ARC Raiders Launch Strains Servers, Roadmap Released

ARC Raiders launched last week to massive demand, peaking at roughly 337,834 concurrent Steam players and causing server crashes and login problems that forced Embark Studios to implement a temporary login queue while it works on stability fixes. The studio published a roadmap promising new content — map Stella Montis, expanded quests, two new Arcs in November, and a Raider Deck battle pass in December — as services are stabilized. Gameplay remains an extraction shooter with crafting and a Workshop where players gather surface materials to upgrade benches (Explosive, Gear, Gunsmith, Medical, Refiner, Utility) — most with three upgrade levels — to unlock advanced blueprints and craft better weapons. Early-player guidance highlights weapon and skill choices (recommended weapons include the Tempest, Anvil, Bobcat and Rattler; a three-branch skill tree of Conditioning, Mobility and Survival with respecs locked until level 20) as central to success. Embark is monitoring deaths and enforcing anti-cheat measures, has refunded items lost to confirmed cheaters, and says anti-cheat, server capacity and an initial gear grind remain ongoing challenges.