A Look At The Ongoing Arc Raiders Late Spawn Controversy

I’ve seen few features in Arc Raiders generate as much consistent debate as the late spawn mechanic. For months, players have argued about the fairness and function of joining a raid that is already well underway. It’s a frustrating experience to load in with only eleven minutes left on the clock, knowing your objectives are likely out of reach. After a long period of community feedback, the developers at Embark Studios have finally weighed in on the contentious design choice, revealing a significant disconnect between player perception and internal data.

In an interview with GamesRadar, Embark Studios design lead Virgil Watkins acknowledged the frustration. He stated, "It's another one of those interesting things of data versus perception. We 100% acknowledge the whole thing of, 'Man, I came in to do that trial and now I clearly don't have enough time to do that, and that sucks, so I'm just going to leave,' or whatever. That aspect is definitely not great." At the same time, Watkins revealed a surprising insight from their data.

"Players who join late economically profit way more than people who don't. The session, when they are fresh, does eventually get quieter, and very often they come across the remnants of fights or can maybe take out bigger drones or hit high-ticket areas more readily than other players."

The original intent, he explained, was to ensure maps remained populated, preventing the last few players in a raid from having a "lonesome" experience.

My own raids rarely reflect this economic benefit. I have stumbled upon the remains of a firefight, but the rewards are usually meager. Arc Raiders players are incredibly efficient, stripping valuable components from a fallen Matriarch in seconds, a sight I have witnessed and can only compare to a swarm of locusts. Finding high-tier items like Bastion Cells or Queen Reactors as a late joiner feels more like a stroke of luck than a reliable outcome. The core of the issue remains: spawning late often means you have too little time to pursue your own goals, and you are immediately at a disadvantage when encountering players who have been in the match from the start.

This discussion about late spawns has become inseparable from another ongoing debate within the community: free loadouts. Some players feel that those who enter a raid with no gear of their own—risking nothing—play with a reckless aggression that disrupts the experience for everyone else. They have nothing to lose, which can lead to careless firefights and griefing. A sentiment has grown that players using free loadouts should be penalized, with many suggesting they be forced into late-spawning queues. The idea is that with zero risk, the reward should be lower. Streamer Tyler 'Ninja' Blevins supported this, stating:

"We should never get first spawns—we should always be loading into late raids with free loadouts."

I don't believe this is a viable solution. Punishing one group of players with a system that is fundamentally frustrating for everyone doesn't solve the underlying problem. Late spawns are simply not an enjoyable experience. The best loot is gone, fewer extraction points are available, and the remaining players are often more aggressive. Furthermore, forcing free loadout players to spawn late could create a different kind of imbalance. A player who has been fighting since the beginning of the match, with depleted health and ammo, is at a distinct disadvantage against a newly spawned opponent with a fresh kit. The problem isn't the free loadout; it's the late spawn itself. No one, in my opinion, should be forced to join a match midway through.

For now, players are encouraged to adapt. Watkins suggests that if a primary objective is no longer feasible, players should switch to a backup plan. He insists the map has enough loot and activities to accommodate everyone, regardless of when they join. However, he did offer some hope for the future, specifically addressing the frustration of having a dedicated goal undermined by a late join.

"Coming in with a dedicated purpose, and that's been undercut by the late join, is where I'd want to remove the pain point first."

— Virgil Watkins

This suggests the studio is aware of the most significant pain point and may be considering changes, at least for objective-based play. Until then, the community remains divided, and players like me will continue to hope for a future where every raid starts on a level playing field.

Read also, the conversation around Arc Raiders this week has been dominated by the escalating problem of cheaters. The issue became impossible to ignore when the game's most prominent streamer, TheBurntPeanut, threatened to quit the game live on broadcast after suffering repeated losses to the same group of cheaters.