The "Nice Guy" Queue: Evidence Mounts for ARC Raiders' Hidden Matchmaking
There is a ghost in the machine at Embark Studios, and it seems to be judging you based on exactly how itchy your trigger finger is.
I have been spending my nights in ARC Raiders hunting down enemy squads in Stella Montis with the boys, so my experience has been nothing but gunfire and explosions. Because of that, I missed what was happening on the other side of the fence. A growing number of players are now convinced that the game uses a hidden system called ABMM (Action-Based Matchmaking) to separate the sociopaths from the pacifists, and the evidence is starting to look pretty damn convincing.
The Pacifist Experiment
The theory gained massive traction this week after a Reddit user posted their findings from a little social experiment. This player was sick of the constant "Kill on Sight" (KOS) mentality and decided to try something radical. They played several matches without shooting a single other player, even in self-defense.
The results were immediate and startling.
According to the post, they went from 90% hostile interactions to lobbies that looked like a completely different video game. Suddenly, players were running around in the open, greeting each other, and trading items at extraction points. They even reported participating in Queen raids where random solos teamed up without a single betrayal. It sounds like a utopia compared to the warzone I usually deploy into.
Embark Admitted (Kind Of)
While Embark hasn't slapped the "ABMM" sticker on the box, they have pretty much admitted this is happening. As originally reported by PC Gamer, Art Director Robert Sammelin explained that their matchmaking "is quite complex, so we do analyze behavior and match accordingly."
That is developer speak for "if you act like a jerk, we will put you in a room with other jerks."
It is actually a brilliant way to solve the eternal PvP vs PvE debate that plagues extraction shooters. Instead of splitting the player base with hard modes, they just let the players sort themselves out naturally.
A Shadow Solution to the PvP Debate
If this system is working as described, it is actually brilliant. The community has been torn between the hardcore PvP crowd and the PvE players who just want to loot in peace. Instead of creating separate hard queues that split the player base, Embark seems to be doing it organically.
It essentially creates two different versions of ARC Raiders. For me and my squad, it remains a high-stakes extraction shooter where danger is around every corner. For the solo looters who just want to explore, it becomes a cooperative survival game.
I am probably never going to see these "nice" lobbies because I enjoy the chaos too much, but it is fascinating to know they exist. If you are tired of getting sniped in the back, maybe try keeping your gun holstered for a few rounds. The algorithm might just reward you with some peace and quiet.