Embark Studios confirmed today it is developing new massive enemy types for ARC Raiders, including ARCs with completely new silhouettes.
There are several new very large ARCs currently in development. Both with familiar shapes, and completely new.
Aleksander Grøndal, Executive Producer
We want to create engaging new content that feels fresh, unique and distinctly ARC Raiders.
Aleksander Grøndal, Executive Producer
Executive Producer Aleksander Grøndal told press that multiple large ARCs are in progress. The lineup includes machines with familiar shapes alongside designs the surface hasn't seen yet. No timeline was given, and the studio refused to go into specifics.
The past two updates added the Turbine, Vaporizer, Comet, and Firefly to the Rust Belt. The Vaporizer has earned a reputation as the most punishing encounter of the four. Against that baseline, raiders have been tracking something much larger: a walking machine nicknamed the Emperor, spotted in the distance on more than one map. Some field reports also reference an arachnid bigger than the Queen and Matriarch, though Embark hasn't acknowledged either design as canon.
Grøndal said the team is trying to avoid making huge ARCs feel formulaic. The studio wants each one to land as a distinct event, not a scaled-up version of the last. He pointed to player feedback as part of that push, along with internal testing that keeps sending concepts back to the drawing board.
The mention of "familiar shapes" suggests existing designs may scale up in new ways, but the phrase "completely new" has drawn sharper interest. Raiders have spent months parsing every silhouette on the skyline. A shape they don't recognize is a promise.
Grøndal stressed that the studio wants the game to stand on its own rather than chase extraction shooter trends. He framed player feedback as central to deciding what to improve and what to fix, rather than reacting to what competitors are doing.
The news lands during a period when community patience around the update cadence has been thin. After the Riven Tides update, Embark shifted from monthly releases to two major drops a year. Some raiders have grown frustrated with the pace. But word of new oversized threats has cut through the noise. The possibility of an ARC that isn't just bigger but built from a different logic is what has kept chatter up across the BBS.
The confirmation arrives as the raider base is split between praise for the recent 1.29 patch and complaints about the slower cadence. The patch added the Nomadic Envoys and the Rascal launcher, and many called it a step in the right direction. Others saw the larger six-month gap between major drops as a reason to walk away.
For now, the only certainty is that the current roster of apex machines is not the end. Raiders will keep watching the horizon and the Tubes.
New Massive Enemy Types and ARC DesignsMAY 21, 2026
Embark Confirms New Massive ARC Enemies in Development
Executive Producer Aleksander Grøndal says several large ARCs, some familiar and some entirely new, are on the way.
Embark Studios confirmed today it is developing new massive enemy types for ARC Raiders, including ARCs with completely new silhouettes.
There are several new very large ARCs currently in development. Both with familiar shapes, and completely new.
Aleksander Grøndal, Executive Producer
We want to create engaging new content that feels fresh, unique and distinctly ARC Raiders.
Aleksander Grøndal, Executive Producer
Executive Producer Aleksander Grøndal told press that multiple large ARCs are in progress. The lineup includes machines with familiar shapes alongside designs the surface hasn't seen yet. No timeline was given, and the studio refused to go into specifics.
The past two updates added the Turbine, Vaporizer, Comet, and Firefly to the Rust Belt. The Vaporizer has earned a reputation as the most punishing encounter of the four. Against that baseline, raiders have been tracking something much larger: a walking machine nicknamed the Emperor, spotted in the distance on more than one map. Some field reports also reference an arachnid bigger than the Queen and Matriarch, though Embark hasn't acknowledged either design as canon.
Grøndal said the team is trying to avoid making huge ARCs feel formulaic. The studio wants each one to land as a distinct event, not a scaled-up version of the last. He pointed to player feedback as part of that push, along with internal testing that keeps sending concepts back to the drawing board.
The mention of "familiar shapes" suggests existing designs may scale up in new ways, but the phrase "completely new" has drawn sharper interest. Raiders have spent months parsing every silhouette on the skyline. A shape they don't recognize is a promise.
Grøndal stressed that the studio wants the game to stand on its own rather than chase extraction shooter trends. He framed player feedback as central to deciding what to improve and what to fix, rather than reacting to what competitors are doing.
The news lands during a period when community patience around the update cadence has been thin. After the Riven Tides update, Embark shifted from monthly releases to two major drops a year. Some raiders have grown frustrated with the pace. But word of new oversized threats has cut through the noise. The possibility of an ARC that isn't just bigger but built from a different logic is what has kept chatter up across the BBS.
The confirmation arrives as the raider base is split between praise for the recent 1.29 patch and complaints about the slower cadence. The patch added the Nomadic Envoys and the Rascal launcher, and many called it a step in the right direction. Others saw the larger six-month gap between major drops as a reason to walk away.
For now, the only certainty is that the current roster of apex machines is not the end. Raiders will keep watching the horizon and the Tubes.
