Arc Raiders’ skill tree is getting a rethink after Embark says the current version falls short
Design director Virgil Watkins said some skills are undercutting others, and Embark is looking at changes that will better fit the game today and its future.
Embark Studios is preparing a major pass over Arc Raiders‘ skill tree after design director Virgil Watkins said the current setup is not where the team wants it to be.
Speaking on the Game Maker’s Notebook podcast, Watkins said the studio has been watching how players actually build their characters and has found that some talents are pulling too much weight while others are not doing enough.
“It was a tough problem space for us, and I don’t think by any means we nailed it,” Watkins said.
He explained that some of the pressure comes from the split between PvE and PvP. A skill that feels fair in one mode can be too strong, too weak, or simply less useful in the other, which makes balance harder than a simple stat tuning pass.
“So it’s a tricky problem space and we’re evaluating some pretty significant changes to it to better serve the game that exists today and the game that will exist in the future,” he said.
Watkins also said the goal is for the tree to work together with augments, weapons, gadgets, and grenades so players can shape a clear playstyle, whether they want to lean into sneaking, mobility, or something else entirely.
The studio has already been dealing with a busy post-launch stretch around Arc Raiders. In February, Nexon said the game sold more than 14 million copies in a little over three months, and we covered that alongside the game’s strong launch numbers in our report on Nexon’s latest figures.
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ARC Raiders
Developed by Embark Studios
ARC Raiders is a multiplayer, extraction adventure, set in a lethal future earth, ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as ARC.
- Genre: Shooter
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Modes: Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release: 2025-10-30
- Publisher: Embark Studios
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Age Rating:
ESRB T / PEGI 16 / GRAC 15+ / USK 18 / CLASS_IND 14 / ACB M
- IGDB Rating: 89.7/100
