A new Arc Raiders patch is taking aim at cheaters by implementing Denuvo's Anti-Cheat measures. But Embark Studios is already getting ahead of the backlash by promising folks it doesn't plan to use DRM and saying it's making sure the anti-cheat tech won't have a noticeable impact on performance.
Arc Raiders 1.29.0 patch notes are expansive and detail everything from a new trader to new weapons and balance tweaks. Buried at the bottom of the list is a note on the developer's ongoing battle against bad apples.
"We want to continue improving our anti-cheat solutions and more accurately detect foul play across the Rust Belt," the dev writes. "Following a positive rollout in The Finals, Denuvo Anti-Cheat will also come to ARC Raiders starting May 19th, initially to a limited player pool, with plans to expand after close monitoring."
Embark didn't specify exactly how it's lumping players together, but I'm guessing the anti-cheat tech will hit more aggressive players or accounts that have been reported first, before eventually spreading to everyone.
Even the mere mention of Denuvo is enough to scare droves of PC players, since the name is associated with a controversial, anti-piracy DRM service that often kneecaps performance, prompting the company to address the issue. Don't worry about it too much here, though.
"We will not be using Denuvo's Digital Rights Management (DRM) service, and are working to ensure minimal impact on performance," Embark adds. "With Denuvo Anti-Cheat and Anybrain, we are working to strengthen ARC Raiders' systems even further. Keep sending us reports of any information that you believe might help us do so, it's highly appreciated."
Cheating in Arc Raiders has been a recurring problem for months, and Embark has been testing various systems to detect and punish cheaters since at least January of this year. Here's hoping these newest changes can finally squash the extraction shooter's longest-running issue.
