Arc Raiders Duo matchmaking explained

Arc Raiders began public availability with what you may call less love for Duos, certainly compared to playing Solo or as part of a Trio. Which is odd, because it’s often easier to jump into any game with one friend if you’re after a bit of backup. Fortunately, Duos quickly received some focused attention from Embark, improving matters. 

Below, we’ll go through the key changes and things to know about life Topside as a Duo. We’ll detail how Duo matchmaking has changed since the Arc Raiders release, and the potential impact this may have on your gameplay. So if you’ve been shying away from Duos runs, or wondering if they’re even viable with Trios on the prowl, read on. 

Right from the Arc Raiders’ release date, the title was widely praised. However, Duos felt odd, as Duos didn’t often meet other Duos. Conversations like this one on Reddit explain clearly. Essentially, to quote the original post, “if there’s two of you – the vast majority of the time (around 80% so far out of the data I have collected about our fights) you are facing Trios.”

That imbalance isn’t ideal, and over time, it could lead to fatigue, frustration, and boredom from being regularly outnumbered. For Embark, the state of Duo matchmaking was a rare negative in an otherwise hugely impressive launch. Why matchmaking was skewed as it was at launch isn’t clear, but Embark was swift to address the issue.

On November 12, not even two weeks after its release date, the official Arc Raiders game site posted this news update. Front and centre is Duo matchmaking. More specifically, Duo prioritised matchmaking, which isn’t how things were dialled in from launch. Alongside reductions in cosmetic store prices and refunds (always good), Duo matchmaking had arrived.

Although it’s not clear how Embark specifically set matchmaking at launch, the November 12 update suggests that keeping Solos and parties separate was key to how things worked initially. This makes a lot of sense with a smaller player pool, because Solo players would be most disadvantaged against parties. A Duo against a Trio somehow feels less punishing. 

Thankfully, with Arc Raiders’ huge success and crossplay, there is now a large number of players, potentially adding options. ‘Duos prioritised matchmaking’ does two things: Firstly, parties and Solos are prioritised as being separate. Then, Duos are prioritised to play with Duos, and Trios with Trios. Ideally, because of this, Raiders face parties of the same size.

Of course, this isn’t 100% guaranteed: any live service game wants to get players into a match rather than leave them in matchmaking. But it’s a clear improvement. As Embark states in its update, Duos should now face more Duos, although “you may at times run into differing constellations of players other than your own”. 

This change to Arc Raiders’ matchmaking has a clear ripple effect. The biggest change is a renewed willingness of players to pair up and to go Topside in a Duo. And honestly, getting this Duo issue resolved before players gave up in despair was key for this reason. Additionally, actual action in rounds will have been impacted by the change.

As we pointed out when discussing why Arc Raiders squad sizes matter, Duos are more flexible. You can move quickly enough to carry out questing or taking down Arcs. But with matchmaking changes, there’s now less of a need to feel you must add a third player in-game, disrupting your dynamic to help survive a potential PvP confrontation with a Trio.

Further, Duo versus Duo PvP is now far more common and likely. That means if you have a specific buddy or family member you always game with, then you can feel more comfortable jumping in and feeling you won’t be outnumbered. Essentially, you can play more at ease, enjoy a brilliant game, in good company, and not feel punished – as should be the case.

So Arc Raiders’ matchmaking started life in a less-than-ideal spot. Thankfully, due to player and community feedback, and no doubt the huge player base attracted to the title, this has been addressed. Embark has tweaked matchmaking to suit players preferring Solo, Duo, and Trio whenever possible, although within the bounds of realism. 

Thankfully, though, given the huge number of people playing the game, it feels like Arc Raiders matchmaking shouldn’t require any tweaks going forward. And if you prefer Duos in multiplayer, grab your buddy and go check out the littered landscapes of Speranza. You should find it a less Trio-heavy experience.