Ten hours into Arc Raiders, I experienced the acute pain of betrayal for the first time. The round commenced with kindness. I encountered a fellow raider who offered me a rare shotgun along with a damaged heat sink to enhance my workbench. They requested nothing in return. It was one of numerous friendly interactions I’ve had while traversing the perilous terrains of Arc Raiders, yet I also felt my heart rate spike: dying means losing everything you’re carrying, so I realized I had to reach an extraction point swiftly and silently.
On the path, I encountered another player. We exchanged “don’t shoot” emotes followed by our actual voices on proximity chat, agreeing to support each other until the exit. I even dropped him some bandages.
Fool.