After nearly three months of gathering resources and battling machines, fans of Arc Raiders have become quite skilled at handling the game’s computer-controlled enemies. Dedicated players might fear that this part of the experience could become repetitive soon, but there is no need to worry: Embark Studios is preparing to unleash even greater challenges upon us.
During a discussion with GamesRadar, Arc Raiders design lead Virgil Watkins mentioned that the team is “pretty happy” with the current end-game loop, which involves taking down the massive Queens and Matriarchs.
The issue is that repeatedly destroying the same giant robots to obtain materials for crafting better weapons can become boring rather quickly. Although most players have not yet reached the later stages of the game where the highest threat levels are found, 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 utilize the existing ones in different situations and special events. He explained that the focus is on determining where to take these experiences in the future, possibly adding new elements or scenarios to see how they can increase the intensity 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 deep 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 decide to 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, everything seems to be under consideration. Watkins noted that they want to go wherever is practical or feels fun, but they must consider the practical side of things, such as whether it will cause server issues. He admitted that their ambitions are definitely large, and while he cannot say that players will encounter one of these massive bosses anytime soon, it is obvious that the giant walking machines in the background are there for a reason.
For the time being, the fact that the game has sold more than 12 million copies and the generally positive feedback from the player base are giving the studio plenty of room and time to experiment with these new ideas.
