Embark Studios has rolled out update 1.4.0 for Arc Raiders, and the developer wasn't kidding when it called this "a very hot fix." Players who glitch into locked rooms without the required keycard now get roasted alive by flamethrowers built into the walls.
The fix targets an exploit that had plagued the extraction shooter for weeks. Players had found multiple ways to bypass locked doors: clipping through walls, hopping through windows, dropping through ceilings, and even jumping on teammates' heads in squad matches. Solo players could use barricades to clip through.
Why the Exploit Was Such a Problem
Locked rooms are rare across Arc Raiders maps and contain high-rarity gear. Normally, players need a keycard to open them. Using the keycard unlocks the door for everyone, creating tension as other players might ambush looters inside or catch them heading to extraction.
Exploiters broke this loop entirely. Because they entered without using a keycard, the door stayed locked while they looted. Legitimate players who later showed up with a keycard would unlock an empty room, wasting their rare find for nothing.
Flamethrowers as Exploit Mitigation
The patch notes describe the solution as "exploit mitigation mechanisms added for all locked rooms across all maps." Those mechanisms are flamethrowers.
The system detects players inside locked rooms while the door remains sealed. Anyone caught inside under these conditions gets killed slowly by flames with no chance to escape. Player Scrappy tested this immediately after the patch went live, glitching through a door only to get engulfed by multiple wall-mounted flamethrowers before reaching the exit.
Reddit user Forward_Problem_7550 captured similar footage showing the trap in action. The exploit itself still technically works, but attempting it now means guaranteed death and complete loss of inventory.
There's a bonus for legitimate players too. When someone finally opens the door with a keycard, they'll find extra loot on the charred remains of anyone who tried to cheat their way in.
Players Love the Creative Fix
Community response has been overwhelmingly positive. Reddit user A_Tortured_Crab wrote: "Best part of this is the clowns doing the glitch lose all their stuff to someone who legitimately opens the door with a key. CLASSIC!"
"It's genuinely a really good fix," added vedomedo. "Hopefully this is the mindset they keep going forward. Punish the exploiters and reward legit players."
Some players are now more eager to use their keycards, hoping to find unprepared exploiters already cooked inside. As one community member put it, they're hunting for "some dingus who hasn't read the patch notes."
Maverixk_ had one regret about the rollout: "Would've been better if they just didn't say anything and rolled this out. Imagine all the door glitches finding this out and losing all of their s**t before word of mouth spread. Would've been hilarious."
Double Pump Shotgun Exploit Gone
The locked room fix grabbed headlines, but patch 1.4.0 also killed the gun quick swap exploit. This technique let players fire faster than intended by swapping to a quick-use item and back, essentially enabling a double pump shotgun tactic.
Unlike the locked room fix, there's no fiery punishment here. The exploit simply doesn't work anymore.
Standard weapon swapping remains viable, though. Switching to a secondary instead of reloading still gets more shots out faster during fights. Players just can't artificially boost their fire rate through the exploit anymore.
Other Fixes in Patch 1.4.0
Embark patched several other issues alongside the major exploit fixes. The exterior access to Spaceport's Control Tower locked room has been blocked off, closing another potential bypass.
The patch also fixed low-resolution textures appearing in the main menu, lighting artifacts when entering maps, and a bug where Raider Voice wouldn't respect selected options after restarting. Players can no longer push each other by jumping on backs, which was one method used for the locked room exploit in squads.
Night Raid Comes to Stella Montis
New content arrives alongside the fixes. Stella Montis now has a Night Raid modifier, adding a nighttime variant to the map. Some players have noted the irony, given that Stella Montis already features dark lighting that can feel like nighttime during standard raids.
The Bigger Picture
Arc Raiders continues building momentum in the extraction shooter space. The game recently appeared in South Park, and player response to this patch suggests Embark's approach to exploit mitigation is hitting the right notes. Punishing cheaters while rewarding legitimate play creates exactly the kind of incentive structure that keeps competitive games healthy.
Arc Raiders Patch 1.4.0 Notes
Content and Bug Fixes
- Exploit mitigation mechanisms have been added for all locked rooms across all maps
- Fixed the gun exploit that allowed you to shoot quicker than intended by swapping to a quick use item and back
- The exterior access to Spaceport's Control Tower locked room has been blocked off
- Fixed the issue that sometimes caused low resolution textures in the Main Menu
- Fixed players being able to push each other by jumping on each other's backs
- Fixed lighting artifacts that would sometimes occur upon entering maps
- Raider Voice now correctly respects the selected voice option after restarting the game
