Last week I was: enjoying my break, battling to become king in Metaphor: ReFantazio
This week I've been: bum-rushing Stella Montis to try and get the new Expedition resources
I've bounced back and forth on Arc Raiders' Expedition mechanic. At first, I thought it wasn't worth the investment, back before Embark revealed all the details about what we were getting, but once it announced the $5 million for five skill points and the unique skin, I came around to the idea of Presitiging despite a lot of community grumbling. Embark definitely should've announced the details sooner, but at least we all know in advance this season, so it's easier to grind that five mil if you feel inclined.
Even when I finished the Expedition, I wasn't sure if it was ultimately going to be worth it. The unique skin seemed nice and all, but the whole process requires you to give up so much stuff, especially if you've squirrelled away most of the blueprints.
I imagined that having to replay quests and tread the same old ground would be painful, too, but actually, I was completely wrong. Doing the Expedition has reignited my interest in Arc Raiders and has made looting fun again. When you have a stash filled to the brim with rare items and you're not wanting for much, it's really hard to find anything that gets you excited in the same way you were when you first started the game.
I didn't expect that beginning again would also reignite that excitement, but then I found my first Anvil and, yeah, I was pretty hyped. In many ways, understanding the game a lot better now means that I got even more excited about rare drops, because I knew their value and what I could actually do with them. Having acquired all that hard-fought knowledge also helped me progress significantly faster, whether I was doing quests, or in working out what to prioritise for upgrades.
My first few runs after the Expedition weren't the nightmare I expected them to be. I imagined getting gunned down by players with incredible loadouts who hadn't sent their characters away, but instead, I had some unbelievably lucrative runs, because I knew exactly where to go. It took significantly less time to get up and running again all thanks to that know-how.
While a lot of players complain about white weapons being far too good, as well as free loadouts, it did make starting again incredibly easy. I don't PvP all that much unless provoked, but you can go toe-to-toe with just about anyone provided you have a Stitcher or a Ferro. Honestly, starting again was so fun, I immediately began prep for the next Expedition.
Is it annoying that this Expedition requires me to get a million different resources from Stella Montis? Yes, yes it is. My primary complaint with the current Expedition is that the Montis-specific items are basically just a case of first-come, first-served. Even if you do decide to PvP people, it's unlikely they'll have what you need; It's just a bum rush to Assembly or Medical, while crossing your fingers that you'll spawn closer than other players.
Still, acquiring specific resources is an enjoyable challenge. I've never been one for Prestige mechanics, but I think I'll likely do every Arc Raiders Expedition from now on—starting again is fun. I feel like this game incentivises a hoarding approach at times, but ultimately what's the point if you're not using any of it? Starting again with the Expedition brought things back into focus for me. Because, in the end, what are extraction shooters if not games about losing everything, gaining everything, and losing everything again?
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