As an extraction shooter, one of the most important elements of Arc Raiders is its Expedition feature. An optional feature, the Expeditions allow players to wipe their characters and start all over again with a minor permanent buff to their new character.
With the second Expedition date already locked in for the game, Arc Raiders players will soon be given the choice to wipe again. However, after the first wipe Embark is trying to “incentivise” more players to give up their characters.
On the day of the game’s debut wipe, players were upset at the paltry rewards offered by the game for giving up everything. Despite this, Embark confirmed in an interview with PCGamesN that over a million players gave up their stash and skill points through the Expedition.
Arc Raiders design director Virgil Watkins explained that “something close to about 35% or 40% of those players did get the full skill points”. However, the developer admitted that “one of the bigger topics [of feedback] was the requirements for the final stage to get the skill points, and probably going out a bit too late with that information.
While a large number of players did wipe their characters anyway, Embark wants to find ways to encourage additional players to join in on Expeditions with new rewards and more generous buffs.
Right now, Watkins is looking at ways to “incentivise” players to join in on wipes and “bring a little more variety” into the rewards and process of wiping a character. Right now, building the caravan for the game’s second wipe is largely the same as the first, but future wipes could see unique challenges that players will have to complete to get the best possible rewards for their next character.
“We completely acknowledge that it isn’t the most engaging thing to just go for money, [and it has] the potential outcome of disincentivizing using your gear, which is kind of what people look forward to towards the end of a reset cycle,” Watkins said. “So yeah, we’re looking at revisions on that.”
Watkins hinted that Embark is currently pouring over a load of user data to ensure that future wipes are more satisfying for everyone involved. With the team able to see data “down to the individual pieces of rubber people donated”, the number crunching at the studio is intense.
Following the game’s Cold Snap update, the next major Arc Raiders update will see the arrival of a new map condition: Toxic Swamp. While Embark hasn’t released a new content update roadmap for the game as of yet, there are a load more updates planned for the future.
For even more Arc Raiders coverage, read CEO Patrick Söderlund’s thoughts on how trading needs to evolve in the multiplayer game through future updates.
