Arc Raiders has officially implemented nerfs to two of its most powerful weapons, the Trigger Nade and the Kettle, following extensive feedback from the gaming community. The January patch update aimed to address concerns over the dominance of these items in player-versus-player (PvP) encounters, which many players felt created an unbalanced gaming experience.
The Trigger Nade, in particular, has been a focal point of criticism. According to the patch notes, “Trigger Nade currently dominates PvP encounters, and players favour picking it over all our other grenades.” The developers have rebalanced the weapon’s damage falloff, concentrating damage closer to the center of the explosion while reducing damage at farther distances. Additionally, the time delay between triggering the grenade and its detonation has increased from 0.7 seconds to 1.5 seconds. This change is designed to give players more time to react and complicate timed detonations while in the air.
Changes to the Kettle, a basic firearm, are also significant. Previously, players were able to exploit the weapon’s fire rate, turning it into a rapid-fire machine gun. The developers have now reduced its fire rate from 600 to 450 rounds per minute. As stated in the patch notes, “The previous fire rate was only realistically reachable by players using macros, which creates an unfair dynamic that favours using 3rd party software.”
These adjustments have been anticipated for some time, as Embark Games had previously indicated that “significant changes” were forthcoming to address overpowered weapons. Conversations about nerfing the Trigger Nade had already circulated in the game’s official Discord prior to this update, underlining the community’s ongoing concerns.
Alongside these nerfs, the latest patch introduces several additional changes. One notable fix addresses an exploit that allowed players to retain room keys after use, while another adjustment lowers lighting in certain areas of Stella Montis’ Night Raid, enhancing the relevance of flashlights during gameplay.
Overall, the nerfing of basic weapons like the Kettle represents a necessary step toward achieving game balance, as these weapons had been performing disproportionately well for their cost. Players are now looking forward to potential buffs for less-used epic weapons, as well as incentives to utilize these items in matches.
The gaming community’s reaction to these changes remains to be seen, but the adjustments are a clear indication that Arc Raiders is committed to creating a fairer and more balanced gaming environment. As players adapt to these new dynamics, the focus will inevitably shift to how other weapons will evolve in future updates.
