Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • GamesRadar+ Replay
  • Mario Day deals
Don't miss these
Arc Raiders player in heavy rain with shield shorting out
Third Person Shooters Best Arc Raiders weapons and meta tier list (March 2026)
Arc Raiders characters standing together
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders patch nerfs Hurricane Caches so you can't just "walk away from every session" with an armful of blueprints
Arc Raiders blueprints
Third Person Shooters The ultimate Arc Raiders guide and survival handbook
Arc Raiders character holding golden sledgehammer on dark blue starry background
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders lead says "revisions are probably required" on uneven events which have just become a camper's dream
A player shooting at a robot enemy with no health bar in Arc Raiders
Third Person Shooters I love exploring in Arc Raiders, but there's so much I wish I'd known before I set out
Arc Raiders character holding golden sledgehammer on dark blue starry background
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders lead says a "prominent professor in neurology" encouraged him to submit the extraction shooter to science
Arc Raiders trailer screenshot of a man's face in red lighting
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders devs "understand your frustrations" with Wolfpack nerf and new crafting recipes, but are changing nothing
Arc Raiders Shrouded Sky update
Third Person Shooters Embark nerfs Arc Raiders' Venator once more, and the Kettle and Stitcher are also getting reined in
A woman in a space helmet stares at something off the screen in Arc Raiders
Action Games "I think it's going to be the next big thing": As Marathon's launch looms, will Arc Raiders' success help or hurt Bungie?
Arc Raiders Bettina assault rifle on dark blue background
Third Person Shooters "The highest PvE damage output of any weapon" in Arc Raiders was from the Bettina, and that was before its buff
Arc Raiders armor set with antlers and beaded veil
Third Person Shooters "We can track who shoots first": Arc Raiders design lead says aggression-based matchmaking is "a bit of a misnomer"
Arc Raiders character holding golden sledgehammer on dark blue starry background
Third Person Shooters 10 Arc Raiders tips for securing safe victory and epic loot
Arc Raiders trailer screenshot of woman holding a rifle
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders lead responds to complaints about late spawns, says late joiners are important and "profit way more"
Arc Raiders Cold Snap event
Third Person Shooters PvP is the reason Arc Raiders works – love it or hate it, even Embark's design lead says it "adds the spice"
Arc Raiders characters with shotgun and revolver
Third Person Shooters Arc Raiders players make a plea to Embark: don't let PvP in trios poison your solo "aggression-based" matchmaking
  1. Games
  2. Third Person Shooters
  3. Arc Raiders

Arc Raiders adding Legendary guns aimed at PvP is "completely possible," but Embark bans any "one-shot" kills: "I think that gameplay is deeply boring"

News
By Anthony McGlynn published 28 January 2026

Don't expect to be ploughing through enemies

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Arc Raiders raider in a pilot helmet looks at the camera in a sunlit forest
(Image credit: Embark Studios)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
1
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The 2026 roadmap has already brought considerable change to Arc Raiders, bringing an invasion of birds, more modes, and two new Epic augments. In an interview with Embark Studios, we raised the question of creating another set of weapons, to continue ramping up the extraction shooter, and apparently it's not out of the realm of possibility.

"I think that's completely possible," Virgil Watkins, design lead on Arc Raiders, tells GamesRadar+ on the possibility of getting legendary guns. "But the way guns are relative to each other, that's where we have to be quite careful, and that's why we deliberately did things like that with the Hullcracker and the Equalizer."

Watkins can see the desire to enhance the raider-on-raider scuffles, but he's "very staunchly" sticking to one rule: "There should never be a one-shot situation if you're wearing a shield and have full health. I think that gameplay is deeply boring, to just be deleted in an instant, in our type of game."

You may like
  • Arc Raiders player in heavy rain with shield shorting out Arc Raiders apparently had a legendary weapon "intended" for PvP all along, but it was so bad nobody noticed
  • Arc Raiders screenshot of player running from a Leaper robot Arc Raiders dev admits "we're definitely a bit off on some of the cost to benefit ratios" for guns like the Bobcat
  • Arc Raiders best weapons "Will this blow up the server?": Arc Raiders players are so good at killing Arc that Embark eyes ways to "escalate" PvE
Headwinds - Against the Odds | ARC Raiders - YouTube Headwinds - Against the Odds | ARC Raiders - YouTube
Watch On

He definitely has a point. One-shotting gets old fast, and you can create a hierarchy that punishes those who don’t play as much without meaning to if the balance is off kilter too much.

"If we were to do something that is substantially stronger in PvP, it needs to come with the appropriate price tag, running costs, risk," he adds. "I'm not in any way against players having that spike in power and feeling very cool for a moment. But it can't be like, I unlocked this thing and now I just win fights."

He gives an example of the heavy shield during Tech Test 2, where it made people more or less unstoppable for a considerable length of time. If such power is attainable, it needs to be quite restrained. For now, the Arc Raiders playerbase isn't calling out for such things, but who knows where we’ll be later in the year.

Arc Raiders players have found a real-life Stella Montis in Italy, and they're leaving hilarious reviews: "The Shredders are a bit of a nuisance"

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
CATEGORIES
PC Gaming PS5 Xbox Series X Platforms PlayStation Xbox
Anthony McGlynn
Anthony McGlynn
Social Links Navigation
Contributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Arc Raiders player in heavy rain with shield shorting out
Arc Raiders apparently had a legendary weapon "intended" for PvP all along, but it was so bad nobody noticed
 
 
Arc Raiders screenshot of player running from a Leaper robot
Arc Raiders dev admits "we're definitely a bit off on some of the cost to benefit ratios" for guns like the Bobcat
 
 
Arc Raiders best weapons
"Will this blow up the server?": Arc Raiders players are so good at killing Arc that Embark eyes ways to "escalate" PvE
 
 
Arc Raiders player in heavy rain with shield shorting out
Best Arc Raiders weapons and meta tier list (March 2026)
 
 
Arc Raiders raider in hockey goalie outfit winding up a punch
Arc Raiders design lead confirms Embark is about make Trigger Nades much harder to use, and nerf Kettle insta-kills too
 
 
Arc Raiders raider in a pilot helmet looks at the camera in a sunlit forest
Arc Raiders answers the community's prayers: new Epic looting Augment lets you put weapons in your safe pocket
 
 
Latest in Third Person Shooters
Cropped Helldivers 2 art from the official 'Save Cyberstan' poster.
Helldivers 2 devs "underinvested" in the game's engine, Arrowhead CEO admits, who pledges "things can/will get better"
 
 
Marvel Rivals Season 5 Rogue and Gambit
Marvel Rivals implements a "Victim Compensation Protocol" for players affected by "malicious match-losing"
 
 
thor looking into the camera with a steely stare
As Marvel Rivals players get paid to throw games, devs threaten permabans for those who "deliberately sabotage matches"
 
 
Helldivers 2 soldier with an explosion reflecting in their visor
As death threats derail Helldivers 2's wholesome D10 challenge, devs address “increasing hostility in the community”
 
 
An Arc Raiders taking cover behind a ruined car as a giant spider-like robot towers over the road
Arc Raiders was recording private Discord DMs, engineer claims in report, Embark rolls out hasty hotfix
 
 
Helldivers 2 screenshot of two soldiers cheering in the desert
Helldivers 2 retires gratuitous 154GB Steam build this month in favor of "slim" PC version
 
 
Latest in News
Yuta getting ready to attack in Jujutsu Kaisen season 3
Jujutsu Kaisen actor offers perfect response to why AI should stay out of anime
 
 
Pickmon
Pokemon fan artist alleges new Palworld clone Pickmon "stole one of my designs"
 
 
Life is Strange
Join Chloe and Max on a "fiery weekend" for a better glimpse into Life is Strange: Reunion at the Future Games Show this week
 
 
Mortal Kombat movie
Mortal Kombat 2 star joins in with Street Fighter movie beef after Game Awards dig because he "loves a good rivalry"
 
 
Mackenyu as Zoro in One Piece season 2
One Piece season 2 actor Mackenyu says he learned Roronoa Zoro's 15-minute 1 vs 100 fight in just 6 hours
 
 
Fujino and Kyomoto eating in Look Back
Live-action adaptation of Chainsaw Man creator's Look Back will escape Japanese cinemas and come to the west
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Virtual Boy for Switch 2 sitting on coffee table with TV in backdrop displaying Wario Land gameplay.
    1
    I respect the Virtual Boy as a collectable Switch 2 gadget, but it’s not exactly a retro console remake
  2. 2
    Bizarre Lineage codes (March 2026) for free Stat Point Essence, Rare Chests, and more
  3. 3
    The Thrustmaster T248R is making me question where a sim racing wheel with no direct drive and no modular wheelbase fits in the market in 2026
  4. 4
    These Mario Day-inspired Switch 2 accessories will power up your console more than a super star
  5. 5
    Pokemon fan artist alleges new Palworld clone Pickmon "stole one of my designs," saying "they didn't even try to change something and make it a bit less obvious"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...