Arc Raiders
- Midplayz
- Nov 15
- 10 min read
Updated: Nov 18
Seems Like A Plausible Future
Bro, just picture this: you’re part of a crew of scavengers, heading up to the surface of a post-apocalyptic world, guns in hand, adrenaline coursing, enemies all around both robotic and human. That’s literally the premise of ARC Raiders. It’s a third-person extraction shooter where you leave a safe base, enter a hazardous map, loot stuff, survive or die trying, and attempt to extract with what you found. It blends PvE (environment/AI) and PvP (other players) in a way that aims to keep things tense, unpredictable, and fun.
I jumped into ARC Raiders wanting high thrills and a solid extraction-shooter loop. What I found was a game that hits a surprising number of high notes, but also has a few rough edges. Let’s just jump into this long-ass review.
About This Game
Storyline
The story in ARC Raiders isn’t the typical cinematic blockbuster with shit ton of cutscenes, it’s more atmosphere, setting, and context than “here’s a hero’s journey”. The game is set in a distant future Earth where climate collapse and sinister machines (the “ARC” robots) took over the surface, forcing humanity to retreat underground into a settlement called Speranza. Raiders (that’s you) are volunteers (or daredevils) who go up to the surface (the “Topside”) to scavenge resources, weapons, relics…basically anything that can help humanity survive.
The tone is bleak, but with a sliver of hope. You’re fighting to stay alive, to get home, and maybe help rebuild something. It gives the extraction-loop more emotional weight; losing your loot or dying means more than just “I lost gear”; it means you failed humanity’s cause a little bit (in my mind anyway, I’m a bit delusional like that).
I like that the story doesn’t overwhelm. It supports the gameplay, providing motivation and context, but doesn’t force you through hours of exposition. For what I want, “go out, survive, extract, tell a story via what happens in the mission”, it works. That said, if you’re craving deep lore and narrative arcs, you might feel the setup is a little light and could use more meat.
Gameplay Mechanics
This is the meat of the review, because ARC Raiders shines (and sometimes struggles) in its systems. I’ll break this down into sections:
Extraction Loop
At its core, you start in a safe base (underground), pick load-out/weapons/gadgets, then drop into a map (30-ish minutes typical) on the surface. You loot, complete objectives/quests, fight ARC robots, maybe other players, then try to extract alive with your spoils. If you die, you lose almost everything (Except the stuff you store in your Safe Pocket).
This loop brings tension, the “will I survive?” question looms large. When you do extract, it’s rewarding. When you fail…well, you feel it. But in my playtime I found the loop compelling. I found myself thinking “just one more run” more times than I expected.
One little touch I really liked: the game doesn’t force you to play as a hardcore grind-only extraction shooter. The loot system is actually more forgiving than other games in this genre. This means if you’re new, you won’t instantly feel hopeless against veteran players.
Combat: PvE (Robots) & PvP (Players)
Robots & AI enemies: These are a big part of the tension. The ARC machines are smart-ish, varied, and dangerous. You’ll find standard drones, lots of smaller ones, and big hulking machines that punish sloppiness. The moment when you think “I’m safe” and then a drone breaks cover and stuns you? That punch hits. Combat against AI here is legitimately good.
What’s more, the AI reacts: if you shoot off a rotor, a drone might spin out and crash. I really loved the physics finesse. I found this added depth: you aren’t always just trading bullets, you’re managing positioning, noise, cover, and timing.
Player vs player: Here’s where the extraction genre cliché kicks in. Encounter another player or team and you immediately have to consider: friend? foe? ambush? The paranoia is real. Many moments I found myself sneaking, watching, deciding “do I engage or avoid?” The game doesn’t force you to kill every human you meet, and sometimes mutual avoidance is the smartest play.
In my experience, when PvP happens well, it’s fantastic. In one run I was creeping through a building and another solo player came in, we spotted each other and weirdly ended up cooperating for a while because we both wanted out alive more than each other’s loot. That felt special. But sometimes I got sniped without even seeing the player, and that frustration was real. This is the trade-off of the genre. Just keep this in mind “Shoot First, Question Later”. You can never trust anyone easily.
Gear/Loot/Progression
One frequent worry in extraction shooters is: “Do I lose everything and get wound back to zero?” ARC Raiders handles this with a more approachable progression. Most of the more powerful weapons are made for dealing high damage against the machines but would not completely overwhelm against humans. That means new players can feel they have a fighting chance.
Here are key elements:
Looting: You pick up weapons, materials, gadgets, salvage inside a run. If you extract, you bring them back and can use them; if you die, you lose them (unless in a safe pocket maybe).
Crafting/upgrading: Back in base you can turn materials into weapons, gadgets, armor, and upgrade your gear. This adds motivation and a sense of growth.
Skills/Progression: There’s a skill tree. You earn XP if you extract and even if you don’t, you still get XP, so you’re always progressing in some way. This makes the genre more accessible.
Risk vs reward: The loop of “loot something great, survive extraction, feel awesome” works very well. But because death can hit you hard, you come to respect caution.
Balance: The game tries to avoid an unbeatable loot-gap where veterans always dominate newbies. I appreciated this, in my early plays I didn’t feel completely hopeless. Some better gear helps, but it doesn’t guarantee victory. To quote: “better guns are better, but it’s never the reason you win or lose a fight.”
Here’s a quick table summarizing:
Mechanic | My Impression |
Loot & extraction | Tense and satisfying when you succeed; thrilling to carry something out. |
Gear progression | Solid! Gives you something to work toward without punishing newcomers. |
Skill tree & XP | Good touch. Makes you feel you’re improving even in losses. |
Balance between new & vet | It felt fairer than many extraction shooters. |
Quality-of-Life & Other Features
The game doesn’t just stop at core loop; there are features that smooth things out:
The game allows you to auto-unload your backpack after a match, reducing the “inventory drag” many extraction shooters have.
Tooltips explain what items do and where to find them which means less aimless looting. Good for less experienced players.
Solo matchmaking tends to match you with solo players, which helps balance.
I liked these features, little things that make a big difference in my experience. It’s the kind of polish that shows the developers are thinking of more than just hardcore players.
Visuals & Audio
Visuals
Graphically, ARC Raiders looks and feels very good. The world design, the maps, the varying terrain (post-apocalyptic, ruined cities, sprawling exteriors) all come together to give you that “we’re in a hostile world” vibe. No two encounters feel the same thanks to the environment and the emergent nature of the missions.
From my runs, I found the lighting and atmosphere especially impressive. At dusk on one map I was peering out over a ruined landscape, hearing the drones hovering, and it felt cinematic. Movement and cover feel fluid in third-person, which is important since the camera and perspectives can be tricky.
Audio
Good sound design can be make-or-break in extraction shooters (footsteps, drones, distant gunfire, alerts). ARC Raiders delivers: the enemy drones sound menacing, the environment gives cues (“that sound means incoming drone”), and the shooting/weapon sound effects are satisfying. The sounds are good at conveying information and are also satisfying to our ears!
In my play sessions, when I heard a rotor blade spinning, or a larger ARC nearing, my heart skipped. That’s a win. That said, I’ve seen that a few players have reported audio bugs (sound dropout) on where audio cuts out after several matches.
Personally, I experienced no major bugs, but it's something to be aware of!
Pros
High-tension loops: The “go in, loot, survive/extract” loop keeps me engaged. The risk of losing what you found makes success feel earned.
Strong AI & environment interactions: The ARC machines aren’t just cannon fodder. They move, they respond, they punish you for mistakes. That adds layers to gameplay.
Balanced progression: I like that you don’t feel utterly crushed as a newcomer. There’s growth, but not impossible walls.
Variety of emergent encounters: Fighting robots, other players, dealing with extraction timers, scavenging…all combine to produce memorable moments.
Good visual & audio presentation: It feels immersive, looks good, and the audio adds to the atmosphere.
Friendly to casual players: If you don’t have 8 hours a day to play, you still feel you can make progress and have fun.
Cons
Frustration of loss: Yes, the high stakes are thrilling, but they can also suck. Dying and losing gear because of a sniper or someone you didn’t see can sometimes feel unfair. I felt this.
Occasional technical bugs: As noted, audio issues, matchmaking/server problems have been reported. Example: servers crashing due to high load. I am sure they will fix these as soon as possible.
Narrative depth is light: If you’re into deep stories, heavy lore, big narrative arcs, you might find the world underpinning ARC Raiders a little thin. It’s good, but not the main focus.
The randomness of player interactions: The social dynamic is great when it works, but sometimes you meet toxic players or one-hit snipers and you’re just salt rather than thrill.
Audience Opinions & My Take
I want to reflect what the general audience and critics are saying, and align that with how I felt, so you get both community perspective + my spin.
What people are praising
Reviewers say it’s one of the most immediately satisfying extraction shooters. For example, Kotaku calls it “a digital adrenaline rush like no other”.
The balance for casual players is praised: PC Gamer says it “finally addresses the worst part of winning in an extraction shooter” by making it approachable.
The emergent social interactions (co-op, truce with other squads, tension) are often called the standout feature.
What people are cautious about
Some feel that the hub area is under-whelming compared to the gameplay zones. (Gamespot noted the hub “dampens the richness”.)
Technical issues at launch: Server overload, audio glitches etc. The “big moment” nature of extraction shooters means every bug is amplified.
Some players feel that the loot/gear difference isn’t dramatic enough, or conversely want more depth in gear/customization. Balance is good, but for hardcore loot-hunters it might feel a bit light.
My take
If I’m being honest (and I am), I love what ARC Raiders is trying to do. The moment when we extricated, my heart pounding, looted supplies in hand…it felt great. I also value that I could play without obsessing over every minute and still feel I was improving. I felt agency.
But…I also had nights where I got pissed. I lost a run because a rocketeer literally exploded me from behind, or a player snuck up. It stings. If you’re the type who hates when “you have no chance” sometimes, you’ll feel that.
Ultimately, for me, the strong moments outweighed the weak. I’d play again tonight. I’d tell a friend: “if you like shooters with some edge, and want a game where your victories feel earned, check this out.” If you’re more casual (only play 30 mins here and there) you’ll still probably have fun. If you’re super hardcore looking for extreme complexity or ultra-deep lore, you might find some parts lacking.
Tips for Starters
Alright, if you’re just booting up ARC Raiders and wondering how not to get instantly vaporized by high IQ drones or greedy players, here’s a compact starter pack of wisdom that’ll actually help you survive your first few runs:
1. Stick with the Free Loadout Early On
Don’t risk your shiny new guns right away. The free loadout gives you solid basics, so use it while you learn the map and extraction flow. Think of it as your “training wheels” period; zero pressure, full learning. Once you consistently extract alive, then start taking your good stuff topside.
2. Avoid Unnecessary Fights
Every fight is a coin toss, and early on, the odds aren’t in your favor. If you see another player, hide, sneak, or change direction. There’s no shame in surviving. The real goal in the early game isn’t being a hero, it’s getting out alive with loot.
3. Loot Smart, Not Greedy
Your backpack fills up fast. When it’s half full, start thinking about extraction routes. Dying with a full bag means you lose everything, and that hurts way more than leaving early with a few solid materials.
4. Upgrade Mobility First
Your stamina bar is basically your lifeline. Skills like Marathon Runner or Youthful Lungs let you sprint longer and dodge more. Being faster and more agile helps you survive almost every situation, especially ambushes.
5. Learn the Map, Not Just the Guns
Early on, knowledge beats firepower. Explore extraction points, enemy-intense areas, and good loot routes. Knowing where to run when things go bad will save you more often than an upgraded rifle will.
6. Recycle Wisely
After extraction, check your loot before smashing that recycle button. Some materials (like Rubber and Metal Parts) are needed for upgrades, don’t toss them just for a few extra scraps.
7. Use Sound as Radar
Footsteps, drones, and even flocks of birds are all warning signs. Play with headphones, and treat sound like a sixth sense, it’ll tell you who’s nearby long before you see them.
8. Don’t Fear Losing Gear
You will die and lose stuff sometimes, it’s part of the loop. Treat every death as a lesson. Figure out what went wrong, and go again. The more relaxed you are about loss, the faster you’ll improve.
9. Play with Friends (if possible)
Solo’s intense, but having even one teammate changes everything, you can watch each other’s backs, share loot, and plan better extractions. Coordination often beats better gear.
10. Extract Early, Live Longer
When in doubt, pull out. If you’ve got a good haul and your gut says “time to go”, listen to it. Extraction is victory, no one remembers how much you almost looted.
Bottom line: Survive first, fight later. Build confidence through safe runs, upgrade your stamina and looting perks, and learn the terrain. Once you’ve mastered that, you’ll start pulling off those wild, last-second extractions everyone brags about.
Conclusion
So, wrapping up. ARC Raiders is a standout in the extraction-shooter genre right now, blending high-tension action with smart AI, accessible progression, and emergent social dynamics. It gives you that “one more run” itch, which is a sign of something good.
It’s not perfect: extraction shooters are inherently volatile (you might lose a lot), and tech/bugs can get in the way. But those are trade-offs I’m willing to accept given how many high-quality moments I had.
From me, I’d recommend it if you:
Want extraction-type gameplay (loot-then-extract)
Don’t want to start at a complete disadvantage
Are okay with the possibility of frustrating losses
Enjoy co-op/solo multiplayer with tension and strategy
If you don’t like losing gear, or you hate unpredictability, or you prefer story-heavy single-player experiences, you might skip this one or at least go in knowing what you’re getting.
In short, ARC Raiders gives me that punch of adrenaline, the variety of “what happens next” and the satisfaction of survival, and it does so in a way that feels fresh and approachable. So yeah…two thumbs up from me
Rating: 10/10
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