The Future Of Arc Raiders
Arc Raiders has quickly become one of the biggest games of 2025, and the community is already hungry for what comes next. While Embark Studios has not released a full roadmap yet, there are plenty of clues from recent updates and developer comments that point to where the game could be heading over the next couple of years.
This overview breaks down the most likely additions and changes coming to Arc Raiders, from new enemies and map conditions to fresh game modes and improved systems. If you are a newer player or just casually dropping into the surface, this will give you a clear idea of what might be around the corner.
Bigger Enemies, Wilder Maps, And Better Weapons
One of the most exciting possibilities for Arc Raiders is the arrival of truly massive new arc enemies. Players have long noticed the gigantic silhouettes looming on the horizon and have heard the devs mention the Baron, King, and Emperor arcs. These are supposed to be even larger and more dangerous versions of bosses like the Queen and the Matriarch.
Right now, you can find dormant Baron husks on the map and even loot around them, but fighting a fully active Baron or King is another story. The main problem is that player power has not fully caught up yet. Arc Raiders has normal, rare, and epic weapons, but in practice basic gear often competes with or even outperforms epic guns. On top of that, basic weapons are cheaper to run in terms of cost per shot, which keeps many players defaulting to cheaper setups rather than flashy pink weapons.
This odd balance creates a soft ceiling on what the average player can reasonably take on. Until epic weapons are properly buffed or rebalanced so that they feel clearly stronger and worth the investment, dropping truly colossal arcs into the game might overwhelm most squads. A sensible path forward is:
- Rebalance epic and high tier weapons so they comfortably outclass the basics.
- Adjust costs so advanced gear feels worth using regularly.
- Then introduce Baron, King, and Emperor arcs as high end challenges.
Alongside bigger enemies, players are also expecting new map conditions. Previous events like Cold Snap have already shown how a global modifier can completely change the feel of raids. A summer themed desert condition is a strong candidate for a future update, flipping the freezing survival challenge into a heat and resource management struggle.
There is also a dream of truly chaotic experimental runs, like a Wacky Raid where arc behaviour breaks all the usual rules, mobs spawn in bizarre spots, and loot appears in completely illogical places. Even if that particular idea remains a fantasy, it captures the desire for more variety and unpredictability in how the world behaves.
On the smaller enemy side, players are hoping for more unique mobs like the Shredder, which arrived with the Stella Montis update. Current enemies such as pops and fireballs already make indoor exploration feel like a horror game, with explosive swarms and face hugging threats turning every narrow hallway into a panic zone. More compact but distinctive enemies like this would add diversity without needing every update to revolve around giant bosses.
New Modes, Matchmaking Tweaks, And Community Events
If new mobs take time, fresh modes could be the quickest way to shake up the experience. Two ideas stand out in the Arc Raiders community.
A dedicated PvE raid mode would lean into the cooperative side of the game. Think coordinated multi phase fights against towering arcs in bespoke arenas, similar in spirit to Destiny style raids. These would give squads clear long term goals, rare rewards, and a reason to master their builds and communication.
On the more competitive side, a PvP focused heist mode could drop multiple squads into a tight area with limited loot and a strict timer. The goal would be to grab valuables and extract before time runs out while dealing with both arcs and enemy players. This sort of mode would heighten tension, reward smart route planning, and offer a break from the more open ended surface runs.
Underneath these ideas sits an important system: aggression based matchmaking. Embark has confirmed that Arc Raiders uses this to group more bloodthirsty PvP leaning players together. The intention is to let players who enjoy fighting each other share more lobbies while more peaceful players see fewer surprise ambushes.
However, the system raises a lot of questions. Many players would like clearer information about what behaviour counts as aggressive and how strongly it affects matchmaking. Since discussions about fairness and transparency around this system are ongoing, it is likely that Embark will eventually explain it in more detail or tweak how it works.
This matchmaking system also links directly into community events. As more players form friendly PvE focused lobbies, big tasks like opening the Bunker or taking down the Matriarch are becoming easier to complete. The game was not really built for large scale cooperation between multiple squads, so these events can sometimes feel trivial when many players pile on.
At the same time, dedicated PvP players end up at a disadvantage for completing these events because they tend to be matched with other aggressive raiders instead of cooperative groups. This makes event tuning feel uneven depending on your preferred playstyle.
A future rework of community events could:
- Scale difficulty based on how many raiders are participating.
- Offer separate PvE and PvP friendly routes to completion.
- Reward both cooperative and competitive play without punishing either side.
Finally, expeditions are another area that needs attention. Right now there is little incentive to send your raider away on long term missions. The rewards often do not justify the time and resource investment, especially when players would rather use their best gear before the next wipe instead of locking it up in background systems.
A meaningful expedition overhaul would likely need to provide unique rewards, powerful but fair bonuses, or progression that you cannot easily get through normal raids. Without that, the feature will continue to feel optional at best.
Embark has always believed Arc Raiders had something special, but its rapid popularity means they now face a huge and vocal player base that wants very different things from the game. Balancing all those expectations will not be easy. Still, with smart weapon tuning, creative new modes, and thoughtful reworks of systems like matchmaking, events, and expeditions, Arc Raiders could grow into an even richer playground for both PvE and PvP fans over the next couple of years.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/my-arc-raiders-2026-wishlist-consists-of-new-mobs-modes-and-map-conditions/
