Topic / Subject

Embark clarified ARC Raiders matchmaking: it’s influenced by longer-term behavior patterns, but it’s not a strict “friendly vs aggressive lobbies” switch — and post-match surveys don’t affect matchmaking.

TL;DR

Matchmaking isn’t “friendly vs aggressive lobbies,” and surveys don’t affect it. Embark says it’s more blended and long-term than players want it to be.

Key Details

Per PC Gamer, Embark’s design director said matchmaking isn’t “binary” and doesn’t split players into clean “friendly” vs “aggressive” buckets. Per PC Gamer, the system looks at longer-term patterns, not single actions. Per GamesRadar, Embark said end-of-match surveys have “zero” impact on matchmaking and are used for sentiment/data only. “Aggression-based matchmaking” is framed as a player-coined term; Embark’s stance is that the system blends players rather than flipping a mode on/off.

Breakdown

This is the devs trying to stomp out the conspiracy board. Players want matchmaking to be a simple lever you can pull — “play nice for a bit, get easy lobbies” — and Embark is basically saying the system doesn’t work like that.

The survey clarification is huge for morale: people were treating those end-of-match prompts like a secret exploit. If Embark’s right, lying on surveys doesn’t “rig” anything — it just creates junk feedback graphs and wasted energy.

The part Embark isn’t fully spelling out (understandably) is the exact weighting: what matters most, and how much. That’s the gap players will keep trying to fill with theories until the experience feels consistent.

What to Watch Next

Whether player sentiment changes as the “survey exploit” myth dies (or mutates). If Embark gives more transparency on broad categories (without revealing the recipe). Whether matchmaking tweaks show up in future patch notes as the community pressure stays loud.

Sources

PC Gamer — report (headline not provided)

GamesRadar — report (headline not provided)

ARCRaidersIntel — Instagram post (summary graphic)

Comment

Do you believe Embark here — or do you think players will keep chasing “how to force easy lobbies” no matter what?