ARC Raiders Doubles Down on PvE After Massive Player Decline- ARC Raiders has always positioned itself as a PvPvE extraction shooter, blending player-versus-player combat with large-scale cooperative battles against AI threats. But with each successive update, the balance appears to be shifting more decisively toward PvE — and its latest patch may be the clearest signal yet.
In the new Shrouded Sky update, the game has removed PvP feats entirely. Players will no longer receive specific challenges tied to eliminating other players for bonus rewards. While that may sound like a relatively small tweak, it has sparked debate within the community about what it says regarding the studio’s long-term direction.
For some players, the removal is largely symbolic. In an extraction shooter, the core incentive for PvP has always been loot. Killing another player means taking their gear, resources and hard-earned spoils — often far more valuable than the rewards tied to feats. From that perspective, PvP remains fundamentally unchanged. If you want to hunt other players, the game still allows — and rewards — that behavior organically.
But others argue that feats subtly shaped how people played. When specific challenges encouraged player kills, they nudged even PvE-focused users toward confrontation. A squadmate might push for an aggressive engagement simply to complete an objective, even if the rest of the team preferred to avoid unnecessary risk. With those incentives gone, the overall tone of matches may become less volatile.
The change also reduces friction for more casual players who prefer cooperative survival against ARC’s mechanical enemies rather than tense player ambushes. Without PvP feats dangling rewards, the game no longer signals that eliminating rivals is an expected part of progression. It may also cut down on last-second elevator ambushes carried out purely to tick off a challenge before extraction.
Importantly, this update doesn’t exist in isolation. Over recent months, ARC Raiders has steadily tilted toward PvE-friendly adjustments. Developers have increased rewards for defeating AI enemies, introduced PvE-focused events, and even suggested that the game’s most powerful bosses need buffs after entire servers coordinated to take them down cooperatively. Each move reinforces the sense that the studio sees its long-term audience as more cooperative than competitive.
That strategy may be driven by player retention concerns. Since the start of 2026, ARC Raiders has reportedly lost around 40% of its active player base. Steam concurrency numbers illustrate the decline: peak players have dropped from roughly 410,000 to 280,000 over the past month alone. While fluctuations are normal in live-service games, the speed of the drop has raised eyebrows.
Shrouded Sky appears positioned as a stabilizing moment — a patch designed to keep more casual and PvE-oriented players engaged. Extraction shooters often walk a delicate line. Too much PvP pressure can drive away players who dislike constant high-stakes encounters. Too little tension, however, risks diluting the genre’s defining edge.
Not every change in the patch has been welcomed. One of the more controversial adjustments involves the Wolfpack vehicle, which now requires a Rocketeer driver. Many players argue that this requirement runs counter to the vehicle’s intended flexibility and could unnecessarily limit team compositions. Others point to a slate of nerfs that some in the community fear will slow gameplay and push frustrated players toward rival titles.
That concern is amplified by timing. The update arrives just as Marathon prepares for a major free Server Slam event. Some fans speculate that controversial balance changes could inadvertently drive players to test the competition. Whether that prediction proves accurate remains to be seen, but the optics are difficult to ignore.
At its core, the PvP feat removal highlights a broader identity question: what kind of extraction shooter does ARC Raiders ultimately want to be? Pure PvPvE games thrive on unpredictability — the constant possibility that another squad could disrupt even the most carefully planned run. Yet many players are clearly drawn to ARC’s large-scale cooperative fights and atmospheric PvE design.
By stripping away formal incentives for player kills, the developers may be signaling confidence that organic PvP — driven by loot and opportunity — is enough. Or they may be acknowledging that the game’s most loyal audience prefers collaboration over confrontation.
The coming weeks will likely determine whether Shrouded Sky succeeds in reversing player decline. If concurrency stabilizes or climbs, it may validate the pivot toward PvE accessibility. If not, ARC Raiders could face mounting pressure to re-emphasize competitive elements to differentiate itself in an increasingly crowded extraction shooter market.
For now, one thing is clear: ARC Raiders still supports PvP in full, but it is increasingly choosing not to push players toward it.
