As someone who’s been playing ARC Raiders for 2-3 hours a day since its release, I've noticed that the Arc's AI feels like it is slowly improving by the day.
I’m like that one Detective James Doakes meme from Dexter, because I know the Arcs are getting smarter, but I’m no programmer who knows the ins and outs of game development.
Whenever I casually stroll across Topside in search of the good loot, I almost always find a random Wasp or Hornet hovering around. They don’t seem to bother me at first, as I wasn’t even trying to get their attention, and I’m way too far from their line of sight. Yet for some reason, they always know where to find me. It’s like they feel my presence scurrying through the dilapidated city. I didn’t see any of these clankers coming, so where did they come from?
There was one instance where I was on a night raid on Spaceport, slowly making my way into the extraction area. I thought I could make it out safely, only to find out a random Rocketeer came into my view, knocking me down with two perfectly aligned shots. Not even running away can help me avoid its smart targeting system. I had no choice but to resign myself to my inevitable death, saying goodbye to the Level 4 Venator I was carrying. I’m not even going to talk about that one Leaper encounter I had in the game’s first week.
Call me crazy, but I swear these Arcs have an advanced machine learning program embedded in them. It feels like Embark is constantly updating its AI, making the Arcs deadlier every day. They’re so smart that even the weakest Arcs, the Pops, and Fireballs, are dangerous because they always know where you are. Even the simplest Arcs, like the Ticks and Pops, become terrifying.
This doesn’t really mean it’s a bad thing. In fact, this is exactly what I wanted for a game that thrives in its mix of PvE and PvP. I had to worry about encountering a hostile PvP rat or a random Pop sneaking behind me. There’s a healthy balance between the constant threat of enemy Raiders and these mysterious robots, so you don’t really know what to expect.
You’re constantly on edge whenever you drop into a map, and that makes every run unique. Even Stella Montis, the game’s latest zone, introduced the Shredder. A close-ranged Arc that oddly feels like a Final Fantasy Cactuar. It’s not smart enough to know where you are, but it knows when to pop its projectiles, melting your health in seconds.
I still can’t prove whether Embark stealthily tweaked the Arcs’ AI in recent updates, but I’m honestly impressed by how detailed their behaviors are. God knows how terrifying they’ll be in future patches.
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