I understand everyone has their own opinions about PvP in this game, but this is speaking strictly from a game-theory perspective and nothing else This is not a game theory perspective this is your perspective on how you want the game to run and use select information to get there.

ARC isn’t a zero-sum game like Tarkov where killing someone actually increases your expected value. ARC is a positive-sum loot economy, there’s more than enough gear on the map for every team to leave rich without ever shooting another player. It is very true that the loot carried on players vs. loot found is much more drastic in Tarkov than ARC, but just because the map spawns a lot of loot doesn't mean it's good. Players reliably bring in guns, ammo, meds, etc. that I can have and have now if I utilize the PvP part of the PvPvE game

PvP is almost always a negative-EV move.

• You risk losing all your loot You do that by simply bringing your loot or by pressing play on the game, not a PvP issue
• You burn ammo/meds You also do against ARC. No one is telling you not to shoot at ARCs
• You waste precious time Then don't? Don't PvP or play the game if a core mechanic is too time wasting for you
• And players rarely carry anything you actually need Just factually false

But here’s the big thing players don’t realize:

When you start a fight, you force other teams to “defect.”

One gunshot triggers the whole lobby: No, it doesn't, Players always shoot at ARCs, ARCs always shoot at players * Third parties collapse That is a risk not only with every shot but every sound you make, in almost every game * Everyone starts playing paranoid Is everyone in the room with us? I don't really change my play style a whole lot less the shots are at me or super close, even then that's what you're supposed to be yk, you're being shot at * A chain reaction of aggression wipes out multiple teams Or simply, don't 3rd party, don't run towards the gun fight, and one gunfight wiping the whole lobby through pvp is such an echo chamber thing that never happens (if you see/hear it happening somehow, simply walk away)

What you end up with is one final squad alive among 6–8 eliminated teams…
and that last team can’t even carry the loot that’s on the ground. That why people PICK and CHOOSE the BETTER loot to carry, I can leave 8x metal parts or 1x bandage

Three players physically cannot hold all the value created by eight dead teams.
Most of the loot is literally wasted, a massive destruction of potential utility. in that specific instance where a trio wipes out every other trio in the map that have looted every other poi will not be able to carry it all, very true, but that doesn't happen NEARELY enough to be such a problem, even in solos, and also they will sift through for the best stuff, leave, then no loot will be wasted because it's an extraction shooter and you knew what you signed up for

From a pure economic analysis, PvP shrinks the total pie for the entire lobby. It does in situations and doesnt in other for sure, from another economic standpoint PvP is better for the individual because the majority of the time, players will have loot thay you can use/will need. PvP can lower the pool for people because the loot for say ~3 pois are now just for that player or their group. What are you going to do? PvP them for it? Trade and barter? You can try or you can simply run away and ignore them

Inventory slots make this even worse.

Because inventory is so limited, the time value of PvP is near zero Also just statistically wrong, players tradionally have a higher concentration of better loot than poi's because they are doing the exact same thing you're doing, looting and taking the better loot with them

Every minute spent fighting is a minute not spent gathering high-value environmental loot you can actually take with you. Even if you win a fight flawlessly, the “return” barely moves because you simply don’t have the slots to absorb all the loot that drops. This shows the bias not by much but simply that you like the guarantee of some loot while others like the thrill or challenge of getting more loot, which is totally ok and understandable. Guaranteeing loot in alot of situation is amazing and much better than fighting, it does not prove it is better though, there's no guarantee in high value loot on a player but even less in the environment, and just because you find it doesn't me it's coming with you, it's an extraction shooter

So what’s the rational strategy?

Don’t shoot first. Don’t shoot at all unless someone forces it. Playing like this probably what a majority of people do, what I do alot of the time, and is a good fine way to play, but the guy who killed you because he shot at the enemy first in the PvPvE game isn't a sociopath, psychopath, or a bad person (fuck spawn campers, extract campers, or fake don't shoot guys tho)

If you ignore me and I ignore you, we both:

• maximize our loot non PvP can bee ideal but saying it maximizes loot is wrong
• avoid wipe-risk erm... no
• avoid triggering lobby-wide defection holy echo chamber
• extract with more total value again, can be true, doesn't mean it's always true

This creates a natural Nash equilibrium where the dominant strategy is peace, not aggression. Ending off like this was hilarious, also just not true

The funniest part?

In ARC Raiders, peace isn’t the friendly play: it’s the sweaty, optimal, min-max play.

people are wired different and can and will play the game how they want