Arc Raiders' Basic Weapons Are Way Too Strong, And It's Starting To...

Last week I was: teaming up with players in Arc Raiders, and blasting the mean ones.

This week I've been: clearing out my stash and filling it up just as quickly by engaging in more PvP.

I've praised Arc Raiders a lot since launch, perhaps above all else because it's finally an extraction shooter that's forgiving and welcoming for a wider audience, even as a fan of the genre's traditionally hardcore roots. However, there's a degree to which Arc Raiders' obsession with a fair playing field is its own worst enemy, and it unfortunately strikes deep into its core: the gear system just isn't all that exciting.

The confusion I've seen from people wondering what they're supposed to do after they've unlocked everything and completed all the quests should have an easy answer: get better loot, kill things, eventually lose it, and do it all over again. But high-end loot isn't a satisfying and rewarding chase.

Firstly, the abundance and strength of free loadouts mean there are a lot of players risking literally nothing in PvP match after match, while those bringing in gear have a high chance of losing it all. On the flip side, there's also no reward to killing a player who's using a free loadout because…they don't really have any loot worth taking. You see this a lot with people on the sidelines when fighting elite Arc like the Matriarch, waiting to backstab those who actually came prepared.

But this isn't the root of the issue; it's merely a consequence of it. What's really letting the loot system down is that higher-quality weapons aren't actually all that much better than their common counterparts, so why bother?

Player interactions (whether friendly or hostile) are the true heart and soul of the game, but it's still an extraction shooter, and to be a good extraction shooter, loot needs to matter.

When it comes to the best guns in Arc Raiders, you'll hear the Stitcher, Anvil, Venator, and Hullcracker mentioned every time. Of these, the Stitcher is effectively free, and the Anvil and Venator are easy enough to craft, buy, and repair. The Hullcracker is an epic so it's the only one that's even remotely hard to come by and maintain, and it's only useful against Arc machines, not players. That said, you can buy one regularly from Tian Wen.

Why is it that I'd almost always rather take an Anvil, Stitcher, Venator, or Ferro compared to higher-rarity, more expensive options like an Osprey, Bettina, Tempest, or Bobcat. In cases where these options are better, it's o

Source: PC Gamer