Freedom to Reset
ARC Raiders, set to launch on October 30, 2025, introduces a clever twist on progression with its Expedition Project. Unlike many live service games that force players to restart every season, this system hands the reins to players. At level 20, you unlock the ability to reset your character's progress voluntarily through an 8-week project cycle. Finish the requirements, and you decide whether to wipe your levels, skills, and gear or keep grinding. It's a refreshing approach that respects how you want to play, whether you're a weekend warrior or a leaderboard chaser.
This flexibility tackles a long-standing issue in games like extraction shooters. Hardcore players love the thrill of a fresh start, but casual gamers often feel left behind when their progress vanishes. ARC Raiders' design team, led by Virgil, laid out their vision in a detailed blog post, explaining how they aim to make resets rewarding without being mandatory. The system feels like choosing a new game mode rather than erasing your save file, and it's built to keep everyone in the game, no matter how much time you can commit.
How It Works in Practice
The Expedition Project operates on a clear rhythm. Every eight weeks, players work toward specific goals tied to their character's progress. If you complete them, you get a one-week window to finalize the reset. Don't finish in time? No problem, your progress carries over to the next cycle. Everything tied to your character, levels, skills, inventory, crafting, gets wiped if you opt in, but cosmetics, achievements, and anything tied to real-money purchases stay safe.
After a reset, you skip the tedious tutorials and jump straight into the action, with some features and maps already unlocked. The rewards for resetting are still being finalized, but expect permanent account unlocks, unique cosmetics, and temporary buffs that grow stronger with consecutive resets, up to a limit. This setup ensures that choosing to start fresh feels like a meaningful choice, not a chore, while keeping your hard-earned style intact.
Learning From the Past
To understand why this system matters, look at Path of Exile and Escape from Tarkov, two games that handle progression differently. Path of Exile offers optional leagues where players start fresh for new challenges, while its Standard mode lets others keep their progress forever. This dual approach keeps both casual and competitive players engaged, with data showing higher retention when players have choice. ARC Raiders takes a similar path, ensuring you're not forced to restart just because a season ends.
Escape from Tarkov, on the other hand, sticks to mandatory wipes, sparking heated debates in its community. While some players love the reset-driven intensity, others drop off when their progress is erased, with studies noting spikes in player churn late in wipe cycles. ARC Raiders' optional system sidesteps this by letting players decide their pace, potentially keeping more people in the game longer. These case studies show that giving players control can build loyalty without sacrificing excitement.
A New Standard for Fairness
ARC Raiders' approach could ripple across the industry. Live service games often struggle to balance the needs of players with packed schedules against those who grind daily. By making resets optional, the game respects your time while still offering the thrill of a fresh start. Casual players can keep their progress, while veterans chasing leaderboards get their reset fix. The system also protects purchases, aligning with consumer protection rules in places like the European Union, where preserving paid content is a growing concern.
Balancing this system won't be easy. Developers need to ensure reset rewards don't overpower non-resetting players, and server populations could fragment if too many players choose different paths. Yet, the data-driven design, with its focus on player behavior and flexible cycles, suggests ARC Raiders is ready to adapt. If successful, this could push other studios to rethink forced resets, making games more welcoming for everyone.