Nobody warned u/SalemDaBun that returning to ARC Raiders after a season away would begin with a Rocketeer missile. Their clip of the death, marked NSFW for 'bullying,' is at 634 points and still climbing, and the top comment, at 164, is 'Brutal 😂 but hey welcome back, raider!'

It set the tone for a day that ticked the mood score up two points to 58 and left the rat debates of the past week in the rearview. The second-highest post, at 274 points, is u/Remarkable_Aide_7236's meme captioned 'Think I’m done lads 😂😭💀' - another death, another raider staring at the respawn screen. u/TheGuy2077's clip of a friendly lobby turning into chaos after one guy decides to start shooting sits at 258. The video shows a group of raiders milling around, and then someone opens fire. The comment section, led by u/HG21Reaper, notes that as soon as one player is called out for bringing a Venator, another pulls out 'a Rat Slayer 3000 and proceeds to melt everyone.' The top advice from u/WASTELAND_RAVEN is simpler: 'Why are you all hanging around. Dip and reset lol.'

Alongside the death clips, raiders spent the day celebrating small wins. u/SixthSacrifice posted a screenshot of a Hullcracker finishing off a freekitter who had been shooting at them during a queen fight, earning 215 points and a single-word top comment: 'bonk'. u/NinetyfiveNachos hit 100k damage and signed up for their first expedition after 291 hours, a milestone that drew 211 points and a thread full of congratulations. u/Bobaaganoosh's 'random encounter' thank-you post, at 173 points, thanked a raider named BazookaSlabson for laughs - the kind of unguarded appreciation that surfaces when the fighting simmers down.