ARC Raiders is normally a PvPvE extraction game: you scavenge the surface, fight or evade ARC machines, and decide whether to risk an extraction while other Raiders may attack. During the limited October 13–20, 2026 beta test, a matchmaking toggle adds a PvE queue with no player damage. It is safer for learning, quests and gathering, but its loot values are lower, four high-tension conditions are unavailable, and Embark has not promised that the queue will become permanent.
What PvPvE means in ARC Raiders
Every normal ARC Raiders run combines two kinds of uncertainty. ARC machines create the immediate combat and sound problem; other Raiders create the human problem. You enter a map with a loadout, search for materials and objectives, then try to reach an extraction point with enough time and equipment to leave. A machine patrol can force you into cover, while another squad can hear the same fight and use it to locate you.
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Embark describes the core loop as scavenging the surface to thrive while machines and Raiders prey on one another. That wording matters: PvPvE is not a separate competitive playlist layered onto a cooperative game. It is the standard format in which machine pressure, extraction decisions and possible ambushes are designed to interact.
What the October 2026 PvE test changes
The current test runs from October 13 through October 20, 2026. In the matchmaking menu, players can choose the classic PvPvE experience or a PvE queue focused on cooperation against ARC. The toggle is scheduled to disappear when the test ends. Embark has explicitly said that the experiment is not a promise of a permanent PvE mode.
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No player-to-player damage
PvE sessions disable player damage. Other Raiders can be present, but they cannot shoot, injure or eliminate you. ARC machines, environmental hazards, noise and the extraction clock remain dangerous. A firefight with ARC can still attract attention, and careless positioning can still leave you trapped or unable to reach an extraction point.
Solos, duos and trios share the queue
The test mixes party sizes in the same PvE session. A solo player may therefore encounter a duo or trio of friendly Raiders. This is cooperative in rules, but it does not guarantee coordinated help: players may be following different objectives, carrying different gear or simply choosing separate routes.
Loot is worth less
Embark lowers overall loot value in the PvE test to compensate for the removal of the human threat. PvPvE sessions receive slightly higher baseline loot values. The change does not mean PvE runs are worthless; it means the safer environment is not intended to be the most efficient way to maximize value on every run.
Four conditions are excluded
The test omits Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and Frigate. These conditions depend on tension, scarcity or uncertainty about what other players might do. Their absence makes the test a narrower slice of the normal content pool rather than a complete replacement for PvPvE.
PvE has separate matchmaking-rating effects
Playing PvE does not change your PvPvE matchmaking rating. You can use the test queue without lowering, raising or otherwise altering the rating used for normal PvPvE matchmaking. PvPvE matches continue to apply the ordinary rating rules.
Is PvE progression separate?
No separate PvE progression system is being introduced by this test. Embark says the purpose is to provide an alternative to PvP encounters, not to test a new progression track or a more challenging PvE advancement model.
Topside activity awards XP. That XP unlocks perks in three skill trees:
- Conditioning: perks associated with endurance and the ability to keep operating during a run.
- Mobility: perks that support movement and repositioning.
- Survival: perks focused on staying alive and managing danger.
The test does not establish a second set of trees, a PvE-only level, or a separate character track. Your decisions in a PvE run can still advance the broader systems tied to Topside activity, while your PvE matches remain isolated from PvPvE matchmaking rating.
What you can lose when a run fails
Progression is not just XP. A run also carries equipment and resources into the extraction calculation. Epic’s guide lists a loadout made up of an augment, a shield, up to two weapons, ammunition and consumables. If you are eliminated, carried equipment is lost except for items placed in Safe Pocket slots.
Safe Pockets and the risk boundary
Safe Pockets are the protected part of a loadout. They let you preserve selected items through an elimination, so placing a rare quest item or difficult-to-replace material there can matter more than taking another weapon. Pocket capacity and the item you choose to protect turn each run into a prioritization decision, even in a no-player-damage lobby.
Free Loadouts
A Free Loadout provides low-tier gear for a low-risk resource run, but it removes Safe Pockets. It is useful when you need to rebuild after a failed extraction or want to practice a route without risking your normal kit. It does not remove ARC danger or extraction risk; it simply lowers the cost of entering the surface.
How the two modes differ in practice
| Decision axis | PvE beta | PvPvE |
|---|---|---|
| Main opposition | ARC machines and environmental danger | ARC machines plus hostile or unpredictable Raiders |
| Best use | Learn maps, complete quests, gather materials and practice machine fights | Practice player awareness, contest valuable routes and accept higher variance for higher baseline value |
| Risk to carried gear | ARC and extraction risk remain; players cannot damage you | Player attacks add to ARC and extraction risk |
| Economy | Overall loot value is lowered during the test | Slightly higher baseline loot values |
| Matchmaking rating | Does not change PvPvE rating | Normal PvPvE rating applies |
| Content access | Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and Frigate are excluded from the test | Normal condition pool, subject to live rotation |
This table describes the published rules. The recommendations in the next sections are strategy advice based on those rules, not guarantees about your individual loot, teammates or extraction results.
When PvE is the better choice
Learning maps and extraction routes
New players can concentrate on landmarks, resource locations and extraction points without having to interpret every distant footstep as a possible attack. Epic documents four maps, each with distinct landmarks, resource profiles and extraction points, and each map has its own queue. Use PvE to learn where a route narrows, which areas create machine noise and how long an objective leaves you exposed.
Completing quests and gathering materials
Quests often require specific locations or materials rather than a successful fight against another squad. PvE gives you more control over the timing of those tasks. Because loot value is reduced, it is most sensible for targeted collection, quest progress and familiarization rather than as an automatic replacement for high-value farming.
Practicing machine combat
ARC encounters still punish loud movement, poor cover and bad timing. A PvE lobby lets you learn attack patterns, test weapons and understand when to disengage without a human player converting the encounter into an ambush. Keep treating sound and positioning as serious constraints: no player damage does not make a machine fight harmless.
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When PvPvE is the better choice
Improving against human threats
Only PvPvE reliably teaches the skills created by hostile Raiders: reading approach angles, deciding whether to hide or contest a route, breaking line of sight, recognizing a third-party opportunity and extracting while another squad knows your approximate position. If those are the skills you want, PvE cannot substitute for the real threat.
Pursuing higher baseline value
PvPvE has slightly higher baseline loot values. That advantage is balanced by a higher chance of losing the entire carried kit, so the expected result depends on your survival rate and how aggressively you contest valuable areas. A player who repeatedly dies with expensive equipment may earn less overall than one who completes safer PvE runs with cheaper loadouts.
Playing the full tension-focused pool
If your goal is to experience Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate or Frigate, use PvPvE while those conditions are in the live rotation. They are not available in the October test queue.
Should you play solo PvE or PvPvE?
Choose based on the immediate skill or objective you need, not on a blanket claim that one mode is easier.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors- Choose PvE solo when your priority is learning. Start with a modest or Free Loadout, map a route, identify an extraction point and practice one machine encounter at a time.
- Choose PvE with a party when your priority is cooperative task completion. Solos, duos and trios share the queue, so do not assume every friendly player will follow your plan; communicate your objective and extraction timing.
- Choose PvPvE solo when you want independent decision-making under pressure. Carry only what you can afford to lose, protect the most important item in a Safe Pocket and avoid unnecessary fights until you understand the map.
- Choose PvPvE with a coordinated group when you want to contest routes or improve team tactics. Assign roles for scouting, machine control and extraction watch, and expect other Raiders to exploit loud or predictable behavior.
“Easier” is therefore conditional. PvE removes player damage, but ARC combat and extraction failures still cost gear. PvPvE offers more value and more complete content, but every route includes the possibility of a human ambush.
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A practical run plan for either mode
Before deploying
- Set a single objective: a quest step, a material category, a map landmark or a practice encounter.
- Match the loadout to the objective. Use a Free Loadout for low-risk rebuilding and reserve valuable weapons or consumables for runs where they are justified.
- Decide what belongs in Safe Pockets before you leave the starting area.
- Check the active map and conditions. PvE’s test exclusions and the live PvPvE rotation affect which objectives are possible.
On the surface
- Use cover and controlled movement around ARC patrols; a no-player-damage rule does not reduce machine detection or attack pressure.
- Track noise, ammunition and the distance to extraction rather than treating the map as an unlimited farming space.
- Leave after the objective is complete. Extra containers can add value, but they also add time and exposure.
At extraction
- Arrive with enough time to handle a machine interruption or a route change.
- In PvPvE, assume that a fight or loud machine encounter may have revealed your location to another Raider.
- In PvE, do not wait indefinitely for a perfect haul. The lower-value economy makes a successful, repeatable extraction more useful than a needless final risk.
Progression beyond a single run
ARC Raiders ties long-term growth to XP, skill-tree perks, crafting, gear and settlement resources. Map choice matters because resource types and extraction points differ. A route that is efficient for one material may be poor for another, so progression planning includes selecting the right map and deciding how much equipment to expose.
Expeditions and the reset decision
Expeditions are an optional prestige-style loop for long-term players. PC Gamer reports that an Expedition resets much of your progression while preserving cosmetics and granting carry-over advantages; the first Expedition requires level 20. Because Expedition rules and schedules can change, inspect the current project screen in-game before committing materials or assuming a particular reward.
An Expedition is not a PvE-only system. It is a separate long-term decision layered over runs played in the available queues. The October PvE test does not create a protected progression path that avoids the normal economic or reset decisions.
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Why Embark is testing PvE now
Embark published audience data showing 37% friendly co-op players, 27% mixed players and 34% pure PvP players in its 2026 breakdown. It also reported that 51% of the surveyed player base expressed interest in a dedicated PvE option. Those figures explain the experiment’s target audience, but they do not predict whether the queue will become permanent or how its rules would look if it returns.
The stated intent is to offer an alternative to PvP encounters, not to make PvE progressively harder or introduce a new progression model. Executive producer Aleks also cautioned that the test might not work and is not a promise of a future PvE mode. Treat the October toggle as a time-limited experiment: play it while available, but do not plan a long-term account strategy around its continued existence.
Bottom line for choosing a mode
Use PvE during the October 13–20 test when you need a lower-conflict environment for map learning, quests, materials or machine practice. Expect mixed party sizes, reduced loot value and no access to four high-tension conditions. Use PvPvE when you want the complete core experience, higher baseline loot values and practice against human opponents, and accept that another Raider can turn a successful machine fight into a total gear loss. Both queues feed the broader XP and skill-tree framework; PvE simply keeps its matches separate from PvPvE rating and removes player damage for the duration of the test.
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