The ARC Raiders PvE toggle is real, but it is not a permanent PvE mode and it is not simply the normal game with friendly fire turned off. Embark will test the option from October 13 to October 20, 2026, with lower loot value, mixed solo-duo-trio sessions and several high-tension conditions removed. That makes this much more interesting than a checkbox.
ARC Raiders PvE toggle: 7 major changes players should know
1. The test only runs for one week
The beta runs October 13-20. When it ends, Embark says the toggle will be removed and matchmaking will return to normal while the studio reviews data and feedback. This is not a stealth announcement of permanent PvE.
2. Player-to-player damage is completely disabled
In the PvE session, Raiders cannot damage one another. The focus becomes scavenging, quest completion, exploration and fighting ARC. You can switch back to the classic PvPvE experience when you want the higher-tension version.
3. Solos, duos and trios share the same PvE sessions
The ARC Raiders PvE toggle does not build separate queues for every party size. Embark is grouping solos, duos and trios together. That is a practical attempt to keep matchmaking healthy while testing a new branch of the game.
4. Loot value is lower in PvE
Safety has an economic price. Embark says overall loot value will be reduced in PvE, while PvPvE sessions will receive slightly higher baseline loot values. The studio is trying to prevent the safer mode from becoming the obvious way to print money and then carry that wealth back into PvP.
5. Some high-tension conditions are excluded
Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and Frigate will not be part of the PvE matchmaking test. Embark says those conditions rely on uncertainty and player tension, so they are staying inside the classic experience for now.
6. PvE does not affect your PvPvE matchmaking rating
Your PvPvE rating remains separate while you play PvE sessions. That matters for players who want a relaxed farming or quest session without accidentally changing the matchmaking environment they return to later.
7. ARC can still punish careless players
If ARC downs you, moving while crawling can cause enemies to reacquire you. Staying still can make them ignore you. Embark is testing that behavior specifically to preserve some tension when hostile Raiders are removed from the equation.
Why Embark is testing this now
The studio shared unusually useful player data. It says 37% of the population prefers friendly co-op, 27% is mixed and 34% is pure PvP. More than 70% of friendly players and 40% of PvP players say they want fewer hostile encounters, while 51% of surveyed players expressed interest in a dedicated PvE option.
That explains why the ARC Raiders PvE toggle is happening even though the released game was deliberately rebuilt around PvPvE tension. Embark originally conceived ARC Raiders as a raid-based PvE co-op game before resetting the project. In other words, the studio is revisiting an old idea because the live audience is asking a new question.
The community is excited, and also worried
The announcement immediately ignited Reddit. One discussion about the mode passed a thousand votes, while other players argued that dedicated PvE could split play styles or turn the classic queue into a more aggressive environment. PvE-focused players counter that many of them were avoiding mixed or PvP lobbies anyway.
Both concerns are legitimate, and Embark openly names matchmaking times, session quality and the player economy as risks it will monitor. That honesty is important. The test exists precisely because nobody can model the social consequences perfectly on a whiteboard.
This is a test, not a promise
Embark says the feature may not work and any future version could look very different. So if you have been waiting for ARC Raiders to become a permanent co-op PvE game, do not buy around that assumption yet.
For players who already own the game, though, the ARC Raiders PvE toggle is one of the most meaningful experiments the live service has attempted. It asks whether ARC Raiders can support two moods without breaking the tension that made the original formula work.
ZerotoBeast take: this is a smart test because it is deliberately temporary, economically constrained and measurable. The real story is not whether PvE is “good” or “bad.” It is whether players actually switch between the two modes the way Embark hopes.
