ARC Raiders design lead Virgil Watkins introduces some major changes to the game with another balance update that adjusts both the Kettle Rifle and Trigger Nades. The shooter from Embark Studios has been one of the biggest breakout stories in the games industry in recent months, with the game seeing massive success following its launch at the end of October. ARC Raiders We've seen gamers count on Steam to compete with mega-popular franchises like Battlefield and Call of Duty after its debut and has already sold more than 12 million copies. Embark's support was a big reason for this continued success.
ARC Raiders has received consistent updates since its release, bringing everything from bug fixes and balance tweaks to new content. Except for holidays during the holidays ARC Raiders continues to release new patches for the game every week and renews its update cycle with the 1.7.3 update on January 10th. The Cold Snap update in December even brought a brand new map state to the game, with severe winter weather masking steps and reducing visibility. ARC Raiders is now set to make some significant changes to the weapon pair as part of the game's next new patch.
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ARC Raiders change the kettle and launch the Nades
During a recent interview with GamesRadar, ARC Raiders design lead Virgil Watkins talked about some of the changes in the next update. The Kettle is set to be one of the biggest adjustment focuses in the next balance patch, with Embark Studios planning to lower the weapon's fire limit. Trigger Nades will also see some notable changes ARC RaidersNext January update that changes the drop curve for grenades and requires players to be more accurate with explosive weapons. Changes to the Nade kettle and trigger are to come ARC Raiders as part of the January 13 game balance patch.
The ARC Raiders dev went into more depth about why Embark is tracking specific changes to Kettle and Trigger Nades as well. Watkins pointed to videos from ARC Raiders players using a high cap on the kettle, saying that players shooting close to the limit could “insta-kill” other players. Watkins states that the studio wants players to be more accurate ARC Raiders' Launch Nades while timing the grenade toss so that it doesn't explode immediately. Watkins even hinted at some future weapon changes, suggesting that the development team is considering where the weapons “sit on the rarity spectrum.”
ARC Raiders has been a hit for Embark Studios
ARC RaidersThe initial popularity has already led to the game collecting some hardware from various awards shows to end in 2025. Despite being released just over a month before the awards show, ARC Raiders won “Best Multiplayer Game” at the 2025 Awards. The Steam Awards also saw a strong showing for Embark Studios' latest game, which won “Most Innovative Gameplay” and was nominated for “Game of the Year”. The shooter has even been longlisted for six different awards at the British Academy Games Awards, which will be held in April.
For all the success ARC Raiders already seen, 2026 is likely to offer plenty of thrills for shooter fans. Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund recently confirmed that several studios have already expressed interest in the creation ARC Raiders TV or film adaptation. The game received some criticism from fans for its use of generative artificial intelligence, both with artwork and voices, though the controversy did little to slow the game's growth. ARC Raiders Fans should keep a close eye on the shooter as Embark looks set to bring even more new content to its breakout hit.
- Released
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October 30, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood
