PvE Mode Griefing
Experience with Arc Raiders shows that player encounters are notoriously unpredictable, but Embark's new PvE mode was expected to remove that uncertainty. However, players are finding that is not entirely the case.
Arc Raiders PvE lobbies are seeing a rise in griefers using the relative safety of the mode—where bullets do not affect other raiders—to put players in danger through AI manipulation, tools, and body-blocking.
Videos online show players using the Bull Rush ability to knock down users trying to extract. This causes them to fall to arc enemies and allows them to be looted without direct combat consequences.
Thread on pve mode in @ARCRaidersGameThis is what pvp guys warned you about. https://t.co/1doayUnDZQ
Loot Room Camping
Outside of extraction interference, players are camping locked loot rooms and waiting for someone else to turn up with a key. The keyholder either has to share the spoils or leave to find a new match.
Others are using lure grenades to pull enemy robots, such as shredders, directly into extraction points. Because of the rules of the mode, there are currently few ways to prevent or punish this behavior.
Players have reported instances of vultures taking loot before others can reach it, alongside deliberate body-blocking and disruption during fights against AI entities.
Community Impact
These actions might stem from selfish players looking for quick progression or PvP enthusiasts hoping to see the experimental mode removed so the player base returns to traditional lobbies.
Because the mode remains experimental, developers still have room to make adjustments. The PvE rollout followed a major update that introduced grappling hooks and a new map, sparking a significant resurgence in concurrent players.
This is not the first time community behavior has sparked debate. Following the game's launch, specific incidents of players targeting newcomers went viral and ignited discussions regarding acceptable behavior in extraction shooters.
As extraction shooters continue to evolve as a genre, developers across the industry are evaluating how to balance PvE and PvP elements to satisfy their core audiences.
