ARC Raiders players may lose items obtained from a duplication glitch

This article was updated on February 14, 2026, adding further feedback on the possibility of punishment for those who “extremely” took advantage of this mistake. It was first published on February 10, 2026.

ARC Raiders Finally fixed the game-breaking duplication glitch with a hotfix, but it also indicated that players could quickly lose items obtained through the exploit and face penalties. It's no secret that one ARC Raiders' The main issues have been the recurring presence of exploits, which often cause serious problems in PvP. However, the simulation error was among the most serious, creating major problems that made the game unplayable for many players.

Interestingly, the major February 10 update that many expected to fully address the flaw completely ignored it. Not only that, the duplication issue was not even mentioned in the “Known Issues” section of the official patch notes, prompting a quick response from the community.

Arc Attacker Cheater Steam Family Sharing Ban

ARC Raiders continues to crack on cheats with new Steam Family Sharing changes

ARC Raiders developer Embark Studios continues its crackdown on rogues with another change that players will surely be happy about.

The deduplication glitch drama continues after the hotfix

A few hours later ARC Raiders' February update went live, Embark Studios finally acknowledged the duplicate error and rolled out a quick OTA hotfix to address it. However, the studio also announced that depending on the severity of the exploit, some players may face penalties for abusing the flaw. “Players who duplicate large amounts of items will be subject to further review and possible penalties,” the official Twitter post said, adding, “Nothing beats your hard-earned loot.”

Some players may quickly lose their glitch-earned items

While Embark Studios hasn't been entirely transparent about its next steps, one possible outcome is some form of rollback to the accounts of players who abused the flaw. The developer can remove the extra items obtained from the duplicates and possibly the currency earned by selling them. It can also be extended ARC Raiders' tests, many players used the glitch to secure higher positions in the current week's tasks. That said, these results are speculative, and Embark Studios has yet to confirm its exact plans for handling the situation.

Punishment lines appear blurred

One detail that has caught the attention of many players is how vague the studio has been in its wording on both Twitter and Discord. “We are still investigating the full impact of the issue and will take action based on the severity of the various cases once we complete our investigation,” wrote a community manager on the game's official Discord server. As a result, many players believe that the studio may struggle to properly address the issue, as it is unlikely to review accounts on a case-by-case basis and penalize only a portion of the player base. Even if Embark Studios manages to do so, it remains unclear what exactly will define the level of “seriousness” that warrants a penalty.

Not all players are happy with Embark Studio's decision

Ark Raiders free loadout change possibility Image via Embark Studios

While most of the community seems happy that the glitch has finally been fixed, not everyone agrees with how Embark Studios handled the situation. Some argue that players should not be punished for the developer's mistakes, noting that ARC Raiders' The duplicate error was already reported by thousands of players and was apparently ignored. To them, it seems unfair to punish those who use the flaw, especially when famous streamers like The Burnt Peanut exploited it.

Proponents of sanctions and punishments, however, make a solid counterargument. They say that they were affected by the mistake ARC Raiders' Tests giving unfair advantages and boost scores to some players. They also note that the replication error caused many players to lose hard-earned loot in one-sided PvP matches, necessitating developer action. Finally, they argue that players using exploits to accumulate millions of coins can destabilize the game's economy and balance, in particular ARC Raiders' The second campaign window is a few days away.

Ark Raiders solo vs squad matchmaking option Image via Embark Studios

In the coming days, it will be interesting to see how Embark Studio controls the outcome of the hotfix. The studio is currently facing criticism from both sides of the debate. Players who exploit the glitches argue that they have no choice and don't deserve bans or penalties, while those affected say letting exploiters off the hook would be unfair and could encourage more players to abuse the glitches in the future.

So far, Embark has not provided any further details on possible punishments, leaving many to wonder if something is going on behind the scenes. Debate continues about what qualifies as “excessive” in the context of duplication and how Embark determines a specific value threshold number.


ARC Raiders tag page cover art


issued

October 30, 2025

ESRB

Juvenile / violence, blood


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