ARC Raiders dev promises Shredders will eventually escape Stella Montis

ARC Raiders developers have confirmed that one of the game’s most dangerous ARC enemies will not remain locked to a single location forever.

In a recent interview, design lead Virgil Watkins said the Shredder enemy, which is currently exclusive to the Stella Montis facility, is planned to appear on other maps as the game continues to evolve.

The Shredder is a floating ARC unit that currently functions as a high-threat patrol enemy within Stella Montis, making the area one of the most dangerous locations in ARC Raiders. Shredders have received a few updates since their debut, making them deadlier with each iteration.

Shredder ARC won’t stay in Stella Montis forever

Speaking to GamesRadar+, Watkins confirmed that the Shredder’s confinement is not permanent and framed its expansion as a deliberate long-term plan rather than a short-term tweak.

“I think it is a promise,” Watkins said. “They’ll figure out how to get out of there eventually.”

Watkins explained that the Shredder is “currently” limited to Stella Montis, but emphasized that this restriction is part of the game’s evolving world rather than a hard boundary. The intent, he said, is to prevent gameplay from becoming stagnant while allowing existing enemies to grow alongside new content.

The Shredder’s expansion is expected to be part of ARC Raiders’ broader 2026 roadmap, which includes new biomes, additional ARC enemies, and expanded enemy behaviors.

While Watkins did not share a timeline for when Shredders will begin appearing on other maps, he indicated that the goal is to integrate them naturally into the wider ecosystem. He also addressed how Embark Studios approaches enemy variety, explaining that the team is cautious about introducing variants that feel superficial.

“We use the term variants, but it’s like, what does this look like with an adjustment to its attack pattern, or weapon loadout, or armor,” he said. “We’re trying to avoid just being like, ‘Oh, they painted the Wasp blue, and here it is.’”

According to Watkins, future ARC enemies and variants are designed to create meaningful gameplay differences rather than cosmetic changes, even when built on existing platforms.