Embark Studios has released the patch notes for update 1.2, titled “North Line,” for ARC Raiders. The third-person extraction shooter was a hit right out of the gate when it launched on October 30, surpassing 100,000 players within minutes of becoming available. And the momentum of ARC Raiders‘ success has mostly been trending upwards since then.
For many gamers, ARC Raiders is a must-play, and review scores support this. The game currently has an 89 average critic rating on review aggregate site OpenCritic and a player rating of 100. On Steam, ARC Raiders is sporting a Very Positive rating from more than 75,000 reviews, with players praising everything from its weapons to its graphics and atmosphere, with one person even calling it “a near perfect game.”
The North Line update for ARC Raiders released on November 13 and introduces a Community Unlock Event called “Breaking New Ground.” There is a vast network of tunnels beneath Speranza, and players have been tasked with helping to rebuild them by collecting and contributing Metal Parts, Fabric, Chemicals, Rubber Parts, and Plastic Parts. Doing so will unlock ARC Raiders’ fifth map, Stella Montis, a secluded research facility in the northern mountains that provides intriguing ruins to explore.
Players venturing into ARC Raiders’ Stella Montis map will encounter two new ARC enemies, the Matriarch and the Shredder. The former can be encountered during a specific Map Condition, and the latter makes an appearance in Stella Montis and requires some close-quarters fighting. The update brings some new quests to complete as well, and Embark Studios has also added a new legendary weapon, three new mines, and two new grenades to beef up the gameplay experience.
And, of course, the 1.2 update for ARC Raiders introduces some balance changes and numerous bug fixes. A desync problem that caused some players to look like they were still receiving damage even when behind cover has been addressed by improving character latency. Additionally, game achievements that were not working properly have been fixed, though earning them will require a redo of one or some objectives. Also, falling through terrain in certain locations should be less of a problem now.
Along with its launch on October 30, Embark Studios shared a content roadmap for ARC Raiders. So players know that they have at least one more exciting update to look forward to. “Cold Snap” will be released in December and bring with it a snowfall Map Condition, the “Flickering Flames” event, the Expedition Project Raider reset and, of course, new quests.
