ARC Raiders Teases Improvements to Optional Expeditions and Reveals How Many Reset Their Character

by

The team behind ARC Raiders recently shared details about their first in-game event, called an Expedition. They also revealed how many players chose to start with a fresh account – an optional reset – and explained how they’re using player feedback to improve the game. Despite launching months ago, ARC Raiders has kept a surprisingly large number of players engaged, which is notable considering how quickly many online games, like Battlefield 6, lose players. Embark Studios is achieving this by taking a fresh approach to the extraction shooter genre, innovating on established gameplay features and mechanics.

Games like Escape from Tarkov usually reset players’ progress with periodic wipes, starting everyone back at level 1. ARC Raiders takes a different approach with “Expeditions” – an optional way to reset your account that you work towards over several months. Players complete a series of tasks at their own speed, and those who finish the Expedition before it’s available get extra rewards like more storage space, skill points, and a unique cosmetic item.

ARC Raiders Aims to Improve Expeditions

Although the launch of ARC Raiders‘ first major event was postponed, players really engaged with its optional ‘wipe’ feature. Design director Virgil Watkins recently shared that over 1 million players completed the first Expedition and chose to reset their progress – far more than they anticipated. Interestingly, 35-40% of those players were able to fully level up their characters by earning all available skill points. Embark Studios has detailed data tracking, allowing them to analyze player behavior down to specific actions, like the number of in-game items a player has collected.

Even though players are very involved, Watkins acknowledges there’s room to make the experience even more captivating. The team is currently reviewing player feedback and data to find ways to better motivate them to progress. They’re particularly focused on understanding players who prefer a more relaxed pace and are completing tasks at their own speed. The goal is to make building and customizing the caravan more interesting and ensure those players don’t feel excluded or left behind.

We understand that focusing solely on earning money isn’t very appealing, and it could actually discourage players from using their best equipment, which is often what they enjoy doing near the end of a season.

Image via Embark Studios

Embark is also looking at the rewards players received for participating in the game’s reset event, called the Expedition. Players unlocked cosmetic items like the Patchwork Raider outfit and Scrappy’s Janitor Cap, plus useful benefits like extra skill points and increased stash space. They also received temporary boosts to experience, repair speed, and resource gathering. Embark is monitoring player feedback on these rewards and may adjust them for future Expeditions, though specific changes haven’t been announced yet.

Image via Embark Studios

Players don’t have to rush into the second ARC Raiders Expedition, as it’s starting right after the first one finished. Embark might still make some tweaks or improvements, but a countdown timer helped players figure out the likely start date. Currently, February 22nd is looking like the date for this optional Expedition, giving everyone more time to collect the items and resources they need.

Read More

2026-01-11 18:04