After nearly three months of gathering resources and engaging in combat, players of Arc Raiders have become quite skilled at handling the robotic enemies in this extraction shooter. Dedicated fans might be concerned that this part of the game could become boring soon, but there is no need to worry: Embark Studios is preparing to unleash even greater challenges upon us.
During a conversation with GamesRadar, Arc Raiders design lead Virgil Watkins mentioned that the team is “pretty happy” with the end-game experience of defeating the massive Queens and Matriarchs. These large robot bosses are a key part of the game’s later stages.
The issue is that repeatedly destroying the same giant robots to collect materials for crafting better weapons can become repetitive rather quickly. While most players have not yet reached the advanced progression stages and higher threat levels, online shooters typically succeed or fail based on how well they keep their most dedicated players engaged in the end-game content.
Instead of creating entirely new “giant spidery” robots, Watkins suggested that Embark Studios might look for ways to use the existing ones in different situations or special events. He explained that the focus is on determining where to take these types of experiences in the future, perhaps adding something new or different to see how they can increase the challenge for players on the PvE side.
A potential increase in the power of the Arcs or changes to the world state would not be limited only to the boss robots. The smaller drones are also becoming “much less of a threat” to players who have progressed deeper into the game. However, some of the smaller Arcs are simply meant to be minor annoyances that players must deal with as they rush through their favorite loot spots or go after other unsuspecting raiders.
Regarding the titanic Arc bosses that can often be seen moving in the background of the game world, Embark is not making any firm promises due to the technical challenges involved. However, it seems that everything is being considered. Watkins stated that the team wants to go wherever is practical or feels fun, but they must consider the practical side of things, such as whether it will cause server performance issues. He noted that their ambitions are definitely large, and while he cannot say that players will meet one of these giant background bosses anytime soon, it is obvious that they see the giant walking ones in the background and other areas.
For now, the fact that the game has sold more than 12 million copies and the positive feedback from players are giving the studio plenty of space and time to experiment with these new ideas.
