ARC Raiders Tests a PvE Toggle Until October 20, Then It Goes Away

If you have ever wanted to run through the Rust Belt without wondering whether the next Raider is friendly, this is your week. Embark Studios switched on its PvE matchmaking toggle in ARC Raiders on October 13, and it stays available until October 20. It is a test, not a launch, and the studio is very direct that the toggle disappears when the week is over.

We covered the big content drop in our Frozen Trail launch article, where we noted that the PvE idea was a separate story until Embark confirmed details. The studio has now done that, in a September 24 blog post explaining the why and an October 12 post explaining the rules.

How the PvE servers work

The core change is simple: zero player-to-player damage. Embark adds that stun and fire throwables will not work on other players either, while physical items like barricades and ziplines are unaffected. So you can still build a path or block a doorway, you just cannot hurt a squad with them.

Sessions are not the same as normal ones in a few other ways. Overall loot value is lowered, which is the studio's way of paying for the extra safety. Squad separation is not prioritized, so solos, duos and trios end up in the same match more often. ARC machines can also re-acquire a downed player. After you go down you get an eight second grace period, then a machine may attack if it catches you moving. Staying still keeps you ignored, which Embark says is meant to keep some tension alive without other Raiders around.

Some major map conditions are excluded from PvE because they depend on the unpredictability of other players: Night Raid, Locked Gate, Hidden Bunker, Frigate and Redirection. The September post listed four of those, so Redirection is the one added in the latest announcement. Embark also warns that matchmaking may be slower in low-population regions and during quiet hours. Your PvPvE rating is not touched by PvE sessions, and normal PvPvE matchmaking stays as it is so the studio can see how the toggle shifts the main mode.

Why Embark is doing this now

The most interesting part of the announcement is the data. Embark splits its players into three groups: 37 percent friendly co-op players, a share that has grown since launch, 27 percent mixed players, and 34 percent pure PvP players, which has stayed flat. More than 70 percent of friendly players and 40 percent of PvP players say they want fewer hostile encounters, and 51 percent of surveyed players want a dedicated PvE option. The studio also admits that the very first version of ARC Raiders was a PvE co-op game, and that it has been hesitant to go back.

That context matters. This is not a studio chasing a trend, it is a studio looking at a growing group of players who have been working around the game rather than playing it the way it was built. At the same time, Embark names the risk itself: a PvE option could drain some of the tension that makes extraction runs memorable.

What it means for you, and our take

If you play mostly PvPvE, nothing forces you to switch. The best thing you can do is keep playing normally and note whether the toggle changes your lobbies, because Embark says it wants data on the main mode too. If you are a co-op player, this is your chance to show what works, since a survey goes out after the test and the studio says it will use the answers to decide where a PvE option goes next. Do not expect fast progression from PvE sessions, given the lowered loot value.

Our view is that the test is well designed and honestly framed. Keeping PvP rating separate and limiting the high tension conditions shows Embark knows what it could break. The open question is population: if too many players leave the main mode, queues in quiet hours get slow, and the shooter at the center of the game gets quieter. One week of data should show whether that fear is real. If you like extraction games with a different risk profile, our look at DMZ in Modern Warfare 4 covers another take on the same genre.