Hidden Story Details in ARC Raiders You Probably Missed

ARC Raiders holds many stories told in the background, with enigmatic clues scattered across the devastated Topside and the nooks and crannies of the underground Tubes.

If players want to know what happened to the world, where the story takes place, and who is leading the enigmatic ARC enemies trying to conquer the world, here are five Hidden Details in ARC Raiders' worldbuilding they probably missed.

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One Of The First Clues Is In The Tutorial, And You Probably Missed It

A Minor Detail That Reveals The Bigger Picture

Early, when players create their first characters, they will be taken into a tutorial map where they will be able to experience the introductory quest, which consists of scavenging for loot and surviving an assault from enemy Raiders (something that will prepare them to survive the merciless ARC Raiders PvP). This all happens in the area around a particular place named Pizzeria Petrarca. The name was taken from an existing pizza restaurant that is located in a town north of Bolonia in Italy, and this sets the coordinates of the ruined-Earth scenario to Europe, and to Italy itself.

Apparently, the Raider was fleeing from the northern zone of Italy into the coast, or at least, that's what following this single clue leads one to believe. Throughout the gameplay, players will begin to recognize names like Toledo Piazza, the buried city of Marano (north of Naples), and even glimpses of important landmarks like the glass domes of the Naples subway station (intro screen of the menu). Though this is of little consequence by itself, there are many more details to come that will reveal other important facts about the world of ARC Raiders, so stick around to gather the pieces of this puzzle.

The Geography Of The Rust Belt Points to A Specific Location

No Wonder Everything Sounded So Familiar

The action in ARC Raiders happens in a location called 'The Rust Belt,' a mountainous chain blemished by the devastation left behind by a terrible climatic debacle. The ruins of the Pre-Collapse Civilization are filled with tiny bits of information as to what happened here. Some are right there in plain sight, with the overall map of the Rust Belt being extremely similar to the mountain chain near Acerra, Italy. The fact that the geography is slightly changed is probably due to the rise of the sea level, though Mount Vesuvius is clearly seen (Volcano Rise) near the coast, and there are traces of a huge eruption, as well as Volcanic Rocks scattered in the Dam Battlegrounds Scenario, speaking about a devastating eruption that destroyed the landscape before the ARC enemies invaded.

From the swamplands of the Dam Battlegrounds to the Acerra Spaceport, it is quite obvious that the survivors have made their homes below the ruins of this old country. If players pay attention, even the names of the guns are in Italian. For example: 'Ferro' means Iron, and also an Italian noun for 'Gun,' not to mention the Burletta Pistol, which is a clear reference to the Beretta brand of guns, which are of Italian manufacture. To top it off, the location of the main base of operations is named Speranza, which is hope in Italian.

Civilization Was Thriving Before The Collapse

The Traces Of Technology Are Witnesses Of A Prosperous Era Before Civilization Ended

Some of the worldbuilding details in ARC Raiders also reveal an undeniable truth: Humanity was about to hit the Golden Age of space exploration when the environmental crisis that destroyed civilization struck. For what is made clear, the devastation was not from a singular climate event, but a chain reaction that involved earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and the rise in sea levels. Though mankind survived, thanks to its advanced technology and the existence of an extensive network of tunnels below the surface.

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What's more, some further details also reveal that the civilization was so advanced that it was actually already on the verge of achieving free Space Travel. This is further revealed throughout exploration and environmental clues, such as the many control towers placed around the map and the Spaceport's Departure and Arrival buildings. It seems a fraction of mankind was able to escape Earth before the crisis, in what was defined as a mass Exodus. What was left behind were the remnants of civilizations, and those unable to 'purchase' a way out.

The Causes Of Earth's Destruction & The Origin of ARC

Someone Is Leading ARC Enemies Back To Earth, But Why?

After centuries of ecological devastation, earthquakes, and the rise in the sea level, humanity first saw a glimpse of hope in what was known as the Sunrise, an attempt to retake the surface after an era of darkness. Then came what was known as The First Wave, in which the ARC, a mysterious AI-governed enemy, ravaged the surface of Earth once more, as is made to believe through the many clues in the game. Though there's something quite clear about it: ARC Probes are constantly surveying for resources, while Harvesters and Queens are deployed to steal resources from the planet. And there's a high chance that the ARC was what caused or at least accelerated the climate crisis to devastate mankind beyond recovery and conquer the surface of Earth with ease.

ARC Drones are definitely designed for riot control, and automation has caused them to keep functioning, even after Earth has long been depleted of the resources they seek. What is most suspicious is that ARC probes descend like autonomous search devices, and once they gather enough data, they launch back to base. ARC drones also descend like orbital strikes, so they must come from somewhere. Perhaps the 'Mothership' or whatever the base of this ARC AI is still active, extracting resources and sending them away. The question is 'where does everything that these ARC Harvesters take?' And 'who is directing them?' What if ARC Enemies are sent by the remnants of humanity who have conquered other planets in the Solar System, in order to retrieve precious resources and destroy all opposition from those left behind?

Who Is Leading The Raiders?

The Ones Organizing The Fight Are Survivors And Scientists, Those Left Behind

If what players are led to believe is true, the 'cream of the crop' of the civilization fled the planet in what is known as 'The Exodus,' which is a common trope among post-apocalyptic Earth scenarios. However, if that is true, then who is leading the Raiders in their refuges? All that tinkering with technology and the bunkers is not done by just anyone: It is highly probable that those who built the infrastructure to help others abandon Earth were left behind. The remnants of those who were abandoned to their own luck have probably learned their trades from them, and now, humanity fights back against the machines, led by its descendants.

Scientists, Medics, Engineers, and every notorious character (Traders) in Speranza have their own backstory and background. Celeste is a survivor of the First Wave and clearly one of the leaders of Speranza. Shani is an expert in security and the one running operations on the surface, leading Raider teams and securing safe extraction points when things turn for the worse. But perhaps the most enigmatic denizen of the underground base of the Raiders is Lance, a fully operational Android who is in charge of medical operations and supplies. Needless to say, all of them play an important role in the story, and players will soon be able to connect the dots between who is leading the efforts against the Second Wave and those playing in the shadows to gain profit from desperation.

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