After a recent ARC Raiders update, Embark Studios design director Virgil Watkins shared how the team thinks about weapon balance, rarity, and cost vs reward.
Since launch, ARC Raiders has stayed very popular and kept most of its players, even through the holiday season.
While players enjoy the game a lot, it is not perfect yet. The good news is that Embark is actively working to fix problems and improve the overall experience.
Along with ongoing cheating issues, players have been talking a lot about Update 1.11.0, the first update of 2026. This update was smaller, but it made two big changes that players noticed right away.
The first was a nerf to the popular Trigger ’Nade. Its damage now drops the farther enemies are from the blast center, and the explosion takes slightly longer.
The second change affected the Kettle, where its fire rate was adjusted because some players were abusing macros to shoot much faster than intended and disrupt matches.
Over the past few months, weapon balance in ARC Raiders has been a hot topic. Many players feel that some weapons are only good after upgrades or mods, while others prefer cheap and reliable options like the Stitcher.
Weapons like the Venator or Bobcat cost more and are harder to use, so players often avoid them. Since losing gear is always a risk due to ARC enemies or other players, using cheaper weapons feels safer and smarter.
However, this is not how Embark Studios wants the game to feel. According to Virgil Watkins, the original goal was that any weapon could win a fight if used well, even the weakest ones.
He admits the game is not fully there yet, especially when it comes to high-tier weapons. Right now, expensive gear can give players a small advantage, and that is something Embark wants to fix. Watkins clearly said that cost should not replace skill, game sense, or smart play.
Embark is now reviewing how much value players get from expensive weapons. The team wants rare weapons to feel exciting to find and worth using.
If players do not feel that excitement, Embark will keep adjusting the balance until it feels right. Weapons like the Venator are already being looked at closely to improve their cost-to-benefit value.
Watkins also confirmed that Embark is open to bigger weapon changes in the future. Some weapons could change rarity, and crafting or upgrade costs might be adjusted to make certain guns easier to access.
While nothing is final yet, weapons that perform better or worse than expected could move up or down in rarity, with other weapons filling their role. Embark is not locked into the current setup and will make changes if it helps the game long term.
While players may need to wait a bit for these balance updates, new ARC Raiders content is coming soon. Players noticed a new set of Trials scheduled for January 20, 2026 after adjusting their system date.
One of the tasks mentioned a Toxic Swamp, which strongly hints at a new map condition that has been rumored for weeks. This suggests that more exciting updates are just around the corner for ARC Raiders fans.
