ARC Raiders players may lose items they obtained from the Duplication Glitch

ARC Raiders finally fixed the duplication bug that broke the game with a hotfix, but also signaled that players may soon lose items obtained through the exploit and may even face penalties. It's no secret that one of the ARC RaidersAt the core of the problem was the recurring occurrence of exploits that often cause serious problems in PvP. However, the duplication bug was among the most severe and created major issues that made the game unplayable for many players.

Interestingly, the February 10th major update, which many expected to fully address the bug, completely ignored it. Not only that, but the duplication issue wasn't even mentioned in the “known issues” section of the official patch notes, which quickly sparked community backlash.

The drama of duplicating the bug continues even after the hotfix

A few hours later ARC RaidersWith the February update rolling out, Embark Studios has finally acknowledged the duplication bug and released an OTA hotfix to address it. However, the studio also announced that depending on the severity of the abuse, some players may face penalties for exploiting the bug. “Players who have duplicated excessive amounts of items will be subject to further review and possible penalties,” the official Twitter post said, adding that “nothing beats earning loot the hard way.”

Some players may soon lose their items obtained through the glitch

While Embark Studios hasn't been completely transparent about their next steps, one likely outcome is some form of refund to the accounts of players who exploited the bug. The developer can remove the excess items obtained by duplicating and possibly the currency obtained by selling them. This could also be extended to ARC RaidersTrials, as many players took advantage of the glitch to secure high rankings in the current week's tasks. That said, these results remain speculative, and Embark Studios has yet to confirm their exact plans to address the situation.

The lines of penalty seem to be blurred

One detail that caught the attention of many players is how vague the studio was in its wording on both Twitter and Discord. A community manager on the game's official Discord server wrote: “We are still investigating the full impact of the issue and will take action based on the severity of the various cases once the investigation is complete.” As a result, many players believe that the studio may struggle to properly address the issue, as checking accounts on a case-by-case basis and penalizing only a portion of the player base seems unlikely. Even if Embark Studios pulls it off, it remains unclear what will actually define the level of “severity” that warrants punishment.

Not all players are happy with Embark Studios' decision

arc Raiders option for free loadout changes

While most of the community seems pleased that the glitch has finally been fixed, not everyone agrees with Embark Studios' handling of the situation. Some argue that players should not be penalized for a mistake on the developer's part, noting that ARC RaidersThe duplication bug has already been reported by thousands of players and has apparently been ignored. It seems unjustifiable to them to penalize those who used the glitch, especially when prominent streamers like The Burnt Peanut also exploited it.

Proponents of bans and penalties, however, present solid counter-arguments. They point out that the bug affected ARC RaidersTrials by giving some players an unfair advantage and inflated scores. They also note that the duplication bug caused many players to lose hard-earned loot in one-sided PvP matches, forcing the developers to take action. Finally, they argue that players using the exploit to amass millions of coins could destabilize the game's economy and balance, especially with ARC RaidersSecond shipping window in a few days.

It will be interesting to see how Embark Studios reviews the aftermath of the hotfix in the coming days. The studio is currently facing criticism from both sides of the debate. Players who used the glitch argue that they had no choice and don't deserve a ban or punishment, while those affected believe that letting exploiters exploit would be unfair and could encourage other players to exploit future glitches.