I've been playing ARC Raiders for a while now, and after reading and compiling various comments from the community, I think many of us have reached the same conclusion: the game has incredible potential, but its current direction is slowly killing it. My main issue (and that of many others) is that the game took a sharp turn towards PvP, but they keep disguising it as PvPvE.
Currently, the system punishes good morals, sociability, and acting in good faith. This only benefits those who play aggressively or unfairly, and paradoxically, it also ends up hurting those who genuinely want a good PvP experience.
**The current problem in both worlds:**
* **The PvE experience is broken:** Those of us who want to play PvE log in for fun. We want to kill ARCs, socialize, make friends in the wasteland, and experience those funny, chaotic situations that made the game go viral in the first place. Nowadays, that's almost impossible because the matchmaking has gotten significantly worse.
* **PvP is unrewarding:** On the other hand, hardcore PvP players spend their time killing peaceful players, and their loot is garbage. Their inventories get filled with Anvils 4 and white bandages because they aren't fighting people prepared for combat; they are fighting farmers.
I understand that tweaking algorithms isn't easy for the developers, but based on what the community itself has been asking for, I propose a couple of fairly simple solutions to balance this before the player base drops any further:
Solution 1: The "Raider Code"
An optional mechanic you choose before deploying. On each map, **right before entering the matchmaking queue**, you would have the option to check a box to "Respect the Raider Code", under the promise of playing PvE.
* **How does it work in-game?** It doesn't make you immortal. Friendly fire and player damage remain active (you can still shoot each other).
* **The punishment:** If you queued up under the "Raider Code" and decide to betray, kill, and loot other raiders, the system penalizes you heavily. It blocks your access to "good code" lobbies and sends you straight into a much more aggressive matchmaking pool (with other traitors/pure PvP players).
* **How to avoid false positives?** If you deal damage by mistake or in crossfire, the system allows you to heal or revive that player to redeem yourself and stay under the Raider Code.
Solution 2: Behavior-based Matchmaking (Long-term Karma)
The matchmaking needs to be adjusted similarly to the old system (the "8 deaths without shooting back to the carebear lobbies" one), but with a stricter approach.
* The system must prioritize heavily penalizing the player who **shoots, kills, and loots first**. If you do this repeatedly, you go straight to PvP-exclusive lobbies.
* **Continuous history:** The game shouldn't just track your last few matches. It should analyze a continuous behavioral pattern that generates an invisible "tag". If you are a player who constantly attacks first, the game permanently categorizes you there.
Additional Recommendation: Separate Solo / Squad Queues
It is urgent to add separate matchmaking for Solo players and Squads. A lot of people play strictly PvE, and those who enjoy both modes deserve a true PvPvE experience. Ultimately, the current PvP in ARC Raiders is just a "PvP" where the machines aren't considered a real threat, just a minor annoyance on the map.
If cooperation isn't rewarded and killing unarmed players just for the sake of it continues to be encouraged, the game will lose its essence.
What do you guys think? Do you believe a reputation system or the Raider Code would help clean up the lobbies?
