Embark Studios is planning significant changes to Arc Raiders’ skill trees while simultaneously overhauling the Expedition system to reward damage dealt rather than stash value accumulated.
The upcoming Expedition starting April 28th marks a fundamental shift in how players earn progression rewards, moving away from hoarding gear toward active combat participation during the five-day window.
This change has already sparked concern among players who argue the fixed timeframe disadvantages those with work or personal commitments, as preparing for Expeditions typically requires two months of groundwork.
Virgil Watkins, the game’s design director, acknowledged the studio’s dissatisfaction with the current skill system, admitting certain skills are under-serving their purpose and that the team did not “nail it” in their initial implementation.
Watkins described the skill tree redesign as a “tough problem space,” particularly due to the challenge of balancing PvE and PvP progression without creating obvious advantages for specific skill investments.
The studio faces a core dilemma: whether investing in certain skill tree branches should craft players objectively more capable in player-versus-player encounters, potentially undermining fairness for those who chose different paths.
While Watkins criticized the current reliance on “small statistical changes” as less meaningful, he confirmed these adjustments still serve a purpose in the overall progression system.
Other skill tree components already allow players to unlock entirely new capabilities, which the community views as a more substantial form of advancement compared to incremental stat boosts.
Embark’s approach to skill progression draws parallels to action-adventure titles like recent God of War and Assassin’s Creed games, where RPG elements can be implemented effectively, poorly, or somewhere in between.
Watkins conceded that Arc Raiders currently sits “all over the place” on this spectrum, reflecting inconsistent execution across its progression systems.
The Expedition overhaul aims to solve a prior issue where high-level players avoided risking valuable gear during events, opting instead for free loadouts to preserve their stashes for reward calculation.
By tying rewards to damage dealt rather than accumulated wealth, Embark hopes to incentivize active participation throughout the full Expedition duration and reduce passive hoarding behaviors.
The studio maintains that the new damage-based model creates a “fair and engaging challenge” that keeps all player types involved across the entire five-day timeframe.
However, community feedback highlighted by ixbt.games reveals skepticism about compressing the challenge into such a narrow window after lengthy preparation periods.
Some players have proposed allowing damage accumulation across the full two-month Expedition cycle to accommodate real-life scheduling constraints without sacrificing engagement goals.
Embark has not yet committed to altering the timeframe but continues to engage with player concerns through official channels and community discussions.
The simultaneous revision of both skill trees and Expedition mechanics suggests a broader effort to refine long-term progression and retention systems in response to evolving player expectations.
Why is Embark changing how Expedition rewards are calculated?
Embark is shifting from stash value to damage dealt to discourage gear hoarding and encourage active participation throughout the Expedition window, addressing prior issues where players avoided using valuable equipment during events.
What specific problems do players have with the new Expedition damage requirement?
Players argue the five-day damage window is too restrictive given the two-month preparation period, disadvantaging those unable to play consistently during workdays or due to personal commitments.
How does Virgil Watkins describe the current state of Arc Raiders’ skill trees?
Watkins admits the studio did not “nail it” with the skill system, identifies under-serving skills, and describes the overall implementation as inconsistent — “all over the place” — particularly in balancing PvE and PvP progression impacts.