Embark Studios has released Shared Watch, a new PvE mode for its extraction shooter ARC Raiders. The event is live now and changes the usual gameplay by focusing on teamwork. Players can join together to fight machine enemies, and there are no rewards for killing other players.
In this mode, players earn rewards only by damaging and destroying ARC machines or helping teammates do it. PvP kills do not give any merits or progression. This change is meant to push players to work together instead of fighting each other.
This update also responds to a long-running discussion in the community. Some players like the competitive side of extraction shooters, but others have wanted a mode where they can focus on survival and cooperation.
They also hotfixed a duplication glitch that let players spam endless grenades and rubber ducks, flagging abusers for review after streamer broadcasts raised the issue.
Embark Studios’ CEO has said before that ARC Raiders was not originally designed to be a game where players always attack each other on sight. The story of the game is about humans fighting machines, and this mode is meant to reflect that idea more clearly.
Before “Shared Watch,” players who wanted less PvP had to depend on an aggression-based matchmaking system. That system tried to match less hostile players together, but it was not always reliable.
People on X (Twitter) seems not happy with the announcement, delivered their opinions and raised many questions.
One person felt the developers rushed this decision, possibly because of a stream the night before, and thought it was made too quickly.
https://x.com/GreatStoryCorey/status/2021228470513090802
Another person questioned why players were being banned when the problem seemed to be the developers’ mistake, saying it didn’t feel fair.
https://x.com/GeneralKhazan/status/2021227904894415103
A third person talked about how the new skin would change gameplay, saying they would not trust anyone using it and would attack immediately, showing that the update could make players more aggressive.
https://x.com/GamerLXXXVI/status/2021182374378181103
PvP is still technically possible in this event because friendly fire and player damage are not turned off. This means some players could still attack others, even though there is no reward for doing so.
Embark Studios describes “Shared Watch” as a yearly event that celebrates teamwork and the shared fight for survival. Player feedback during the event may shape how similar modes are handled in the future.
