Hark, aiders.

Embark Studios has announced a new matchmaking test for Arc Raiders that'll allow players to opt into a PvE version featuring none of the usual player-versus-player violence. It's the developer's response to a growing portion of the playerbase apparently uninterested in hurting their raiders-in-arms.

In a blog post on the official Arc Raiders website, executive producer Aleksander Grøndal revealed the studio's PvE test will run from 13th to 20th October, and will enable participants to choose between the new, friendlier version of Arc Raiders and the regular, more ruthless version.

Grøndal goes on to recap Arc Raiders' origin as a raid-based co-op PvE shooter with looting mechanics, and Embark's eventual decision to shift towards the extraction shooter we know today. However, in an interesting twist of fate, it turns out many players are approaching the game with a collaborative mindset despite the incentives to kill their fellow players, turning it into what Grøndal calls the "Extraction (Don’t) Shooter".

He further breaks down this phenomenon with statistics, highlighting that around 37 percent of raiders are friendly co-op players, and that this figure has grown since launch. In comparison, around 34 percent are PvP-focused - a figure that has stayed consistent since launch - and the remaining 27 or so percent of raiders are a mix between the two. So there's clearly demand for more formalised PvE.

Enter Embark's new test, and a PvE mode that'll allow for solo, duos, and trios to queue it out. Some map conditions, like night raids and hidden bunkers, will be absent as they were designed with PvP in mind. Additionally, loot value in PvE matchmaking will be lessened to take into account the reduced danger players face by playing this way.

On this front, Grøndal acknowledges some risks with this test, saying the studio will - given the amount of relatively risk-free loot players can potentially extract with - be keeping a close eye on the wider player economy. It'll be watching matchmaking times during the test too.

Finally, Grøndal notes the test does not mean a permanent PvE mode will be added in the future. Instead, he describes it as "indication that we are seriously considering it."

It's an interesting move by Arc Raiders. The game was extremely popular at launch, and continued to retain a strong playerbase in the months following. Almost immediately, the game gained notoriety due to its strangely friendly community, a distinct difference from other extraction shooters.

Some will look at this shift - which coincides with Marathon's recent announcement of a PvE mode - as an indicator of wider trends away from the hardcore PvP extraction genre. However there's a clear difference here. While Arc Raiders is certainly not as popular as it once was, this reads more like a reactive accommodation to the game's community, rather than a necessary push to win back lost players.

If Embark does decide to embrace PvE as a permanent game mode, one does wonder how it would impact future updates, and how it might create updates with both PvP and PvE players in mind. Would matchmaking become more fierce as a result? An interesting question for the future.

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