Arc Raiders Review - The Pinnacle of Extraction Shooters

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While games aren’t supposed to be punishing most of the time, the one genre where stakes are higher and you can feel actual loss is that of extraction shooters. In truth, that has been a deterrent for many, and I don’t blame them. Dozens of hours lost because some griefer decided to camp the extraction point really brings the mood down. However, there are workarounds to that, and Arc Raiders has finally nailed them. After reaching level 20, spending a whole weekend going through its four maps, and working on my trials, I can confidently say that I’m not afraid of extraction shooters anymore, and it’s all thanks to how highly approachable yet challenging Arc Raiders is.

Arc Raiders moves away from the same color palette used by many other extraction shooters and puts us in the dangerous yet colorful Rust Belt. Here, you are a Raider, a poor soul tasked with bringing all sorts of broken-down household devices, parts from highly intelligent and deadly machines called ARC, and a few rubber ducks to keep or eventually sell when your credits go down. In terms of story, there isn’t a narrative per se, but there are many quests and codex entries that add to the lore Embark Studios has created for the game.

But now, let’s dive into what truly matters: the extraction shooting part. When you hear the term “extraction shooter,” you might want to run away from it faster than a Battlefield 6 player from a bright coloured skin. And in a way, I don’t blame you. The fact that there’s the danger of losing all your loot, weapons, kit, and healing items if another player or an ARC shoots you can be quite daunting. However, Arc Raiders has this black magic that pulls you in despite dying to a Sentinel three times in a row. And that black magic spell is called ‘approachability,’ a term not many studios are familiar with.

As soon as you jump into Arc Raiders, the game tells you of these high stakes. It shows you how split-second decisions can cost you everything, but it is you who makes the final call. And in the unfortunate event that it happens, there are many ways to mitigate the overwhelming sense of failure after dying to an exploding Pop.

For starters, free loadouts. This simple, yet game-changing addition lets you go to Topside even if you are a Raider who doesn’t have a metal scrap to their name. You spawn with any of the starter weapons in the game, a couple of healing items, and maybe some binoculars if you’re lucky enough. The downside is that you don’t have a safe pocket, meaning that there isn’t a secret spot to stash that coveted Arc Module.

Another thing that makes the loss of loot feel less devastating is good old Scrappy, the rooster that will always have some materials lying around for you after a while, which you can then use to craft new items. And if you train your feathered companion with a dog collar and the hardest fruits to find in the world, you’ll get even more, making this extraction shooter extremely easy to get into, yet also maintaining that challenge for those who really like that permanent loss.

And while all of these systems are alluring, easy-to-grasp, and highly addictive, the real success is what Arc Raiders achieves with its world, its loop, and all the gameplay features that work together to provide a unique experience in every single match you jump into.

A Raider’s Day in Topside

After going through your stash, which will quickly get cluttered and force you to spend your credits to increase its size, only for you to fill it up in the next round, you’ll get to pick between four maps: the Dam, Buried City, Spaceport, and Blue Gate. Each of these maps is a challenge on its own without map conditions.

The Dam, for instance, offers the same open and closed areas, ranging from a scrapyard surrounded by a forest to a vast research complex guarded by turrets and ARC enemies. Then you have the Buried City, a maze of buildings covered by sand where Sentinels lurk around the next corner, ready to end you in seconds. Spaceport, on the other hand, is packed with massive warehouses ripe for the picking, and the tallest building in all the game, which often leads to some fun Raider deaths as they mistakenly jump off the launch tower and miss the zipline. And of course, Blue Gate, which, ironically, is the most beautiful and most dangerous map at the same time. Its open areas are among the scariest sections of the game because you never know when a Leaper will jump out at you.

I often choose a favorite map in every game I play. However, Arc Raiders makes it hard because the design behind each area is beyond amazing. Plus, every map has conditions that vastly modify how a match will go. There are some where you’ll find more ARC husks to loot, the fan-favorite (or mine at least) Night Raids, the one where the Queen spawns in the Dam and half of the players of that match die in a second, and so on.

The great thing about it is how every match always offers something entirely different. Enemy locations and patrols always change, and some buildings that never had a turret might have one just outside of the room you always loot. Speaking of loot, everything is different, too, as that drawer that had bandages might have plastic parts next time, or might not even be open at all.

Unfortunately, this boundless beauty and immersive areas aren’t without their issues. I’ve played Arc Raiders non-stop on my PS5, and sadly, the platform doesn’t have enough juice to keep up with the game’s elaborate geometry and textures. Often, I noticed that many bushes, trees, and even assets inside buildings took too long to load or just appeared when I approached them. For a game that is so immersive, this is undoubtedly a deal-breaker, especially when you’re trying to get absorbed by every single detail in all of its maps.

While this might be a background thing for many, as the real action relies on shooting ARC foes and players, the truth is that going through the dilapidated corridors or abandoned facilities loses some of that visual punch once you realize how some of the rendering can be a bit janky and inconsistent. I’d like to say this is exclusive to one map, but unfortunately, it’s happened in every single one.

Still, regarding performance and other technical aspects, Arc Raiders runs smoothly, and aside from the short server issues on launch weekend, which we all caused after breaking player count records, everything has been a smooth ride. I haven’t experienced any lag, crashes, or other issues. Other than a few NPCs not moving their lips in Speranza when talking and some images showing the “Preview Image” words after a quest, everything has been top-notch.

Your Home Below

The gameplay loop isn’t exclusive to Topside, however. There are many things in Speranza, which is the game’s hub. Here, you’ll be planning your loadout, building up your crafting stations, accepting and completing quests, and so on.

In terms of loadout planning, Arc Raiders has a great UI that makes moving things in and out of your stash quite easy. I still can’t find a way to split some of my materials and items, though, despite the game having the option to “move half,” but I hope the developers will soon address that.

Crafting is another important part of your gameplay loop, and you’ll start by building up your stations before upgrading them to create better items. One thing I like is how the game encourages you to scavenge for blueprints rather than make them purchasable. You’ll start with only a handful of items you can craft, with the rest becoming available if you find that elusive recipe. Speaking of crafting, I don’t have complaints about the cost of creating a weapon or an item, as the game gives you plenty of options to get materials, so this system is flawless in that regard.

Questing is also pretty deep and doesn’t give you any hand-holding. You’ll get a mission to fix a few things inside the Blue Gate, but you only have the clues to reach these places. There aren’t any big markers on the map to take you to them, making exploration yet another significant aspect of the questing process, and one that I enjoyed more than I thought I would.

I still feel many things would benefit Arc Raiders, such as a way to craft from your stash by selecting the item you want to make, or a way to save a loadout, so you can just add things from your stash to your inventory with a button. Still, they aren’t deal-breakers because the UI is extremely user-friendly and removes the tedium of navigating several menus.

Yet, there is one thing that, while not part of the core gameplay aspect, is something that you’ll definitely find when browsing menus in Speranza: the store. See, I usually don’t try to judge a game’s monetization aspects, but Arc Raiders certainly dropped the ball here. When it comes to cosmetics, the prices are way beyond what I would’ve expected, especially from a premium game.

I won’t list the prices or bundles here, but if you’ve played already, you know that one cosmetic pack is almost half the cost of the full game in its base edition. While I agree that all cosmetics are great, the prices need some tuning; they are currently set in a way that will only continue to anger the playerbase and drive them away from investing any money in these customizations.

PvPvE At Its Finest

I have to come clean here and admit that I was among the players who felt disappointed when the game transitioned to PvPvE. That’s not the case anymore. As the team has said in several other interviews, PvP is not the focus, nor is it PvE. It is survival and decision-making, and that becomes evident as soon as you jump into a match.

Arc Raiders lets you queue solo or as a squad of up to three players. Oddly enough, these queuing modes offer two vastly different gameplay experiences.

Playing solo, which is what I’ve done so far, is the best thing I have ever experienced in an extraction shooter. Ever since day one, players have been roaming the map, spamming the “Don’t shoot” emote, and, believe it or not, holstering their weapons. I’ve seen strangers take down a Bombardier together, and a few other people communicating with emotes to let other people grab their loot. It has this strange, wholesome feel that I never expected in a game where you’re scavenging every nook and cranny for a durable cloth.

Still, that doesn’t mean it is all a quiet meadow with no shooting. I’ve also experienced some backstabbing from players, seen other Raiders try to lure ARC enemies to others, and a few being toxic on the proximity chat. Yet, that’s unavoidable in a multiplayer environment, but when it comes to extraction shooters, Arc Raiders stands at the top of the wholesome scale with just a bit of toxicity on the side.

However, squad play is a whole different game. I tried to jump into a couple of squad matches just to see how it would change, and boy, do I regret it. First, the PvE and looting aspect is non-existent. It basically turns into a shooting fest akin to a battle royale, where no one cares about scavenging. They only care about killing other players, which defeats the purpose of the game. I’m not saying it is bad, but it certainly feels as if solo mode is the best way to experience all that Arc Raiders has to offer.

Despite the two queues feeling extremely different, the truth is that I understand the decision behind PvPvE. While you can be friendly with everyone, the game wouldn’t be as stressful with only ARC enemies or real players. Usually, the former are even more dangerous, but knowing a player could grief you as you fight against a Hornet is part of that danger that makes the game so enthralling. While many are still pushing for a full PvE mode, I hope Embark Studios stands its ground and continues with PvPvE, because it truly is the best of both worlds and, in the end, encourages player decisions in every match.

A Bar That Will Be Hard to Surpass

I never thought I would become so addicted to one extraction shooter, but here I am. A whole weekend later of non-stop raiding, and I never stopped despite dying to rockets repeatedly. This is a clear example of a solid, cohesive, and engaging gameplay loop that not many games manage to pull off. Plus, and in an ironic way, it never focuses on PvE or PvP. It focuses more on player choices that lead to those moments. Will you follow the gunshot sounds to grief a player with the risk of an ARC downing you, or will you leave them alone and loot another spot?

Ultimately, Arc Raiders is the extraction shooter that has finally brought this genre to the mainstream. Even if some of its pricing choices are questionable and it has a few visual issues, the truth is that no other extraction shooter matches the immersion and atmosphere of Arc Raiders. In a world where launching a new live-service game is a monumental and scary task, Embark Studios can rest easy because it has created one of the most unique gaming experiences of recent memory. One that I’m sure will stick around for many years.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Arc Raiders (PS5 Reviewed)

9 Superb!

Arc Raiders is the extraction shooter we all needed. It is approachable, challenging, and puts player choices front and center. This is one of the most successful live-service games of all time.