ARC Raiders Says Players Are Beating Bosses Too Quickly

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A developer for ARC Raiders has said that players are defeating bosses like the Queen and Matriarch faster than expected. These bosses weren’t designed to be fought by an entire server of players at once. While the Queen and Matriarch drop some of the best items in the game, the developers at Embark understand it’s disappointing when a full server defeats them, leaving little loot for everyone.

When Embark Studios first began developing ARC Raiders, the plan was to make it a purely cooperative game, like Helldivers 2. However, early testing showed it wasn’t enjoyable enough, so they added player-versus-player (PvP) combat. While many of the original enemies – like Leapers and Queens – are still in the game, the studio has been surprised to see players often avoid fighting each other. This is because the game’s matchmaking system encourages aggressive play, but it’s now leading to players defeating the large ARC enemies too quickly.

ARC Raiders Didn’t Expect Full Servers to Go Against the Queen and Matriarch

ARC Raiders features challenging map events like the Harvester, guarded by a powerful enemy called the Queen, and the even more dangerous Matriarch. The Matriarch not only attacks directly, but also creates smaller enemies like Bastions, Leapers, and Hornets. While these enemies are formidable on your own, they become less threatening with a full server of players assisting. According to design lead Virgil Watkins, these events aren’t meant to be tackled by everyone at once and yield equal rewards. Instead, they’re designed for coordinated teams of a few dedicated squads who must also compete with other players.

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The game’s matchmaking system, designed to pair players based on how aggressively they play, unexpectedly allows players who prefer cooperative gameplay to find lobbies together. This has led to groups successfully defeating powerful enemies, something the developers at Embark didn’t foresee and have taken responsibility for. According to Embark’s Watkins, players were given abilities that were too powerful too early in the game, and these abilities were balanced for later-game equipment. This teamwork, while positive, has created a new issue: there isn’t enough loot to reward everyone involved when a powerful enemy is defeated.

While the matchmaking system has benefits, situations like this highlight a problem with matching players based on aggression. Players who avoid player-versus-player combat (PvP) should ideally be grouped with others who feel the same, creating friendly lobbies. However, according to Watkins, ARC Raiders doesn’t fully separate PvP and PvE players, meaning some conflict is still possible. Many players disagree with this, stating that they avoid PvP and rarely experience being attacked by others.

Embark, the developer of ARC Raiders, is still refining its matchmaking system, which currently pairs players based on how aggressively they play. CEO Patrick Söderlund recently addressed concerns that some players were exploiting the system to get into lobbies focused on player-versus-environment (PvE) content. He confirmed this wasn’t the intended design, as the studio wants to avoid dividing the player base. While Embark aims to let players enjoy the game in their preferred way, Söderlund stated they will continue to adjust the system over time.

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2026-02-19 22:05