ARC Raiders Releases Update 1.3.0

ARC Raiders developer Embark Studios has released a substantial new update for its third-person extraction shooter, nerfing the beloved Venator, increasing the price and crafting cost of the Deadline mine, and more. ARC Raiders' 1.3.0 update is available to download now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, with plenty of bug fixes, improvements, and even a duck-tastic surprise for one player in particular.
There may not be any new content for players to check out in today's patch, but it was just last week that Embark released update 1.2.0 for ARC Raiders, which added Stella Montis, an intense, close-quarters map not for those who are looking for an easy raid. The new map also came with a brand-new ARC enemy known as Shredder, which can only be found on Stella Montis and fires a 4-round burst of shrapnel in every direction, making it one of the most daunting enemies so far. And if the Queen wasn't already big enough, last week's update also introduced the Matriarch, which can only be found during a specific Map Condition. But, believe me, you'll know when you've found her.
This week's update is lighter on content, but it packs plenty of balance adjustments and bug fixes. One of ARC Raiders' most overpowered weapons, the Venator, has received a substantial nerf in today's update, as Embark says it was "over-performing." The studio says the weapon was capable of outgunning full squads using close-range weapons and has therefore opted to re-tune the fire-rate gained from upgrades to "pull down the pacing a bit, while still keeping its damage and accuracy intact." For those eager to know the specifics, the Venator has had its fire-rate gained from upgrades reduced from 22/44/60% to 13/26/40% and its weight increased from 2 to 5.
Sadly, this isn't the only nerf that is included in the most recent patch. As ARC Raiders continues to find huge success, averaging around 400,000 concurrent users every day on Steam, it's no surprise that players have found the easiest ways to take out ARC enemies. One way fans achieved this was with Deadline, a new explosive mine that deals 1000 damage in a single hit. Players have been taking down Bastions, Bombardiers, and more with ease, so Embark is making it harder to obtain the mine in update 1.3. According to the patch notes, its buy value has been increased from 8,100 to 15,000 Coins, it now requires 3 Explosive Compound and 2 ARC Circuitry to craft, and trader stock has been reduced from 3 to 1.
There are numerous other bug fixes and balance adjustments included in the new ARC Raiders update, including changes to Launcher Ammo, Explosive Damage, and Power Cells. However, Embark also included a sneaky surprise for one fan who had requested that the studio allow them to display their impressive duck collection. Last week, a user took to Reddit to express their disappointment that they could not display all 600 Rubber Ducks in their Raider Den. While it hasn't been confirmed yet if this is now possible (I'd check, but I don't have 600 Rubber Ducks, funnily enough), an image attached to the patch notes shows a Raider surrounded by ducks in their Den, suggesting Embark may have upped the limit.
Deadline
Power cell
Launcher ammo
Venator
Dev note: The fully upgraded Venator has been over-performing recently, capable of outgunning full squads using close range weapons. We’re re-tuning the fire-rate gained from upgrades to pull down the pacing a bit, while still keeping its damage and accuracy intact. This should encourage players to take some more time with their shots rather than mag-dumping the first poor soul they encounter. The community also rightfully pointed out that the weight of the Venator was inconsistent with the weights of our other pistols, so we’ve corrected that as well.
Explosive Damage
Dev note: We noticed that explosives dealt damage to more parts at once than intended, allowing weapons like the Hullcracker to kill larger drones too quickly. We’ve adjusted explosive damage to make it more consistent across the board, and we’ve re-balanced the damage of the Hullcracker to account for that change. This will require Hullcracker shots to need a bit more precision while still dealing good damage to the targeted spot.