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Arc Raiders makes it official: “Only the PvP fights players choose to initiate” will impact your aggression rating for matchmaking
Embark Studios has confirmed that the "aggression rating" used to sort players into matchmaking pools in its extraction shooter Arc Raiders will only be affected by player-versus-player fights that a player deliberately starts, not combat they're drawn into or forced to defend against. The move addresses a common concern in extraction shooters, where players fear being unfairly penalised or funnelled into tougher lobbies simply for surviving an ambush rather than for being genuinely aggressive.
The system is designed to track intent rather than raw kill counts, so raiders who avoid unnecessary fights and focus on looting or completing objectives should not see their rating rise from defensive encounters. Embark has framed this as part of a broader effort to make matchmaking feel fairer and to reward tactical, non-aggressive playstyles, giving players more confidence that their behaviour in the game, rather than bad luck, determines who they are matched against.
In short
- Only self-initiated PvP fights raise your aggression rating.
- Defensive or forced fights won't affect matchmaking placement.
- Aims to make Arc Raiders matchmaking feel fairer overall.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Players should not be penalised for their combat capability merely from surviving encounters they didn't initiate. This approach recognises that a player who defends skilfully against ambushes is not genuinely aggressive – they're tactically sound. Intent matters more than raw outcomes for fair matchmaking, and rewarding non-aggressive playstyles encourages diverse tactical approaches rather than forcing all competitive players into one mould.
The case against
An aggression rating should reflect the actual threat level a player poses in combat, including defensive victories, since lethality is what matters for matchmaking fairness. A highly skilled player who kills numerous opponents – whether defending or initiating – is genuinely more dangerous. Intention-based ratings risk allowing players to justify high kill counts as purely defensive, thereby misleading the matchmaking system about their actual threat level.
Explained simply
Arc Raiders is a multiplayer game by Embark Studios where players venture into maps, scavenge for loot, and must escape alive to keep what they've gathered. The game tracks how often players engage in combat and uses this to sort them into lobbies with similarly aggressive players through an "aggression rating" system.
A long-standing concern in games with this structure is that players get penalised for defensive fighting. If a player is ambushed or forced to fight for survival, their aggression rating can rise even though they didn't start the combat, pushing them into tougher lobbies unfairly. This discourages objective-focused, cautious playstyles.
Embark Studios has now clarified that only fights a player deliberately initiates will affect their aggression rating. Defensive combat and unavoidable skirmishes will not count, meaning the system should now reward tactical players and feel fairer overall.