A PvE playtest is currently happening in Arc Raiders, and some first impressions aren’t strong for the mode. A contingent of players isn’t happy with how the dynamic feels compared to the standard experience, even expressing regret that they wished this had been added in the first place.
Embark Studios kicked off a week-long public beta for PVE in Arc Raiders just yesterday, October 13. The idea is that player-on-player damage is removed, forcing everyone to tackle the Arc in front of them and get their loot instead of trying to grief each other,
In theory, it should be a fine addition for the shooter, coming up on its first anniversary, but results have been varied. “I’ve been playing carebear games for weeks now and I thought PvE would be great,” writes a Redditor. “Well, I was wrong. Games feel like a shop simulator, nobody talks, nobody interacts, just go in, loot, bye.”
They add they’d vote against player-versus-enemy if such a ballot appeared, and the paranoia from the standard modes now seems fundamental. “I think we need that carebear interaction where people choose to hold their guns, you still have some fear of being shot etc,” they add. “Personally I really disliked PvE toggle, game feels bland, soulless.”
While players can’t shoot you, they can still shove you, as another player pointed out in a frustrating clip on Reddit where they keep getting pushed around while trying to go back to Speranza. “PvE is insufferable,” they say. “People bull rush you off ledges, bull rush you to prevent you from looting and then bull rush you to prevent you from extracting.”
A commenter points out, the bull rushing can be mitigated through patches. Other players are having more fun. One said they’re “having a blast,” sharing that they found Arc encounter rate to be similar to regular play, but there appears to be less loot. The responses are mixed between agreeing to being critical, to a more subdued reaction, simply saying it’s kind of boring.
That last part is where streamer and video maker Loochy stands. He found PvE “got kind of boring after a few rounds” because of lowered tension. “The reality is Arc Raiders doesn’t have a strong enough endgame to support a meaningful PvE experience,” he says on Twitter. “It just feels hollow.”
If this debate has you curious, you have until October 20 to give this playtest a go.