Arc Raiders Launches First Dedicated PvE Mode, ‘Shared Watch,’ Amid Community Shift

STOCKHOLM (Azat TV) – Embark Studios’ third-person shooter, Arc Raiders, officially launched its first dedicated Player-vs-Environment (PvE) game mode, dubbed ‘Shared Watch,’ on Tuesday, February 10, 2026. This two-week event marks a significant shift for the extraction shooter, which has seen its community grapple with a blend of player-versus-player (PvP) and PvE elements since its inception, now clearly prioritizing cooperative engagement against the game’s machine adversaries.

The introduction of ‘Shared Watch’ responds to persistent community requests for a mode that focuses exclusively on battling the ‘Arcs’ – the robotic enemies that threaten the game world. Previously, players seeking a PvE experience often resorted to informal ‘blessed PvE lobbies’ or even intentionally avoided PvP combat within the game’s standard modes, sometimes at personal cost. This new event aims to formalize and reward a cooperative playstyle, aligning with Embark Studios’ stated philosophy that the game was not initially built with player-on-player combat in mind.

The ‘Shared Watch’ Event: A Focus on Cooperative Play

The ‘Shared Watch’ event, which will run until Tuesday, February 24, 2026, fundamentally alters the incentive structure for participating players. During this period, merits – the in-game currency essential for progression and rewards – will be earned exclusively through actions such as destroying, assisting, and damaging the Arc machines. Crucially, as confirmed by PC Gamer and Polygon, no merits will be awarded for PvP encounters. While player-versus-player combat remains technically enabled, engaging in it offers no tangible progression benefits, effectively discouraging it within the event.

An official blog post from Embark Studios described ‘Shared Watch’ as an opportunity to ‘team up in the fight against the machines’ and a celebration of ‘those that look out for their fellow raiders.’ This sentiment underscores a deliberate move to foster a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose among players, shifting the narrative from competitive rivalry to collective survival against a common foe.

Gameplay Adjustments and New Content

Beyond the core shift in reward mechanics, the ‘Shared Watch’ update introduces several other notable changes and additions to Arc Raiders. The fan-favorite ‘Cold Snap’ map condition, which was popular during the winter break, has made a return, adding a familiar environmental challenge for players to navigate. Additionally, the patch includes a new event track offering a variety of gameplay-focused and cosmetic rewards, designed to incentivize participation throughout the two-week period.

Cosmetic enthusiasts can look forward to new bundles, including the ‘Vulpine’ set, which features a fox pelt hat, muted leather outfit, and white face paint, available in the in-game store. The ‘Slugger’ set, a long-sleeved, padded, baseball-themed outfit, is earned by progressing through the ‘Shared Watch’ event track. Gameplay adjustments also include changes to throwable weapons, which now deal more damage to smaller enemies but less to larger adversaries like the Leaper and Bastion, as reported by PCGamesN. An issue causing Trailblazers to deal damage through walls has been rectified, alongside several other bug fixes, though a fix for the infamous duplication glitch remains outstanding.

Looking Ahead for Arc Raiders

The introduction of ‘Shared Watch’ signals Embark Studios’ responsiveness to its player base and a potential re-evaluation of Arc Raiders‘ core identity. While PvP elements are not entirely removed, the strong disincentive for engaging in them during this event provides a clear test of a more cooperative-focused gameplay loop. Community Manager ‘Ossen’ on the Arc Raiders Discord has also hinted at a larger upcoming ‘Shrouded Sky’ update for February, promising a ‘new threat in the storm,’ indicating continued development and content rollout beyond the current event.

This dedicated PvE event represents a crucial moment for Arc Raiders, allowing Embark Studios to gauge player engagement with a purely cooperative experience and potentially shape the game’s future direction more firmly around its original vision of players uniting against a machine uprising, distinguishing it clearly from other extraction shooters.