Arc Raiders has received a patch this morning, fixing an exploit that allowed players to shoot quicker than intended with the help of quick-use items, which was allowing some to dominate fights with other players.
This was best used with the El Toro shotgun, a close-ranged powerhouse balanced with its low rate of fire. With this exploit, players were unloading multiple shells in quick succession, causing havoc on live servers. Here’s an excellent video by Gravez that shows it in action. This was dubbed “double pumping” by some members of the community, as you could often knock out a light-shield user with two well placed shots with the El Toro. Stop laughing.
The way it worked was simple: you would shoot, which initiates the re-chambering animation, and then quickly press the quick use button during this animation, followed by the button for the weapon slot of your weapon mid-animation. This would cancel the animation early with a new round ready to go, slicing down the reload time significantly.
There are other fixes included in the patch that deserve their flowers. All locked rooms across the game have exploit mitigation mechanics added, following weeks of players finding inventive ways to break in without keycards. Players can also no longer push other people around by jumping on each other’s backs, so no more funny business.
There are also some more minor fixes, such as main menu texture problems going the way of the dodo, lighting artifacts upon entering a map being removed, and the correct voice options actually being reflected on restarting the game.
It’s not the most bombastic patch, but it is one with a massive impact on the experience for high-end players. PvP is now fairer, and you’ll actually need keycards to get the best loot. Stellar Montis should now be a safer place for raiders, minus all the Arc still hunting for your rubber ducks of course. A nice location for the still-absurd number of players to dive into, relatively worry free.
