Embark tells Arc Raiders players to expect "significant changes" to the skill tree, admitting many skills kind of suck: "I don't think by any means we nailed it"

The next Expedition in Arc Raiders is dated to start on April 28 with the Riven Tides update, but this one's going to be different. Rather than earning extra skill points through accumulated wealth, players now do so through dealing a certain amount of damage, creating a five-day window where chaos will reign. In the background, developer Embark Studios is working to make those skill points more appealing.

This change was revealed in the announcement of the latest Expedition. In case you're unaware, this is a mechanic Arc Raiders that allows players who've maxed out their rewards to sunset their current characters in return for certain perks, including extra skill points, and start anew for the next season.

Until now, those five extra points stemmed from the accumulated value of your stash, but Embark is taking a different tactic for this go around. "Instead of gathering stash value and coins, players will now have to deal damage to get all 5 skill points (regardless if it’s your first, second or third expedition)," reads the post.

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"All players who have completed their Caravan will get the challenge (no need to sign up to see it)."

With the Game Maker's Notebook, Virgil Watkins, design director on Arc Raiders, elaborates on the thought process behind this alteration and the skill tree generally. "It was a tough problem space for us and I don't think by any means we nailed it. There are definitely skills in there that are under-serving their purpose," he says, hinting at "significant changes" to come in the future.

"Whenever possible, I don’t love things that are like small statistical changes, but they do serve a purpose. As opposed to like, 'Oh, I have a whole new ability now, or I can do this thing now that I couldn’t do before.'" A good example here would be the coveted breach lockers unlocked via the survival tree, which reliably yield solid loot.

The hard part, really, is maintaining some equilibrium between those who prefer PvE and those who are more into PvP. Arc Raiders has a reputation for having a good community when it comes to the former, and the progression should reflect that. "Do we really want someone who invests in this wing of the skill tree [to be] obviously more capable in PvP?" Watkins muses. "Because they chose those [skills] they're going to win over someone who invested in the red tree instead?"

This Expedition change is also meant to push back against hoarding within the community, encouraging players to hurl their loot into the skill point fires (and maybe sample some more PvP). "By introducing damage-based objectives and trials instead of stash value, we're providing more freedom and variety in how you can complete the Expedition, encouraging the use of loot rather than hoarding it throughout the five-day window," Embark says in a statement.

Arc Raiders players blast new Expedition system that requires you to play on specific days and ignores the money you've saved: "F you if you can't play"