Arc Raiders Dev says he's still looking into ways to balance PvE and PvP.

Arc Raiders has achieved great success since its release. Embark has maintained its player base in a way that giants like Call of Duty and Battlefront can't, and has also kept it fresh with frequent updates. But things haven't been going smoothly since the Riven Tides update. Players have been complaining about a number of issues, especially the balance between PvE and PvP.

A significant portion of the community has been complaining about the PvP aspect of the game since launch and was hoping the developers would eventually add a PvE mode. However, without the PvP aspect the game wouldn't really be the same. Unfortunately, things seem to have gotten worse since the latest update and Embark is still trying to strike the right balance.

Arc Raiders is still finding ways to coordinate PvE and PvP.

An Arc Raider character who carries a gun and wears various skins.

Speaking with GamesRadar+, design director Virgil Watkins said that while there are still issues with balance, the developers at Embark are slowly getting to the point where they're perfecting it. As with all live games, the balance and meta are always changing as new content is added, but this applies doubly so when you have PvP and PvE elements like Arc Raiders.

“It’s not just about striking a balance,” Watkins said. “What we’ve learned and are still learning is how to adjust the PvP and PvE elements to stay true to the core vision of the game, while also ensuring it’s fair, rewarding, and aligned with what players expect.”

“One of the elements that I think we got quite right is that the PvE element attracts and respects just as much attention and respect from other players, sometimes more,” he added. “When PvE elements are truly engaging, player interaction becomes more powerful.”

But when PvP is included it becomes a different animal. “Unpredictability” is a key part of the fun, but it's also one of the biggest challenges for developers. “It’s not just about designing around AI encounters or player-versus-player competition, it’s about creating situations where those systems interact,” Watkins said.