Arc Raiders' latest update brings its best improvement yet: Making late spawns less awful

Arc Raiders' new Flashpoint update brings a bushel of changes to shake up the state of Embark's robotic post-apocalypse: two new weapons expand the raider arsenal with SMGs and energy shotguns, a new airborne Arc enemy threatens players with an array of laser weaponry, and locked rooms will be stuffed with ever better loot.

But the best change in Flashpoint is a balm for a long-standing source of raider frustration: Late spawns. According to the version 1.22.0 patch notes, players are now more likely to be sorted into a fresh server if they embark from Speranza with their own loadout.

"As part of an ongoing look at free loadout usage and how it impacts the game, we're going to bias the matchmaking to put players with custom loadouts into fresh servers," Embark said in the patch notes. "This won't be a guarantee, as map choice, time of day, and region will still affect the number of players available to matchmake. This does have an effect on overall matchmaking times so we'll be keeping a close eye on it."

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Since Arc Raiders' launch, late spawns have been one of the biggest possible bummers raiders can face. Nothing's as disheartening as loading into a match where 10 minutes have already passed, meaning you've risked your valuable gear just to enjoy the privilege of rummaging whatever scraps have been left by raiders who got first dibs on a map's worth of fresh loot containers.

Now, as long as you're not using a free loadout, that's an outcome that should be a lot less likely. Raiders with bespoke kits should have better odds of a good return on their gear investment, and while that could make life a little harder if you're relying on a free loadout, you should still have some time to stuff your pockets for funds to get back on your feet.

The implications and impacts of Arc Raiders' free loadouts have been the subject of regular discourse since launch, but it's unsurprising that we're seeing Embark tinker with its formula now that Marathon introduced its own competing vision of free loadout philosophy—one in which freebie-toting Rook players always join late and can only play solo.

While we'll likely see more adjustments in the future, Embark reiterated its intent for free loadouts in the Flashpoint patch notes:

"Free loadouts are primarily meant as a safety net for a player's personal economy. With these kits, those who play carefully should have enough to build themselves back up, accomplish a few tasks, or make a bit of progress."