ARC Raiders, the upcoming extraction shooter developed by Embark Studios, recently held a three-day server slam event and is set to release on October 30th. Over 180,000 gamers showed up to scavenge the surface of a dystopian future Earth, providing valuable data and crucial feedback that Embark will use to balance and improve the game before launch.
After the massively successful playtest, a rumor began to swirl within the gaming community, suggesting that future matchmaking would be based on how strong your squad’s gear is. The ARC Raiders team recently addressed this rumor, stating that although gear score matchmaking isn’t off the table completely, it’s not something they’ll be implementing right now.
Gear-Based Matchmaking Is A Back-Up Plan
When it comes to multiplayer shooters, one of the keys to success is providing an even playing field, where no player or squad, has an unfair advantage over the others. This can be a difficult goal to achieve, as there are many variables, including how many members are in each squad, how good their gear is, and the overall skill level of the players.
It’s safe to say that fans of the extraction shooter genre will all agree there’s nothing worse than encountering a full-squad stacked with the best gear when you’re playing solo—unless you pull off a miracle or sneak away, you’re about to lose all your stuff.
This creates the necessity for balance, and the ARC Raiders team has a plan in place.
While it is true that the team has previously evaluated loot/gear-based as well as other types of matchmaking principles, right now the focus is on maintaining the split between solos and squads to keep those groups on an even playing field whenever possible. After launch, we will continue to monitor how things go. The team is determined to ensure that players have high-quality rounds that are varied and interesting, but fair.
So for now, solo players won’t have to worry about being ambushed by full squads, but there will still be the danger of coming face-to-face with a player who has much better gear. In ARC Raiders, players can equip themselves with shields, augments, medical supplies, and grenades, and are able to craft and upgrade their weapons—boosting damage output and survivability.
Without gear-score matchmaking, new players are especially vulnerable to being outgunned by their opponents—picture an unarmored civilian with a pellet gun VS a fully-armored soldier with a sniper rifle.
There are two sides to that coin though, as this presents the underdog with the opportunity to claim glory, take out the sweaty players with tactical gameplay, and loot their hard-earned upgraded weapons.
Will separating solos and squads be the only balancing changes needed for ARC Raiders? Or will they have to introduce gear-score matchmaking? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section!
ARC Raiders is available now for pre-purchase and will be released on October 30th for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X|S.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
