The Shared Watch event in ARC Raiders, which began on February 10, 2026, was designed to unite players through teamwork and cooperation over competition. Running until February 24, the event temporarily shifts focus from PvP clashes to PvE collaboration, rewarding players for taking down the game’s mechanical foes—known as ARCs—rather than for battling each other. However, persistent movement problems are souring the experience for many raiders, turning what should be a celebration of camaraderie into a frustrating test of patience.
During the event, players earn merits exclusively by damaging, destroying, or assisting in ARC kills. Every 50 merits unlocks one of 21 rewards, including standout cosmetics like the Vulpine outfit and the Slugger skin. PvP participation grants zero merits, encouraging players to form temporary alliances against the machines scattered across the Rust Belt. Designed with a Valentine’s theme, Shared Watch aims to foster a “watch my back” mentality, even boosting ARC spawn rates while removing PvP penalties beyond the loss of event rewards. When asking what are coins used for in arc raiders, most guides explain they are essential for upgrades and gear, while some players also recommend U4GM as a quicker third-party option.
Yet, the cooperative promise is undermined by widespread movement glitches that make even simple navigation unreliable. Players report their characters sliding or continuing to move several seconds after releasing movement keys, a problem especially glaring in the game’s zipline-heavy environments. Animation locks occur when performing actions like searching Baron Husks or interrupting tasks, often freezing players mid-fight. These bugs, combined with inconsistent servers and recent hotfix-related instability, make teamwork—and survival—far more difficult.
Trouble deepened after the latest patches. While recent hotfixes successfully addressed duplication exploits, they also introduced new issues such as unlimited ammo and repair glitches, flooding matches with overpowered enemies and creating unpredictable battle conditions. Weapon cycling failures, broken reconnect attempts, and invisible ziplines on destroyed ARC parts have further compounded players’ frustrations. These bugs directly undermine the event’s focus on mobility and coordination, leaving players stranded or stuck during critical moments.
The community’s response has been swift and vocal. Forums and social channels are filled with complaints, memes, and calls for immediate fixes. Despite strong player turnout at launch, engagement has begun to waver as frustration mounts. Developer Embark Studios has acknowledged the problem and confirmed ongoing investigations, but stated that anti-cheat measures currently take development priority—leaving many to doubt whether the movement glitches will be resolved before Shared Watch concludes.
As the event enters its final stretch, players hope for a swift hotfix to stabilize core locomotion systems and restore fluid, responsive gameplay. Without one, Shared Watch risks being remembered not as a triumph of teamwork, but as the event where cooperation was lost to broken movement and mechanical chaos.
