- Primary Subject: ARC Raiders (PvE Difficulty Roadmap)
- Key Update: Embark says ARC Raiders has become too easy for veterans, so PvE will be escalated with new enemy variants and bigger threats teased in the world.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: January 22, 2026
- Quick Answer: Embark plans to raise ARC Raiders PvE difficulty by adding mechanically distinct enemy variants and exploring massive “mountain-sized” Arcs, as veterans no longer fear standard robots.
ARC Raiders has made major progress since it launched in October 2025, but the community’s extreme skill growth is now causing a “success problem,” as PvE threats feel far less relevant.
At launch, the drones and roaming Arcs were legitimate run killers, meaning squads had to travel carefully, control their ammo usage, and respect patrol patterns because one bad decision could turn into chaos.
But after months, many players have learned the patterns so well that the enemies barely feel scary anymore.
Experienced squads have mastered attack timing and enemy tells to the point that encounters are handled in seconds, which has steadily reduced the pressure the genre is built around.
According to Embark design lead Virgil Watkins, this is exactly why the studio is now looking to escalate ARC Raiders’ PvE difficulty and expand enemy variety, because the current “standard” robots no longer create the stress and fear that they were originally designed to generate for players who now understand the game at a deeper level.
Why Does ARC Raiders’ Endgame Risk Feeling Repetitive?
This shift is especially notable because ARC Raiders’ late-game loop has become more repetitive over time, with players killing the biggest boss-type enemies like the Queen and Matriarch-class threats, upgrading with the rewards, and then doubling down on boss farming.
It’s a strong progression model in the beginning because it rewards players for replaying and getting better, but later it can flatten into an endgame grind with little forward momentum.
Watkins suggests Embark can’t keep serving the same threat template indefinitely, since another huge spider robot will eventually stop being hype and start being familiar.
So instead of endlessly repeating the same boss archetype with slightly different stats, Embark is exploring ways to introduce PvE experiences that feel meaningfully new, not only by adding fresh enemy types but also by building stronger escalation into the game’s ecosystem so raids remain dangerous even after players have “solved” the current roster.
What Are the “Mountain-Sized” Enemies Embark Is Teasing?
That’s why the “mountain-sized” enemy tease is getting so much attention, because players have spotted absurdly huge Arcs in the distance that feel more like walking terrain than actual enemies.
These aren’t just bigger versions of the usual threats; they’re in a completely different league, like massive roaming structures on legs that you can’t realistically fight with a normal kit.
Embark has supported those observations, with Watkins framing the background titans as a purposeful contrast and a preview of what could come later.
The idea seems obvious that Embark doesn’t want ARC Raiders fights to stay limited to regular drones and repeated boss encounters, but to expand into enormous endgame monsters.
However, as exciting as that sounds, the studio also admits the biggest barrier is purely technical.
Dropping something of that scale into the playable map could overload the game’s systems, and Watkins directly points out that enemies this large could potentially “blow up the server,” meaning that even if the vision exists, the ability to implement it smoothly is not guaranteed yet.
For now, these colossal Arcs are still more of an environmental tease than a confirmed encounter, but the concept is out there, and Embark is clearly keeping the option open if the technical barriers can be solved.
How Will Embark Make PvE Harder Without Just Buffing Enemies?
In the short term, Embark seems focused on making PvE feel scary again by tuning things intelligently instead of just buffing stats.
Watkins explains that the team is exploring enemy “variants,” but with the explicit goal of avoiding lazy reskins.
Instead of recycling an old drone with a new palette, Embark wants variants that are mechanically distinct, with adjusted weapon loadouts, altered attack patterns, armor changes, and AI tweaks that make each encounter feel different.
This matters because it’s the most realistic way to reintroduce PvE tension without breaking the game’s balance or requiring a massive technical leap.
It also helps ARC Raiders maintain its identity as a PvPvE extraction shooter, because Embark must avoid swinging too hard toward PvE dominance.
If PvE pressure is too high, players may stop looking for fights because they’re busy surviving; if it’s too low, PvE becomes a loot farm and raids lose tension and surprise.
Watkins admits that nailing the right equilibrium is central to Embark’s vision going forward, mainly because ARC Raiders has grown so popular thanks to the intense PvE tension, constant PvP encounters, and voice-chat interactions that regularly go viral online.
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