Arc Raiders feedback on core concept

[The_Big_Imperial]

I did post this over at the beta discussion, but I'd like for it to get alil mor ereach.

Arc Raiders feedback towards the concept.
While i am enjoying what i do play in this game. I truly hope the devs add in a PvE mode, because I really don't see amny extraction shooter type games having a full long term lifespan. As opposed to what we've observed with other genre games got have gone 5-10 years (if not longer) life lines and a decent player base to support the longevity of those games. With that being said, I'd like to provide some reasons on why in the long term of Arc Raiders life. Having a PvE I feel will really keep this game around for years to come.

Feedback: Why ARC Raiders Should Reconsider a Dedicated PvE Mode for Long-Term Success

As a beta tester, I’ve been closely following ARC Raiders since its early development—and like many others, I was initially drawn in by the game’s strong PvE focus: a sci-fi world with cooperative survival, AI-driven threats, and immersive scavenging gameplay.

However, the recent pivot toward PvPvE feels like a misstep in the long term. I’d like to respectfully offer feedback on why the original PvE direction may have been more sustainable—and how bringing it back could benefit both player retention and financial longevity.

1. PvE and PvPvE Serve Different Audiences
PvE players are often looking for immersion, story, cooperation, and progression. PvPvE players want tension, competition, and unpredictability. Trying to satisfy both in the same experience can result in a diluted core vision, leading to an identity crisis for the game.

A dedicated PvE mode (even as a separate playlist or campaign) would let each player base engage with the game on their own terms.

2. PvPvE Undermines the PvE Experience
When players are constantly at risk of being ambushed by other players:

AI encounters lose meaning.

Exploration becomes secondary to survival.

New or casual players are punished before they can enjoy the game’s core loop.

This makes it harder to grow and retain a broader audience over time.

3. Long-Term Engagement is Stronger with PvE
PvE-centric games tend to have longer lifespans due to:

Permanent progression (loot, base building, skill trees)

Replayable co-op content and world-building

Friendly environments for streamers and communities to build around

In contrast, PvPvE games often experience early hype but faster burnout due to tension fatigue, unbalanced matchmaking, or player griefing.

4. Current Industry Trend Fatigue
Extraction shooters are popular, yes—but many players are also growing tired of games that:

Rely heavily on short-term risk-reward loops

Offer minimal long-term payoff

Use cosmetics and wipes as the only form of progression

There’s growing sentiment that these designs are more psychologically manipulative than fulfilling, especially when players lose hours of progress due to unpredictable PvP encounters.

5. Restoring PvE Would Build Goodwill and Broader Appeal
Offering or restoring a dedicated PvE mode would:

Respect the original vision and fans who supported it

Open the door for story-driven content and richer world immersion

Retain players who aren’t interested in the high-stress PvPvE loop

Make ARC Raiders stand out in a sea of “me-too” extraction shooters

Even a limited PvE campaign, progression mode, or seasonal co-op event structure could offer a meaningful alternative and increase the game’s sustainability.

Conclusion: PvPvE might generate short-term engagement and streamer moments, but long-term loyalty and financial success often come from respecting your game's original identity and building systems that reward time and mastery—not just tension.

A dedicated PvE experience—either as a core mode or companion offering—would help ARC Raiders retain players, support diverse playstyles, and establish itself as a unique, long-lasting title in a saturated market.

While i could go on, I think I've already went a bit to far.

On a side note....anything relating to concepts having a robust PvE experiance would like be any other MP-mass-coop shooters

[The_Big_Imperial]

While i know it's to late in development for any of these concepts, but if the devs added SOME of the features play this game for years to come.

1. Large-Scale Open World With Instanced Activities
The world is shared between 24–128 players, each in small squads or solo.

Players explore, loot, fight, and interact freely with the environment and each other in a non-hostile PvE-only zone.

When a player or squad accepts a mission or objective:

They are instanced to a specific area or version of that mission, either far from other squads or phased into a private section.

This ensures no interference or competition for objectives, while still sharing the same map for immersion and events.

2. Dynamic World Events & Missions
To keep the world alive and unpredictable:

Shifting world events spawn based on time, location, and player density (e.g., resource convoys, crashed ships, sudden enemy raids).

Players may stumble into larger-scale events that encourage cooperation, such as:

Alien sieges

Large-scale orbital strikes

Weather-affected enemy migrations

Some missions evolve if left unattended (e.g., a “secure beacon” mission becomes a “rescue survivors” event if overrun).

3. Adaptive Scaling Based on Player Density
If a zone becomes overpopulated (or underpopulated), the game can:

Cull small enemies and spawn tougher foes or bosses that drop better loot/resources (like Destiny 2’s Public Events, but smarter).

Adjust event intensity dynamically—e.g. larger enemies, new objectives, more aggressive AI tactics.

Introduce “world threats” that encourage ad hoc group play without requiring voice chat or grouping.

This keeps gameplay exciting and prevents areas from becoming stale, overcrowded, or too easy.

4. Social Spaces & Loot Zones
Safe zones or forward outposts could serve as non-combat hubs for trading, NPC dialogue, squad forming, or upgrading gear.

High-risk/high-reward zones (raider convoys, alien hotspots, crash sites) rotate across the map and offer endgame-level PvE content.

These hotspots attract players organically, allowing social and emergent cooperation without the chaos of PvP.

5. Server Architecture Suggestions
Player slots: 24, 48, 64, or 128 per shard or instance, depending on hardware/server resources.

Use cell-based streaming or world partitioning (Unreal supports this) to:

Seamlessly load/unload map sections

Dynamically populate regions with AI and players

Prevent overload while enabling large-scale interactions

Squad or mission-based instancing for PvE tasks (similar to how Destiny 2 or The Division handles missions and open-world phasing)

Why This Works for ARC Raiders:

Keeps the scavenging, co-op, and AI-combat loop intact.

Provides a persistent, meaningful world to exist in—instead of short match-based extractions.

Encourages longer sessions, social interaction, and player investment.

Bridges the gap between classic MMO PvE and modern looter-shooter sensibilities.

TL;DR: ARC Raiders could thrive with a large-scale PvE mode where:

Players roam freely in squads across a dynamic world.

Missions are instanced or spatially separated.

AI and events scale based on population.

World events and rewards feel impactful and ever-changing.

All without needing forced PvP to generate tension or excitement.

[Service Dog Murderer]

I'm not reading that novel, go play a PvE game

[Astro]

I'm reading that novel, good ideas for the longevity of the game.

Though i do think fixing the problems with the pvevp mode should be first. because it has some big glaring problems.

[IHaveLigma]

The fix is never for these games to Focus on PvE, the whole point is a mix of looting and PvP.
Else they devs woulda made a destiny clone instead.

[Xygnal]

Originally posted by Service Dog Murderer:

I'm not reading that novel, go play a PvE game

I'm not reading this claptrap, go play one of the dozens of other PvP extraction shooters that already exist to choose from.

[Xygnal]

Originally posted by IHaveLigma:

The fix is never for these games to Focus on PvE, the whole point is a mix of looting and PvP.
Else they devs woulda made a destiny clone instead.

A destiny clone would still have been more unique than another PvP extraction shooter in a market that is so very, very, over-saturated with them already.

[Rex Smashington]

These PVE nerds are getting crafty. They know if they just pitch straight up PVE they'll get trashed so now they're pretending to like the PVP in the first sentence. Then the following 900 sentence novel is all about PVE. Get outttta hereeeee. No one cares.

[Primus]

we can clearly see these sweats have really short attention spans lmao