Arc Raiders developer Embark Studios has acknowledged that changes are needed to its Expedition reset rewards after revealing that more than one million players opted into the game’s first optional wipe.
The studio shared new insight into how players engaged with Expeditions following Arc Raiders’ debut reset cycle, which allows players to voluntarily wipe their accounts in exchange for permanent and temporary progression bonuses.
While Embark says the level of participation exceeded expectations, design director Virgil Watkins admitted in an interview with PCGamesN that parts of the system caused confusion and unintended behavior.
Only 40% of Expedition participants earned max rewards
Expeditions are Arc Raiders’ answer to wipes in extraction shooters. Rather than forcing resets, players must complete a series of objectives by donating loot and amassing stash value to earn Expedition rewards. The base rewards include cosmetics, stash space, and a temporary XP buff, while the higher tier rewards give players bonus skill points.
“One of the bigger topics [of feedback] was the requirements for the final stage to get the skill points,” Watkins explained. “Probably going out a bit too late with that information, because we wanted to hold off until we could calibrate it around the actual economy of the player base, rather than trying to guess really early on.”
That final requirement asked players to reach five million credits in stash value to earn the full reward. According to Watkins, the target was intended to be optional. “When we chose the number, which was the five million credits for the full thing, [we set] that as an aspirational goal that some players might achieve.”
Watkins revealed that “a little over a million players” completed the first Expedition and wiped their accounts, with “something close to about 35% or 40% of those players” earning the maximum skill point bonus.
While he described that engagement as encouraging, Embark believes the experience itself can be improved.
“We completely acknowledge that it isn’t the most engaging thing to just go for money,” Watkins said. He added that the system had “the potential outcome of disincentivizing using your gear, which is kind of what people look forward to towards the end of a reset cycle.”
As a result, he confirmed the team is “looking at revisions” for future Expeditions.
Embark is also analyzing how different types of players approached the reset. Watkins said the studio is studying players who progressed more slowly to see how Expeditions can “bring a little more variety” and better “incentivize” participation, so those players don’t “feel as though they’re being left [behind].”
The studio is also reviewing player reactions to the rewards themselves. “We can see down to the individual pieces of rubber people donated,” Watkins said, pointing to the depth of data Embark is using to guide future changes.
While the second Expedition currently mirrors the first, Embark has signaled that the final stage of future resets could evolve. The next reset window is expected to open in just over six weeks, leaving room for adjustments before the next Expedition begins.
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