"Don't shoot! I'm friendly!" Bang.
Welcome to ARC Raiders, the post-apocalyptic world overrun by AI where some people are gathering wires and bits of plastic while others are bloodthirsty murderers trying to take everything you have.
The latest and hottest extraction shooter of the moment has been the talk of gamers across the internet since launching last week, but the very nature of the PvPvE title has caused quite a bit of debate among those who've hopped online.
ARC Raiders' more casual-friendly vibe has attracted quite a bit of new players to the genre, myself included, who are pacifistic when it comes to playing in solo activities and trying to complete quests given by NPCs. That's no doubt done a lot to popularize it, but it's also caused some controversies.
A good number of players who enjoy the extraction genre play it for the PvP, which leads to a lot of encounters where others will shoot enemies on sight without using their microphones or trying to hear a case being pleaded. The game has a built-in "don't shoot" emote and voice line, and it's everywhere in solos as Raiders go from one area to the next, trying to find whatever they need for a quest or upgrades.
But at the same time, PvP is just part of this genre's whole hook. It's going to happen. Sometimes it really sucks when it does, especially when you have valuable loot or are on a fetch quest that takes time to complete, but the game is built to be this way. I can sympathize with some players who are annoyed by those who won't even hold a conversation and just want to gun people down, but at the same time, you kind of have to expect it.
I also think that some of the PvP-centric players who thrive on ruining other players' experiences could let their foot off the gas a little bit, as opposed to just actively trying to troll others. Will they? I doubt it. I've been on both ends of an ARC Raiders murder, and I've felt angered when taken out, but also guilty and/or satisfied when beating someone else in a fight. And that's part of what makes the game so special.
A good amount of my fun so far in ARC Raiders has been working together with other players, helping them fight ARCs who are overwhelming them, or even placing down a Zipline so someone can get to where they need to be for a quest. But that's how I enjoy the game. I don't expect others to feel the same way. If they thrive on sniping other Raiders and taking their loot, then that's their prerogative, too.
I get it, it sucks to lose your loot or have your progress halted. But as things currently stand, that's the nature of the extraction genre. It's you versus the environment versus other players. The game wouldn't be too much fun if everyone was friendly all the time, would it?
I would not be against some sort of PvE-only mode or limited-time experience where players could band together to take down massive ARCs in a Destiny 2 raid-like activity, eventually. But for now, every time you deploy into the wilderness topside, you're risking losing everything on your person, and that's how the game should be.
Where do you stand on this debate, dear reader? It's hard to believe it's been just one week since the game dropped, so I'm curious to see where this conversation heads over time.
Let me know in the comments below, and I'll see you in the Rust Belt with my "don't shoot" emote as I try to find mushrooms for my chicken. Or maybe I'll be shooting you while I hide in a bush. It depends.
The post Shoot-on-sight or friendly quester? ARC Raiders players can’t stop debating the ‘right’ way to play appeared first on Destructoid.
