ARC Raiders Players React to New Deck

ARC Raiders players are currently of two minds about the new Deck that dropped on December 26. Since launching at the end of October, ARC Raiders has been experiencing a long-lived wave of success. Usually after the first few weeks, many games will experience a noticeable drop-off in popularity as players ride in on the wave of hype, see everything they want to see, and move on. While this has happened to some extent with Embark Studios’ extraction shooter, the numbers haven’t been quite as extreme as many perhaps expected.

Besides offering an extremely engaging gameplay loop, part of the reason for the maintained interest is the recent opt-in Expedition wipe that reset many ARC Raiders players to zero, giving them a chance to do it all again with a few extra perks this time around. The game’s Raider Deck system, a battle pass-like reward track that lets players unlock cosmetics and utility packs over time, is another draw. Raiders use earned in-game currency called Cred to unlock individual rewards within a Deck.

ARC Raiders Second Optional Expedition Window Date Revealed By New Countdown

A new countdown appears for players who have decided to globally reset their account in ARC Raiders, also revealing the second Expedition date.

ARC Raiders Goalie Deck Has Players Talking

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There have been two Decks offered in ARC Raiders so far: the launch “Ryder & Voyager” Deck and the new “Goalie” Deck that was released on December 26. This new drop features winter-themed cosmetic rewards to go with ARC Raiders’ recent “Cold Snap” update, and it transforms raiders into hockey-inspired survivors as they dress against the chill. The Goalie Deck has become the focal point of conversation in the community since it appeared, with some players praising the look and value of the Deck, while others have taken a less enthusiastic view.

Many raiders appreciate that the Raider Decks essentially offer free cosmetic items and consumables that are not worth complaining about. Though objects in the Deck are obtained with Cred, this currency is earned and not purchased with real money. Raiders complete tasks to build up enough Cred to purchase individual rewards in the Deck, and this gives them a long-term goal to work towards. Players are also praising that the Goalie Deck offers a cohesive design that closely aligns with Cold Snap’s chilly environment. The Decks, they argue, are not meant to be game changing or provide a competitive edge over players who progress further than others. In that sense, the system can be compared to the Fortnite Battle Pass, which focuses on optional rewards like skins, emotes, and V-Bucks rather than offering gameplay advantages.

Those on the other end of the spectrum argue that ARC Raiders’ Deck rewards are underwhelming or that its progression feels slower than desired. Decks are divided into pages, and advancing to the next page requires spending a set amount of Cred on the current one. Community users have expressed frustration that Cred must be spent on items they don’t particularly want in order to get to the pages with ARC Raiders items they perhaps desire more. This is more a criticism of the Deck system in general, rather than the Goalie Deck in particular.

Currently, there have been only two Decks released, with the newest, Goalie, costing a little more than half the Cred of the first one to unlock fully. The end prize is the yellow Goalie outfit, whose golden appearance provides, as intended, incentive to progress through the rest of the Deck to obtain it. However, the original Deck, Ryder & Voyager, is a free and likely permanent one and has not been removed, meaning players can work on both. While many players express appreciation that the first Deck has not been removed, others feel that new Decks should replace the old ones. And while this may happen in the future, Embark has yet to make an official comment on the matter. There’s also the possibility that future Decks might not all be free, which may add to player criticism as well.