I don't know what I expected going into ARC Raiders Items. As a predominantly solo player my would-be duos partner for a game like this can't stop playing World of Warcraft at the moment, unfortunately I was mentally prepared to have my ass handed to me as I encountered hostile squads around every corner. That's how it usually goes in games like this.
For my first couple of visits topside, that's how I approached Arc Raiders, the new extraction shooter from Embark Studios. I lost a firefight to a player far better-equipped than I, then on my subsequent visit, I took down another player with nary a word said between us before I was spotted by a Rocketeer and blown to smithereens from the skies. It was only on my third attempt, when I took a shot at another raider, that they emoted "Don't shoot!" and I paused for thought. They'd clearly spawned in not long prior, so likely wouldn't have much loot, and I'd waste ammo. I remembered proximity chat was a thing, apologized to them over the mic, then we went our separate ways.
This was the pivotal moment for me, where I realised playing Arc Raiders as a solo pacifist is perhaps the most immersive, tension-inducing way to enjoy the game. Arc enemies flying drones and land-based robots alike pose enough of a threat that you can very quickly become overwhelmed if you're not careful, so playing as a friendly face to other raiders significantly increases your chance of survival. Especially if you team up to deal with any foes lurking around an extraction point.
There are countless moments I can hark back to in my roughly 12 hours with the game so far. I failed to dispatch of a Snitch before it called for reinforcements, which led to me fleeing from a Wasp and a Hornet in the open, scrambling to both reload, heal, and take cover, just a shot or two from death, when another player who had just finished looting a Baron Husk rocked up, ploughed two rounds into each of the drones, checked on me with a "You ok?", then disappeared into the night.
Or perhaps I should mention the player who shot me in the back as I was in a rush to extract, but as soon as I hurriedly held down my push-to-talk key and yelled "Fuck off, I'm friendly!", he apologized and asked where "the other one" was. Giving away there was another player in the vicinity, I explained I was in a rush to extract and I'm playing solo, another player emerged behind me, and the three of us advanced onwards. A Leaper was patrolling nearby, so we all hid in a bush, then ran into the elevator as quickly as possible, as a fourth player met us inside.
My favorite friendly encounter so far came on Dam Battlegrounds, the first map you visit. I had a key for a locked room, but it was in a building I'd never visited before, so I didn't know where to find it. I was looting up in a dark room when I heard a voice behind me: "Are you friendly?" I spun around, weapon equipped just in case, and replied "yep, I'm friendly." "Cool," came the reply, but before my non-enemy left, I asked if he knew where to find the locked door. He escorted me around the corner, then watched me enter and take all the loot I needed. When I had as much as I could carry, I let him take everything I left behind, then we embarked on a mission to extract together.
These moments are what make buy ARCR Coins special. PvP is always going to be part of the game; I've engaged in my fair share of gunfights when whoever I've encountered doesn't want to play nicely, and winning those feels fantastic, but solo queueing especially since you know you're not going to come up against a squad of three players thanks to how matchmaking works shows diplomacy is actually possible. All it takes is the risk of losing hard-earned loot and a threat greater than other players in the form of Leapers, Bombardiers, Rocketeers, and god forbid, a Queen.
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