I’ve been playing video games for 25 years, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve felt like I’ve been playing the next big thing. Fortnite was one, back in 2018, during the original first season. Minecraft was another, during the alpha days, when it was picked up by the odd YouTuber and all it had was trees, coal, and dirt. Arc Raiders feels like another one of those games.
It goes without saying I’m no soothsayer; I had no idea just how big those games would become, but it was clear they’d conjured a formula that would lead to success. They were genre-defining. While Arc Raiders is by no means the first extraction shooter, and it is still early days for a game that relies so much on the passion and in-game behavior of its community, so far it has nailed nearly everything it’s attempted.
The whole purpose of Arc Raiders, and most extraction shooters, is that you work your way up to attaining the best gear possible. You begin the game with next to nothing, just a few basic provisions and weapons, and a quest given to you by one of a few named NPCs. These quests are one of the driving forces behind progression, but to get essentially the only drawback out of the way early, they’re not quite meaningful enough.
They range from the very simple — visit a location and interact with a prompt — to the much trickier, such as those that ask you to find specific items then, crucially, extract safely with them. Completing them rewards a few items, usually somewhat useful but nothing to write home about, the opportunity to tackle another quest, but unfortunately, no XP whatsoever.
Leveling up is a slow process; I have just over 20 hours played now, and I’m still in the teens. Some of that time has been spent on the bane of every extraction shooter — inventory management between raids — but I’ve been topside a lot, yet I still have more than 55 levels to climb. Each level up rewards a skill point, and some of the best skills (looking at you, Security Breach) can’t be acquired until almost level 40.
This isn’t necessarily a drawback, because for Arc Raiders to have such longevity, players need to constantly have something to strive toward. Thankfully, the actual moment-to-moment action is so tense, rewarding, and ultimately enjoyable, all I want to do is go on one more raid. I cannot get enough.
I’ve been playing Arc Raiders entirely solo so far, and even though it doesn’t have a dedicated solo playlist, the game will not put you into a raid with squads or duos. It’s every raider for themselves out there, but when the Arc enemies — robots and drones with seriously impressive pathfinding skills — can be so lethal, chances are, you’ll survive by just hopping on the mic in proximity chat as soon as you see another player and telling them you’re friendly.
I’ve spoken about how friendly the solo community in this game is before, and while that behavior may wane as players earn better gear and gain confidence in combat, so far it’s been a colossal breath of fresh air. If your experience isn’t quite so kind though? Worry not, because Arc Raiders has a phenomenal combat system, with satisfying gunplay, a diverse enough roster of weapons where each gun fills a role and there’s no such thing as a bad weapon, and so many possible playstyles, you can mold the game to your liking.
Fancy being one of those players that focuses on killing others? The game encourages it, of course, and as much as other raiders may post online about how frustrating it is to be shot on sight, it’s a valid way to play. You get that loot, just don’t get cocky and stop paying attention to your surroundings once you’re a few kills deep in a raid.
Want to avoid PvP combat as much as possible? Play stealthily. Stick to the shadows, the outskirts of the map, bide your time and only cross open areas when you’re certain it’s safe, and if you do get spotted, hop on the mic and protest for your safety like your life depends on it (because your virtual one does).
There’s something to be said about one line of thought, common among online commenters, that friendliness doesn’t exist in Arc Raiders; at least in my experience as a solo player, a solid 80% of my player encounters have been wholesome. My approach, as soon as I see someone, is to jump on the mic: “Hey, I’m friendly. Just trying to complete [quest],” or “Yo, I’m behind you, but don’t worry, I won’t shoot you. Let’s extract together.”
Meanwhile, there are players who don’t use voice chat and instead rely on the in-game “don’t shoot!” emote. I suspect, albeit without any proof, that being friendly on the mic, giving humanity and a personality to your in-game raider, means other players are far more likely to not shoot you. As opposed to the generic emote which every player hears in every raid, it’s easy to not take it seriously and acknowledge that killing someone who only emotes ruins the progress and sacrifices the gear of a real person.
Chances are, players will get blown to smithereens by Arc enemies more often than they will players when raiding solo anyway. Taking down a single Snitch or Wasp isn’t too difficult — although it does run the risk of attracting more foes, human or otherwise — but when you have multiple on your tail, or you need to take down an elite enemy such as a Bombardier or Rocketeer for the sweet loot it has within its metal shell, you’re in for a rough time. This peril is part of what makes Arc Raiders so rewarding.
There’s also clearly an environmental narrative being told and foreshadowing future updates too. Right now, the Queen is the biggest Arc foe available to fight, only available during specific map conditions. It has been taken down solo by a content creator, but realistically, you’re gonna need some pals and a lot of explosives.
Then there are the Baron Husks you can find on some maps, which are lootable (but watch out for the fire trap!) if you get there before anyone else. Will we see Barons introduced as actual enemies? It could work! On some maps, and during the game’s tutorial, you can also see what we know as a King walking past in the distance. It is absolutely humongous, to the point where you’d expect no mere squad of three would be able to take it down, so maybe that’s planned as the catalyst for Embark Studios to finally add the PvE mode players have been clamoring for? Where everyone on the map can work together to bring down the strongest possible enemy?
This is all speculation, of course, but it’s evident Arc Raiders has an extremely bright future — so bright that it’s fun to think of how the game could evolve. It’s been a long time since a game has hooked me this much, especially after I was so pessimistic going in, expecting to struggle as a solo player in a game full of mostly squads. If you’re hesitant to jump in, or you don’t think it’s the game for you, despite otherwise enjoying shooters, I urge you to give it a shot. Arc Raiders is massive, and it’s only going to get bigger.
Arc Raiders is out now on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. The game was reviewed on Windows PC using a prerelease download code provided by Embark Studios. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here.