Since update 1.36.0, released on July 7, 2026, ARC Raiders has tracked playstyle separately in Solo, Duo, and Trio rounds. Acting peacefully on your own therefore does not determine the behavioral history used when you join two teammates. Each format develops its own tendencies, although none guarantees exclusively friendly encounters. Embark Studios confirmed this change in the official patch notes.
Why does peaceful Solo play not define your Trio matches?
Before 1.36.0, Embark acknowledged that behavior in one squad format could influence another: quiet Solo play could steer you toward more cooperative Trio rounds, while seeking fights with a group could affect your individual matches. Since July 7, the studio says these histories no longer overlap. You can gather supplies and finish quests alone while pursuing PvP in a Trio, without automatically transferring either playstyle to the other format.
That does not make a Trio profile the decision of just one player. In its official May explanation, Embark stated that every squad member contributes to the group profile and the leader has no special weighting. The studio has not published a complete mathematical formula or promised any particular kind of opponent for a given lineup.
How the rules evolved from 2025 to 2026
- November 12, 2025: Embark announced a preference for matching Solos with Solos, Duos with Duos, and Trios with Trios, after first prioritizing the separation of Solo players from squads. It warned that squad-size matching would never be foolproof.
- May 20, 2026: the developer explained playstyle-based matchmaking. The goal is to bring together players with broadly similar interaction patterns on a continuous scale, rather than sorting every round into friendly or aggressive categories.
- July 7, 2026, update 1.36.0: Solo, Duo, and Trio behavior began being tracked independently. This is the change that addresses different playstyles belonging to the same player.
- July 28, 2026, update 1.39.0: Embark began testing the complete removal of self-defense from the playstyle estimate. Under that test, starting a fight counted, while returning fire after being attacked did not. The announcement should not be mistaken for a guarantee that this setting would remain permanently.
- October 13-20, 2026: a separate test offered a PvE server toggle with player-to-player damage disabled. That experiment did not alter PvPvE matchmaking ratings and ended on October 20.
Matchmaking considers patterns, not a permanent label
Embark’s May document outlines two aims: fairness, seeking players with comparable chances of success while prioritizing similar squad sizes, and enjoyment, pairing broadly compatible interaction styles. Queue times and latency also constrain the matches available. There is no permanent binary split between peaceful and aggressive servers.
The relevant history develops across multiple raids, particularly through interactions with other Raiders. One shot or kill will not instantly change your profile. The company also says your loadout value, looting a downed player, and end-of-round survey responses are not shortcuts to selecting your next lobby. Turning crossplay off can change the player pool and queue time, but it cannot guarantee more cooperative encounters.
In 1.39.0, Embark explained how its defensive-PvP test distinguished the initiator from the defender: if a squad member was attacked first, the entire squad was classified as defending; joining an existing fight as a third party counted as starting a confrontation. The intensity of the encounter mattered too. Because Embark framed these as test rules, they should be dated rather than treated as a permanently fixed, fully disclosed algorithm.
What changes in practice for Solo, Duo, and Trio?
- Solo: a player who avoids initiating PvP may gradually develop a more cooperative tendency in that format without automatically carrying that history into Trio raids.
- Duo: there is a third independent playstyle history, and both squad members influence the group’s matchmaking profile.
- Trio: someone who plays peacefully alone may frequently fight other players with friends; the Trio history is tracked separately and teammates’ behavior also matters.
Separate behavioral histories do not mean three completely isolated matchmaking pools or a promise to encounter teams of exactly the same size. Squad-size prioritization and playstyle estimation are different mechanisms, both constrained by the available players.
Are there PvE-only rounds? The October caveat
In standard PvPvE matchmaking, meeting players with similar tendencies is a probability, not a safety guarantee. The temporary exception was the PvE server test held October 13-20, 2026: player-versus-player damage was disabled and separation by squad size was not prioritized. Embark confirmed on October 20 that the test had ended, reported over 30 million PvE rounds played, and said it expected to share more information in November. As of the October 29 review, this was not confirmation of a permanent PvE mode.
For players switching between peaceful Solo scavenging and competitive Trio PvP, the answer is specific: update 1.36.0 prevents behavioral history from carrying across those formats, but it cannot predict who will be in the next lobby or remove the risk of combat in PvPvE sessions.
Sources and references
- Embark Studios: Duo Matchmaking and Store Update
- Embark Studios: Notes on The Matchmaking System
- Embark Studios: Live Update 1.36.0
- Embark Studios: Live Update 1.39.0
- Embark Studios: We’re testing a PvE Toggle: here’s what it means for you
- Embark Studios: PvE Toggle Beta Test: October 13-20
- Embark Studios: PvE Matchmaking Toggle Test: Thanks for taking part!
- Fabian Lainé, Playnews: ARC Raiders: como funciona o matchmaking por estilo de jogo
- Embark Studios: Live Update 2.3.0
