ARC Raiders Has a Massive Ace Up Its Sleeve that Needs to Be Played Eventually

Arguably, the most terrifying part of heading topside in ARC Raiders is encountering an ARC machine that completely outclasses the player. Even the smallest machines, like Wasps and Hornets, can quickly down an unprepared player, making behemoths like Bastions and Bombardiers all the more threatening. However, ARC Raiders seems to be teasing players with the largest enemy yet, and it only seems like a matter of time before raiders will get the chance to take it down.

ARC Raiders already offers players opportunities to test their skills and teamwork ability to take down monstrosities like the Queen and the Harvester during Harvester Events, but adding more late-game raid bosses would go a long way toward improving the game’s staying power. As some players have already spotted, ARC Raiders has the perfect endgame boss hidden right under their noses. The question of when players will actually get the chance to take them on still has an unclear answer.

ARC Raiders Massive ‘Emperor’ ARCs Need to Become Threats Sooner Rather than Later

While these machines have yet to be officially named, the ARC Raiders community has dubbed the walking titans seen just out of bounds as “Emperors.” Following the naming conventions of ARC machines like the Queen and the Baron, the Emperor stands as the largest enemy seen in the game. Although the Queen currently stands as the largest boss in ARC Raiders, the Emperor’s addition as more than just a set piece for the game’s maps would far eclipse the Queen in terms of scale and potential danger to players.

Where to Find the Emperor ARCs

Currently, Emperors can be seen walking around in the distance on ARC Raiders‘ Blue Gate map, towering over the map at nearly the size of the mountains they stand next to. Although it doesn’t seem like players can interact with these ARCs yet, the looming presence creates a threatening aura that could serve as a warning of a threat still to come.

ARC Raiders 2025 Content Roadmap Infographic

It’s been theorized that these Emperors will become enemies with the release of ARC Raiders‘ upcoming Stella Montis map, given the map’s proximity to Blue Gate. While the roadmap for ARC Raiders doesn’t confirm this to be the case, there is a distinct possibility that players will be able to face these foes in the near future as ARC Raiders continues to roll out new content.

The ARC Raiders roadmap for the rest of 2025 does include the addition of Matriarch and Shredder ARC enemies, but these enemies don’t appear to be the same towering walkers the community refers to as Emperors.

ARC Raiders Can’t Drag its Feet with Adding Endgame Enemies

arc raiders low graphics unfair advantage

Despite the roadmap confirming that new ARC enemies are on the way, the game would be wise to keep endgame challenges coming as more players start to hit that point in their character progression in the wake of ARC Raiders‘ launch. Comparing it to a similar live-service multiplayer shooter with a meteoric rise, such as Helldivers 2, reveals the update frequency that ARC Raiders should follow to stay on pace in keeping players interested. The time it took for Helldivers 2 to add a major new faction like the Illuminate after teasing them for so long may have hurt the game’s appeal in the long run, and ARC Raiders can’t afford to walk the same path.

Arc Raiders player on top of a structure

For the moment, ARC Raiders’ massive success and promising roadmap should keep the game active through the rest of the year. However, dropping a massive new boss in the form of the Emperor would go a long way toward reigniting this level of excitement down the road. As such, ARC Raiders would be in a great position if it made these enemies available sooner rather than later, perhaps early in 2026.