ARC Raiders’ design director tells us about the “strong appetite” for PvE and what lies ahead in the Flashpoint update

There’s no escaping the thirst for an ARC Raiders PvE mode. Whether you agree with it or not, it’s a strong calling from the game’s community –  one that Embark Studios is hearing. Ahead of the upcoming ARC Raiders Flashpoint update, design director Virgil Watkins is back to speak with me, as I’m eager to know what the studio thinks when it comes to leaning into PVE content and what the roadmap holds going forward.

Last year, Watkins spoke to me about crafting maps like Stella Montis; ARC Raiders’ sweatiest and most brutal locale for PvP action. Stella Montis is a dark, dingy collection of shadow-laden hallways and worn industrial spaces, a breeding ground for rats. On the complete opposite end of that scale, the game’s Shared Watch event sought to bring players together, encouraging alliances against our robotic foes. If you played during this time, you’ll know it didn’t exactly go to plan. Yet, despite how volatile players can be, Watkins tells me there are lessons to be learned around calls for an ARC Raiders PvE mode.

“One thing we’ve seen, for example, is how strongly players are engaging with PvE elements. That’s been somewhat surprising for us, and it’s influencing how we think about expanding that kind of content, alongside new gameplay, map updates, and experiences for players who lean more into the PvP side of things,” Watkins explains. He notes that the studio understands “why some players are drawn more toward that side of the experience. There’s definitely a strong appetite for that kind of content.”

However, despite the game going through a serious overhaul during development, fending off other players is still a huge part of ARC Raiders’ DNA. Watkins expresses that “the balance between PvE and PvP is very intentional in ARC Raiders. The game is designed around that tension and uncertainty, where cooperation and competition can exist in the same space. That’s a big part of why it works and what makes each session feel different.”

Watkins goes on to say that “players are already shaping that experience in different ways. Some lean more into PvE, focusing on objectives and avoiding conflict, while others take a more competitive approach and, probably unsurprisingly, the majority sit in the middle.” No matter how you decide to journey across the Rust Belt, he iterates that the “focus is on continuing to support that range of playstyles and refining the balance so it feels fair and rewarding.” With the Shared Watch event over, there’s a lot of chatter around what lies ahead for the game.

In the wake of Marathon’s release, there’s a vocal number of players showing their concern for ARC Raiders’ roadmap. The next update, Flashpoint, is due to drop on Tuesday, March 31, 2026. I’m curious about how Embark is planning to treat community events. When Stella Montis launched, it felt like players raced through the conditions to unlock it in record time. It’s almost too quick. “We’ve looked closely at how players engaged with Stella Montis and the community event around it […] not everyone had the chance to take part before it was completed,” Watkins reveals.

It seems that the appetite for the event took the team by surprise, as Watkins says the game “had a huge influx of players, which had overall participation shoot right past our benchmark. That’s something we’re taking into account as we think about future community-driven events with regards to how they’re paced, how players can participate, and how we create opportunities for more people to be involved.”

Right now, the details surrounding Flashpoint are vague. What you will have seen, though, is breadcrumbs related to a new map. “We’ve seen some of the theories, and players are very good at picking up on details. We don’t want to spoil anything, so you’ll have to wait and see how we choose to reveal more,” Watkins says when I ask him about April’s biggest update.

In the meantime, check out what’s happening in The Finals, as I spend two hours fighting alongside the Embark Studios team in my The Finals Season 10 preview.