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Play solo if you want complete control over pace, routes, timing, and risk. Play duo or trio if you prefer shared decisions, coordinated fights, and teammates who can divide tasks. Neither choice is a proven shortcut to safer raids, better extraction rates, or more valuable loot: standard ARC Raiders remains a PvPvE game in which other Raiders can threaten every run.
As of 16 October 2026, a temporary PvE matchmaking toggle is being tested through 20 October. It removes player-to-player damage but lowers loot value and does not guarantee squad-size separation, so treat it as a time-limited exception rather than the normal solo experience.
The short answer: choose for control or coordination
The solo-versus-squad decision is mainly about how you want to make decisions, not about selecting a statistically superior strategy. A solo Raider owns every choice: route, extraction timing, whether to investigate a sound, and when to abandon a fight. A duo or trio can discuss those choices and execute them together, but teammates also introduce communication overhead and shared risk.
In standard PvPvE raids, other Raiders remain dangerous in both formats. A solo queue does not create a PvE-only lobby, and a squad does not make hostile encounters disappear. Embark’s published matchmaking explanation describes tendencies, not guarantees: similar playstyles are more likely to meet, but any lobby can contain a different mix of behavior.
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Solo and duo/trio compared
| Factor | Solo | Duo or trio |
|---|---|---|
| Decision-making | One player sets the route, pace, timing, and risk tolerance. | Players can coordinate routes, engagements, rescues, and extraction calls. |
| Other-player threat in standard PvPvE | Other Raiders remain a threat. | Other Raiders remain a threat; teammates do not remove that risk. |
| Matchmaking expectation | Similar behavior is more likely, not guaranteed. Solo history is reported as separately tracked. | The group’s behavior contributes to its profile. Duo and trio histories are reported as separate tracks. |
| Best fit | Independence, self-directed exploration, and a consistent personal tempo. | Shared execution, communication, and the ability to assign tasks. |
| Proven outcome advantage | No reviewed evidence proves a solo extraction, win, or loot advantage. | No reviewed evidence proves a duo/trio extraction, win, or loot advantage. |
Embark has not published comparable solo-versus-squad extraction, win, or loot rates in the reviewed material. Treat claims that one format is objectively more profitable or safer as unverified unless new, directly comparable data appears.
What solo play gives you
Complete control of tempo
Solo play removes the need to wait for a teammate, follow someone else’s route, or agree on whether a sound is worth investigating. You can move slowly through a valuable area, sprint directly to an objective, or extract the moment your inventory reaches an acceptable value. This control is useful when you are learning map routes or testing how much noise a particular action creates.
Consistent risk decisions
Every risk calculation uses your own priorities. If you value survival over one more container, you can leave immediately. If you are practicing a difficult encounter, you can commit without asking another player to accept the same danger. The trade-off is that there is no second opinion to challenge an impulsive push.
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A solo down leaves no teammate to revive or cover you. You also cannot split attention: looting, listening for footsteps, watching an angle, and checking an extraction route all compete for one player’s time. This does not make every solo raid worse, but it makes information discipline more important.
When solo is a strong fit
- You prefer setting your own route and extraction threshold.
- You dislike coordinating every movement or waiting for a group decision.
- You are comfortable abandoning loot when the situation changes.
- You want to learn an area without asking teammates to absorb your experimental risks.
What duo and trio play give you
Shared information and task division
Two or three players can watch different approaches, carry different objectives, and call out threats while moving. One player may focus on opening or looting while another covers an exit. This is a coordination benefit, not a guarantee that an encounter will be won.
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More options after a mistake
A teammate can provide cover, help with a downed player, or continue the raid if another member is incapacitated. Those options can change what risks a group is willing to take. They also create new failure modes: a rescue attempt can expose the whole group, and one player’s noise can reveal everyone nearby.
Communication is part of the cost
Squads work best when players agree on short, specific calls: direction, distance, enemy type, intended action, and fallback point. Vague instructions such as “over there” or simultaneous independent pushes can erase the advantage of having more than one player. A quiet or inexperienced group may gain less from the format than a disciplined duo or trio.
When a squad is a strong fit
- You enjoy discussing routes and making decisions together.
- You can use voice or concise pings consistently.
- You are willing to stop looting and regroup when a teammate calls danger.
- You prefer shared execution over complete personal control.
How matchmaking actually affects the choice
In its 20 May 2026 explanation, Embark said matchmaking considers multiple factors, including prior-round playstyle and how players engage with other Raiders. The model is a continuous scale rather than a binary friendly-versus-hostile switch. The studio’s summary is: “Similarity is more likely, not guaranteed.” It also says, “Your behavior shapes your future lobbies – gradually.”
What “similar” means
The system is intended to make behaviorally similar encounters more likely over time. A player who repeatedly engages other Raiders may gradually see a different mix from a player who usually avoids them. The change is not an instant label applied after one encounter, and it does not promise that another Raider will be friendly, neutral, or hostile.
What matchmaking does not use as a shortcut
- Loadout cost does not drive matchmaking according to Embark’s explanation.
- Survey feedback does not tune your next lobby.
- Changing crossplay changes the available matchmaking pool and may alter queue time, but it does not guarantee a different encounter tone.
- Solo selection does not mean a PvE-only queue.
Use matchmaking information to set expectations, not to predict an individual raid. Your behavior can influence future lobbies gradually, while the immediate outcome still depends on map conditions, timing, decisions, and the players you encounter.
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Current squad-history and queue details
A community-maintained reference updated 9 October 2026 reports that solo, duo, and trio behavioral histories are tracked separately after Update 1.36.0, dated 7 July 2026. If that reporting remains current, your behavior in one group size should not be treated as identical to your history in another. The reference is not a promise that the next lobby will contain only the same group size or temperament.
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The same reference reports that Update 2.0.0, released 8 October 2026, removed the Solo vs. Squads option while Embark re-evaluates it. Do not search the current menus for that toggle or plan around selecting it. Patch behavior can change, so check the live game’s current notes if you are reading this after the update window.
The temporary PvE toggle test (13–20 October 2026)
Embark announced a limited PvE matchmaking toggle test beginning 13 October at 11:00 CEST and running through 20 October 2026. During a PvE session, player-to-player damage is disabled and overall loot value is lower. Matchmaking does not prioritize separating groups by squad size, so selecting the test is not a promise that you will meet only solos or only squads.
Conditions that still matter
- ARC enemies remain active threats.
- The announcement excludes Night Raid, Locked Gate, Hidden Bunker, Frigate, and Redirection conditions from the test.
- Low-population regions or quiet hours may produce longer match times.
- If ARC enemies catch a downed player moving after an eight-second grace period, they may reacquire that player.
On 13 October, Embark’s Store Update 2.1.0 described the toggle as a beta test whose feedback and in-game data would inform a decision about permanence. It is therefore a temporary risk adjustment, not evidence that the ordinary PvPvE game has changed permanently. Recheck the live announcement after 20 October before relying on these conditions.
A practical decision framework
Choose solo when autonomy is your priority
Select solo when the main reason you play is to control every movement and accept or reject every fight yourself. You should also favor it when your available teammates have incompatible schedules or communication habits. The price is less recovery capacity after a mistake and more work per decision.
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Choose duo when you want help without a full group
A duo gives you a second set of eyes and a partner for coordinated movement while keeping communication manageable. It is a useful middle ground for players who want shared decisions but find three-person callouts crowded. Agree before deployment on who leads navigation, how you signal a retreat, and whether the group extracts when either player is full.
Choose trio when roles are clear
A trio can divide lookout, objective, and support responsibilities, but only if everyone understands the plan. Three independent routes create three separate noise and exposure problems. Use a simple formation, identify a regroup point, and avoid treating the third player as permission to take unlimited risks.
Use the PvE test for a different goal
If your immediate goal is practicing movement, map navigation, or ARC encounters without player-to-player damage, the live test may suit you during its announced window. Accept lower loot value and the possibility of longer queues. Do not use test results to claim that standard solo or squad PvPvE is safer.
Solo raid checklist
- Set a stopping rule before entering. Decide what inventory value, objective, or time limit is enough to extract. A pre-set rule prevents one extra container from turning into an unnecessary fight.
- Choose routes with exits. Before opening a high-value area, identify at least one retreat direction and a place where you can listen without exposing yourself.
- Control information. Move deliberately around doors, loot points, and noisy interactions. Pause after loud actions to distinguish ARC audio from Raider movement.
- Reassess after every encounter. A fight changes your health, ammunition, noise profile, and likely position to other players. Recalculate instead of continuing the original plan automatically.
- Leave when the risk changes. No teammate is available to rescue you, so a compromised extraction route or missing resource should be a reason to disengage, not a challenge to force.
Duo and trio raid checklist
- Assign a leader for navigation. The leader chooses the next destination; other players contribute information without creating three simultaneous routes.
- Use concise calls. Include direction, approximate distance, threat, and your intended action. For example: “North doorway, close, Raider sound; backing to the rocks.”
- Set regroup and retreat rules. Decide where separated players meet and whether the group abandons a fight when one member is downed or out of resources.
- Keep spacing. Stay close enough to support one another but not so tightly that one attack or noisy action exposes everyone at once.
- Confirm extraction status. Before leaving loot or starting an extraction sequence, verify that every teammate knows the route and can reach it without crossing an unobserved angle.
Common assumptions that lead to bad advice
“Solo means I will meet only solos”
That is not established. Embark describes behavior-based similarity as more likely, not guaranteed, and standard raids still include other Raiders.
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More players create coordination possibilities, but the reviewed material contains no comparable survival, extraction, or loot statistic proving a squad advantage. A poorly coordinated group can expose itself more often than a careful solo.
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“Expensive gear puts me in harder lobbies”
Embark says loadout cost does not drive its matchmaking system. Do not infer a hidden gear-price bracket from a difficult raid.
“Crossplay off creates friendlier encounters”
Changing crossplay changes the pool and may affect queue time. It does not guarantee a particular encounter tone.
“The Solo vs. Squads toggle is still available”
The latest located update reference reports its removal in Update 2.0.0 on 8 October 2026. Treat older guides that instruct you to select it as outdated unless a newer official update restores it.
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Because no validated solo-versus-squad performance rates are available in the reviewed sources, track the outcomes that matter to your play rather than copying a universal tier list. Over several sessions, note whether you reached your intended objective, extracted when you chose to, lost equipment to avoidable decisions, and enjoyed the communication load.
- For solo: record how often you abandoned a fight in time, whether your route allowed an exit, and which decisions consumed the most attention.
- For squads: record whether the team stayed together, understood calls, and agreed on extraction timing before danger arrived.
- For either format: separate mechanical mistakes from unavoidable encounters. One bad raid cannot prove that a format is inferior.
If your notes show that you repeatedly resent waiting or negotiating, solo is probably the better fit even if a coordinated squad occasionally performs better. If you value shared stories and can communicate clearly, duo or trio may be more satisfying regardless of any unproven statistical edge.
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