Embark Studios has published a new dev diary dedicated to the development of Arc Raiders. The developers decided to discuss matchmaking — they made a number of changes to it and also debunked common myths in the community.
After reviewing feedback, the Arc Raiders creators updated the matchmaking system:
- Now defense (self-defense) is not equated to initiating combat: previously, the system did not take into account whether a player initiated a PvP encounter or merely defended themselves. Because of this, cautious players could mistakenly be considered more PvP-oriented than they actually are.
- Low-activity rounds have less "weight" in a user's playstyle history. Rounds with minimal interaction on the surface — for example, when a player spawned and immediately surrendered — previously influenced playstyle assessment more than they should have. The developers explained that reducing their "weight" helps the system more accurately reflect the actual playstyle when a player truly makes decisions.
The Arc Raiders developers debunked the myth that there are only two types of lobbies in the game — friendly and aggressive:
A scale is used, not two separate options. Most players are somewhere between the extremes, and matchmaking is more likely to match you with raiders who have a similar playstyle on this scale — without guaranteeing a specific outcome in each round.
The matchmaking system does not react to isolated moments but analyzes behavior over time, and changes occur gradually, not instantly (i.e., one kill will not categorize a player as PvP-oriented). Also, there are no "pure PvE lobbies" in the game — there is always a risk of encountering PvP in a raid.
Feedback at the end of a match does not affect matchmaking but is used by developers to analyze trends and make decisions. Equipment also does not influence matchmaking.
The full Arc Raiders developer diary is available at the following link.