No one escapes the floating bollard

Image credit: Nexon / Embark Studios

As someone of a nervous disposition, I am not a fan of the Shredder, one of the latest enemies added to Arc Raiders. First appearing after November’s North Line update, these floating bollards buzz about the halls and corridors of the mountainside facility, Stella Montis. Cross their path and they emit a mechanical shriek before releasing an explosive wave of shrapnel. Anyone caught in the blast is cut to shribbons.

Currently, like a Darlek left at the top of a staircase, Shredders haven’t found a way down the mountain and out into the world. So, if I want to avoid being screamed at and eviscerated by a hovering cigar tube, I can just avoid the hilltop base. According to Arc Raiders’ design lead, that relative safety may not last much longer.

"They’ll figure out how to get out of there eventually," Virgil Watkins told Gamesradar in a recent interview. Promising that Shredders will start popping up in Arc Raiders other maps.

I do wonder if Shredders will have the same hold over me on other maps. Despite several large halls, Stella Montis is a claustrophobic map, largely made up of winding corridors. When you come across a Shredder, you are trapped inside with it and its cloud of shrapnel is an all-encompassing threat. Arc Raiders other maps are a mix of interior and exterior, and you are rarely far from an open space to flee to.

Obviously, this will all come down to placement. A Shredder mooching about in Dam Battleground’s swamps won’t offer much of a threat, but if you were to come across one on the platform of the train stations in Buried City, waiting to mulch you when you are moments away from safety… Well, that could be a different story.

In this way, a Shredder could become a much more deadly indoor threat than Pops and Fireballs, the ball-shaped robots that bomb around inside buildings. While a Pop’s self-destruct and a Freiballs flamethrower can cause significant damage, they aren’t as well armoured as a Shredder, nor able to put out quite as much damage.

Where Shredder’s appearing on other maps may be extra threatening, is when they can act in tandem with exterior enemies. A Shredder can be an effective area denial tool for the Arc, pushing you to remain outdoors where a Bombardier has you in its sights. The quickest way out of danger when the artillery mech is attacking you is to seek shelter indoors. Working together, Shredders and Bombardiers could be deeply frustrating.

Watkins didn’t say when Shredders would start cropping up in other maps, so you still have time to fill your inventory with heavy shields.