ARC Raiders PvE Matchmaking Test Starts October 13

ARC Raiders will test a dedicated PvE matchmaking option from October 13 to 20, giving players one week to enter raids without taking damage from other Raiders.

Embark will run the PvE toggle alongside the existing PvPvE experience rather than replace it. Solos, duos and trios can all enter the same PvE sessions, while the studio measures how the extra matchmaking option affects player behaviour, queue times and the in-game economy.

Players can switch between PvE and PvPvE matchmaking between raids. In PvE sessions, damage between players is disabled entirely, leaving ARC machines as the main combat threat while groups scavenge, complete quests and explore.

Embark says the test is not introducing a separate PvE progression system, and playing those sessions will not affect a player's PvPvE matchmaking rating.

Some major conditions are excluded from the test. Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and Frigate will remain tied to the regular matchmaking pool because Embark says their design relies on higher tension and the uncertainty of encountering other players.

Embark is making several economy changes during the test because players who avoid PvP tend to extract more often and leave raids with more value.

Overall loot value will be lower in PvE sessions. Regular PvPvE raids will move in the opposite direction, receiving slightly higher baseline loot values while the test is active.

Embark will monitor how the two matchmaking options affect the player economy during the test. It will also watch for longer queue times in lower-population regions or during off-peak hours, as well as any effect on the quality of PvPvE sessions.

PvE sessions also change how ARC enemies behave around downed players. Moving while incapacitated can cause machines to target a player again, while staying still causes them to ignore the player.

The decision follows months of player behaviour that did not fully match the high-tension PvPvE structure Embark originally expected.

The studio says 37% of the player population now falls into its friendly co-op group, compared with 34% classified as pure PvP players and 27% who mix both styles. Embark says the friendly group has continued to grow since launch, while the PvP group has remained relatively stable.

Its surveys found that 51% of respondents were interested in a dedicated PvE option. More than 70% of friendly players wanted fewer hostile encounters, while 40% of PvP-focused players expressed the same preference.

The experiment also brings ARC Raiders closer to an earlier version of the project. Embark originally conceived the game as a raid-based PvE co-op experience before restarting development around the PvPvE extraction format that eventually launched.

The toggle will be removed when the test ends on October 20, returning matchmaking to its normal setup.

Embark says the week-long experiment should not be treated as confirmation that a permanent PvE mode is coming. The studio plans to review player feedback alongside economy data, queue times and activity across both matchmaking pools before deciding how to proceed.

Any future version could also change substantially from the October test, with Embark planning to share its findings once the data has been reviewed.