Generally speaking, it's the players you can't see that pose the most danger to you in Arc Raiders. Chances are, players who stroll on up to you and make their presence known just want to be your friend, or they'll openly betray you later on but you'll often see that coming, to be honest. Either way, getting ambushed by a raider crawling around behind you is hard to come back from.
Ignoring the bad AI voice acting, Arc Raiders' audio is pretty stellar for the most part. But I'll admit, I've been jumpscared quite a few times now by players suddenly appearing out of thin air simply because I didn't hear them coming—thankfully, most have actually been friendly.
Nevertheless, I'd rather not get jumped like that again, and there's actually a rather simple solution I've found for it. Head into the audio settings and enable Night Mode, found just under the audio output option at the top of the list
What this does is basically compresses the dynamic range of audio, so loud sounds like gunshots and explosions are quieter and soft sounds like footsteps are louder. As the name hints at, it's also good for avoiding sudden audio spikes, which is nice if you're tired or have sensitive hearing in general.
If you're struggling with hearing and pinpointing other players moving around, then Night Mode can certainly help with that. Just look at the comparison below by 'Marku5GG':
However, I can't say it's a perfect solution. Judging the distance and positioning of noises like gunshots and footsteps isn't easy in Arc Raiders, and Night Mode can actually muddy this in certain situations. For example, if there's quiet ambient noise nearby like rustling leaves, that'll also be juiced up by Night Mode's narrower dynamic range.
You could also argue it's 'less immersive' since the audio's not as…dynamic. It's no Battlefield 6 War Tapes Very Aggressive Listening mode, that's for sure.
As inconsistent as it can be, I think I prefer the standard audio, to be honest, but it's worth experimenting with this audio setting and seeing what works best for you, as hearing the tells of other players is crucial to your survival Topside. You don't want to lose one of the best guns in the game just because someone shot you in the back while you had your head in a locker looking for humidifiers and light bulbs.
