For players who have been following ARC Raiders, the recent situation can be described as "mixed".
Simply put, the game didn't receive the new patch everyone was hoping for; instead, it underwent a small-scale store rotation. Furthermore, a duplication bug caused some disruption to the economy.
Below, I'll introduce the recent in-game news, including in-game store update and Duplication Glitches.
In-game Store Updates
First, let's talk about the in-game store update.
First, a new color scheme for Macrame Set has been added. Although the game publisher has placed this skin in the most prominent position on the page, it's not a completely new skin, but rather two new color variants added to an existing set - black and white.
If you already own Macrame Set, congratulations! The system will automatically unlock these two new colors without consuming additional Raider Tokens. This is relatively friendly to veteran players.
Second, a new hairstyle called Long Bangs has been added. This hairstyle looks quite stylish, but it requires players to spend 500 Raider Tokens.
It's important to understand that Raider Tokens have a wide range of uses, including acquiring Raider Decks, Bundles, various Outfits, Charms, and Emotes. Spending 500 Raider Tokens on a single hairstyle seems unreasonable.
In short, this week's update doesn't feature any truly new skins; it's mainly a recolor of older outfits. Players expecting fresh content might find this update somewhat lacking.
New Patch Release Delayed
This is currently one of the most discussed topics in ARC Raiders player community.
According to a previous announcement, developer Embark Studios plans to change the update schedule, switching to twice-yearly updates, but with a Live Update every three weeks. Each Live Update will include balance fixes, bug fixes, store updates, and player events.
The initial statement said, "We plan to release live updates every three weeks. The size and content of the updates will vary, but we will do our best to address your feedback".
This raises a question: Why has the developer remained silent for three weeks since the last update?
Some players specifically inquired with customer service, and the answer they received was that "three weeks" mentioned in previous announcement did not start from the day the last patch was released, but rather from the day the official announcement was made that the update frequency would be changed to "three weeks".
This means that the next new patch will actually not arrive until next week. And this means that various bugs and cheating issues in game will not be fixed during this period.
Many players are dissatisfied with this, believing that the developer should have provided a detailed and clear explanation of the update frequency calculation method in initial announcement.
Duplication Glitches
This is a major bug that ARC Raiders players have been closely monitoring recently. Simply put, the game has a procedural flaw that allows players to infinitely duplicate the same item.
Mechanism
The most frightening aspects of Duplication Glitches are its low barrier to entry and high rewards. According to discussions on player forums, it is "the easiest duplication method ever" and can be easily mastered by almost anyone. Players primarily target two types of items for duplication.
The first type is Throwables, such as Trigger Nades. Players can infinitely duplicate these Throwables and unleash a barrage of attacks on opponents in PvP battles, leaving them helpless.
The second type is expensive decorative items like Familiar Ducks. Some players duplicate these stackable, expensive items and trade them with other players for profit.
Of course, besides these two types of items, some players also use it to duplicate ARC Raiders Blueprints, rare parts, and other popular weapons.
This exploit has existed in ARC Raiders for quite some time but has never been properly addressed. Although it disappeared for a while, it has recently resurfaced.
Negative Impacts
These Duplication Glitches cause two very negative effects: firstly, they undermine the fairness of the game, and secondly, they disrupt the game's economy.
First, the most obvious impact is the disruption of fairness. In ARC Raiders, some parts have a low drop rate but are essential for crafting certain powerful weapons, forcing players to spend considerable time and effort grinding maps to collect them.
However, players using Duplication Glitches can easily obtain these items with simple actions. This undoubtedly undermines the seriousness of dedicated players.
Read More: ARC Raiders Update 1.32.0 Review: PvP Loot Issues, Item Duplication Bug, and Weekly Store Rewards
Second, when rare items can be infinitely duplicated, the game's economy suffers from severe inflation. Currency depreciates rapidly, and players accumulate vast amounts of resources quickly. Rare equipment ceases to be a symbol of skill and effort, as it can be easily copied.
To address this issue, the development team appears to be adjusting item prices to maintain economic stability.
For example, some skins that previously cost 200,000 Raider Tokens now cost 300,000.
In addition, the price of Hullcracker Blueprint has increased from 50,000 to 100,000; Emote and Backpack Attachment have also become priced at 100,000.
However, this simplistic approach might be unfair to players who didn't utilize Duplication Glitches to farm items.
That concludes the latest news on ARC Raiders. Most players are dissatisfied with this week's gameplay: no new patch as expected, and the added burden of Duplication Glitches. However, we can still look forward to next week's patch, which may bring some interesting content.
