How to Join Friendly Lobbies in Arc Raiders Easily

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If you've been playing ARC Raiders lately, you know how stressful it can get when every single extraction turns into a sweaty, high-stakes PvP firefight. Sometimes, you just want to log on, farm some materials, take down some ARC units, and enjoy the PvE side of the game without constantly looking over your shoulder.

The good news? You can actually steer the game toward giving you exactly that.

ARC Raiders uses what Embark Studios calls an Aggression-Based Matchmaking (ABMM) system. Instead of throwing everyone into a giant, random meat grinder or separating players into strict, permanent groups, the algorithm tracks your behavior on a continuous scale. If you play like a bloodthirsty hunter, you get matched with hunters. But if you consistently behave like a cooperative PvE player, the game will gradually start pairing you with like-minded, friendly raiders.

Embark recently patched out early exploits—like immediately surrendering or dying right at spawn to lower your rating—so you can't cheese it instantly anymore. To clean your record, you have to genuinely act like a PvE player over a series of rounds.

Here is exactly how to do it efficiently.

The Clean Raid Farm Method
Depending on how aggressive you've been in your recent matches, you will need to string together anywhere from 3 to 22 "clean" raids to shift your matchmaking environment.

To get credit for a clean PvE round, you need to hit a threshold of roughly 4,000 Experience Points (XP) without dealing a single point of damage to another human player. Here is the fastest loop to get that done:

Equip a Free Kit: Deploy naked or with a completely free loadout. If you run into a hostile player who hasn't gotten the "friendly lobby" memo yet, you lose absolutely nothing.

Queue into High-Density Maps: Drop into Stella Montus or Buried City. These maps are packed with crates and containers close together.

Speed-Loot Containers: Run through structures opening every container in sight. A great time-saving trick here is that you don't even have to wait for the items to reveal or pick them up. Simply interacting and triggering the opening action awards the XP.

Destroy a Small ARC: Hunt down at least one minor ARC unit, like a Wasp, Fireball, or Pop. Mixing container XP with actual ARC kills tells the algorithm you are actively playing the game's core PvE loop, not just macro-looting.

Die or Extract Post-4,000 XP: Keep an eye on your in-game summary. Once you cross that 4,000 XP mark, you can head for extraction or simply let an ARC drone eliminate you. Pushing for significantly more XP gives you diminishing returns on your matchmaking score, so it's much faster to end the match and go again.

Golden Rules of Pacifism
While you are actively trying to lower your aggression rating, you have to follow a few strict behavioral rules. A single slip-up can reset your progress and keep you trapped in the sweatier lobbies longer.

Never Initiate PvP: This is obvious, but do not fire a shot or swing a melee weapon at another raider under any circumstances.

Self-Defense is Allowed (But Risky): Recent developer updates fixed the system so that if someone else shoots you first, defending yourself won't penalize your aggression score. That said, if you want to guarantee the fastest possible transition to friendly lobbies, it is still safest to just take the death without shooting back.

Avoid Squad PvP: The matchmaking system evaluates the collective profile of your entire team. If you queue into Duos or Trios with your PvP-loving friends, their hostile actions will drag your solo profile right back down with them. Do your clean farming solo.

How to Stay in (and Maintain) Friendly Lobbies
Once the algorithm realizes you're a pacifist and starts dropping you into low-aggression lobbies, you still need to communicate your intentions to the other players you run into. Here is how to maintain the peace and avoid accidental misunderstandings:

Holster Your Weapon: Walking around with your weapons down or running around with your Anvil utility gadget equipped is universal shorthand for "I am not looking for trouble."

Use Emotes and Proximity Chat: When you approach a major landmark or a popular looting spot, pop a greeting or dancing emote. If you have a microphone, use proximity chat to state your business clearly—a simple "Just farming materials, I'm friendly" goes a long way.

Share Resources: If you stumble upon other raiders locked in a heavy fight with a major ARC boss, toss them a bone. Dropping spare shield chargers, blueprints, or medical supplies reinforces your status as a cooperative ally and ensures everyone leaves the map rich.