Arc Raiders is a multiplayer extraction journey during which gamers scavenge the remnants of a devastated world. The principle risk is Arc’s machines and, as developer Embark Studios places it, “the unpredictable selections of fellow survivors.” But one Arc Raiders participant, hell bent on killing relative newcomers, casuals, and people who have subsequent to no loot or even none in any respect, has gone viral for killing others for sport — sparking a debate about what’s and isn’t acceptable PvP habits within the course of.
Let’s begin with a quick primer on how Arc Raiders works. You’ll be able to play solo or in events as much as three, working as a workforce to progress by the sport. Nevertheless, different gamers are a relentless risk, and whereas Arc Raiders’ explosive launch has seen quite a lot of healthful, viral clips of gamers coming collectively to assist one another out, some gamers simply wish to watch the world burn.
Taylor “THump” Humphries, a retired American skilled H1Z1 and Apex Legends participant, who has taken it upon themselves to search out groups of gamers and kill them for, effectively, sport. In a clip considered 4.8 million occasions to this point on Twitter / X, THump kills a gaggle of gamers, one among whom pleads: “we simply began. I don’t have anything.” THump is then referred to as “scum” and “a bit of s**t.” THump responds to say: “yeah, I killed each single one among you by the way in which.” He then laughs.
THump‘s submit reads: “I love killing grown males which have jobs and kids as they’re making an attempt to get 5 million credit for the expedition. Killing all teamers in solos, stay now.”
I love killing grown males which have jobs and kids as they’re making an attempt to get 5 million credit for the expedition. Killing all teamers in solos, stay now.https://t.co/hiY3uPb3e7 pic.twitter.com/ncHTgNMT1x
— THUMP (@THump) December 18, 2025
The submit sparked a powerful response from a big group of gamers, a few of whom hit out at THump‘s actions, a few of whom backed him up. “I come from a spot the place PvP is just not elective,” THump mentioned. “It’s a lifestyle. You need elective PvP go play WoW.” Then: “couldn’t think about spending my Friday night time getting mad at a random streamer on the web sufficient to remark below his tweet as a result of he killed folks in a PvP recreation.”
“One other poisonous streamer,” one critic posted. “You must attempt serving to them as an alternative, it would make you be ok with your self for a change.” One other mentioned THump was demonstrating “psychotic habits.”
“I suppose there’s one thing uniquely anti-social about folks whose solely enjoyment in video games is ruining the enjoyable of good and pleasant folks,” said X / Twitter user Mizutamari. “There was at all times a distinction between individuals who trolled guys that had been yelling slurs or slamming keyboards and individuals who solely trolled guys that had been pleasant and appeared to try to maintain a cheerful disposition.”
Within the months since Arc Raiders’ launch, a sort of PvP etiquette has emerged. If you happen to encounter one other participant and don’t have any intention to PvP, name out that you simply’re pleasant. It’s thought of not cool to say pleasant and act pleasant then shoot, but after all that does occur. In Arc Raiders, PvP is at all times on.
In reality, this griefing debate has been round for so long as aggressive multiplayer video games have existed, but Arc Raiders has actually introduced it again to the forefront. Who cares when you fake to be pleasant then shoot to kill? It’s a online game, proper? “Your fellow human who trusted you cares,” urged redditor ilmk9396.
“It’s a online game. You do not die in actual life when your character dies,” countered MachinationMachine.
“There’s an actual individual on the opposite finish spending actual effort and time taking part in the sport they usually belief you to not steal that from them after you say you are pleasant,” responded ilmk9396. “They let their guard down and then you definitely make the most of that like a coward. Be a person and shoot on sight if you’d like the loot.”
Then, from MachinationMachine: “it is a aggressive PvP videogame the place you role-play as a ruthless post-apocalyptic raider. How is being honorable good role-playing?”
And so forth, and so forth. But isn’t this precisely what Embark Studios had hoped would emerge from Arc Raiders? “Ultimately, solely you determine what sort of Raider you might be — and the way far you’ll go to prevail,” reads the official blurb. Right here, the developer is actually handing over Arc Raiders to its neighborhood. Do what you are feeling is true, mainly. The sport is designed for pressure. But is it designed for relentless PvP?
“The sport is designed for you to work collectively, as there’s usually sufficient loot within the setting to go round so that everybody can stand up and you’ll have time collectively, with the occasional PvP,” iNteg urged. “The second lobbies solely develop into about PvP you lose most of your playerbase who needs to benefit from the different elements of the sport and never simply PvP. Getting in with a mindset that it is solely about PvP takes the allure and enjoyable out of the sport fully and in addition ruins the expertise, you lose any kind of potential magic that would have occurred as a result of oop, see individual should rat and gun them down with out an interplay.”
This one isn’t going anyplace, and neither is THump. Undeterred by any potential backlash, he has doubled down on his playstyle, posting an identical clip with the remark: “love loading up Arc Raiders on Saturday night time to point out the blue-collar workforce of America what an actual skilled gamer appears to be like like.”
Love loading up Arc Raiders on Saturday night time to point out the blue-collar workforce of America what an actual skilled gamer appears to be like like. Dwell now with extra abilityhttps://t.co/hiY3uPb3e7 pic.twitter.com/gw4UQDCTqI
— THUMP (@THump) December 21, 2025
And alongside one other more moderen clip, he posted: “Logging in with a full stock of set off nades and killing everybody making an attempt to get re-looted after the expedition is a pleasure.”
Logging in with a full stock of set off nades and killing everybody making an attempt to get re-looted after the expedition is a pleasure. Set off nades do NOT want a nerf! Dwellhttps://t.co/hiY3uPb3e7 pic.twitter.com/DuaFRCGlUi
— THUMP (@THump) December 22, 2025
Wesley is Director, Information at IGN. Discover him on Twitter at @wyp100. You’ll be able to attain Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.