U4gm How ARC Raiders redefines extraction shooters by supporting solo players

[Alam560]

Extraction shooters traditionally come with squads, heavy gear competition, and steep learning curves, where lone players usually struggle to keep up with coordinated teams. Enter ARC Raiders, a third-person PvPvE shooter from Embark Studios, which takes that familiar high-risk extract-and-loot formula and puts a twist on it to make it much more accessible for solo players — and it all starts with how ARC Raiders Items are handled.

One of the first things that solo raiders will notice is the matchmaking design. According to multiple reviews, solo players are matched with other solos, thus avoiding the “you against a coordinated team” scenario that many extraction shooters foist on you. This drastically cuts down on frustration and allows for a more measured entry into the game. Knowing that as a solo player, you aren’t constantly out-manned, gives you the mental bandwidth to focus on strategy, path-planning, and loot rather than pure survival.

Subtly but meaningfully, the social design of ARC Raiders supports solo play, too. As one player said: “Going solo – I fully expected a free for all … but I’ve been largely surprised at how chill and helpful people are in solo.” That helps solo players feel part of a wider shared world, rather than isolated. You can still run into hostile players, but there is more possibility of impromptu cooperation when you're playing alone.

Gameplay loop and progression systems are important, too. Crafting, load-outs, upgrading weapons and equipment are all built in ways that let solo players meaningfully improve over time. One review described the crafting system as being “in the sweet spot” — offering meaningful upgrades without overwhelming you with micromanagement. For a solo player, that means you can work toward improving your gear, refining your style, and using cheap ARC Raiders Items in your own preferred way. You’re not locked into one meta, or forced to team-up just to get “good” gear.

Visually and mechanically, ARC Raiders also supports solo play by offering up larger maps, an array of enemy types - both AI and human in design - and mission structures that enable the adoption of various strategies: stealth, aggression, avoidance, loot-focusing. This makes the solo experience more forgiving and inviting than many extraction shooters, which too often lean hard into team-centric designs or are punishing on failure.