ARC Raiders Update Walks Back Controversial Feature, Plans New Anti-Cheat Measures

Embark released the latest update for ARC Raiders, adding more content to the game for players while also walking back the controversial weapon durability changes that fans have largely been upset with. It’s also worth noting that this update’s patch notes double down on the cheating issues that continue to plague ARC Raiders, promising a more permanent solution coming very soon to the entire player base.

After a fairly predictable schedule since the launch of ARC Raiders, massive changes are already underway for the popular extraction shooter. Embark Studios recently confirmed that ARC Raiders is moving away from monthly content drops in order to help the team deliver much larger and impactful updates twice a year. Between the pressure to hit these monthly updates and the desire to achieve some of the bigger ambitions for the game, Embark decided change was necessary. The studio also gave fans a sneak peek of Frozen Trail, the first large scale release coming in October, including the largest map the game has seen to date. In the meantime, smaller scale updates and live service features will continue to roll out like the current May 19 patch.

ARC Raiders May Change Its Most Iconic Feature for the Better

Major changes are on the horizon for ARC Raiders and developer Embark Studios are teasing a potential adjustment to one of its biggest features.

Referred to as Live Update 1.29, Embark is making sure this one is packed with new stuff. Joining the roster of ARC Raider weapons is the Rascal, a lightweight sidearm launcher that Embark says is an ideal alternative to the powerful Hullcracker for dealing damage to ARC enemies. However, the weapon does have a few drawbacks to ensure it isn’t too powerful as it is a bit slower to reload and can be a little unpredictable when aiming.

The update also adds the previously announced trader known as Ermal, the Nomadic Envoy. For players who have reached level 25, Ermal has unique loot that can be bartered by exchanging high-value ARC materials as well as rare weapons. This includes expanded stash space, an Expedition Vault that allows for 5 items to be stashed, as well as other weekly rotating items from cosmetics, blueprints, raider tokens, and more.

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With the rising frustration from ARC Raiders weapon durability changes added with the Rising Tides update, Embark is also using this patch to walk them back. Feedback has largely been negative as players felt the durability penalty was too much and causing weapons to break too quickly. In this update, Embark is increasing the number of shots required to break Tier 1 weapons, ensuring that they now last longer than before. The Renegade saw the biggest boost, getting a 54% lifetime increase, while the Ferro and Canto clock in at only a 18% boost.

Alongside a laundry list of bug fixes, a number of quality of life improvements are being applied as well. Similar to beards in ARC Raiders, this update also adds sideburns as a customizable option for characters, checking off another long wish listed feature. The Photoelectric cloak’s power cost has also been reduced from 10/s to 5/s. The Queen and Matriarch will now try to step over things more often, potentially reducing the amount of times players will suffer “unfair” knockback. In addition, the Cloud of Renewal effect on the Tactical Mk. 3 (Healing) Augment is now an area of effect with improved healing at the cost of a slightly longer cooldown.

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After a recent tease regarding its anti-cheat plans for ARC Raiders amid an uptick in issues, Embark has finally revealed the full details. In an attempt to more accurately identify cheaters, Denuvo Anti-Cheat is being added to the game. While it’s already being used in Embark’s other title, The Finals, the system will be rolling out to a limited player pool starting on May 19 before expanding after close monitoring. It’s worth mentioning that Embark isn’t using Denuvo’s DRM service, the player-hated option that is commonly linked to causing performance issues.

ARC Raiders Update 1.29.0 Patch Notes

What’s New?

New Trader – Nomadic Envoy

One of a group of Nomadic Envoys, Ermal, has made camp in Speranza, bringing with him a range of tempting Topside trades.

Raiders who have reached Level 25 can barter high-value ARC materials and any stockpiled rare weapons in exchange for lucrative offerings:

Expanded Stash space (resets post-expedition)
Expedition Vault access – Enabling Raiders to safely store up to 5 of their most prized items for retrieval post-Expedition

Ermal also offers a variety of weekly rotating trades:

Cosmetics
Blueprints
Raider Tokens
Gameplay and progression items, including items for current Raider projects

Ermal will return weekly with new offerings as he liaises with his fellow Nomads. Catch his latest deals before he departs!

Dev Note:

We’ll keep a close eye on your feedback and data to ensure the balance stays fair and challenging.

For the first week, a single Stash expansion and 5 expedition vault spaces will be available to gather initial feedback and give us a chance to adjust prices before adding more space.

Offers will rotate in and out, if you missed one of the offers this week, they may appear in a future stock rotation.

New Grenade Launcher – The Rascal

Tian Wen has been tinkering in her workshop again… Meet the Rascal, the latest addition to your arsenal for tackling armored ARC threats.

Lightweight, compact, and easy to carry, this unconventional launcher packs a punch despite its… quirks. While it’s slower to reload, and a bit unpredictable on the aim, the Rascal shines as a reliable side-arm for those who want anti-ARC firepower without the risk of lugging around a Hullcracker.

And:

Mod Improvement: Extended Barrel
End of Round Changes
The Sandveil Set
Facial Hair Style – Sideburns
The Sheath Set will be available on June 2nd

Patch Highlights

Fixed an issue where players would be teleported when standing on destroyed ARC parts.
Reduced the power cost of Photoelectric Cloak from 10/s to 5/s.
Weapon durability adjustments.
Queen and Matriarch will now more often step over things than through them, reducing the amount of times players suffer unfair knockback.
Added an option to block players after reporting.
An Update on Security and Anti-cheat.

Balance Changes

ARC

Increased the granularity of ARC vision through bushes and smokes, rewarding strategic positioning. Raiders near the edge of cover are now easier to spot, while those deeper in foliage or behind smoke are harder to detect.
Improved how ARC perceives sound in open outdoor spaces, while reducing their sensitivity to sounds in indoor environments and those passing through geometry.

Firefly

Improved how the Firefly applies fire. The effect now matches the visuals more closely, and briefly grazing the flame no longer feels as punishing, reducing the sensation of being hit around corners.

Rocketeer

When the Rocketeer shoots several missiles at once, they are now consistently spread out over a larger area to prevent unfair situations where multiple missiles hit the same location.

Gameplay

Reduced the power cost of Photoelectric Cloak from 10/s to 5/s.

Augment

The Cloud of Renewal effect on the Tactical Mk. 3 (Healing) Augment has been changed to an AoE effect.
The Cloud of Renewal healing has been increased from 20 to 45.
The cooldown on Cloud of Renewal has been increased from 30s to 45s.
Changed the shield capacity on Combat Mk.3 (Flanking) Augment to accept Medium Shields.
- Dev note: As mentioned in the patch notes for Patch 1.26, we continue to focus our sights on underperforming Augments. In this update, we are making the Tactical Mk.3 (Healing) Augment offer more utility in line with its place as a support-focused Augment. Now you can also heal your allies (and your enemies, if you’re not careful) after being revived. We also increased the survivability potential of the Combat Mk.3 (Flanking) to make it more viable as a flanking combat Augment.

Weapons

Bettina Base Fire Rate has been increased from 235 to 250.

Weapon Durability Adjustments

It’s been clear that the durability changes in the last patch were felt too much on some weapons. For this update we’re targeting the worst offenders that seem to break too quickly, increasing their lifetime to bring them in line with other weapons.

We will continue to listen to your feedback and monitor for any pain points that come up around durability in the coming weeks, and continue to adjust accordingly.

Weapon Mods

Weapon mods can now affect aim-down-sights transition speed for scoped weapons.
Extended Barrel:
- Bullet Velocity Bonus has been increased from 25 to 30%.
- Increased the damage fall off distance by 15%.
- Renamed to Extended Barrel III.
- Added new mesh.
- Added 2 lower tier variants:
- - Extended Barrel I
  - Extended Barrel II

Content and Bug Fixes

ARC

General

Fixed an issue where flying ARC could get stuck.
Queen and Matriarch will now more often step over things than through them, reducing the amount of times players suffer unfair knockback.
When Raiders first spawn into a session, ARC will be less perceptive of them and less likely to engage.
Fixed some instances of ARC spawning in unexpected locations.

ARC Turbine

Fixed ARC Turbine legs becoming invisible in odd angles.
Improved ARC Turbine probability of finding good angles for the legs when landing.
Improved ARC Turbine landing positioning to mitigate visual clipping issues.
Increased the odds of Raiders getting burned by the ARC Turbine when inside of it.

Animation

Updated cloth physics on character outfits for more natural movement.
Fixed an issue causing some ARC weapon rotations to snap and appear laggy.
Fixed an issue where items would clip into Field Crates when picked up while holding a gadget.
Fixed the inspect animation for the Metal Detector.

Audio

Reduced how much sounds are lowered while taking damage.
Added a distinct sound when Bastion and Bombardier switch targets.
Added comb filtering to footsteps and movement sounds to achieve clearer perception of distance, elevation and movement direction.
Improved binaural audio to make it easier to distinguish the height and elevation of sounds.

Cosmetics

Ongoing work to unify character texture settings for better performance and more visual consistency.

Gameplay

Players are now immune to stuns while entering a Raider Hatch, preventing interruptions when returning to Speranza.
Fixed an issue where downed players could move out of bounds.
Fixed an issue where pressing fire during certain actions like dodgeroll or climbing wouldn’t buffer fire.

General

Fixed an issue where players would be teleported when standing on destroyed ARC parts.
Fixed an issue where characters could float when disconnecting in mid-air.
Fixed an issue where the Expedition timer was not showing the correct duration.

Items

Agave Juice now Quick Moves into available Quick Use slots instead of the Backpack, and will not be unloaded from Backpack when emptying it.
Free loadout Augment sell price: 100 -> 660.

Maps

General

Fixed low-res textures, odd spray paint decals, and a misaligned wall in tunnel and highway areas.
Fixed overly dark shading on vent materials to improve visibility.

Riven Tides

Fixed a balcony structure clipping into a hotel doorway that could block passage.
Fixed floating objects and improved rope visuals and physics.
Fixed a misaligned balcony in the hotel lobby and missing wall collision at Room 207.

Stella Montis

Polished environment textures and fixed collision issues.

Added an option to block players after reporting.
Fixed an issue where voice chat could fail when opening the console UI on PS5/Xbox.
End of Round Changes
- Raiders will now be able to see all squad members at the end of the round whether they extracted successfully or not.
- Interacting with the squad member’s name plate will display a range of social actions that can be taken, which include reporting, muting or blocking the player.
- Players will also be able to immediately leave the squad in the tunnel sequence.

Stability & Performance

General performance and stability improvements.
Fixed an issue that could cause the loading screen to remain stuck.

UI

Added information to the Crash Mat tooltip to showcase the additional safe fall height gain.
Deployable previews now show occluded portions with a striped overlay, making placement easier.
Fixed an issue where pinging an ARC Turbine as it entered the map could cause the ping marker to behave erratically.

Utility

Removed unintended delay after cancelling a Trigger ‘Nade throw during which the grenade could not be thrown or triggered.
Fixed an issue where throwing grenades could not be cancelled.
Cancelling deployment of Pulse Mine or Gas Mine no longer consumes the item.
Fixed an issue where the ‘Use Zipline’ prompt was missing, preventing interaction at close range.
Fixed an issue where vaulting could trigger while moving upward or while standing on the ground with the Powered Descender active.
Fixed an issue where the Surge Coil would not damage teammates of the player who placed it.