I don’t even know how to explain what Arc Raiders is supposed to be. It’s an extraction shooter. A genre I don’t even like. But somehow, this is the game that gave me what I’ve been missing for years. It scratched that Factions itch in the most unexpected way.
Let’s break it down.
We’ve got the same basic ingredients: post-apocalyptic setting, scavenging for supplies, tense encounters, tactical thinking, and the constant fear that someone’s going to ambush you and ruin your entire run. But Arc Raiders turns the dial to 11. You’re not just sneaking around—you're surviving in a massive open world where giant alien robots roam and every other player might be friend or foe.
The loop is pure adrenaline. You drop in. You scavenge. You try to extract without dying. You craft better gear so you can scavenge even more. Sound familiar?
But what really seals the deal is how Arc Raiders captures the emotional chaos of Factions. Remember how you’d be in a perfect spot, ready to ambush the enemy team, and then you find out it was actually you who was being ambushed? That kind of unpredictability? Arc Raiders has that in spades.
Only now, it’s not just a sneaky enemy player with a bow—it’s a building-sized robot spider crashing your party while you’re mid-firefight with a trio of human players who’ve just promised not to shoot you (spoiler: they lied).
And like Factions, this game gets under your skin. Every death stings. Every extraction feels earned. You’re constantly walking the line between paranoia and cocky optimism. The proximity chat only adds to the chaos—you’ll hear someone whispering behind a wall. Or begging for mercy. Or bartering for their life with a medkit. And just like Factions, the social dynamic of trust vs. betrayal is everywhere.
Here's the thing: I didn’t expect this game to make me feel anything close to what I felt playing Factions. But it did. And now I can't stop thinking about it. I am what is now referred to as a “Recovering Arcoholic”.
Which is wild, because I was so prepared to hate Arc Raiders. Live service? Meh. Extraction shooter? Double meh. But instead, what I found was the spiritual successor to the multiplayer game I thought I’d never play again.
And I can’t stop wondering: what if this is what Naughty Dog was building all along? What if this is the shape Factions 2 could’ve taken? Probably not. But still… what if?
In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the ride. I finally got what I was looking for, even if it came from the most unexpected place. And until Naughty Dog decides to revive Factions (come on, guys!), I’ve got Arc Raiders. And honestly? That’s not a bad trade.
