Arc Raiders Review: Unmatched, Unseen, and Unforgettable

Arc Raiders is an Immersive extraction shooter with stunning visuals, deep gameplay, and narrative. A must-play gem redefining the genre.

Embark Studios’ Arc Raiders is one of those rare gems that come around every once in a while to show the gaming industry how it’s done. Its presence and love from the fans roar louder than any engines could, and rightfully so. It took me a while to get the point of it, and I am glad I was part of this journey and will continue to be so.

When I was asked to review the game, I was quite skeptical about it. I have never been a fan of any extraction shooter. I have spent time in hardcore games like Escape from Tarkov as well as in casual modes like DMZ from Modern Warfare 2 (2022). Unfortunately, none of them did it for me. I just couldn’t figure out why the genre is so popular. But things changed when I played Arc Raiders, and honestly, now I get it. 

In this review, we’ll go through each major aspect of the title, from the gameplay and narrative to the technicalities. And along the way, I will share my thoughts and impressions about each of these aspects. So, without any further ado, let us get started with this Arc Raiders review and see how it fares as a standalone game.

Arc Raiders – My First Impressions

My impressions of Arc Raiders weren’t that great. I already had my biases against the genre. It introduced me to a character customization screen and had me link my Embark ID. I found this additional step to be unnecessary, and don’t get me wrong, the character customization isn’t by any means bad, but it was lacklustre. There was barely anything to do. Nevertheless, I went on reluctantly. 

Then the game introduces you to the tutorial section. It kicked things off on a night, and in this section, I was introduced to various gameplay mechanics such as healing, looting, breaching, and health/stamina management. It also taught me that I must take raiders as well as the Arcs seriously. 

Finally, after the section is complete, we make our way back to the underground city, which is called Toledo. This is where your base, Speranza, is located, and thus we come to the end of the tutorial section. This entire section will take you around 20-30 minutes. It introduces you to all the basic gameplay mechanics, and it does a fine job at doing so. 

But was it enough to change my mind? Not quite yet. Sure, it impressed me, but the game had yet to win me over. I was now finally ready for my first trip to the surface, or my first raid. Since this game is designed with trios in mind, I decided to be a bit silly and go solo on my expedition. 

As soon as I spawned onto the map, Dam Battlegrounds, I was baffled. It was just magnificent. I took a few minutes only to capture some screenshots. The sight of Arcs flying in the distance in a world where humanity no longer dwells, yet nature has found a way to not only survive, but to thrive. The world was dead, yet alive. It was a poetic experience to say the least. 

Simply put, the atmosphere the game creates right out of the bat is immersive. This one word is sufficient to describe the entire game. Anyway, I went on to complete my first mission, where the trader Shani asks me to loot a few items. 

It was my first mission, and I barely had anything to fight, so I chose to take a stealthy approach. But in the end, I came face-to-face with another player. Now, my heart was racing and I thought I was dead. Fortunately, I was wrong. The other player introduced themselves and asked me if I was new. I told them, yes. 

Instead of killing me right there and then, they started to teach me the game. I was shocked. It wasn’t something I was expecting to happen. Finally, we both played the rest of the match and exited safely. This is one of those moments in gaming that I will never forget.

At this point, it should be clear that my views about the game went from “meh” to “this is great”. A random player showed me the way, and it gave me hope. I was impressed. From the game’s immersive atmosphere to that one encounter with a player, it was simply amazing.  

By the way, this was my first impression from the first hour of the game. I wasn’t done yet. I still had my doubts, and so I continued playing it for a week before writing this review. My goal was to be as fair as possible to Arc Raiders.

Have my views changed since then? Yes, it has, and as we go through the other sections, you will get why.

Arc Raiders – How Does the Gameplay and Narrative Fare?

Let’s now talk about the gameplay and the narrative. I will be brief here and won’t dive deep into every gameplay aspect, nor explain the complete storyline. But fret not, I will share my thoughts about all the major elements so that you get a general idea of how it all plays out.

Gameplay

So here’s how the gameplay loop is in Arc Raiders. You prepare your loadout with weapons and equipment, head to the surface (there are multiple maps, with different environments), complete quests, loot items, and bring them back safely to Speranza. Doing so gets you XP and in-game items from the traders. 

Once sufficient XP is gained, you can level up your character, unlocking new abilities. As for the loot, it can be used to craft and upgrade your gear, build new workstations, and more. Now you might be wondering, where does the shooting take place?

Well, when you head to the surface, you will encounter Arcs and other players. This is where the gunfight mechanics come into play. This is the basic gameplay loop. It might have already given you a fair idea of what to expect from Arc Raiders in terms of gameplay. So, now the question is, how is it? 

Well, simply put, it is brilliant. Sure, other games in the genre follow a similar recipe, but in Arc Raiders, everything is integrated seamlessly. Each aspect of the gameplay just feels right. It is not complicated, nor is it extremely simple. Yet, the features remain accessible to players who are completely new to the genre. 

Irrespective of whether extraction shooters are your thing, Arc Raiders ensures that players are not missing out on anything. It simplifies everything for the newcomers and yet can be deep for the veterans. It has something to offer for everyone. 

The enemies, especially the Arcs, can be quite challenging to defeat if you don’t have the right gear. Some Arcs, such as Wasps and Hornets, are common. They aren’t challenging to defeat. But once you encounter Arcs like the Leaper or the Queen, you’d better make sure you’ve the right gear in your inventory. 

It is by no means easy, and defeating them solo takes not only proper gunfighting skills but also the ability to strategically weaken them. Each Arc enemy has its weakness, and it is up to the player to figure it out. 

But here’s the thing: unless you are specifically assigned a mission to take on these bigger Arcs, you can avoid engagements completely. You, the player, have the option to decide the difficulty of each match. No, I don’t mean changing a difficulty setting, but rather it is the choice between engaging an enemy or not. 

You have control over how the experience of your match will be. On some days, you feel like a professional and want to take on the most difficult enemies. It’s your choice. You want a casual experience? Sure, you can have it in the same match as well. 

This blend of casual and hardcore gameplay is one of the main reasons for the game’s success. It gives players the freedom to decide how their next match will be. Casuals can have a casual experience in the same lobby as someone who wants a hardcore experience. So, kudos to the developers for not only allowing this but also executing it perfectly. 

The only variable here is other players. They can be really nice and helpful, but some can also be mean and will shoot you on sight. So, make sure to keep an eye out for other players when you are on the surface. Communicate and strive for diplomacy; more often than not, it will work.

The gunplay feels just right, upgrading your gear from the loot you scavenged is satisfying, and the missions, too, are innovative. I will not dive into the quests themselves to avoid any potential spoilers for the time being. Speaking of quests, let us quickly take a gander at the premise of the game and how its narrative gives the entire experience a purpose.

Narrative

So, the premise of the game is pretty simple. The year is 2180, and mankind is forced to seek shelter underground. The surface has been taken over by the Arcs, and they prevent humans from settling down. 

However, people lack resources, and a few must make their dangerous journeys to the surface. These adventurers are called Raiders. Their job? Acquire resources and bring them back. This has, unfortunately, left every man for himself topside, creating a ruthless competition for the few limited resources that exist. 

This plot fills you with a purpose. You are no longer making runs to the surface and mindlessly collecting resources. No, you are doing it for the greater good. This is also why diplomacy works with other players you encounter, most of the time.

Everyone on the surface is united with a goal, a goal that is bigger than themselves. Raiders are driven by communal welfare, and hence, it doesn’t feel like a regular extraction shooter. There is a purpose for every action you take on the surface. 

This premise catches your attention and makes sure you are aligned with the cause. Not for any personal benefit, but for the greater good. It sets a tone that is remarkable in every possible way and makes the Arc Raiders experience even more immersive and meaningful.

Now that we have discussed the gameplay and narrative aspects of the game, let’s take a quick look at the graphics, audio, and how the PC port performs. I will keep it short to give you an idea of what to expect diving in.

Arc Raiders – Graphics, Audio, and Optimization: A Closer Look at the Components of Immersion

Graphics

The graphics of Arc Raiders are truly next-gen. Embark Studios has created a post-apocalyptic world that isn’t just beautiful to look at but is also immersive. With different weather and times of the day, the complete appearance of the world changes. This makes the experience even more realistic. 

Every journey to the surface will not look the same, even if you hop on the same map. There are always variables at play that alter the appearance and mood. For instance, on a sunny day, the journey to the surface feels a lot safer. Visibility is improved, allowing you to see everyone and everything clearly. The entire mood changes. You are much more agile and willing to risk some plays. You have a lot more information in such conditions, giving you the confidence to play the match in a different way.

On a rainy day, however, this mood shifts. The world is darker and gloomier. You move slowly in a manner where you can avoid as many conflicts as possible. There’s little information to go on, so you take calculated steps. The graphics alone set a sense of immersion unmatched by any game I have played in a while, and especially not a multiplayer game.

Audio

Just like the graphics, the audio also blends in perfectly with the environment. This adds depth to the world of Arc Raiders. The footsteps are crystal clear, breaching and looting too add cues for the players to notice, the thunder, the raindrops, the wind, the Arcs, and every single aspect comes together to create an impressive and immersive experience.

Audio in Arc Raiders enhances the experience multifold. One of the audio cues that I would like to highlight specifically is when you call for an elevator for extraction. It alerts everyone nearby and informs them that the elevator has been called. This sound is haunting and yet calming. It gives you hope that you will be making it out safe, as well as creates a sense of panic that you might get jumped by another player or team if you take the ride down.

Overall, the audio design is simply wonderful in this game. It’s really hard to find any faults here. Finally, let’s take a look at how the PC port of Arc Raiders is.

Optimization

The PC port of Arc Raiders is fantastic. It is built on UE5 without messy stutters and issues that we have grown accustomed to. There were barely any bugs in my games. However, before the latest patch, I did encounter an issue. I was playing with my friend we got stuck under a bridge. We had high-tier loot, and we thought we were done.

But we were so wrong. The developers have taken into consideration that such glitches might occur. So, they have given the option to immediately reset your character. This allows you to get out of stuck places easily. It was baffling to me that developers understood that it cannot be the perfect technical piece of work, and there will be issues. Hence, they implemented measures to ensure that if such an issue takes place, players have the option to get out of it.

Speaking of performance, I am playing the game at 1080p High settings with DLSS 4 set to the Quality preset. On a Ryzen 5 5600x, RTX 3060 Ti, and 16 GB RAM, the framerates tend to be around 100 FPS. This is quite good for a third-person shooter, and there were barely any issues that I noticed. Overall, the PC port is impressive, and I wasn’t expecting an Unreal Engine 5 title to run so well on my outdated hardware. 

Conclusion: Is Arc Raiders worth playing?

I will just say it in one word: YES. It is absolutely worth buying and playing. The developers have delivered a complete experience with barely any faults. Remember, earlier in this article, I asked you to keep the word “immersion” in mind. This one word alone is sufficient to sum up the game. 

It gets everything right. The audio and graphics are top-notch, some of the highest quality I have seen. The gameplay loop is addictive and keeps you coming back for more. Each expedition is a brand new experience. You could be playing on the same map, and yet no two runs will be the same. 

The world of Arc Raiders is an ever-changing post-apocalyptic world, filled with dangers. But do not be afraid, you aren’t alone. There are other players out there, going on about their tasks just like you are. Some turn out to be bad, and some will help you create memories that you’ll never forget. 

Arc Raiders has achieved something no other extraction shooter has. A purpose-filled journey for the greater good. So yes, I no longer despise extraction shooters. If anything, I now get the love for the genre more. 

Arc Raiders made me fall in love with gaming again and showed me that live service games can be fun if done right. It is not just another video game, but a poetic and philosophical take on the looter-shooter genre that transcends everything you expect it to be.

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We provide the latest news and create guides for Arc Raiders. Meanwhile, you can check out the following articles or catch us playing games on YouTube:

• Arc Raiders: 5 Beginner Tips and Tricks
• Arc Raiders: Crossplay and Cross-Progression Explained
• Arc Raiders Optimization Guide: Best Settings for Optimal Performance
• Arc Raiders: Achievement and Trophy Guide
• All Enemy Types in ARC Raiders