Which Game has Better PvP? Tarkov? Or Arc Raiders?

(Intro)

One of the most important components in any extraction shooter is the ability to fight other players. It’s what gives this genre the reputation of being a difficult and sometimes arduous experience. It all hinges on your ability to fend off whatever computer opponents the game throws at you, on top of being able to work around other players. Sometimes, you might be able to persuade someone with your voice that you don’t want to fight, but that isn’t always going to work. There are players specifically looking for combat, especially once they have gotten through a majority of the game’s content and are deep enough into it that losing gear isn’t a concern anymore. Which is a problem in itself, but regardless, the two big extraction games currently out right now are obviously Tarkov, and Arc Raiders, respectively. We may need to come back to this conversation once Marathon releases and if it’s good, include it and see where on the line it sits. But for now, I wanted to compare the two games’ PvP scenes. What the major differences are, where there are similarities and ask the question of is one game’s combat superior to the other. After playing both back-to-back, looking at the footage and just assessing what makes these games tick, the answer isn’t as black and white as you might expect.

(General gunplay)

Before we begin, I mulled over how I wanted to structure this conversation for a while. I could’ve either talked about one game in its entirety and then went over the other, but I think the format of comparing mechanics, and the general feel of each game makes more sense. So, we’ll be doing a lot of back and forth in this conversation, so keep that in mind. Also, another elephant; personally, I’ve put thousands of hours into Tarkov, but only about a hundred hours into Arc. So, naturally there is going to be a rather larger lean towards EFT in terms of my personal knowledge and experience within both games. So, I’m very interested to hear other people's perspectives if they’ve played both games down in the comment section below. Of course, the first and most obvious component of fighting other players is the general gunplay you actively engage with. Now, another elephant in the room that’s obvious; one game is first person while the other is third person. I understand that; they are very different experiences and won’t match up one to one. But that doesn’t mean we can’t look at them side by side and see what they each do well and where they both struggle. For example, because Tarkov is first person you generally feel the weapon’s recoil much more than you do in Arc. While reticle bloom is a decent way to simulate recoil, it’ll never fully be able to capture the raw power of a weapon firing in full auto, as you desperately try to wrangle its recoil to hit your targets. Recoil attachments in Arc just make the bloom expand less as you fire and reduce how much your screen pulls upward. But in Tarkov, less recoil means the gun kicks less; it stays closer to wherever you’re aiming. Which means you’ll spend a lot of time learning how a weapon fires and how to manage its individual recoil, which for some is genuinely fun. You don’t have to do that nearly as much in Arc; at most you just need to fire your weapon in short bursts to still be effective at surprisingly far distances. And with less guns in general, Arc boils down to what you personally find comfortable or powerful. Variety can certainly be the spice of life, and Tarkov takes the cake on this one; even if we exclude any potential duplicate weapons that are basically the same with some minor cosmetic or stat differences. It just means there’s a little something for everyone, which is always appreciated. But good PvP experiences go beyond just the weapons you will be using. For many, it’s all about the pacing of fights and how active you are when things go from zero to one hundred.

(The pacing of PvP)

Pacing in PvP is critically important for any successful game. Too much combat and you never find room to breathe and put yourself back together after a skirmish. Too little combat and the moments you do end up fighting matter too much, and you don’t get the experience necessary to become better at it. And funnily enough, both games struggle in this department, but for different reasons. Some would argue that PvP in EFT is way too sporadic; you can either be in a fight with another player for what feels like forever, or sometimes you get one-tapped by someone from across the map with no opportunity to fight back. The lethality of bullets in Tarkov is what makes this problematic. If you aren’t protecting your vital body parts well enough, it can lead to a one hit kill. Which while satisfying when you enact it on someone else, almost never feels fun or engaging when it’s done to you. Ironically, Arc has the opposite problem… well, kind of. Because you have health and shields, as far as I am aware, there is not a single item or entity in the entire game that can literally one tap you, other than fall damage. Meaning, you always have at least some amount of time to react accordingly to whatever situation you’ve walked into. But what this means is that fights can become messy fast; bodies flying all over the place, utility being spammed one after another, and an ungodly amount of potential third parties. Minor anecdote here, but the number of times I’ve been third partied in Arc Raiders after wiping three or more teams is astounding. It’s somehow worse than a battle royale game. Anyways, Fights in Arc can feel a little slow sometimes because no one hits zero health in an instant. Meaning the pace of fights can slow down to a crawl as people refill their health and shields. It can ultimately become a war of attrition boiling down to who has more supplies on them. In Tarkov, I can be brought down to a single hit point, but if I rip a propital, I still have a fighting chance. Will I most likely lose? Absolutely; but it’s not doomed. Because I have the chance of a one tap, there is always a reason to keep fighting. In Arc, it feels like there are moments where no matter what you try to do, if you don’t have the resources to keep going, eventually you will just fall. And that’s not a slight against the game, just an observation.

Mobility is another majorly important part of these games. Being able to move effectively can sometimes be enough by itself to win a fight. And again, both games kind of suffer here. Tarkov is a heavy, clunky game, but that is by design. You aren’t supposed to be bunny hopping around like a mad man, and yet people still manage to get away with it. Boots on the ground, slow, deliberate, and heavy. Those are probably the best adjectives to describe what Tarkov’s movement is in a perfect world. Arc on the other hand tries to be a little looser and more lenient with allowing players to move around with more gusto. Two different types of rolls, sliding, climbing, and jumping all combine to give players the opportunity for lack of a better term, to be athletic in combat. And yet, this game sometimes feels somehow even clunkier than Tarkov. Because trying to perform too many movement actions too quickly causes the game to almost lock up and not give you any of your inputs. Tarkov also has this problem, but that’s because most actions are so slow that you need to wait until you’ve fully gotten up from prone to start a heal or to reload your weapon. Arc feels like you could do these things at the same time, but it doesn’t let you, and that’s quite a shame.

(The nuances around the PvP)

Fighting players is so much more than just running at noise and putting rounds down range. There is a ton of nuance when it comes to being effective at fighting players. Where you position yourself like we mentioned earlier, can make or break a fight before it even begins. Having a height advantage, being closer to the extraction, or waiting on the sidelines until all the other teams are done fighting to ambush them are effective ways of having an edge. But because both games have computer enemies, it adds another very important layer to the game. Sure, you could take out that scav or Arc, but why not leave it alive? That’s free information for you should you hear them call out other players approaching your position. Or, how you can call in certain items or packages to lure players into your domain before laying waste to them. There are a ton of little parts of both games that give fights depth. And it all depends on how much you interact with them. Whether that’s simply repositioning if you are in a bad spot, disengaging completely because you’re out manned or out gunned; running headfirst into noise is a sure-fire way of getting sent back to the lobby really fast. Which most people know, but I will give Arc credit for how many utility items are in the game to help disengage, create confusion or chaos, or to repel people trying to make an advance on your position. There is a ton of stuff you can use, when compared to Tarkov, there isn’t a ton of utility, and half of it isn’t effective at all. But it’s remembering to use all these tools that separates players who are in tune with the flow of combat and what allows people to be so successful.

(The solo experience)

There are two distinct ways to play extraction shooters. With at least one friend or squad, and the more dangerous solo experience. And each game has a drastically different philosophy when it comes to playing solo. Solo Tarkov without a shadow of a doubt is the most brutal way to experience an extraction shooter currently. Players have been so conditioned for years now to shoot on sight, that you rarely ever get the chance to talk your way out of a circumstance. It certainly doesn’t help that VOIP wasn’t a thing for the first half of the game's life, but even with it working and working well, people these days just don’t seem interested in talking. So, you need to keep your wits about you and basically trust no one. Whereas with Arc, solo in that game is some of the move peaceful and relaxed extraction gameplay I’ve had. And honestly? Sometimes it’s so nice to just jump on, loot around, and say hello to people. Most players keep their weapons holstered. Now of course, some people again just want to fight and there’s nothing wrong with that. But it feels like a large majority of people use solos as a chance to loot around and find things they need or might be low on. Which again, nothing is wrong with that. It's a solid break from all the action that you can get up to. It’s the equivalent of running a scav in Tarkov. Well, actually, a free kit is equivalent. Either way, EFT has a tough solo experience, while Arc for the most part is a little more hands off and relaxed. Take that for what you will.

(The friends experience)

Playing with friends in any game is usually a better experience. Just having people you can talk to, coordinate with and banter off makes extraction shooters much more enjoyable. And it takes the sting out of a loss when it’s more than just you failing. And both games are fun with friends. Although Tarkov because it has no friendly icons to show their location combined with the fact that there is friendly fire, means accidentally taking out a squadmate can and will happen eventually. So, there is a bit of a risk when it comes to playing with others. Because Arc solves this by not having any friendly fire, and you can always see where they are. Which just makes the whole experience just that much more enjoyable. Tarkov years ago, could have benefitted from even just a tiny little dot on your teammates. Even if it’s only when then are within vision of your PMC, anything is better than nothing.

(Is one better than the other?)

So, after talking about each game’s combat, going back and forth weighing what each game does well and where it could be improved, I’ll ask the question again: does either game have better PvP than the other? It depends on what you want, what you have time for, and what you’re willing to put up with. Because as intense and awesome this genre can be, it can also be some of the most insufferable gameplay you could come across for an online game. When things don’t work, you get extremely unlucky or just have a bad streak of deaths; it can really get under your skin. Tarkov is the tried-and-true extraction shooter. If you want to experience this genre on its most difficult setting, you play that game. It’s hard, you will die a lot, and you will have to learn fast in order to stand a chance against those who have been playing since the alpha days. But if you want something a little bit more dialed back but can still absolutely be a thrilling experience in its own ways, Arc is more your wheelhouse. But I truly encourage those who have played Arc and are maybe looking for a step up in difficulty and intensity to give Tarkov a try. It's not perfect, but neither is Arc. They each have their own problems with some overlap, but both games are solid examples of what this genre is all about.

(Outro)

Extraction shooters are a genre quickly becoming more popular. Not as fast as battle royale for their innate difficulty and potential for disaster should failure rear its ugly head, but still an experience I think anyone proficient in online shooters should experience. And the fact that we’re getting more games in this genre is massive. It isn’t just Tarkov anyone; something that I think was ahead of its time but also so far behind it in many ways, can have other games take what made EFT so good and elevate it with modern sentiments. Arc has done a solid job, and I am very curious to see where Marathon sits. I hope the delay was enough to make something interesting and worth coming back for hundreds of hours. We’ll find out in March, but until then, you have two great games to choose from. And you can’t go wrong with the PvP in either game. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know down in the comment section below your thoughts with the PvP in each game, which one you personally prefer and be sure to subscribe for more videos about the contrasts between games in the same genre that may make them better than the other. I hope to see you in future ones.