The screen blinked, mocking me. Hours I’d spent grinding, scavenging, building… gone. All because I’d clicked that tempting “Expedition” button in ARC Raiders. Now, I’m staring at a fresh start, wondering if I’ve made a terrible mistake—especially since a million others did the same.
The Allure of the Wipe: A Fresh Start or Fool’s Errand?
Think about cleaning out your garage. Sometimes you just want to bulldoze the whole thing and start from zero. Extraction shooters often feature a “wipe” mechanic. ARC Raiders does this via “Expeditions,” resetting player progress. Yet, even after over a million players participated, wiping their accounts, a big question lingers: Why bother?
Many extraction games institute server-wide wipes. Imagine a cosmic reset button. Everyone returns to square one. This levels the playing field, dismantling the advantage that hardcore players accumulate. It injects new life into the game’s economy.
ARC Raiders takes a different path. It demands significant resource investment for the privilege of wiping your own progress. According to PC Games N, over a million players have done it, voluntarily diminishing their experience. Quests reset. Hard-earned items vanish. It feels like running on a treadmill to nowhere.
What Do You Lose When Wiping Your ARC Raiders Account?
The losses far outweigh the gains. Those who wipe are at a disadvantage compared to players who retain their skills, items, and progress. It’s like being penalized for participating.
Prestige Systems: Is ARC Raiders Missing a Trick?
Consider the satisfaction of reaching level 100 in a game, then resetting for exclusive rewards. Games like Hunt: Showdown offer compelling reasons to “prestige,” with their in-game currency system providing a tangible incentive.
ARC Raiders currently lacks this. Embark has acknowledged this gap and plans to enhance Expeditions with more substantial benefits. Here, the economy is a bit threadbare.
What Rewards Could Make Expeditions Worthwhile?
The key is motivation. Hopefully, future Expedition rewards will be enticing enough to captivate a wide player base. The bare minimum: no more quest resets. If resets are necessary, offer altered quests that are more rewarding or exciting for Expedition participants. The current repetition is soul-crushing. The game loop feels more like a noose.
The Expeditions must transform into something alluring enough that players are willing to sacrifice their current status. Will future updates provide enough of an incentive to make voluntarily resetting your progress worthwhile, or will Expeditions remain an unpopular and misunderstood feature?