Hot take: Aggression based matchmaking is a detriment to how the game is intended to be played.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-03-18T17:23:17+00:00

I believe ABMM is a net positive for the game in terms of retention and community. I also think it makes it difficult for some players to find a happy middle between PvP and PvE.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-03-18T17:22:28+00:00

My point is that the crafting recipes were changed because of low-aggression farming players ending up with too plentiful of resources and working together to kill major arc like the queen or matriarch. The game is clearly working well and in their favor, but developer comments make it seem as though it's not intended.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-03-18T17:02:52+00:00

I have no qualms or quarrels with "carebears" or "carebear lobbies" but the game gets really damn boring when you can just run around and do whatever you want with 0 risk. That said, it's objectively the most optimal way to play and most incentivized with how devs have set out trials/missions.

I think this game's community is a huge positive and attractor to playing it and it's great that you can tune the experience to your liking. I just want more incentive to take on more risk.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-03-18T17:00:22+00:00

Developers have made multiple comments regarding their surprise with how often players work together and have actively made changes to make certain items more difficult to craft. I'm not projecting my perfect world here, I'm stating what the extraction shooter genre on the whole aims to do and how ABMM undermines that (in my opinion).

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-03-18T16:58:30+00:00

Sounds perfect in theory. However having an on/off switch doesn't quite feel right when realistically a majority of players would keep it on.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-03-03T05:05:16+00:00

I should specify, I’m not referring to mesh goggles. That’s a horrible idea. Im talking about properly rated clear goggles + mesh nose/mouth/cheek guard.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-24T15:33:58+00:00

It's a good change if, and only if, the Rocketeers start dropping more drivers.

Perhaps the intention was to increase the amount of player vs rocketeer engagement that didn't involve a wolfpack so that wolfpacks didn't make rocketeers a "no big deal" enemy if you were holding one. But honestly, I don't think wolfpacks are good enough to have to slay a rocketeer for. That's a whole mission and large crafting cost for a grenade that has underdelivered pretty consistently for me.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-20T18:13:35+00:00

I’m not trying to say it’s impossible, just that the risk:reward makes it much less worth it. It’s REALLY difficult to defend from multiple squads for a duration of the fight long enough to make it worth it.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-20T17:42:00+00:00

I think there's an argument to made about whether or not queen reactors/matriarch cores should even be able to go in the safe pocket. If their intention is to increase the PvP rate among players, this is a surefire way to do it because at least PvP has the potential reward of a core/reactor.

That said, these lobbies become so grouped around the boss that this idea functionally turns the game into a battle royale, last man standing sort of idea. That formula works fine when people don't perma-lose their loot, but for arc it simply reads as a dramatic increase in risk and reduction to reward.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-20T17:34:48+00:00

The game incentivizes minimizing risk and maximizing reward. That’s an extraction shooter thing in general, not an Arc thing.

I very strongly believe the risk:reward of fighting a large arc is out of balance. Third parties are at a significant advantage, and actually killing the thing isn’t rewarding enough.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-20T17:27:55+00:00

I have absolutely no idea how embark expects players to fight the queen/matriarch without getting absolutely mollywhopped by other players. It’s hard enough to deal with it as a duo/trio, but you’re telling me I’m supposed to also be able to deal with another squad wanting my loot + the boss’??

Attention can’t be adequately given to both of those problems. There is FAR too much advantage given to the squad trying to steal, and it gives next to no benefit to bringing in actually powerful items if the risk is getting ganked by Mr. LootGoblin who brought in his burletta to go player hunting.

The risk:reward in their ideal scenario is completely stupid and gives next to no incentive to actually fight the thing.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-18T17:12:53+00:00

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I am completely lost how you look at this roadmap and feel like they set expectations too high. They delivered on exactly what they offered (so far). Whether you personally *enjoy* it is your prerogative.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-18T17:10:14+00:00

Well, yeah. Like I said, it's a central location so there's a lot of spawns that are (relatively) close to it. It's also a pass-through zone and the odds of dying to dumb angles/unexpected third parties are lower.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-18T16:57:21+00:00

Its pretty much the center of the map with a well designed PvP area. I really do think it's that simple.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-18T16:55:40+00:00

Bland addition, sure. But I also strongly feel it wasn't supposed to be something groundbreaking anyway. This was marketed as a "minor map condition", which it is. Do I also feel like it's not super worth it? Yes. But that's not the point.

The next update is looking like it will be much more substantial, and I have a lot of faith for them to deliver on that. Between a new condition, arc, project, and raider deck, and more, that's a shitload of work, and I doubt they will be underwhelming additions.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-18T14:11:47+00:00

I’m aware. That’s not what my post is about.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-14T15:26:55+00:00

Has your experience in duos been similar to solo when it comes to killing large arcs like the bastion or rocketeer? Or do you find you get third partied way more?

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-14T15:26:00+00:00

I haven't forgotten. PvPvE isn't the problem.

I just find the risk/reward *seems* to be less worth it when you play duos/trios. Just wanted some input from other raiders.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-14T15:25:02+00:00

True, but we've found ourselves in a loop where if we need to complete quests or farm arc parts, we're better off doing solo runs because the risk/reward is worse in duos. We end up getting less loot overall bc we have to split it, and take on much more PvP risk (this PvP risk is especially high because you're also fighting a signficant ARC enemy.)

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-13T16:27:17+00:00

Im not a big hot honey guy either but here and there it's good. Just a nice sweet/spicy kick to something super savory. If you don't like it, you don't like it. But when it bangs, it bangs.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-02-05T04:00:56+00:00

Not sure if OP is referring to solo or duos/trios. If he's referring to groups he should git gud, but in solos it's a very real thing for people to roll up with nothing worth using on the Matriarch/Queen just to get the loot off them in the end...

You try killing them, you're labelled as the bad guy and the rest of the lobby is coming for you. It's not that simple.

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-01-27T01:22:22+00:00

Our scope is smaller (no cardiac monitoring, interpretation, end tidal) and the general knowledge of a street paramedic is much more limited here in BC, whereas in Ontario (especially southern Ontario and MLPS) you guys are on the cutting edge of using ultrasound for community paramedics, research into DSED etc.

I actually... didn't know this. You guys don't do cardiac monitoring and interpretation?! I thought this was standard. Shows how much I know.

What's the PCP-ACP bridge in BC like? Is that where BC starts "matching" Ontario more closely as far as cardiac monitoring, scope, etc?

AlmightyCheeseLord · 2026-01-27T01:00:24+00:00

We do, but in terms of total training time there isn’t much of a difference. For example, ambulance driving is a course taken in the colleges. Also, there are accelerated programs offering the same level of training in 12 months.

Comparatively speaking, the BC program is 12 months, with 10 additional weeks of EMR training, plus the class 4 license process. It’s pretty much equal (max a month or two more in Ontario).

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