# Arc Raiders makes it official: “Only the PvP fights players choose to initiate” will impact your aggression rating for matchmaking

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/arc-raiders-makes-it-official-only-the-pvp-fights-players-choose-to-initiate-will-impact-your-aggression-rating-for-matchmaking/
- Published: 2026-07-28T09:00:00+00:00
- Original publisher: GamesRadar+
- Original article: https://www.gamesradar.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-makes-it-official-only-the-pvp-fights-players-choose-to-initiate-will-impact-your-aggression-rating-for-matchmaking/
- Topics: Gaming

## Key points

- 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.

## Summary

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.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.