Arc Raiders devs have discussed special raids like high-value rounds where you have to bring in good gear, but “don’t want to segment the player base too much”

In player discussions of free loadouts in Arc Raiders, which are treated as an essential mechanic by some people and the devil incarnate by others, two solutions to this perceived scourge are often proposed. Developer Embark could guarantee that players using free loadouts spawn late into active raids, or the devs could offer exclusive raids with a minimum gear value to weed out the dreaded frees. I discussed the feedback on late spawns in Arc Raiders with design lead Virgil Watkins, and I also wanted to get his take on the idea of premium or high-value raids that function like a high ante table at a casino.

Has Embark ever discussed special raids like one with, essentially, a ‘You must be this geared to enter’ sign? “Oh, for sure,” Watkins tells me. “We’ve discussed a lot of different criteria for queuing up. And of course, there’s other examples out there, like the labs in [Escape from Tarkov] needing a special item to get in and stuff.