1-3 weeks.

  

  New Raider Project: Ascending the Mountain

  Much like the recently concluded Phantom Targets, Ascending the Mountain is a multi-stage project requiring you to submit specific materials at designated stages to earn corresponding rewards.

  The project is scheduled to run until October 5th, though the Expedition 5 departure window closes earlier, on September 29th. This means the rewards earned during this period are primarily valuable for helping you meet the damage output challenges required within that window.

  Consequently, the rewards for Ascending the Mountain focus on guns, grenades, and popular Augments designed to boost your combat efficiency; completing the final stage also grants an exclusive Hot Air Balloon Charm.

  Required items, such as Mechanical Components or Explosive Compound, can be obtained through scavenging and eliminating ARCs. However, if you are short on time, you can also buy ARC Raiders items directly to collect them faster.

  Here are the details for each stage of the project:

  Stage	Submitted Materials	Rewards
  Research High-Altitude Mechanics	10x Mechanical Components 6x Pop Trigger 10x Explosive Compound 2x Headphones	1x Burletta 1x Extended Light Mag III 1x Silencer III
  Begin Ignition Tests	20x Wires 8x Voltage Converter 2x Sentinel Firing Core 1x Rocket Thruster	2× Wolfpack 2x Deadline 3x Trailblazer 1x Crash Mat Blueprint
  Implement Landing Capabilities	2x Ruined Parachute 10x Crash Mat 5x Shredder Gyro 3x Breathtaking Snow Globe	1x Powered Descender 2x Raider Hatch Key 1x Rascal 30x Launcher Ammo
  Final Tweaks	30x Sensors 3x Broken Guidance System 15x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Vaporizer Regulator	Hot Air Balloon Charm 1x Tactical Mk. 3 (Defensive) 1x Tempest 1x Kinetic Converter

  The project also features a narrative backstory: Raider operations have uncovered clues regarding mysterious ARC signals that are leading ARCs into previously inaccessible territories.

  Apollo is seeking a solution to this crisis and needs your assistance, specifically, the delivery of those required materials.

  

  Expedition 5 departure window opens

  As the final ARC Raiders expedition before 2027, the departure window for Expedition 5 spans three weeks, longer than any previous expedition. You will need to deal up to 100,000 points of damage to unlock all the challenge rewards.

  The rewards, including random blueprints, Raider Tokens, and various specific buffs, will significantly aid your progress after the game resets and make starting your Frozen Trail adventure much easier, so it is highly recommended to unlock them all.

  Cred expiring soon

  In addition to standard coins and Raider Tokens (used for outfits and cosmetics), ARC Raiders features a currency called Cred, with a maximum holding limit of 800 points.

  Cred can be unlocked at the vendor Shani or used to redeem specific rewards in Raider Decks. You automatically earn 1 Cred point for every 2,000 XP gained during a raid.

  Following the launch of Frozen Trail, the developers plan to overhaul several mechanics, including Decks, and introduce a more robust reward system; consequently, Cred will be removed.

  With Update 1.45.0, the developers have set an expiration date of October 8 for your current Cred balance; any unused Cred remaining after this date will be wiped.

  New rubber ducks added

  Bird City, a map condition in ARC Raiders offering moderate risk and reward, is ideal for farming ARC drones and hunting down various rubber ducks hidden inside chimneys.

  These rubber ducks offer no combat bonuses; their sole purpose is to decorate your base. However, collecting the wide variety of ducks available is a fun, casual pastime!

  To celebrate this, ARC Raiders hosted a community rubber duck design contest. Three player-created designs were selected via voting and have now been added to the game, so keep an eye out for them!

  

  New Hornet Hunter Set

  New outfit sets are a regular feature of ARC Raiders' weekly updates, and this week introduces Hornet Hunter Set. You can redeem it in the store using Raider Tokens.

  As the name and official teaser video suggest, the set is crafted from salvaged Hornet parts. Its standout feature is a highly detailed helmet that covers only the upper half of the face, making it look as though the wearer has a Hornet strapped directly onto their face.

  Additionally, the bug fix notes mention that Boonie Set will be available in the store starting September 15. It comes in three color schemes, and the set includes four pieces; unlocking a full set is estimated to require around 1,300 Raider Tokens.

  

  More bug fixes

  In addition to standard bug fixes, Update 1.45.0 notes that if you were previously unable to launch Phantom Targets: Project Part 2 (which has since ended), you will receive compensation later this week.

  Another significant change is that Expedition mode will no longer reset your progress and inventory by default; instead, you can choose whether or not to reset them when setting out. This may well be the first step in ARC Raiders' overhaul of Expedition system.

  Update 1.45.0 also introduces an over-encumbrance tier to the game. Specifically, if the weight of your carried items significantly exceeds your capacity limit, you will be restricted to walking; sprinting and jumping will be disabled.

  Furthermore, this update upgrades the game engine from Unreal Engine 5.3 to 5.7. This means you can look forward to a smoother gameplay experience and enhanced visuals in ARC Raiders moving forward.

  That covers the key details of ARC Raiders Update 1.45.0. While you might be eagerly awaiting Frozen Trail, launching in a month, now is the time to focus on unfinished missions and unlock more rewards to stock up for the future!

• ARC Raiders Expedition 5 Damage Challenge | Fastest Ways to Reach 100,000 Damage

  The sign-up window for ARC Raiders Expedition 5 is now open. If you've submitted your supplies for the first five stages, you're ready to set off.

  As this is the last expedition of 2027, if you don't want to restart with empty-handed, you have three weeks from September 8 to September 29 to complete the damage challenges, very similar to the previous expedition.

  In short, all you need to do is enter your preferred map and shoot any ARC you come across. Three weeks is more than enough time, but if you want to finish the challenge quickly and move on to other games in September, the information below can help you complete damage challenge much faster.

  

  Expedition 5 Rewards

  The mysterious reward system introduced with Expedition 4 will continue to be used. As with the fourth and fifth Expeditions, players will no longer receive Skill Points for completing challenges. Instead, they can receive up to five random blueprints.

  You can accumulate damage by attacking other Raiders or ARCs, with the following damage thresholds as the targets:

  1. 5,000
  2. 10,000
  3. 30,000
  4. 50,000
  5. 100,000

  Each threshold grants one reward. The damage requirement for the fourth blueprint is only half that of the fifth blueprint. If you want to save some time, you can also stop after completing the 50,000 damage requirement.

  The mysterious reward pool includes the following ARC Raiders blueprints, which are awarded at random, with a maximum of five blueprints available.

  Weapon Attachment Blueprints:

  • Heavy Gun Parts
  • Complex Gun Parts
  • Padded Stock
  • Extended Barrel III
  • Muzzle Brake III
  • Stable Stock III
  • Vertical Grip III

  Weapon Blueprints:

  • Venator
  • Rascal
  • Osprey
  • Trailblazer
  • Anvil
  • Bettina
  • Hullcracker
  • Tempest
  • Vulcano
  • Dolabra
  • Aphelion
  • Wolfpack

  Augment and tools Blueprints:

  • Combat Mk. 3 (Flanking)
  • Tactical Mk. 3 (Defensive)
  • Looting Mk. 3 (Safekeeper)
  • Looting Mk. 3 (Survivor)
  • Powered Descender
  • Snap Hook

  All mysterious reward blueprints have duplicate protection against one another, but there is no duplicate protection for items already stored in Expedition Vault.

  If your Expedition Vault already contains Looting Mk. 3 (Survivor) blueprint, you can still receive the same blueprint again from this reward pool, eventually ending Expedition with two copies. You can store the extra blueprint in Vault for future use, but doing so means you may miss out on other useful blueprints.

  How to Complete the Damage Challenge?

  

  To complete this damage challenge, you need to deal damage to ARCs, other players, or any other unit that can take damage in the game. You do not need to kill them. Even if you contribute only 30% of the damage required for a kill, it will still count toward your progress.

  For example, if you die while attacking a Bastion, it does not matter because the damage has already been dealt and recorded. Even if you die during a Raid, your damage challenge progress will continue to accumulate.

  Even if there are a lot of PvP players in your match, PvP is not recommended as your primary method of farming damage. Player kills provide relatively little damage progress, and most players still active in the game are well equipped and quite capable.

  If you focus on killing ARCs, you can accumulate tens of thousands of damage within a few hours even without deliberately farming damage. Simply playing normally, completing Trials, exploring the map, and looting can be enough.

  Of course, Deadline, Wolfpack, Jupiter, and Hullcracker can help you complete the challenge much faster. All you need to do is enter the game and shoot anything that moves.

  ARC Damage Point

  Since ARCs have different levels of armor, the amount of damage points awarded for killing them also varies. If you want to specifically farm ARCs that provide the most points, the following are the points provided by each ARC.

  • Tick: 10
  • Pop: 10
  • Fireball: 20
  • Turret: 20
  • Snitch: 158
  • Wasp: 110
  • Hornet: 200
  • Firefly: 200
  • Comet: 150
  • Sentinel Turret: 300
  • Surveyor: 260
  • Shredder: 385
  • Leaper: 1100
  • Bastion: 2600
  • Bombardier: 2670
  • Rocketeer: 1100
  • Vaporizer: 1500
  • Queen: 10000
  • Matriarch: 10000
  • Turbine: 6000

  The exact amount may fluctuate slightly when you kill an ARC, but these figures are generally representative. If you want to know which ARCs are the most efficient targets, you can prioritize those with the thinnest armor.

  Rocketeer and Bastion have heavy black armor that is difficult to break through. Bombardier, on the other hand, has lighter armor, making it easier to destroy and more efficient for farming damage points.

  Although Turbine has heavy armor, it can drop a large number of parts and also provides a substantial amount of damage points, making it worth taking on.

  

  How to Kill ARCs Efficiently?

  Weapons such as Deadline, Wolfpack, Jupiter, and Hullcracker, which can quickly destroy ARC armor, are all top-tier choices.

  You can carry Deadline, jump onto the back of a Queen, and plant it there to deal a considerable amount of damage. Repeat this several times and you can make significant progress. Wolfpack is effective against Close Scrutiny or when dealing with groups of Vaporizer units.

  Jupiter is extremely powerful against any ARC. You can stay at a distance and continuously deal damage. Hullcracker is also highly recommended, especially when facing a Queen or Matriarch. Bring enough ammunition and unleash as much damage as possible.

  If no other players are competing with you, reaching 100,000 damage within three to four hours is possible. However, ARC Raiders does not have a purely solo PvE mode, so even with the weapons mentioned above, it may take a full day.

  The best approach is to enter the game and deal damage to moving targets whenever possible. If an area has too many players, leave and start another match. Alternatively, actively participate in Matriarch or Harvester events.

  Overall, there is no foolproof strategy, as everyone starts from the same position. If you plan to kill three Bombardiers in a single match, you may not get the chance unless you can time your run precisely around their spawn points, because other players will also rush to them.

  In short, there is no need to feel anxious about this. It is not a particularly difficult target to reach, and there is more than enough time. If you are not in a hurry, simply play the game normally. If you want to improve your efficiency, bring along the weapons mentioned above.

• Will Frozen Trail Bring a PvE Mode to ARC Raiders? | August 31 Interview May Have the Answer

  ARC Raiders' Frozen Trail will arrive on October 8, and the player community is starting to recover. The official team has stated that Frozen Trail Update will almost reshape the entire game, while one of the biggest questions among players is whether a PvE mode will be introduced.

  Although ARC Raiders producer did not directly answer this question, they did discuss the matchmaking system, which may indirectly provide us with an answer.

  

  ABMM Revealed

  In an interview, the executive producer of ARC Raiders discussed the mechanics behind ABMM. The system was actually finalized very late in the development cycle, so late that it did not even make it into the game's final public test.

  As a result, the player community spent months after launch trying to reverse-engineer a system that the development team itself was still experimenting with.

  Over the past year, the team has continued refining the system, including which behaviors are taken into account, how much weight each behavior receives, and even how different player groups are divided.

  PvP, PvE and Mix Groups 

  After extensive experimentation, the official team has finally revealed more details about how the matchmaking system divides players into different groups.

  According to the internal metrics, the overall player ecosystem is currently in a healthy state. Social players with a low tendency toward PvP and competitive players with a strong PvP focus have each formed relatively stable groups, while there is also some overlap between the two sides.

  The game is not simply divided into peaceful servers and hostile servers. The system intentionally preserves uncertainty. A player who usually focuses on social cooperation may suddenly choose to initiate PvP on a given day, and the opposite can happen as well.

  The development team wants even low-PvP matches to retain the possibility of combat, while high-PvP lobbies can still contain unexpected friendly social interactions.

  The most noteworthy data comes from statistics previously shared by the official team:

  • Around 30% of players primarily engage in PvE and team-based content.
  • Around 30% of players focus mainly on PvP.
  • Around 40% of players are interested in both playstyles and belong to the mixed group.

  Nearly half of all players have completed fewer than 10 raids, while roughly one in five players has never taken down a single Raider.

  Simply dividing the player community into PvE and PvP camps is an oversimplification. The actual mainstream group consists of players who switch between playstyles depending on their mood that day, their team composition, or their current objectives.

  

  Refining ABMM

  The official team actually implemented an important change on July 7. Player behavior data is now tracked separately for solo, duo, and trio modes. Before this change, everything you did in solo matches directly affected your matchmaking evaluation in trio matches, which was clearly not ideal.

  July 28 Live Update 1.39.0 then introduced Defensive PvP detection. If another squad initiated the fight and you were simply responding in self-defense, that defensive encounter may not be counted toward your behavioral evaluation score.

  Why Does ABMM lead to Players Needing PvE?

  ABMM was indeed very successful. Before its mechanics were made public, it brought players a lot of enjoyment because nobody knew exactly what kind of people they would encounter in the next match.

  However, as players began uncovering how the system worked and the official team openly acknowledged its existence, the experience of ARC Raiders changed significantly.

  After ABMM became public knowledge, many players began deliberately manipulating the system. Some players who preferred peaceful encounters would intentionally reduce their aggression in order to enter friendlier matches. In simple terms, players started paying attention to the system's variables rather than the players standing in front of them.

  As a result, there have been many matches where the players' main objective was simply to manipulate ABMM variables rather than genuinely enjoy the game.

  This has effectively reduced the number of true PvPvE players. These are players who generally do not attack others first, but will fight back aggressively when attacked.

  Once ABMM became public knowledge, players could no longer simply follow their first instinct and pull the trigger. Instead, they had to consider whether their actions would affect their ABMM evaluation.

  This has also made the player split increasingly obvious, which in turn has fueled growing demand within the community for a purely PvE mode.

  Some players want ABMM to function only as a weighting factor rather than a hard threshold. For example, SBMM and ABMM could be combined so that the system matches players based on both ARC Raiders items and player behavior, or aggression could decay more slowly and smoothly.

  Official Stance on PvE

  A PvE mode is a request that appears under almost every ARC Raiders video. In this interview, the official team directly addressed the demand, acknowledging that many players want to preserve the world and gameplay of ARC Raiders while simply avoiding interference from PvP.

  In November 2025, the official team stated in an interview that a pure PvE mode was possible, but no specific timeline could be provided. By May 2026, however, the team clarified that there were no pure PvE servers in the current game.

  During August 31 interview, the official position remained unchanged. Considering that around 40% of players belong to the mixed group, simply adding a pure PvE mode could instead fragment the player ecosystem and weaken the uncertainty and tension that are central to the game's experience.

  Overall, the official team currently has no plans to introduce a purely PvE mode. This conclusion is based on player data. For now, all expectations have been placed on Frozen Trail, with the hope that it will deliver enough new content to keep players engaged.