A Twitch streamer tested how friendly the Friendly Lobbies really are in ARC Raiders and found almost a completely new game.
Who is the Tarkov expert? The Swiss content creator SirHansVader participated in a Twitch stream on March 27 and took on a test in ARC Raiders: He wanted to find out whether he would really enter lobbies where no one engages in PvP if he doesn’t shoot at enemy Raiders.
- SirHansVader is primarily known for Escape from Tarkov. On his YouTube channel, he publishes tips and guides or discusses the news around the shooter from Battlestate Games.
- On Twitch, he shows other games alongside Tarkov, with a focus on shooters. Over the past six months, besides ARC Raiders, titles like Battlefield 6 and Marathon were featured.
As a hardcore Tarkov expert, he usually plays a lot of PvP in ARC Raiders. The game guides him into lobbies where players rarely greet each other friendly. However, he wanted to see for himself if ARC Raiders can indeed be as friendly as many say.
What was the test like? SirHansVader created a new account and played ARC Raiders with a character that had never participated in a match before. His mission was:
Not to shoot at any player, show no aggression, and see if there will still be Raiders who shoot at him.
Even in the first rounds, a clear picture emerged. The Raiders simply walked past him, not seeing him as a threat at all. They greeted him amicably, turned their backs to him, and fought together against the ARCs.
In 10 raids, he encountered 25 friendly Raiders and only one player who shot at him in the elevator. This black sheep was the only PvP encounter during the test.
How did the test continue? The content creator opted for the ultimate test on Stella Montis, the possibly PvP-focused map of the game. Here it would show how friendly the lobbies truly are.
To play Stella Montis, he had to complete 25 rounds on the account. Due to time constraints, he chose to complete part of the rounds by “abandoning” a raid.
On Stella Montis, he could hardly believe his eyes. No one fought against each other, players helped each other against the ARCs, and everyone was friendly. He stood next to other Raiders, played the flute, and even received loot as a street musician.
Even when he stole loot from other Raiders after they destroyed a Bastion, everyone remained friendly. It was almost like another game for him.
How can matchmaking differ so much? Patrick Söderlund, one of the founders and current CEO of Embark Studios, confirmed in an interview with GamesBeat (via YouTube) at the end of December that there is “aggression-based matchmaking” in ARC Raiders.
He explained that if players prefer PvE, they will more likely be matched with equally pacifistic players in a lobby. Players who engage in a lot of PvP will encounter other PvP fans more often.
Several weeks later, Virgil Watkins, the lead designer of ARC Raiders, added that the game can determine who shoots first. While the shooter does not recognize intent or morality, it does recognize who lands a hit on another Raider first. You can find the complete article here: Developers of ARC Raiders warn all rats: “Can track who shoots first”
Even when he stole loot from other Raiders after they destroyed a Bastion, everyone remained friendly. It was almost like another game for him.
How can matchmaking differ so much? Patrick Söderlund, one of the founders and current CEO of Embark Studios, confirmed in an interview with GamesBeat (via YouTube) at the end of December that there is “aggression-based matchmaking” in ARC Raiders.
He explained that if players prefer PvE, they will more likely be matched with equally pacifistic players in a lobby. Players who engage in a lot of PvP will encounter other PvP fans more often.
Several weeks later, Virgil Watkins, the lead designer of ARC Raiders, added that the game can determine who shoots first. While the shooter does not recognize intent or morality, it does recognize who lands a hit on another Raider first. You can find the complete article here: Developers of ARC Raiders warn all rats: “Can track who shoots first”
