ARC Raiders PvE Toggle Beta: Complete Guide to Rules and Loot

The PvE toggle is live in ARC Raiders right now

ARC Raiders is running a one-week PvE matchmaking beta from October 13 to October 20, 2026. For the first time, Embark is letting you flip a switch and drop into raids where no other Raider can shoot you. Zero player damage, shared lobbies across squad sizes, and all the ARC enemies you can handle. This isn't a permanent mode and Embark has been clear about that. It's a data-collection test to find out whether the game holds up without the PvP threat.

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Why did Embark build this in the first place?

The numbers tell the story. Embark's own player data breaks the community into three groups: 37% are friendly or PvE-oriented players, 27% are mixed, and 34% are pure PvP players. That friendly group has grown consistently since launch, while the PvP segment has stayed flat. More than 70% of PvE-leaning players and 40% of PvP players both said they want fewer hostile encounters in raids. When 51% of surveyed players asked for a dedicated PvE option, Embark had enough data to justify a test.

The existing matchmaking already tries to cluster aggressive players together and protect friendly ones, but it never guaranteed safety. This toggle is the first time the game actually promises another Raider cannot kill you.

How do you join the ARC Raiders PvE beta?

Here's the short answer: log into the live game, open the map select screen, and enable the PvE matchmaking toggle that appears during the test window. Pick your map, drop in, and switch back to standard PvPvE any time you want. Your character is not locked into PvE. You can go back to normal lobbies on your next run without any penalty.

The toggle uses the same character and inventory as your regular raids. This is not a separate server or a separate progression track.

What are the actual rules in PvE mode?

Player damage is completely disabled, but Embark went further than just turning off guns. After testing all the ways players find to troll each other in supposedly friendly lobbies, the team also disabled stun throwables and fire throwables against other Raiders. Barricades and Ziplines still work normally, so utility play stays intact. The one loophole Embark left open: you can still push other Raiders off ledges. Consider yourself warned.

Here is the full breakdown of what changes between PvE and standard PvPvE:

Quests are fully available in PvE. You can scavenge, complete objectives, and explore normally. The restrictions only apply to map conditions and player combat.

ARC enemies work normally in PvE

What happens to loot in PvE mode?

Loot value is noticeably lower than in standard matchmaking. This is intentional. Players who already avoid PvP extract more often and bring back more gear, and removing the threat of hostile Raiders pushes that survival rate even higher. Embark decided that leaving loot values unchanged would break the economy.

To make the comparison cleaner, PvPvE sessions are also running slightly higher baseline loot values during the test period. That creates a real tradeoff you need to think about:

• PvE: Lower risk, reduced loot value, good for completing quests and learning maps
• PvPvE: Higher risk, better loot economy, harder to extract consistently

If your goal is farming maximum Raider Coins or stacking high-value materials, PvE is the wrong queue. The reduced loot value kills efficiency runs. Where PvE genuinely helps is quest completion, especially for objectives tied to specific locations you haven't learned yet, and for getting comfortable with ARC combat patterns before risking a loaded kit.

How does ARC behavior change when you're downed in PvE?

ARC enemies themselves haven't been redesigned. The combat is the same, the spawns are the same, and there's no separate PvE difficulty setting. Embark specifically said this test is not about creating a new PvE progression system.

There is one important mechanical change tied to getting downed. Because nobody can revive you by threatening an enemy player, Embark added a grace period to keep some pressure on:

• You get 8 seconds after being downed where ARC will not retarget you
• After those 8 seconds, moving causes nearby ARC to reacquire you
• Staying still keeps you off their radar

This is a direct nerf to survivor-style play. In standard PvPvE, getting downed near ARC while another player is present creates chaos that can work in your favor. In PvE, you're on your own and staying still is the only safe option after those 8 seconds expire.

Stay still after 8 seconds downed

Which map conditions are unavailable in PvE?

Five map conditions are completely locked out of PvE matchmaking:

• Night Raid
• Locked Gate
• Hidden Bunker
• ARC Frigate
• Redirection

The Frigate is the most significant exclusion. It's one of the current update's main endgame activities, and half of its tension comes from multiple squads moving through the same enclosed ship without knowing whether they'll cooperate or fight. Pulling that out of PvE makes sense because the design only works with the player threat present.

If you have quests tied specifically to any of those five conditions, you'll need to run standard PvPvE to complete them. Everything else, including normal maps and the remaining map conditions, is fully accessible.

How does matchmaking work in PvE?

PvE does not separate players by squad size. Solos, Duos, and Trios all share the same matchmaking pool, which means a solo Raider should expect to encounter full three-person squads regularly. Embark made this call partly to reduce queue times. Splitting the community into PvE and PvPvE pools already creates two separate queues, and fragmenting each further by squad size could push wait times to unacceptable lengths, particularly in quieter regions or off-peak hours.

Your PvPvE matchmaking rating is completely unaffected by anything you do in PvE. Embark is tracking both queues separately during the test to monitor whether splitting the player base causes problems. They've already warned that queue times may increase in lower-population regions.

All squad sizes share one PvE pool

Is this mode worth playing?

Depends entirely on what you want out of a session. For quest completion, learning unfamiliar maps, or practicing ARC combat without the stress of losing a full kit to a camper at extraction, PvE is genuinely useful. The reduced loot is a fair price for that safety net.

For serious PvE skill tree optimization or building out your workshop, the lower loot value makes standard matchmaking more efficient once you're comfortable with the maps. PvE works best as a learning tool or a low-stakes session, not as your primary farming queue.

The mistake most players make is treating PvE as a loot-efficient alternative to PvPvE. It isn't. Treat it as a practice mode that still lets you complete quests and extract cleanly.

FAQ

Does the PvE toggle affect my PvPvE matchmaking rating?

No. Your PvPvE rating is completely separate and unaffected by anything you do during PvE sessions. Embark is monitoring both queues independently.

Can other players still grief you in PvE?

Guns, melee, stun throwables, and fire throwables cannot damage other Raiders. Barricades and Ziplines work normally. Embark did not remove the ability to push players from heights, so some trolling remains possible.

What quests can you complete in PvE mode?

Most quests are available. The exception is any objective tied specifically to Night Raid, Locked Gate, Hidden Bunker, ARC Frigate, or Redirection. Those five map conditions are disabled in PvE. For everything else, you can scavenge and complete objectives normally. Check out the complete ARC Raiders first 7 quests walkthrough if you're working through the opening quest chain.

Is PvE mode permanent?

No. The current version is a one-week beta ending October 20, 2026. Embark will pull the toggle and review the data before deciding whether to bring it back.

Why is loot lower in PvE?

Players who avoid PvP already extract more often than aggressive players. Removing the threat entirely pushes survival rates even higher, which would flood the economy with loot if values stayed the same. The reduction is Embark's way of balancing that extraction advantage.

For more on navigating ARC Raiders systems, check the full ARC Raiders strategy guide collection.