Late arrivals in Arc Raiders might be raking in more loot than you think, even if it feels like a raw deal! It turns out that players who join matches in progress, with less time on the clock, are actually experiencing a more economically profitable gameplay loop than those who start from the get-go. This is according to Virgil Watkins, a design lead at Embark Studios, the developers behind the extraction shooter.
Many players have expressed frustration with this late spawn system, where they can jump into a game with as little as 20 minutes remaining. The common sentiment is that this leaves them with insufficient time to tackle objectives and a significantly depleted loot pool. However, Watkins suggests that the game's internal data paints a different, more optimistic picture.
Watkins acknowledged the validity of this feeling, stating, "We 100% acknowledge the whole thing of, 'Man, I came in to do that trial and now I clearly don't have enough time to do that, and that sucks, so I'm just going to leave,' or whatever. That aspect is definitely not great."
But here's where it gets interesting... Watkins elaborated on how player perception can differ from reality, much like how the perceived value of free items doesn't always align with their actual impact. "Players are like, 'The loot's all gone,' or whatever else. But players who late join economically profit way more than people who aren't," he explained. He further detailed that as a session progresses, it naturally becomes quieter. This often means late joiners can stumble upon the aftermath of previous engagements, potentially taking down tougher enemies like bigger drones or accessing high-ticket areas more easily than those who were present from the start.
So, what's the strategic thinking behind this late join mechanic? The primary goal, according to Watkins, is to combat deserted raids. Embark has meticulously designed the loot distribution to ensure that "there should be plenty of stuff for players to do" even for those joining later in the game.
It remains to be seen if this insightful explanation will shift player sentiment regarding late spawns. Since its initial launch, Arc Raiders has faced criticism for this particular system, with some calling for a complete overhaul. The frustration is a two-way street, as players who have been in the game from the beginning also voice concerns.
One player shared a vivid example: "It's crazy that my team can clear a section of Stella Montis, place traps near the popular entrances, and start looting... only to have a full team of three, heavy shield, volcano running players spawn 50 FEET AWAY from us in a random room in the corner of the area... spawning basically on top of us, at 15 MINUTES REMAINING.” They argued for a system where only players with free loadouts should join late, drawing a parallel to the player Scav system in Tarkov. They proposed that initial spawns should be for player loadouts only, with free loadouts entering at 25, 20, and 15 minutes remaining.
And this is the part most people miss... The player continued, "I'm not crazy right? I've spawned literally on top of players who were looting and have gotten extremely unfair free kills because of it. Even reworking the spawning mechanic won't fix it, as you shouldn't have to worry about a random full geared 3-man at 15 minutes remaining after 5 minutes of silence after your team wiped out 12 players." They also pointed out the impact on existing players: "Spawning in a 20 with gear sucks. Most of the PVP is gone, half the loot is already extracted. It sucks for everyone else too, they are low on meds, shields are nearly broken, and now 3-9 completely fresh, geared players have arrived at unexpected locations you just cleared."
This week, Embark released a new patch aimed at fixing some notorious out-of-bounds exploits in Stella Montis, but some players still feel that "rats" are lurking within the game's environments. If this has piqued your interest in Arc Raiders, you might want to check out guides on the best settings, recommended skills to unlock first, and how to earn loot by delivering field depot crates.
What are your thoughts on this late spawn system? Do you agree with the developer's data-driven perspective, or do you feel the player experience of joining late is inherently unfair? Share your opinions in the comments below!
