ARC Raiders launched its first Expedition on December 22, and players who participated discovered their Workshop Stations had vanished. The controversy centers on what appears to be a quiet documentation change that removed Workshop Stations from the list of items players could keep.
Many players made the decision to wipe their progress based on earlier information suggesting these stations would remain intact. Now they're facing an unexpected grind to rebuild their entire crafting infrastructure from scratch.
Last-Minute Documentation Changes Caught Players Off Guard
In the days before the Expedition launch, Embark Studios modified the in-game list detailing what would survive the wipe. "Unlocked Workshop Stations" had previously appeared under the "This Will Be Kept" category but was removed without prominent announcement.
Players on the game's subreddit pointed out the change after logging in to find all their crafting stations gone. Only the starting Workbench remained available.
The modification created confusion because "Workshop" (without the "Unlocked Workshop Stations" specification) was always listed under items that would be reset. Some players interpreted this to mean that workshop levels would reset but the stations themselves would stay unlocked. Others saw it as clear indication everything workshop-related would be wiped.
How ARC Raiders' Expedition System Works
Unlike traditional live-service games that force periodic wipes on all players, ARC Raiders made Expeditions optional. Players who don't want to reset their progress can skip them entirely.
Embark Studios offered several incentives to encourage participation. Players who join an Expedition get permanently increased Stash space, exclusive cosmetic items, and temporary buffs for their reset characters. They can also unlock five extra Skill points, though this requires accumulating 5 million Coins.
The optional system was designed to address a common complaint with forced wipes. Casual players often struggle to make meaningful progress between resets, repeatedly experiencing only the early stages of a game. By making wipes optional, Embark hoped to solve this problem while still offering dedicated players fresh challenges.
Developer Communications Created Mixed Expectations
Embark Studios first detailed the Expedition system back in October. The blog post explicitly stated players would lose "anything inherent to their character's progress. Levels, skills, items/inventory, workshop, crafting capabilities, etc."
A December 12 blog post added that "potential workshop upgrades will be available as soon as you reset." This phrasing suggested workshop levels wouldn't survive, though some players interpreted it differently.
But the in-game list that appeared closer to launch initially showed "Unlocked Workshop Stations" as something players could keep. This created a disconnect between blog communications and in-game information. When that line was removed from the preserved items list, many players missed the change.
Community Split on Miscommunication
Player reactions on the subreddit have been mixed. One participant asked, "They seriously changed this last moment?" expressing frustration at what felt like a bait-and-switch.
Others defended the developer's position. "I think they removed the line because of the confusion. They always said 'they will be unlocked, but you will still have to build them', they were always supposed to reset," one player wrote.
A third perspective came from veterans of other extraction games. "I don't know why people would wipe if all it did was empty your inventory. Wiping includes resetting your benches and quests, that's how it works in other extraction games as well, and is kinda the point."
The Grind to Rebuild Workshop Infrastructure
For players who expected to keep their Workshop Stations, the reset means significant additional work. Rebuilding and releveling all crafting stations requires specific materials that can be time-consuming to find.
The Rusted Gear, used for workbench upgrades, has a reputation in the community for being particularly difficult to obtain. Players must hunt for these materials before they can return to their normal gameplay loops.
This comes on top of the already substantial cost to participate in an Expedition. Building the Expedition Caravan requires its own parts investment, and unlocking all five Skill point rewards costs 5 million Coins.
For many players, keeping their Workshop Stations was a major factor in deciding to participate. Without them, some are now questioning whether future Expeditions are worth the effort given everything that gets wiped.
Why Live-Service Games Use Periodic Wipes
Extraction games like Escape from Tarkov and Once Human regularly reset player progress. The mechanic serves several purposes in maintaining long-term game health.
Wipes prevent veteran players from accumulating so much progress that newcomers can't compete. They keep the player base engaged with fresh starts and new goals. They also give developers opportunities to rebalance systems and test changes.
The challenge is implementing wipes without alienating casual players or punishing those who invested significant time. ARC Raiders' optional system was supposed to address this issue, making the Workshop Station confusion more disappointing for participants who thought the system would protect key progress.
The First Expedition Launched Smoothly Otherwise
Beyond the workshop controversy, the debut Expedition appears to have gone off without major technical problems. The documentation confusion stands as the primary complaint from the community.
Some players remain skeptical about whether participating in future Expeditions makes sense. The full scope of lost progress, combined with the Expedition Caravan and Coin costs, and now the confirmed workshop reset, has left them weighing whether the rewards justify the investment.
The distinction between "Unlocked Workshop Stations" and "Workshop" might seem minor, but it highlights a larger issue. When optional systems involve significant time investment, players need precise and consistent information to make informed decisions. A last-minute documentation change without clear announcement undermines that trust.
