ARC Raiders Reveals Plans To ‘Reduce Friction’ in Future Updates

Embark Studios provides more details behind the recent crafting changes in ARC Raiders, while also teasing additional plans to further reduce friction inside the extraction shooter. As the name implies, live service games are constantly evolving over time thanks to continued updates. In this sense, ARC Raiders is no exception, having received tons of new content and a constant supply of updates since the game originally launched in 2025.

In fact, the Flashpoint update for ARC Raiders was another major patch for the game, adding a new map condition called Close Scrutiny, new weapons to chase like the energy shotgun Dolabra, and more. In fact, players will now find a new in-game event on maps with Close Scrutiny active, as they fight to extract loot from a new device called the Assessor. However, doing so is harder than it sounds, as they’ll have to battle with the latest machine enemy called the Vaporizer. On top of that, Shredders, once locked in Stella Montis, have seemingly escaped and now populate the other maps in the game.

ARC Raiders Addressing Additional Friction Points for Players

One of the big quality of life improvements for ARC Raiders in the Flashpoint update came to crafting. The improved UI now allows players to quickly acquire materials right from the crafting view, in addition to being able to recycle, refine, or purchase, helping to further cut down on time needed to be in menus and screens. This change was largely driven by player feedback after many indicated that crafting wasn’t intuitive enough, causing more work than necessary.

In an accompanying blog post, Embark discussed the crafting changes in more detail, including the streamlined Acquire Resources button that was added. Selecting this option from the crafting screen now brings up a list of all available resources, whether that be from the player’s storage inventory, materials that can be recycled, or purchasable from Celeste’s store. It gives players options to act immediately without having to hunt through many different screens and menus, a common piece of friction that many have reported to Embark.

In fact, Embark makes it clear through this blog post that this streamlined crafting is just the start. Towards the bottom of the post, Embark teases that it is looking at the other pain points that players have reported. Embark admitted that one button doesn’t fix everything wrong with ARC Raiders currently, but more changes are on the way as the studio continues to chip away at the issues, with more information to come soon.

Drag weapons to fill the grid

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Drag weapons to fill the grid

EasyMediumHardStart

Loadout Logic

Tap on a weapon to rotate it or press R while dragging.

Time—

Filled0/36

NewFinish

One major area of focus for Embark will likely be with ARC Raiders’ endgame content offerings. Just recently, production director Caio Braga admitted that the studio wants more for players who have reached the end of the content, potentially offering more challenging content to tackle. It’s possible that players could get their first taste of these plans later this month when the Riven Tides update will be released. According to the roadmap, players will be getting a new map (most likely Volcano Rise), condition, as well as a large ARC to fight, with many speculating that it could indeed be the heavily rumored Emperor.