ARC Raiders established itself as an extraction shooter with a strong social aspect, where players are usually nicer than in most other titles of the type. But it seems that's over, at least in part, as players are nearing end-game content and loot becomes more valuable than ever.
Though the game's initial release saw hundreds of thousands of players happily engage in friendly conversation with those they came across, it appears this is slowly subsiding topside. Recently, I've experienced a greater number of people who shoot me on sight (if you're one of these, do tell us here), and no amount of yelling "Don't shoot!" or pleading via the microphone (not even when I change my voice into a female one via the in-game AI voice changer) can save me.
Usually, that other one works more than merely begging not to be riddled with bullets, but even that fails to protect me in the new, more hostile environment of ARC Raiders. This seems to be particularly true on weekdays, when casual players (who log in after a hard week's work, i.e., on the weekends) aren't so present on the battlefields.
What's more, it appears to be because players are now reaching end-game content, having completed the majority of the quests and simply wishing to upgrade their workstations to max. The resources needed for doing so are quite scarce and usually very hard to come by. This could easily explain why trigger fingers are more itchy now, since it's much easier to simply cut the lights of a raider than look for one-percent drops yourself.
Hell, the raider you just popped might be carrying loads of pinks, blueprints, rare components, and so on. Everything given to you on a silver platter, costing merely a few bullets that can be easily replaced.
Of course, much like in the early stages of the game duos and trios seem to be much more inclined to shoot you on sight than solos. After all, solo players, and especially those carrying valuable loot, aren't so interested in risking their life and potentially losing everything they'd spent so long gathering. It's one thing having someone watching your six, but another to be on your own, with loads of goodies to boot.
ARC Raiders' social aspect is perhaps even stronger now, since it is an evolving trend following shifting circumstances that can lead to people being nicer or, well, more evil, depending on the situation. We could even have a philosophical discussion about the "evil" of shooting people in a PVP game, and I frankly think it's just part of the experience.
Have you noticed an uptick in hostility among players? Because we sure have, from extraction campers to sneaky snipers to folks runnin' and gunnin' like there's no tomorrow. And it's probably going to keep getting worse, at least until people do the Expedition in early December and reset back to zero, their evil nature included.
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