Not Even Arc Raiders Can Cure One of My Worst Habits

I haven't really ever been into extraction shooters before Arc Raiders. I've certainly tried some of the genre's most popular titles — Escape From Tarkov, Hunt: Showdown — but those weren't enough to really hook me. Then Arc Raiders came along, offering me one of the most accessible extraction-shooter experiences I've ever had, and I've barely been able to keep my hands off the keyboard and mouse. That feeling of heading into a zone, grabbing what loot I can, and then making a successful extraction is unmatched, and I can more deeply appreciate the genre thanks to Embark Studios' latest endeavor.

There is a little problem with the way that I play Arc Raiders, though, and I know I'm not alone in it. In fact, I'll admit it's the way that I approach just about any game that is loot-based, but it's pretty close to the way I approach real-life "loot" as well. And while Arc Raiders' accessibility certainly makes it a little easier to ensure this habit of mine doesn't come back to bite me in the game, it hasn't stopped me from pushing that accessibility to its limits — to the point that if it were capable of being annoyed by me, it probably would be.

Arc Raiders Can't Cure My Hoarding Habit

Arc Raiders player on top of a structure

See...I'm a bit of a hoarder in loot-based video games, and while I know this is far from an uncommon problem, I might be one of the worst cases. I don't care what the item is or how useless it is, I find some reason to hold onto it, and I can actually tell you why just by looking at how I handle "loot" in real life.

I'm not a hoarder of all things in real life — just cables and boxes. Yes, I am that stereotypical dad and husband who always thinks "I might need it someday," even when that "someday" rarely comes. To be fair, I have had several cases where I finally throw away a cable after holding onto it for 10 years, and then I suddenly need it for something. Maybe those cases are what ring in my ears when I consider whether to hold onto something or send it sailing. Regardless, I acknowledge my condition, and I understand I'm the same way with games that let me hoard every item that I find.

That list of games now includes Arc Raiders, which, as an extraction shooter, is really all about loot in the end. No matter how tough it sometimes makes it to hoard resources, I will find a way. Fortunately, I can fairly easily expand my stash space to better accommodate my glaring habit, but even that isn't enough to keep me from maxing any extra space I gain magically disappear in just a round or two. And now that I'm around 40 hours in, just like the cable bag at home, I have items in my stash that I've either completely forgotten about or I'm afraid to get rid of it because, to quote myself, "I might need it someday."

I will add that I sell everything with a jewel icon on it, since those are, in fact, only useful for the cash I can earn by selling them. But I just use that cash to buy more stash space, so does it really change much? I don't think so.

While I do recognize it's my choice to hoard so much gear, I still blame Arc Raiders' innovative Free Loadout system. Whether it intended to be an enabler of one of my worst habits, I'm not sure, but by utilizing a Free Loadout on almost every single run, I don't lose anything in my stash if I'm defeated during the round. Furthermore, if I make it back from a round safely, then not only have I not lost anything, but I've gained a lot more on top of what I already had. It's a brilliant system for item hoarders like me, who are afraid of losing their precious trash that might actually prove to be treasure somewhere down the road.

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