I don't know what I expected going into ARC Raiders Items. As a predominantly solo player my would-be duos partner for a game like this can't stop playing World of Warcraft at the moment, unfortunately I was mentally prepared to have my ass handed to me as I encountered hostile squads around every corner. That's how it usually goes in games like this.

For my first couple of visits topside, that's how I approached Arc Raiders, the new extraction shooter from Embark Studios. I lost a firefight to a player far better-equipped than I, then on my subsequent visit, I took down another player with nary a word said between us before I was spotted by a Rocketeer and blown to smithereens from the skies. It was only on my third attempt, when I took a shot at another raider, that they emoted "Don't shoot!" and I paused for thought. They'd clearly spawned in not long prior, so likely wouldn't have much loot, and I'd waste ammo. I remembered proximity chat was a thing, apologized to them over the mic, then we went our separate ways.

This was the pivotal moment for me, where I realised playing Arc Raiders as a solo pacifist is perhaps the most immersive, tension-inducing way to enjoy the game. Arc enemies flying drones and land-based robots alike pose enough of a threat that you can very quickly become overwhelmed if you're not careful, so playing as a friendly face to other raiders significantly increases your chance of survival. Especially if you team up to deal with any foes lurking around an extraction point.

There are countless moments I can hark back to in my roughly 12 hours with the game so far. I failed to dispatch of a Snitch before it called for reinforcements, which led to me fleeing from a Wasp and a Hornet in the open, scrambling to both reload, heal, and take cover, just a shot or two from death, when another player who had just finished looting a Baron Husk rocked up, ploughed two rounds into each of the drones, checked on me with a "You ok?", then disappeared into the night.

Or perhaps I should mention the player who shot me in the back as I was in a rush to extract, but as soon as I hurriedly held down my push-to-talk key and yelled "Fuck off, I'm friendly!", he apologized and asked where "the other one" was. Giving away there was another player in the vicinity, I explained I was in a rush to extract and I'm playing solo, another cheap ARC Raiders Items player emerged behind me, and the three of us advanced onwards. A Leaper was patrolling nearby, so we all hid in a bush, then ran into the elevator as quickly as possible, as a fourth player met us inside.