‘We were striking a pretty good balance:’ ARC Raiders executive producer on balancing AI enemies and the future of ARC

If you have ever tried ARC Raiders during any public playtests, you know that what sets this game apart from the rest of the extraction shooters is enemy AI. ARC machines are deadlier and smarter than your average bot, and that’s not going to change with the game’s release.

In an interview with the ARC Raiders executive producer, Aleksander Grøndal, I asked about the team’s approach to balancing ARCs, outside of bug fixes like the overpowered drone vision during the Server Slam test.

“We were striking a pretty good balance in general, where we want them to feel like they’re threatening and you should consider looking out for them when you’re walking around, and being caught out in the open is dangerous for you,” Grøndal said when reflecting on previous tests.

One major point that Grøndal raised is that the equipment we had so far to tackle ARCs was fairly limited. As you progress, you’ll get access to better shields, weapons, and tools that help you deal with threats. We got to play with some of the anti-ARC weapons, like Hullcracker, during the preview event, and those did make fighting the machines much easier.

“We don’t want to tweak them in such a way so that they don’t become that; they just become pushovers or become not the thing that you consider, then they lose their purpose. So, they need to stay pretty dangerous. But of course, if we feel like they’re overperforming in launch, then of course we’ll be looking into tuning them a bit better as well,” he added, especially regarding the starter players’ perspective.

Some maps and conditions are naturally more challenging than others, making it another thing to consider when loading into the raid. Night raids, electromagnetic storms, or the new Blue Gate map are designed to have more ARCs.

ARC machines are no doubt one of the game’s highlights, and while there’s not much the developer can share regarding their future, Grøndal hinted that we haven’t seen the full range of what they can be. “Without going into spoiler territory, of course, both small and large,” he wrapped up.