Arc Raiders devs know everyone just uses the Survivor augment, so they're buffing "underperforming" options to make loadouts more interesting

It didn't take long for Arc Raiders players to work out that the Survivor augment, which provides a comfy combination of shield options, inventory space, weight limit, and quick-use slots, is fantastic in basically every situation. That hasn't really changed since the game launched despite the introduction of other high-end augments (which do have use cases!), so developer Embark Studios has directly buffed a few options to help freshen up loadouts.

In a May 19 patch, Embark upgraded the Tactical Mk. 3 (Healing) augment considerably. Previously, this bag came with a fairly underwhelming healing cloud effect that triggered when you were revived. That cloud has been promoted to monsoon.

The healing cloud is now an AoE effect that heals for 45 points instead of the previous 20, with the only downside offsetting that change being an increase to its cooldown – up from 30 seconds to 45. That said, you hopefully won't be getting downed every 30 seconds anyway, so this change ought to provide a much more relevant chunk of instantaneous health after clutch revives during heated firefights.

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The Combat Mk. 3 (Flanking) augment also got a large buff. It's a simple one, too: it can take medium shields now. No more paper-thin light shields on a purported combat augment.

"As mentioned in the patch notes for Patch 1.26, we continue to focus our sights on underperforming Augments," Embark says. "In this update, we are making the Tactical Mk.3 (Healing) Augment offer more utility in line with its place as a support-focused Augment. Now you can also heal your allies (and your enemies, if you're not careful) after being revived. We also increased the survivability potential of the Combat Mk.3 (Flanking) to make it more viable as a flanking combat Augment."

The best part of this change is arguably what didn't happen: the Survivor augment wasn't nerfed. Players have long feared that Embark would simply hammer down the nail that's sticking out. But one of the reasons the Survivor is so popular is that the other options, though they do have some applications (shout out to the infinite shield charger, in particular), often don't feel that great or impactful, so you just default to the comfy, neutral one.

The effect on the Survivor bag, which lets you regain health while downed, is handy for protracted escape attempts, but the bag is really just a pile of good stats more often than not. Compelling, unique effects could absolutely get me to swap to another augment – it just needs to solve a specific problem, enable or support a play style, or generally do something so well that I don't miss my gigantic inventory.

Arc Raiders dev admits durability changes were "too much," buffs a ton of guns to make up for it: "We will continue to listen to your feedback."