Forget the Queen, ARC Raiders Needs a Real Indoor Nightmare
It’s been out for two weeks, and I’ve learned one crucial fact: the most terrifying sound in ARC Raiders isn't the Queen's devastating beam attack. It's the high-pitched whir of a Rocketeer that I can't see.
Embark has absolutely nailed the outdoor terror. Running into a Bastion flanked by a squadron of Hornets is a pure, pants-wetting panic. Even the big, dumb Leaper makes my heart jump when it lands. The open world is a brilliant, lethal hellscape.
But the second I step inside a building, the tension completely evaporates. And that's a problem.
The 'Pest Control' Annoyance
Let's be honest: the indoor "threats" aren't scary. They're annoying.
What do we have? Ticks. A tiny spider-bot that latches onto you. It's the futuristic equivalent of walking through a spiderweb. Then there are Pops, a rolling bomb that's a one-and-done jump scare. And finally, Turrets, which are just... angry appliances.
I'm not afraid of these things. I'm bothered by them. They're pests.
Buildings in ARC Raiders aren't hostile, they're safe zones (From arc atleast). They're quiet refuges where the game's tension flatlines. It's where I go to play inventory Tetris and hide from the real monsters patrolling outside.
We Need an Indoor 'Oh, Shit' Moment
What this game is desperately missing is an indoor predator.
I don't want another rolling bomb or a static turret. I want something that hunts. I want a reason to be afraid of opening a door. I want to hear footsteps on the floor above me and have to decide if it's a player or it.
The Ticks try to do this by hiding on ceilings, but their threat is just too small.
This new enemy would fundamentally change the loot loop. It would turn the quiet, boring moments of scavenging into a claustrophobic, high-stakes game of survival. It would make sound design matter in every second of the raid, not just when I'm out in the open.
A Plea for the 'Matriarch'
This brings me to the roadmap. I see what's coming this month: a "New ARC Matriarch and Shredder".
These names are fantastic. They sound vicious.
My one, desperate plea to Embark is this: Please, don't let them both be giant field bosses.
A "Matriarch" sounds like it could infest a POI. A "Shredder" sounds like a fast, close-quarters terror. Give us an enemy that lives indoors. Give us a creature that ambushes us in the dark corridors of the Dam or the office buildings of Blue Gate.
The game's outdoor loop is a 10/10. But to make the entire raid a masterpiece of tension, that terror needs to follow us inside.
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