Arc Raiders’ Trials this week are not for everyone, including me

It’s been almost a month since ARC Raiders came out, and I’m still really enjoying the core gameplay of collecting resources and escaping. I especially like the weekly Trials, which help me progress and earn rewards. But this week’s Trials are proving difficult – it’s the first time since the game launched that I’ve had such a hard time completing them.

Many players of ARC Raiders seem to be losing interest, and that might be why the weekly Trials are taking so long to finish. However, I believe the problem goes beyond just the game losing its initial popularity. Several things are contributing to the difficulty, and it’s clear from the community feedback that I’m not the only one finding them challenging.

I’m Struggling With ARC Raiders’ Trials this Week, And I Know I’m Not Alone

Damage Rocketeers
Download data during the Hidden Bunker
Search First Wave husks
Damage Snitches
Damage ground-based ARC enemies

This week’s challenges in ARC Raiders are all repeats from past weeks, and I’m not thrilled about it – they include some of my least favorite tasks. While finding First Wave husks and damaging Snitches are pretty simple, downloading Hidden Bunker data and damaging Rocketeers and ground-based ARCs are proving difficult. It seems like other players are having the same struggles.

ARC Raiders Needs to Make the Hidden Bunker Available More Often

My main issue with this week’s Trials is the difficulty downloading data from the Hidden Bunker. While the Hidden Bunker event itself isn’t very hard, and players can usually activate the rooftop antennas pretty quickly as a team, the real problem is how often it’s actually available.

Limited-time events like the Hidden Bunker are only available at specific times, which puts players in certain time zones at a disadvantage. For example, it currently happens while I’m at work or asleep, and others in similar time zones face the same issue. To make the Hidden Bunker more accessible, the game ARC Raiders should offer it more often, so more players can participate during convenient hours.

The Nerfs to the Hullcracker and Explosives Make Damaging Rocketeers and Ground ARC Enemies a Chore

The recent changes to the Hullcracker and explosives in the ARC Raiders update last week are making this week’s Trials more difficult. While damaging the larger enemies like Queens and Matriarchs was always important, it’s now much harder to damage smaller, flying enemies (Rocketeers) and ground-based ARCs like Bastions and Bombardiers with the Hullcracker. Plus, because explosives aren’t as effective against these big ground enemies, my usual strategy of using Deadline Mines to quickly defeat them isn’t working as well.

Explosives now do a bit more damage to smaller, energy-based enemies. Because of this, I’ve been concentrating on defeating Pops and Fireballs to get a perfect score on this challenge.

ARC Raiders’ PvP Surge Makes Completing Any Trials a Gamble

The most annoying thing about this week’s Trials has been running into more players who kill me and ruin my score. I actually like that ARC Raiders has PvP – it makes the game more exciting. But it feels like the balance between player-versus-player combat and cooperative gameplay was good at the start, and now it’s become way too focused on PvP.

ARC Raiders’ Streamer War Has Increased PvP

I’m not certain what’s causing the recent increase in player-versus-player (PvP) activity in ARC Raiders, but I think a rivalry between streamers TheBurntPeanut and HutchMF might be responsible. Even though TheBurntPeanut has announced the end of their conflict – with their faction, the Bungulator, claiming they won – I’m still seeing players from that faction immediately attack anyone wearing the opposing faction’s skin. Because I wasn’t involved in this streamer war, it’s been extra difficult this week to figure out which skins are safe to use without being targeted. I’m hoping things will calm down now that the war is supposedly finished, so I can complete my Trials without being interrupted.

Next Week’s Trials Need to Be a Reprieve for Ailing ARC Raiders Players

Despite a difficult week with the Trials, I’m still expected to improve my rank when the week ends. Hopefully, ARC Raiders will offer some more manageable Trials next week to make up for this one. I’d like to see tasks like:

Damage Wasps
Harvest Plants
Destroy Ticks, Fireballs, and Pops

Dealing with wasps is simple – they’re common and easily destroyed without posing much danger, making this task quite manageable. I already completed a similar task, Harvesting Plants, last week, and I discovered a good location in the Trench on the Spaceport map to do it quickly. Eliminating Ticks, Fireballs, and Pops is also straightforward, as they appear in many indoor areas and are easily destroyed with just one or two shots from a weapon like the Anvil.

Although completing these tasks would definitely help with next week’s Trials, they don’t fix the bigger issue with player-versus-player combat in ARC Raiders right now. I might just be having a run of bad luck with how players are matched up, so things could still get better. However, my experience with this week’s Trials has unfortunately made me view the game less favorably, and I’m hoping it improves soon.

2025-11-26 16:05