"Was it worth it? Not really": Arc Raiders martyr spends "2 months and 300 hours" on ultra-rare achievement only 14 other people have managed to secure, and it was awful

Arc Raiders character using welding torch in thick glasses
(Image credit: Embark Studios)

Hard work can be necessary, but have you considered the fact that working hard is also horrible? One Arc Raiders player didn't until it was too late, so she momentarily dedicated her life to a rare achievement only 14 other people have obtained.

The fact that streamer and YouTuber Eskay dedicated what she says were "two months and 300 hours" to a unique Arc Raiders achievement and obliterated her goal is hugely impressive. But Eskay herself isn't sure that the time it took to grab the Cantina Legend rank, which only the top 100 players in the already challenging Hotshot rank qualify for, was worth the sacrifices it required.

"Because you can only rank up a max of twice per week," Eskay explains in a YouTube video documenting her hardcore journey, "getting Cantina Legend entails double promoting every single week for the entirety of the season. As the weeks go by, it gets harder and harder, because you'll only be matched with players who have also double promoted every single week."

"You thought I was grinding? I have 250 hours," Eskay says. "These guys have 500, if not 600. And also, they're just better than me… as much as I hate to admit it."

In the end, after stress, sweat, and brutal gameplay, Eskay reaches Cantina rank – but, as she writes in her YouTube video's description, she reflects, "Was it worth it? not really."

"To be honest, I'm having a really hard time painting this experience in a positive way," she says. "The fact is that I temporarily ruined my life to play Arc Raiders Trials. I put off so many responsibilities. I skipped hanging out with friends that only visit once a year. I skipped dinners. I skipped the gym. I put off my career. I nearly missed [a] trip to Paris. And for what? A skin?"

Arc Raiders has a scheduling problem, and it's only gotten worse with Bird City: "Hey, unemployed people, are you enjoying the new map event?"

Ashley Bardhan
Senior Writer

Ashley is a Senior Writer at GamesRadar+. She's been a staff writer at Kotaku and Inverse, too, and she's written freelance pieces about horror and women in games for sites like Rolling Stone, Vulture, IGN, and Polygon. When she's not covering gaming news, she's usually working on expanding her doll collection while watching Saw movies one through 11.

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