TheRetroArcade
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Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
"Rather than diminish the capability of the Wolfpack itself, we opted to adjust the crafting components."
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Reactions to large game updates always come in two phases: the "wow cool" phase that plays out as folks try out the major new stuff, and the "hey wait a minute" phase that follows once players realize the consequences of the patch notes' fine print.
The "hey wait a minute" moment for Arc Raiders' Shrouded Sky update was a change to the Wolfpack, a dominant seeking grenade that does massive damage and players rely on to easily destroy some of the most troublesome Arc. Previously a relatively cheap crafting recipe, making a Wolfpack now also requires a rare component from the Rocketeer: an ultra-lethal and especially hated Arc that is, paradoxically, the preferred target of the Wolfpack grenade. As Evan wrote yesterday, it's a balancing change that will "alter the fate and behavior of countless raiders."
[Fun fact: Did you know Wolfpack grenades are named after the Gjallarhorn rocket launcher in Destiny, which fires Wolfpack rounds that also split into multiple seeking submunitions that do an ass-ton of damage.]
There was enough uproar about the Wolfpack change that Embark felt the need to address the crafting update directly on Discord. Its reasoning won't come as a huge surprise: the Wolfpack was too good for how cheap it is, and now it's not.
"We understand your frustrations with the new crafting recipes. We adjusted the Wolfpack recipe by adding a Rocketeer Driver and removing two Explosive Compounds to bring the ratio of cost vs effectiveness more in line with the trend of other items," Embark community rep Ossen said in the statement. "Wolfpacks offered a lot for their cost (fast deployment, auto-tracking, and very high damage), so rather than diminish the capability of the Wolfpack itself, we opted to adjust the crafting components to better reflect its power."
While some players will ultimately disagree with Embark's assessment of the Wolfpack, I find its method of knocking the grenade down a peg encouraging: Don't decrease the Wolfpack's worth by taking away its punch, make the Wolfpack a truly valuable find. This sort of indirect nerf is common in genres that blend combat and crafting, but as Arc Raiders is the first extraction shooter for many, the annoyance is understandable.
It's clear that Embark wants to draw a larger distinction between low-tier, mid-tier, and high-tier gear. The same patch notes included widespread nerfs for two popular common weapons, the Kettle and Stitcher, that were widely considered so good th...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Reactions to large game updates always come in two phases: the "wow cool" phase that plays out as folks try out the major new stuff, and the "hey wait a minute" phase that follows once players realize the consequences of the patch notes' fine print.
The "hey wait a minute" moment for Arc Raiders' Shrouded Sky update was a change to the Wolfpack, a dominant seeking grenade that does massive damage and players rely on to easily destroy some of the most troublesome Arc. Previously a relatively cheap crafting recipe, making a Wolfpack now also requires a rare component from the Rocketeer: an ultra-lethal and especially hated Arc that is, paradoxically, the preferred target of the Wolfpack grenade. As Evan wrote yesterday, it's a balancing change that will "alter the fate and behavior of countless raiders."
[Fun fact: Did you know Wolfpack grenades are named after the Gjallarhorn rocket launcher in Destiny, which fires Wolfpack rounds that also split into multiple seeking submunitions that do an ass-ton of damage.]
There was enough uproar about the Wolfpack change that Embark felt the need to address the crafting update directly on Discord. Its reasoning won't come as a huge surprise: the Wolfpack was too good for how cheap it is, and now it's not.
"We understand your frustrations with the new crafting recipes. We adjusted the Wolfpack recipe by adding a Rocketeer Driver and removing two Explosive Compounds to bring the ratio of cost vs effectiveness more in line with the trend of other items," Embark community rep Ossen said in the statement. "Wolfpacks offered a lot for their cost (fast deployment, auto-tracking, and very high damage), so rather than diminish the capability of the Wolfpack itself, we opted to adjust the crafting components to better reflect its power."
While some players will ultimately disagree with Embark's assessment of the Wolfpack, I find its method of knocking the grenade down a peg encouraging: Don't decrease the Wolfpack's worth by taking away its punch, make the Wolfpack a truly valuable find. This sort of indirect nerf is common in genres that blend combat and crafting, but as Arc Raiders is the first extraction shooter for many, the annoyance is understandable.
It's clear that Embark wants to draw a larger distinction between low-tier, mid-tier, and high-tier gear. The same patch notes included widespread nerfs for two popular common weapons, the Kettle and Stitcher, that were widely considered so good th...Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?