It would seem that in an extraction shooter, having a warehouse full of weapons is a dream. But the developers of Arc Raiders from Embark Studios don’t think so. In the big Riven Tides update, they tackled what they called “chronic weapon accumulation” — a situation in which peaceful players accumulate mountains of barrels while active PvP fighters are forced to carefully count each shot.
According to the developers, the weapon economy was becoming more and more unbalanced: those who actively participated in PvP made difficult decisions on each barrel, while friendly players found themselves in a state of chronic accumulation of weapons. Now that’s changing—and dramatically.
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Weapon Durability in Arc Raiders: How Rarity Wear Works Now
The main innovation of the patch is a redesigned weapon durability system. Firstly, the basic durability values of the selected barrels were noticeably reduced. Weapons from the edge of the map can now have a durability of only 15 units, while rare finds from closed rooms in the center of the map have about 60.
Secondly, the rate of wear now depends on the rarity of the barrel. This is what the new strength loss per shot system looks like:
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Common: +75% loss of strength
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Unusual: +50%
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Rare: +35%
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Epic: -5%
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Legendary: -10%
That is, the cheap barrel from the outskirts is now literally crumbling before our eyes, and the legendary weapon, on the contrary, also lasts longer than before. The logic is simple: make the gap between equipment levels noticeable.
Arc Raiders PvP Update: Weapon upgrade restores durability, death is no longer so expensive
The developers explicitly say that they want to make an aggressive style of play viable. Two changes are working in this direction at once.
First, weapon upgrades now restore 25% of the maximum barrel strength, which reduces the cost of upgrades and makes it worthwhile to invest even in battered weapons. Secondly, the loss of durability after the player’s death has halved from 30% to 15%. The developers want active PvP to become a full-fledged way to play Arc Raiders.
Weapon spawns in Arc Raiders have shifted to the center — get ready for tougher battles
In parallel with the strength changes, the developers have redistributed the spawn points of the weapon. The number of weapon spawns on the outskirts of the map has been reduced to increase the value and tension in the central areas and enclosed rooms.
In practice, this means one thing: if you want a normal gun, go to the hottest place. More players will flock to the center, which means that the clashes there will become much tougher. Those who previously preferred to farm quietly around the edges are now being gently but persistently pushed into the thick of things.
What does the Riven Tides patch mean for your style of playing Arc Raiders
If the warehouse is already full of ordinary and unusual trunks, this is probably the best time to use them. Cheap weapons lose their meaning as a “reserve for a rainy day”: it will simply break down too quickly to be valuable. But legendary and epic guns will finally begin to justify the cost of maintaining them.
Updating Riven Tides is not just about balance for the sake of balance. This is an attempt by Embark Studios to rethink how players interact with loot and with each other. And judging by the changes, the studio clearly wants every outing to feel like a real risk, rather than a planned trip to the warehouse.
