Arc Raiders' duping exploits and cheating are worse than you thought, one creator found

YouTuber The Gaming Merchant went digging into how bad Arc Raiders' duplication exploits and cheating have actually gotten — and the picture isn't pretty. The game has struggled with item duping bugs since launch, and their effects are most visible in PvP-leaning lobbies.

The Gaming Merchant started by jumping into PvP servers, where running into heavily geared players is expected. But things got suspicious fast: one player killed them, then dumped a pile of Bobcats on the ground and bragged over voice chat about having even more stockpiled in their stash. Digging further into Facebook and Discord groups, the creator found people buying and selling in-game weapons and gear for real money — almost certainly sourced through duping or third-party tools, all of which violates Embark's terms of service. A lot of this trading, according to the research, happens on Asian servers, likely because they're quieter and easier to arrange deals on. Some players encountered there had inventories packed with duped gear and openly admitted to trading it across server regions.

Embark has generally patched individual duping bugs quickly — the endless rubber ducky glitch being one memorable example — but new exploits keep surfacing. The Expedition wipe system, which could act as an economy reset, is optional, so the main tools left to fight economy manipulation are weapon degradation and banning offending accounts. Even players who do use Expeditions often rely on friends to mule gear for them so nothing is actually lost.

Reddit threads complaining about exploits are easy to find, and the frustration is justified. Without mandatory wipes, Arc Raiders' item economy stays vulnerable — and The Gaming Merchant's investigation makes it hard to argue the problem is minor.