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ARC Raiders is built around extraction. You enter the surface, gather resources, complete objectives and reach an extraction point before losing what you carried. In the standard PvPvE format, ARC machines and other Raiders are threats at the same time. The October 13–20, 2026 beta test adds a PvE queue with no player damage, but it is a temporary experiment rather than a promised permanent mode.
That distinction changes your risk, route planning and expected loot, not the basic progression system. XP, skill trees, crafting and settlement resources remain part of the wider game, while the PvE queue isolates its matchmaking rating from PvPvE.
What the two ARC Raiders modes actually are
ARC Raiders is an extraction adventure rather than a conventional campaign with a separate “easy” playlist. Every run starts with a loadout, sends you onto a surface map and asks you to leave with resources, quest items or equipment. Elimination normally costs the gear you were carrying, so deciding when to extract is as important as winning a fight.
PvPvE is the normal format
The core format combines player-versus-environment and player-versus-player pressure. ARC machines create noise, movement restrictions and direct combat problems; human Raiders may ambush you, contest a resource route or simply pass through the same area. Embark describes the loop as scavenging the surface while machines and Raiders prey on one another.
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“PvP” therefore does not describe a separate pure-deathmatch mode. It is shorthand for the human-threat component inside the broader PvPvE extraction run.
PvE is a limited beta queue
For the current beta, Embark is testing a matchmaking toggle from October 13 through October 20, 2026. You can select the classic PvPvE experience or a PvE queue focused on co-operative play against ARC machines. The toggle is scheduled to disappear when the test ends, and Embark has explicitly said the experiment is not a promise that a permanent PvE mode will follow.
What changes when you choose PvE
The following rules apply to the beta PvE test. They describe this test configuration, not a guaranteed future playlist.
| Decision axis | PvE beta | PvPvE |
|---|---|---|
| Main opposition | ARC machines and environmental danger | ARC machines plus hostile or unpredictable Raiders |
| Player damage | Disabled; Raiders cannot damage one another | Enabled as part of the normal extraction risk |
| Party matching | Solos, duos and trios share the same session pool | Normal PvPvE matchmaking rules apply |
| Loot value | Overall value is reduced during the test | Slightly higher baseline loot value |
| Matchmaking rating | Does not affect your PvPvE rating | Normal PvPvE rating applies |
| Special conditions | Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and Frigate are excluded from the test | Full normal condition pool, subject to live rotation |
No player damage, not no danger
With friendly fire between Raiders removed, the main tactical problems become machine behavior, sound, line of sight, ammunition and extraction timing. You can explore without expecting another player to shoot you, but ARC encounters can still drain shields, consume supplies or force a bad route. Reaching an extraction point remains a failure condition if you arrive without the resources or health to survive the final approach.
Mixed party sizes change the social dynamic
PvE sessions place solos, duos and trios together. A solo player should not assume every nearby group has the same size or objective. The absence of player damage removes combat risk, but it does not remove congestion around objectives, extraction points or valuable machine encounters. Give other teams room and plan movement around the possibility that several groups are clearing the same area.
Four high-tension conditions are unavailable
Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and Frigate are excluded from the beta queue. Embark’s reasoning is that these conditions depend heavily on uncertainty and tension created by other players. If you want to practice those specific scenarios, you must use PvPvE while they are in the live rotation.
Safer access comes with lower value
The PvE test lowers overall loot value, while PvPvE runs receive a slightly higher baseline value. The published information does not give a universal percentage or a fixed per-item reduction, so treat the difference as a broad economic trade-off rather than a guaranteed payout for each extraction. PvE reduces the chance of losing gear to another Raider, but it does not turn every run into a higher-profit route.
Does PvE have separate progression?
No separate PvE progression system is being introduced by this test. Embark says the intent is to provide an alternative to PvP encounters, not to test a new progression model. Your wider progression still revolves around successful Topside activity, XP, equipment and settlement resources.
XP and the three skill trees
Topside actions award XP. That XP unlocks perks in three skill trees:
- Conditioning: perks associated with physical endurance and staying effective during a run.
- Mobility: perks associated with movement and repositioning.
- Survival: perks associated with staying alive and managing extraction risk.
The available evidence does not establish a different XP table for PvE, so do not assume that switching queues creates a second character track or a separate perk inventory.
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Crafting, gear and settlement resources remain relevant
A successful run can supply materials for crafting and settlement development. Maps have distinct resource types and extraction points, making route selection important even when nobody can attack you. Epic’s guide identifies four maps with separate queues, unique landmarks and different loot or resource profiles. PvE can therefore be useful for learning where materials spawn and how long a route takes, but the value of those materials is still reduced by the test’s lower loot economy.
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Expeditions add an optional prestige-style reset loop. PC Gamer reports that an Expedition resets much of your progression, keeps cosmetics and grants carry-over advantages; the first Expedition requires level 20. Because Expedition rules and schedules can change, inspect the current project screen in the game before committing materials or starting the reset. The PvE toggle does not create a separate Expedition track.
How a run’s loadout affects both modes
Mode choice does not remove the consequences of your loadout. Epic’s guide lists an augment, a shield, up to two weapons, ammunition and consumables as the main loadout components. If you are eliminated, carried equipment is lost except for items stored in Safe Pocket slots.
Safe Pockets define what you are willing to risk
Place irreplaceable or high-priority items in Safe Pockets when the interface allows it. In PvPvE, this protects a limited amount of value from player ambushes as well as machine or extraction failures. In PvE, Safe Pockets still matter because ARC damage, a missed extraction window or an overextended route can eliminate you even without player damage.
Free Loadouts are for low-risk practice
A Free Loadout supplies low-tier gear for resource runs, but it removes Safe Pockets. Use it when you are learning a map, testing a machine encounter or recovering after a costly failure. The absence of Safe Pockets means you should not carry a rare quest item or irreplaceable material on a Free Loadout unless you accept losing it.
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Which mode should you choose?
There is no universally superior queue. Choose according to what you need from the next run.
Choose PvE when your priority is learning or completing tasks
- You are learning a map’s landmarks, extraction points and resource routes.
- You need to complete quests without planning for a human ambush.
- You want to practice ARC machine attacks, ammunition use and positioning.
- You are rebuilding supplies after losing a valuable PvPvE loadout.
- You prefer co-operative exploration and accept lower loot value.
These are strategic recommendations based on the published rules, not guarantees that every PvE run will be easy or profitable.
Choose PvPvE when you need human-threat practice or higher baseline value
- You want to improve awareness of ambushes, footsteps, gunfire and contested routes.
- You are prepared to defend an extraction point or disengage from another Raider.
- You want access to the full normal condition pool, including the four conditions excluded from the test.
- You accept more variance in exchange for slightly higher baseline loot value.
- You are practicing the risk management that defines the core ARC Raiders format.
PvPvE is also the only way to train for situations where another team’s intentions are unknown. PvE can teach machine patterns and map geometry, but it cannot reproduce the decision of whether to fight, hide, negotiate space or abandon a route because a player squad is nearby.
A practical strategy for PvE runs
- Set a narrow objective. Decide whether the run is for a quest, a specific material, map learning or machine practice. A defined objective prevents you from staying too long after the useful work is complete.
- Match the loadout to the objective. Use a Free Loadout for low-risk practice and a normal loadout when the expected materials justify carrying better equipment. Reserve Safe Pocket capacity for items you cannot afford to lose.
- Study the map before moving deep. Note the nearest extraction point, likely machine patrol areas and alternative routes. Distinct map resources and extraction locations make this planning useful in every queue.
- Control noise and exposure. Even without player damage, machines react to your position and can force you into open ground. Avoid unnecessary fights when ammunition or healing supplies are more valuable than the drop.
- Leave before the bag becomes a liability. PvE removes one threat, not the extraction risk. When your quest requirement is complete or your most valuable materials are secured, route toward extraction instead of searching indefinitely.
A practical strategy for PvPvE runs
- Assume information is incomplete. Machine sounds, opened containers and distant gunfire can indicate another team’s path, but they do not reveal its size or intent.
- Plan a fallback route. Keep an alternate path to extraction in mind before entering a high-value area. A route that works against machines may expose you to a player squad.
- Separate value from ego. Abandoning a fight protects your loadout and quest progress. Contest another team only when the position, equipment and extraction timing justify the risk.
- Use machines as environmental pressure. ARC encounters can reveal your location, limit movement or create an opening for another Raider. Clear threats deliberately instead of treating every machine fight as optional background combat.
- Extract on your own terms. The highest-value backpack is useless if you cannot survive the final approach. Leave with a reliable route rather than waiting for one more container or engagement.
How the temporary test affects matchmaking and future expectations
PvE sessions do not change your PvPvE matchmaking rating. You can use the queue to learn or complete objectives without lowering or inflating the rating used for the standard mode. That separation is useful for experimentation, but it does not mean the two queues have identical rewards or content.
Embark published two figures that explain why the experiment exists: 37% of surveyed players identified with friendly co-op, 27% with mixed play and 34% with pure PvP; 51% expressed interest in a dedicated PvE option. Those figures describe surveyed preferences, not a guarantee that the test will become a permanent playlist.
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The executive producer Aleks stated that the test might not work and is not a promise of a future PvE mode. Treat October 20, 2026 as the end of the announced test window unless the developer publishes a new schedule. If you are deciding whether to reorganize your long-term play around PvE, wait for an in-game or official announcement rather than assuming the toggle will remain.
Common mistakes and how to correct them
“PvE means I cannot lose anything”
Incorrect. You can still lose carried equipment to ARC damage, a failed extraction or another elimination condition. Correct this by using Safe Pockets thoughtfully, carrying an appropriate loadout and extracting once the run’s objective is complete.
“PvE gives the same loot as PvPvE”
Not during the beta test. Overall PvE loot value is lowered, while PvPvE has a slightly higher baseline value. Correct this by choosing PvE for safety, learning and quests rather than assuming it is the best farming route.
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“PvE is a separate character progression track”
The test does not introduce separate progression. XP, the Conditioning, Mobility and Survival trees, crafting and settlement resources remain part of the broader game. Correct this by selecting the queue for the run you want, not for a different permanent character build.
“A quiet PvE map teaches everything about PvPvE”
It teaches machine behavior, map geography and extraction timing, but not player uncertainty. Correct this by moving to PvPvE when you need practice reading other Raiders, contesting routes or handling an ambush.
Bottom line: use PvE as a tool, not a replacement assumption
The beta PvE queue is the lower-conflict way to learn maps, complete quests and practice against ARC machines. It removes player damage, mixes solos with duos and trios, lowers loot value, excludes four high-tension conditions and keeps its activity out of your PvPvE rating. The normal PvPvE queue remains the complete high-variance experience, with human threats and slightly better baseline loot.
Progression is shared rather than split: Topside XP feeds the same three skill trees, gear and settlement systems, while Safe Pockets and extraction decisions still determine what survives a failed run. Because the October 13–20, 2026 toggle is explicitly a test, choose PvE for what it offers now and do not plan on it becoming permanent until Embark confirms that change.
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