In the ultra-rigid universe of ARC Raiders, each key found is supposed to be a small miracle, a rare object jealously guarded to open the doors leading to the most lucrative areas. But recently, these keys no longer have the same value. A bug discovered by several players simply allows you to enter locked rooms… without ever possessing one.
The principle of this manipulation is both disarmingly simple and reveals the collective ingenuity of the players: one remains motionless near a closed door, while another climbs on top of him to literally pass over the obstacle. Once inside, all he has to do is open the door from the inside for the whole group. Within seconds, the entire squad enters areas normally protected by a gameplay lock.
A short-circuited progression mechanic
What some humorously call a “cooperative wallhack” is not without consequences. In ARC Raiders, locked areas are full of rare components, advanced weapon blueprints, and other coveted resources. They form the heart of the game’s reward system. This is particularly the case for the control tower of the Dam Battlefield, one of the hotspots for elite loot.
But with this glitch, the mechanics planned by the developers to restrict access to these rewards collapses. Keys, previously valuable, become obsolete. The loot loses its value. Progression, designed to scale through successes and sacrifices, becomes trivial. And inevitably, the gaming ecosystem is shaken up.
On the networks, the community was quick to react. A clip posted on X by a player shows the manipulation in progress, accompanied by an ironic comment: “This glitch to open locked rooms is a little too powerful”. Another adds: “It’s always fun to meet strangers in ARC Raiders (a patch will probably arrive soon).”
An embarrassing precedent for Embark Studios
It must be said that this is not the first time that Embark Studios has faced a flaw of this type. In a recent updatethe developers had already had to fix a similar exploit involving the use of deployable barricades to pass through locked doors. The repetition of this type of incident could harm the reputation of a game whose success is based in part on the requirement for cooperation and the accuracy of its gameplay.
Faced with this new drift, the studio’s reaction is firmly awaited. There is consensus on the idea of an imminent fix, but the question of possible sanctions for players who have abused the bug remains open. Because if exploiting a glitch can sometimes be video game folklore, in a multiplayer title like ARC Raiders, it can profoundly distort the common experience.
For purists, this flaw weakens the challenge. For opportunists, this is a godsend until the patch drops. It remains to be seen which way the scales will tip, and above all, how quickly Embark Studios will manage to close this digital breach.