Arc Raiders has faced its share of controversies since launch, but few have drawn as much attention as the persistent wall-breaking exploits that allowed players to bypass locked rooms with little more than a flick of the controller. Unlike the recent item duplication glitch—which was squashed within days—the wall exploits remained unresolved for months, sparking frustration among players and raising questions about the game’s stability.
The reason, according to the development team, lies deep within the game’s foundation. The exploits weren’t isolated bugs but fundamental flaws in how the game’s physics and networking systems interact. Those things are very risky to patch rapidly, said Virgil Watkins, design director at Embark. It’s not just about adding a volume or tweaking a setting—it’s physics-level stuff, intrinsic to how the game is built.
The team’s eventual solution—turning affected rooms into hazardous zones with flamethrowers—wasn’t just a workaround. It was a deliberate choice to avoid unintended consequences. A poorly executed patch could have led to far worse issues, such as walls becoming fully permeable or physical boundaries collapsing entirely. The stakes were too high to rush a fix.
Contrast that with the duplication glitch, which Embark addressed almost immediately. Stuff like that, where the steps are clear and contained, is far easier to chase down, Watkins noted. In this case, the team already had a patch in development by the time the exploit gained widespread attention. The result? A hotfix deployed within days, restoring balance without disrupting the game’s core mechanics.
For players, the lesson is clear: not all bugs are created equal. Some exploits are surface-level and can be fixed quickly, while others require a deeper understanding of the game’s architecture. Embark’s approach—prioritizing stability over speed—reflects that reality, even if it means some glitches persist longer than players might hope.
The team has since released a roadmap outlining future updates, including improvements to gameplay mechanics and new content. Whether those updates will address lingering exploits remains to be seen, but the challenge of fixing deeply embedded flaws is now better understood.
