Arc Raiders makes progress wiping optional as studio puts players' time first

One of the main gameplay features of the extraction shooter is the periodic “wipe,” which resets everyone's game progress back to where it started. Arclight Guide Developer Embark Studios knows this system can be controversial, and in order to keep things fair, the studio aims to make wiping a voluntary feature of the game through its Expedition Projects.

Players will unlock the expedition project at level 20. Each expedition cycle lasts approximately eight weeks, and players will contribute to the overall progress. Once the expedition is complete, they can choose to reset their progress and lose all earned levels, skills, and inventory, while their cosmetics and achievements will remain. Players who have not completed the expedition can carry over their progress to the next cycle.

Ideally, this will keep things balanced for everyone. Players who don't have much time to play Arc Raiders won't have to worry about launching the game and finding themselves losing all their progress, while dedicated players will be rewarded with unique cosmetics, permanent account unlocks, and buffs that apply during the next expedition cycle.

Design director Vergil added that players who receive these benefits will have no power or combat advantage over anyone who hasn't completed the reset. It's all about bragging rights, as expressed by the cosmetics they'll receive. “It's not a magic bullet, nor will it be a radical breakthrough like a forced global reset, but it does aim to be more fair to all players. Whenever possible, we want to value the time you spend in the game as much as you do,” Virgil wrote.

Arc Raiders will be released on October 30th for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Ahead of its arrival, Embark Studios will host a Server Slam open beta will run on PC and consoles from October 17th to 19thwhile progress will not carry over to the full game, participating will unlock exclusive backpack cosmetics that can be used in the full game.