ARC Raiders has been on the scene for a while now, and it shows no signs of slowing down. However, I have stepped away from it recently, though not because it did anything wrong. The new PvE mode might just be what pulls me back in.
For those unfamiliar with ARC Raiders, it is a third-person PvPvE extraction shooter. Players load into matches, fight off hostile machines, search for loot, and either fend off other players or team up to extract safely with whatever they have managed to gather.
What update 1.15.0 brings to the game
In a bid to offer more variety, ARC Raiders is kind of adding a PvE mode called The Shared Watch on February 24, 2026, which encourages players to team up against ARCs and rewards players based on PvE activities only; however, you can still PvP but you won’t get any rewards for killing other players.
Players who participate can expect to earn blueprints, cosmetics, and raider tokens. We can also expect to see the Cold Snap map condition return with snowballs, of course.
Alongside this, there’s a lot of bug fixes and quality of life improvements, but the game has still yet to fix a popular duplication glitch that players are exploiting, but Embark Studios, the developers behind the game, are working on a fix.
The PvE mode is welcome, but is it enough?
While I do think PvP is part of what makes ARC Raiders genuinely fun and engaging, it can be exhausting, especially after a long day. That is why I welcome the addition of The Long Watch, even if it is only a limited-time mode.
That said, I do not think the core of the game needs to change. For me, the bigger issue is progression. Leveling up rarely has an immediate impact, and that can make the grind feel flat.
I like the idea of expeditions acting as a form of prestige, and trials at least give players something to chase. Even so, it still feels like something is missing. There is room for Embark to create a system that feels more rewarding and more dynamic long-term.
This is where another upcoming extraction shooter caught my attention. Marathon has recently had its ranked mode details datamined, and while those details could change, the structure it outlines highlights exactly the kind of depth ARC Raiders could benefit from.
From what we can tell, Marathon’s ranked mode works around an item called a holo tag. These are tied to your current rank, and each one carries a score threshold of 10,000 points.
That threshold determines how many ranked points you can gain or lose in a match.
If you extract with loot value above 10,000 points, you gain the full 10,000 ranked points. If you extract below it, nothing happens. You gain nothing, and you lose nothing.
If you die, however, you lose the full 10,000 points tied to that holo tag, along with the holo tag itself, meaning you have to purchase another or steal another players.
In simple terms, every match has three possible outcomes. You either gain the full amount, lose the full amount, or walk away unchanged.
There are several ranks, ranging from Bronze through to Pinnacle, and possibly even beyond. Ranked also appears to support both solo and squad play.
What keeps things interesting is that ranked zones rotate weekly. Not every map is available at once, which should help keep the mode feeling fresh.
I cannot help but feel ARC Raiders could benefit from adapting parts of this system. While I have kept it brief here, there is a full breakdown on YouTube explaining how Marathon’s ranked mode is expected to work.
Outside of that, I would also love to see ARC Raiders introduce a four-player squad mode, along with more frequent map additions. Both are big asks, especially on top of a true ranked mode.
That said, I genuinely believe a ranked mode could benefit the wider player base. It would give competitive PvP players a dedicated space to grind and prove themselves.
In turn, that could make standard modes feel less aggressive, which would likely appeal to players who prefer the PvE side of the experience.
This is not to say ARC Raiders is a bad game. In fact, I would put it as my favorite multiplayer title from last year.
I just feel it could use a little more to keep me coming back consistently throughout this year, especially with so many strong releases on the horizon.
Will The Shared Watch bring you back to ARC Raiders, or do you think the game needs deeper progression and a ranked mode? Let us know your thoughts in the comments and make sure to take part in our poll below:
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
