ARC Raiders is testing a PvE mode from October 13 to 20. Here is how lower loot value, changing hotspots, and safer queues could reshape routes and squad planning.
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Store links: ARC Raiders on Steam
ARC Raiders’ October PvE test takes player damage off the table
Embark Studios will run a limited ARC Raiders PvE mode test from October 13 to October 20, 2026, giving players a matchmaking toggle between the standard PvPvE extraction format and a co-op-focused queue where other raiders cannot damage them. That is the confirmed headline from Embark’s official announcement, and it immediately creates the tension at the center of the test: can ARC Raiders keep extraction pressure alive when the most unpredictable threat, another player squad, is removed?
According to Embark, the PvE toggle is a beta test rather than a permanent mode announcement. IGN also highlighted the studio’s warning that the experiment is “not a risk-free test,” with Embark saying it is possible the feature will not work. That distinction matters for anyone planning around the ARC Raiders October test. This is not a locked roadmap feature. It is a live data run aimed at finding out whether a lower-conflict version of the game can exist without damaging matchmaking, progression, or the identity of the core PvPvE loop.
For extraction shooter PvE players, the immediate appeal is obvious. You get a session built around raiders fighting ARC enemies instead of watching every skyline, stairwell, and extraction lane for a player ambush. For competitive squads, the harder question is whether that safety makes the mode too efficient, too quiet, or too separate from the risk economy that gives the Rust Belt its bite.
The rules make PvE safer, but Embark is keeping friction in the run
The PvE test removes player-to-player damage, but it does not remove failure. GamingBolt, citing Embark’s announcement, reports that PvE sessions will focus on raiders teaming up against ARC threats and will place solo, duo, and trio players in the same sessions. That mixed party-size pool is important because the test is not splitting PvE into separate solo-only or squad-only ladders based on the provided sources. A lone player may be sharing the environment with full teams, even if those teams cannot kill them.
Several map conditions will be unavailable in PvE during the test. GamingBolt lists Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate, and Frigate as excluded from PvE sessions. Softonic’s report specifically mentions Night Raids and Hidden Bunker, while GamingBolt’s account includes the broader set. Based on the provided source material, the safest reading is that some high-pressure or special-condition content is being held back from the PvE queue, with GamingBolt naming four exclusions.
Embark is also trying to replace some of the lost PvP tension through ARC behavior. GamingBolt and IGN both report that downed players can still be targeted by ARCs, and that staying still can cause AI enemies to ignore them. In practical terms, a bad revive situation still has teeth. A squad that panic-crawls or spreads too far may turn a manageable PvE wipe into a full extraction loss. The gunfight threat changes from human aim and third-party timing to positioning, revive discipline, and how cleanly the team handles machine pressure.
Loot value is the pressure valve Embark cannot ignore
Embark is deliberately making PvE less lucrative during the test. GamingBolt reports that the studio will lower overall loot value in PvE to compensate for the relative safety of a queue without player damage. Softonic also reports that PvE loot will be worth less, and adds that PvPvE loot gets a slight bump. The provided official excerpt confirms Embark is watching the economy closely, while Softonic is the source in the supplied material for the PvPvE bump claim.
That tuning is the main lever that decides whether the ARC Raiders PvE mode becomes a learning lane, a casual co-op option, or an economy exploit. If successful extractions rise sharply in PvE, lower loot value is meant to stop the safer queue from becoming the default progression route for everyone except dedicated PvP hunters. Embark has named the player economy as one of the key metrics it will monitor, alongside matchmaking and queue times.
For players, the clean read is this: PvE should be treated as safer practice and steadier ARC-focused play, not automatically the best farming path. The value equation will depend on how often players extract, how much lower the rewards feel in live play, and whether the standard PvPvE queue becomes richer enough to justify the extra danger. Until the test runs, no source provided gives exact loot tables, percentages, or item-by-item changes.
Changing ARC Raiders loot hotspots could disrupt the usual routes
The PvE test is landing alongside another design pressure point: loot hotspots. PC Gamer reports that ARC Raiders is “messing with” loot hotspots to make matches more exciting. The supplied source excerpt does not include the full mechanical breakdown, so the confirmed fact here is limited to the reported direction of travel: loot hotspot design is being adjusted, and the goal is more exciting matches.
That still matters for route planning. In extraction shooters, fixed high-value hotspots create predictable traffic. PvP squads learn the fastest spawn-to-loot lines, ambush teams post up near exits from those areas, and cautious players build routes that deliberately skirt the richest zones. If Embark makes ARC Raiders loot hotspots less predictable, more contested, or more dynamic, the safest old path may stop being safe, and the richest old path may stop being the clear first call.
The PvE queue changes the calculation again. Without raider damage, the danger around a hotspot shifts away from being pinched by another squad and toward how much ARC pressure the area creates, how exposed the approach is, and whether the extraction path leaves enough room to recover from a bad down. In PvPvE, a hot loot zone is valuable because it attracts both loot and predators. In PvE, it becomes a question of machine density, revive angles, and whether the lower loot value still justifies spending time there.
That is the route shake-up to watch during the October test. If players can no longer rely on familiar loot lanes, squads will need to scout, adapt, and rotate with less autopilot. If the changes are modest, established routes may survive with only minor timing changes. The current sources do not confirm the exact hotspot algorithm or map-by-map changes, so any deeper prediction should be treated as player analysis rather than announced design.
Squads should plan for extraction tempo, not only combat safety
No player damage means fewer instant-run-ending ambushes, but it does not mean squad planning becomes casual. The most efficient PvE teams will likely be the ones that manage tempo: entering with a clear loot target, keeping enough spacing to avoid shared downs, and preserving a clean extraction path instead of over-looting because the lobby feels friendly.
The mixed solo, duo, and trio queue also creates social pressure even without PvP damage. Full squads may move faster through ARC threats, reach objectives earlier, or sweep through hotspots before slower players arrive. Solos gain safety from other raiders but still need to think about survivability, route length, and whether chasing the same hotspot as a trio is worth the time.
The downed-player AI rule is the sharpest squad-specific detail Embark has put forward in the supplied reports. If ARCs retarget movement, revive calls become more deliberate. A downed teammate who stays still may buy the squad time. A teammate who moves at the wrong moment may pull pressure into the revive path. For a shooter lead, that is the kind of rule that can decide whether PvE has real pacing or turns into a loot walk. It forces communication even after a player hits the floor.
Embark is responding to a split player base, not abandoning PvPvE
Embark’s official post frames the test as a response to player behavior and feedback. The studio says 37% of ARC Raiders players fall into a Friendly co-op group that has grown consistently since launch, 27% are mixed players, and 34% are pure PvP players. Embark also says more than 70% of Friendly players and 40% of PvP players want fewer hostile encounters, while 51% of surveyed players expressed interest in a dedicated PvE option.
That data explains why the test exists, but it also explains why Embark is being cautious. The studio says ARC Raiders was originally conceived years ago as a raid-based PvE co-op game with looting mechanics before being reset into the high-tension PvPvE extraction game players know now. Returning to a PvE option touches an old design path that Embark deliberately moved away from.
The risk is fragmentation. If too many players move into PvE, standard PvPvE queues could become sweatier, slower, or more heavily weighted toward the pure PvP audience. If too few players use PvE, the mode may fail to justify itself. If PvE extractions are too successful, the economy may bend around safer farming. Embark has already said it will watch economy changes and matchmaking times, which are the right metrics for this specific problem.
How to approach the October 13 to 20 test
Players who want a calmer ARC Raiders run should use the in-game matchmaking toggle during the October 13 to October 20 window and go in expecting tradeoffs. The confirmed PvE setup removes raider damage, lowers PvE loot value, excludes certain conditions during the test, and keeps ARC threats dangerous enough that extraction discipline still matters.
For progression-focused players, the smart move is to compare both queues instead of assuming PvE is the new default. Track how often you extract, how valuable your haul feels, how long queues take, and whether the missing conditions make the PvE playlist feel too narrow. For PvP players, the test week is also worth watching because any shift in population could change the standard lobby feel, especially if friendlier players move out of the regular pool.
The biggest unanswered questions are still live-test questions. Embark has not committed to keeping PvE after the test. The provided sources do not confirm exact loot percentages, final hotspot behavior, or long-term matchmaking structure. What is confirmed is enough to make this one of ARC Raiders’ most important design experiments since launch: a one-week test of whether lower-conflict extraction can coexist with the pressure, route reading, and loot risk that define the game.