Arc Raiders’ New Aggression Matchmaking — How to Game It (and Why It Matters)

Why Arc Raiders’ Aggression-Based Matchmaking Actually Matters

This caught my attention because matchmaking that reads player behavior, not just skill, is the kind of live-service experiment that can fix a game’s most toxic pain points – or quietly break matchmaking for everyone else. Embark Studios confirmed that Arc Raiders now layers an aggression-based matchmaking (ABMM) filter on top of skill and squad-size checks, and that changes how you queue, what you bring to a drop, and even how you behave mid-match.

• ABMM groups players by PvP/PvE tendencies so friendly squads get fewer ganks and hunters face fellow hunters.
• The system uses a short calibration window (3-5 matches) and an internal aggression score to sort lobbies.
• Players can deliberately shift tiers – which is good for choice, but opens obvious avenues for exploitation and longer low-aggro queues.

How ABMM Actually Works (Cutting Through the Jargon)

Embark’s CEO Patrick Söderlund has said ABMM sits as a third layer after skill rating and team-composition filters. Practically that means: first the system avoids stomps (skill), then it keeps solos, duos and trios from being tossed together indiscriminately (composition), and finally it nudges players into pools based on a short behavior sample. Actions like repeated player damage, kills and aggressive looting push your hidden score positive; healing, revives and emotes push it negative. After 3-5 matches the matchmaking leans heavily on that score.

That’s a welcome step if you’ve been solo-queued and immediately targeted by squads. But it has trade-offs: low-aggression pools can have noticeably longer queue times and the system will broaden search ranges (pulling from adjacent tiers) if population is thin. Embark also added heavier penalties for griefing – hitting a confirmed low-aggro player shifts your score more than attacking a mid-aggro target — which is smart, if enforceable.

Player Strategies: How to Move Your Aggression Score (and Why You Might)

If you want to avoid PvP and farm arcs in peace, the game gives you tools. Deliberately avoid player interaction, use emotes, revive teammates, and stick to low-traffic POIs for your calibration matches. Expect 3-5 matches to settle you into a chill pool. On the flip side, if you’re chasing PvP, prioritize high-conflict POIs, pull squads into third-party fights and chain player KDs — you’ll be sorted into hunter lobbies quickly.

• Low-aggro tips: Queue solo, revive often, avoid shooting players, emote as anti-grief proofing.
• High-aggro tips: Queue as duo/trio, fight during Arc spawns, secure multi-player kills and avoid taunting that triggers penalties.
• Neutral play: Mix one fight with cooperative actions per match to stay in balanced pools.

What This Changes for Meta, Loadouts and the Community

ABMM already shifted Season 1’s meta. Low-aggro lobbies reward PvE-focused loadouts — healer specs, high-RPM Arc-clearing rifles and survival kits — while high-aggro pools favor close-range glass-busting weapons and plate setups. That’s good design: the game now supports multiple legitimate loop styles instead of forcing everyone into firefights. But there are risks. If too many players deliberately farm low aggression, queues will lengthen and cross-tier pulls will dilute the promise of “safe” lobbies. Smurfing and manipulation are also real threats — any system you can grind, players will grind.

From a community standpoint, this is a testable—and tweakable—option. Embark’s transparency on calibration windows and penalty weights matters. The next big stress test will be ranked queues and aggression badges, which the studio teases will debut in Season 2. If implemented poorly, badges could socialize aggression and make toxic behavior a status symbol; if done right, they give players clear signals about lobby character before they drop.

Why Now — and What to Watch For

Timing makes sense: Arc Raiders is still in a live-service growth phase where fixing onboarding pain (solos getting ganked) pays immediate dividends in retention. ABMM is an industry trend — other live titles experiment with behavior filters — but Embark’s three-layer approach is more explicit and developer-forward than most. Watch for queue inflation in off-peak hours, badge-driven toxicity, and whether the system can’t just be gamed into comfortable bubbles that kill matchmaking health.

TL;DR

Arc Raiders’ aggression-based matchmaking is a meaningful step toward shaping the sorts of matches you want. It gives players agency — and a new thing to game. That’s promising, but how Embark balances queue health, transparency, and anti-exploit measures will determine whether ABMM becomes a model other live services copy or another experiment patched into obscurity.