ARC Raiders Flashpoint update has been live for a while now. While the new map modifiers and weapons do inject some fresh enjoyment into the game, the update is not without its issues.
Here is not talking about bugs or glitches that hamper the experience. The problem lies more in the fact that the new content simply isn't generating much excitement.
Close Scrutiny
Close Scrutiny is a new Arc Operation map condition in ARC Raiders. Much like Cold Snap, Night Raid, Hurricane, and Electromagnetic Storm, Close Scrutiny is a double-difficulty intensified environment, meaning the risks involved in any operation are significantly heightened.
Under this map modifier, all doors that normally require keycards or specific triggers are left wide open. However, the quantity and quality of ARC Raiders items found in regular loot spots are diminished. Furthermore, the density and aggression levels of ARC units across the map are the highest currently available in any condition.
The central mechanic of Close Scrutiny revolves around a unit called Assessor. It is essentially a mobile puzzle that players need to crack. Naturally, Assessor does not wander alone; it is guarded by a swarm of ARC patrols, including the particularly menacing Vaporizer.
Vaporizer is the single biggest hurdle in this mode. Rocketeer, which previously gave players nightmares, feels like a child's toy by comparison. Vaporizers are blisteringly fast and utterly lethal. While they aren't on the tier of Queen or Matriarch, they are vastly more dangerous than other ARC units of similar size and will keep you on high alert at all times.
If you haven't played in a while, you might wonder why anyone would subject themselves to this high-risk, low-reward grind. The answer is that Assessor is the sole source for ARC Raiders Dolabra blueprint. This legendary weapon functions both as a shotgun and, in a pinch, as a mid-range charge rifle.
The steep difficulty of Close Scrutiny isn't a flaw - you could even argue it's a strength. That said, some players resent being funneled into such a tense, stressful mode just to get their hands on a new weapon schematic. The other issue is the reward structure: beyond Dolabra blueprint, the mode simply doesn't offer enough incentive for players to run it repeatedly.
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Hurricane
While Hurricane is not a new map condition introduced with Flashpoint, the team might want to take another look at it.
Put simply, the weather in Hurricane is atrocious. Relentless gales deal repeated chip damage and prevent you from equipping any shields. Scattered sparsely across the landscape are Raider Caches. These containers do hold worthwhile loot, but it's the hunt for them that drives players up the wall.
You have to sprint around in near-total silence, straining to hear their audio cues, which only become audible when you are practically on top of them. The chime is incredibly faint and almost impossible to discern over the roar of a godforsaken tempest.
To make matters worse, the studio seems fond of locking new loot - particularly weapon blueprints - exclusively behind the looting of Raider Caches found only in Hurricane events. If you want the blueprint for Canto, one of the new weapons added in ARC Raiders Flashpoint update, you are forced to engage with this map condition whether you enjoy it or not.
Before you even load the map, you open a third-party website to study every single possible spawn location for the caches. Once inside, you crank the game volume to ear-splitting levels just to hear the cache chime over the deafening wind. Then, you follow the map, running laps around the entire zone, checking each spot one by one.
The issue is that everyone else on the map is doing the exact same thing. Consequently, you're lucky to loot more than a handful of boxes before every subsequent cache you stumble upon has already been cleaned out. Eventually, you just surrender, load into another Hurricane instance, and repeat the whole tedious cycle.
While Hurricane map modifier is undeniably unique and likely has its fans, gating the blueprint for a sought-after new weapon exclusively behind it was a terrible call. Keeping it as one option is perfectly fine, but there should at least be an alternative route to acquisition.
High-Gain Antenna
Finally, there is High-Gain Antenna, a limited-time mode added with Flashpoint update that will conclude at the end of April. While players understand the desire to give the community something to do, this particular event feels a bit too formulaic.
- Step one: venture out and gather a specific resource.
- Step two: bring it back to Speranza.
- Step three: toss it into the hole. Then repeat.
It provides an objective and decent rewards, but at this stage, it has grown rather stale. The team's creativity extends far beyond this; they've added far more engaging content in the past, such as the hidden in-game questline to unlock the guitar.
Looking at the big picture, Flashpoint feels more like a transitional update. The team is likely pouring all their resources into the content slated for the end of April, which is encouraging news given how long they've been working on it. Here's hoping that when the next wave of content arrives, the means of obtaining new blueprints aren't locked behind just a single avenue.
