Accidental Self-Destruction: 117 ARC Raiders Players Killed by Ricocheting Rocks, Developers Baffled

The Unexplained Demise: 117 ARC Raiders Players Met Their End Via Rocks

In a truly bizarre turn of events following Embark Studios' recent 'Breaking New Ground' event for their sci-fi shooter ARC Raiders, developers found themselves scratching their heads. A staggering 117 players, out of a million participants, managed to eliminate themselves using… rocks. This peculiar statistic left the creators genuinely perplexed, admitting they couldn't immediately fathom how such a scenario could unfold.

The "Lucky" Stone's Deadly Rebound

Within the game's varied landscapes, players can indeed pick up and hurl volcanic stones at their alien adversaries. However, astute players on Reddit uncovered the rather comical, albeit deadly, secret. It appears that when a rock is thrown at a specific, unfavorable angle – say, against a steep incline or a ceiling – it can ricochet with surprising velocity. For some unfortunate Raiders, this accidental projectile proved to be their undoing, knocking them out of the game. "Are you telling me my lucky charm is actually a killer?" quipped one user, perfectly encapsulating the absurdity of the situation.

Beyond the Bounce: Bugs and Server Shenanigans

The community delved deeper into the mystery of how so many players met their stony demise. While the ricochet theory explains some instances, speculation also points to potential in-game bugs. It's theorized that the game might have erroneously registered damage, leading to players being 'killed' by a rock that technically never struck them directly. Furthermore, server glitches have been blamed, with some players reporting their demise being attributed to self-inflicted damage during server 'crashes,' despite no such action occurring on their end. While concrete proof remains elusive, these possibilities add another layer of intrigue to the stone-induced KOs.

A First-Hand Account of the Rock's Revenge

Despite the difficulty in deliberately replicating these self-inflicted deaths, a fortunate (or perhaps unfortunate) player shared their near-experience. "My teammate got a call, so he was AFK. I stayed to cover him while nobody else was around, and I got curious: what happens if I throw a rock at him? Result: zero damage to him, but the rock bounced off twice and hit me. The funniest part is I started bleeding out precisely when he returned," the user recounted, painting a vivid picture of the unpredictable nature of in-game physics.

More Than Just Stones: A Statistical Snapshot

Beyond the perplexing rock fatalities, Embark Studios also released other compelling statistics from the 'Breaking New Ground' event. Over 25 million visits were made to the Stella Montis research center, players collected a remarkable 24,000 resources, and nearly 27,000 formidable Matriarch bosses were vanquished. On the flip side, the relentless 'Shredder' enemy proved to be a formidable foe, dispatching over 2 million Raiders. Additionally, a sobering 37,000 players met their end through the accidental detonation of their own weaponry. These figures offer a glimpse into the intense gameplay and the occasional, self-inflicted misadventures within ARC Raiders.

A Familiar Face in the Stats

It's worth noting that this isn't the first time ARC Raiders has seen peculiar player behavior impacting statistics. Previously, players discovered a clever exploit allowing them to retain all loot from the tutorial, which the game was supposed to confiscate. ARC Raiders, launched on October 30, 2025, is available simultaneously on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Embark has also implemented adjusted regional pricing for Ukrainian players, demonstrating a commitment to accessibility.