I really want to love this game, but two issues keep killing my motivation to play.

#1 ISSUE: Stream sniping
Nothing drains my desire to queue more than watching my favorite streamers get constantly sniped and seeing the soul slowly leak out of them. This is a huge problem for the game’s health. It directly affects retention, and new players will think twice about buying or loading into ARC when they see how easy it is to abuse streamers.

Embark shouldn’t write off streamers as “just 0.1% of the player base.” Streamers are force multipliers. When they get frustrated and leave, they take entire communities with them.

#2 ISSUE: Cheating and collision exploits
Cheating and collision exploits are still far too common. They undermine every good moment the game delivers. Until these are addressed more aggressively, every match feels like a gamble on whether the systems will work as intended.

#3 ISSUE: Reviving people that are not on your team. This was fun the first month, goofy the second month, now it's just cringe.

VERDICT
Right now, I can’t recommend the game. It needs time to grow up.

The map and sound design are genuinely stunning, and the core gameplay has potential, but it needs several rounds of iteration and balance. Embark has been slow to push out critical fixes and hasn’t established a reliable cadence for addressing major issues.

A proper PvE mode feels totally possible with this foundation, but I doubt we’ll see it until player numbers fall off from cheating and frustration, and there’s pressure to pivot with more spawn points and alternative modes.

If you’re on the fence, I’d wait and see how the devs handle cheating, exploits, and streamer protection over the next few months.

I really want to love this game, but two issues keep killing my motivation to play. #1 ISSUE: Stream sniping Nothing drains my desire to queue more than watching my favorite streamers get constantly sniped and seeing the soul slowly leak out of them. This is a huge problem for the game’s health. It directly affects retention, and new players will think twice about buying or loading into ARC when they see how easy it is to abuse streamers. Embark shouldn’t write off streamers as “just 0.1% of the player base.” Streamers are force multipliers. When they get frustrated and leave, they take entire communities with them. #2 ISSUE: Cheating and collision exploits Cheating and collision exploits are still far too common. They undermine every good moment the game delivers. Until these are addressed more aggressively, every match feels like a gamble on whether the systems will work as intended. #3 ISSUE: Reviving people that are not on your team. This was fun the first month, goofy the second month, now it's just cringe. VERDICT Right now, I can’t recommend the game. It needs time to grow up. The map and sound design are genuinely stunning, and the core gameplay has potential, but it needs several rounds of iteration and balance. Embark has been slow to push out critical fixes and hasn’t established a reliable cadence for addressing major issues. A proper PvE mode feels totally possible with this foundation, but I doubt we’ll see it until player numbers fall off from cheating and frustration, and there’s pressure to pivot with more spawn points and alternative modes. If you’re on the fence, I’d wait and see how the devs handle cheating, exploits, and streamer protection over the next few months.