Last week I attended a preview session for the Arc Raiders Frozen Trail update, and frankly, I got smacked around like never before. My first match ended in three minutes upon realizing a lobby full of streamers was not at all receptive to my “Don’t shoot” emotes.
For context: I’m a casual Arc raider with a pacifism streak. New guns are cool, but I honestly don’t end up using them that much, so I’m far more interested in the changes that affect the game’s movement, stealth, and scavenging. So instead of an exhaustive list of changes (read up on the update itself for something like that), I’m focusing on the three thoughts I keep coming back to days after playing.
The grapple hook is a legit game changer
Yeeeeeeeeehooooooooooo!
Yeah yeah, sure, Arc Raiders is getting some new guns, but the real star of my session was the grapple hook. Embark made an honest-to-god grapple hook: Not the kind that zips you straight to where you aim it (that already exists), but a simulated rope that’s quite rare in videogames.
The grapple hook is only a green tier gadget, but very versatile. A single hook lets you:
- Climb straight up to the top of most buildings
- Swing from rooftop to rooftop like Spider-Man
- Safely descend from tall buildings
- Annoy the crap out of flying Arc bots
What makes the grapple hook so useful is that it sticks to just about anything. Wherever the hook lands becomes a pivot point that you can either climb toward, descend, or swing against. You can also redeploy the hook midair, without a cooldown or use limit, meaning you can chain swings together.
Above: Scaling a building with the grapple hook is about as fast as climbing a ladder, which is surprising.
It’s a level of pendulum-based freedom that videogames rarely afford—let alone in a multiplayer environment—and makes the hook immediately fun to play with. The first match I had one, I ended up ignoring most of Pendola Pass’ new locations and instead tried to see how long I could stay in the air with just the hook. I broke my ankles more than once, but in a short time I felt like the hook had tripled my movement options in Arc Raiders, and that’s exciting. I really want to see how it performs on the other maps. Frozen Trail also adds a launcher that tethers two objects together and a grenade that yanks Arc bots to the ground, but I didn’t test those thoroughly.
I’m delighted by Arc Raiders’ embracing of physics-based tools and impressed that Embark isn’t afraid to let these emergent gameplay ingredients be a little jank. You can tell while using the grapple hook why other videogames are so restrictive with similar mechanics: Sometimes you’ll climb all the way up the rope only to not grab the ledge at the top, or the rope itself gets tangled between a protruding balcony, or you slide off the giant Emperor bot in Pendola Pass that Embark clearly doesn’t want you to climb. It takes trial and error to use it well, and it’s way more interesting than it is frustrating.
The skill tree rework is big… on paper
Arc Raiders’ reworked skill tree is a mix of old and new abilities, with certain branches on the tree forcing you to pick one ability over others. Such as:
Conditioning 10
Vault Spring: Lets you jump at the end of a vault
OR
Vaults On Vaults On Vaults: Vaulting no longer costs stamina.
Mobility 30
Sprinting on Fumes: Stamina never fully drains while sprinting.
OR
Wall Run: Sprinting at a wall allows you to run up it for a few steps.
OR
In The Flow: Chaining together mobility moves while sprinting increases the speed, and reduces the stamina cost.
We were given a pile of XP points to dump into the skill tree. I focused on Mobility and Conditioning, and while it was nice to sprint for a long time without stopping, I can’t say the new abilities led to me playing Arc Raiders any differently than before. The majority of the nodes on the tree are still incremental stat boosts that make the basics easier. It’s a meaningful progression track in the long-term, but not instantly transformative so far.
To be fair, that may be exactly how it should be. Loot and crafting is the focus of Arc Raiders, and if the skill tree offered dramatic upgrades that make you a bigger threat, like better shields, it’d undermine other systems like the research tables and blueprints. This is an improvement, but I’m not clamoring for any one skill.
Pendola Pass is beautiful, but familiar
I’ve played 80 hours of Marathon since the last time I booted Arc Raiders, and that game’s tremendous maps left an impression on me. Each one not only looks and feels different, but has unique, gameplay-specific hooks that makes my destination a huge decision from the jump. Arc Raiders does this in smaller ways, but I’ve yet to discover the big hook of Pendola Pass.
If it’s snow, then sure: The white blanket is visually unique, flash freezes are sort of a threat (though I didn’t even encounter one by accident) and raiders appear to leave trails one could follow.
If it’s the new Bully Arc enemy, it’s certainly an annoying new threat, though I plan to stay out of its way 90% of the time like I do the Leaper. When it comes to the stuff I do most in this game—plundering research facilities, stores, and residential districts—Pendola Pass feels like retreading chunks of existing maps.
Pendola Pass is welcome variety, but so far, it makes me wish Embark would take more Stella Montis-sized chances with its maps. Perhaps the real draw is getting inside the Emperor itself—I didn’t manage it during the preview period, but it’s apparently possible.
