Players of Arc Raiders in conflict over PvP ethics in the extraction shooter.

An online war of words has erupted within the community of Arc Raiders, in addition to the existing conflict within the game. The main debate is whether Player-versus-Player (PvP) is considered "misconduct" in this extraction shooter game. This conflict of views is a critical point that pits the high-risk nature of the genre against the desire for collaboration of some players.

As an extraction shooter, Arc Raiders is inherently a tense experience where death at the hands of another player can result in the total loss of progress, resources, and quest items. This frustrating reality has led a substantial portion of the community to adopt a friendlier approach, preferring voice communication over direct confrontation.

Many players value moments of kindness, such as Reddit user IncompetentCat, who highlighted the value of being revived or assisted by strangers. Others even feel intense guilt when adopting a kill-on-site strategy, due to the verbal expressions of sadness they hear from defeated opponents.

However, there is a strong argument in favor of PvP. User Garbaggiogreco stated directly: "As long as there is PvP in this game it will never change. Stop complaining and come up with strategies to combat against it," an opinion that found widespread agreement in the community. Other players point out that the title is explicitly labeled as PvP, and that discontent with the core mechanic is illogical.

The debate has escalated into a "toxic anti-PvP behavior". The moderator of the subreddit of Arc Raiders had to intervene, stating that external insults towards PvP-focused players would not be tolerated: "You are allowed to have an opinion that such players morals in game are not good or they are ‘Villain players’ or what not, that is fine for that is what they are but any time an outside insult is going to be used on people over gameplay you are getting the hammer of doom."

The beauty of friendly moments in Arc Raiders only exists because of the imminent betrayal risk, which makes the act of cooperation more meaningful.