Embark is “pretty satisfied” with how difficult AI enemies are in Arc Raiders

by

I recently played an early version of Arc Raiders, including the Blue Gate content, and then spoke with executive producer Aleksander Grøndal. I strongly urged him not to make the AI enemies less challenging when the game officially releases.

The difficulty of Arc Raiders has sparked a lot of debate since the game’s launch. While some players find it too challenging, others – including myself – enjoy the fact that even a small drone can be a threat.

After the recent server issues, the Embark team fixed a bug in their game that let players see enemies through trees and bushes. They’re generally pleased with how challenging the enemies are, though.

According to Grøndal, the game was designed with a constant sense of danger on the surface. This was both a thematic choice – reflecting the idea that humans should be living underground – and a core part of the gameplay. The surface creatures, or ‘arcs,’ weren’t meant to be easily defeated. Players were intended to feel pressured while exploring, making decisions about where to go and what to collect, and constantly needing to consider the threat posed by these challenging creatures.

He explains that the difficulty is most noticeable at the beginning of Arc Raiders when you’re collecting basic equipment, but it becomes easier as you unlock better weapons. During the preview, I was able to try out some of the more advanced technology, like the Hullbreaker grenade launcher, which quickly defeated an enemy rocketeer.

During testing, we found a couple of problems with how the arcs were functioning. They were too powerful because players could be easily seen through foliage like bushes and trees. This was a straightforward fix, and it’s what we’re currently refining for the game’s release. We’re always paying attention to player feedback on individual arcs – if they’re too strong or too weak for their intended purpose, we’ll adjust their power levels accordingly. Generally, though, we’re happy with how they’re balanced, aside from the visibility issue we addressed.

The devs recently revealed their plans for voluntary wipes in Arc Raiders.

Arc Raiders launches tomorrow for Xbox, PS5, and PC. 

Read More

2025-10-29 18:18