31 December 2025

ARC Raiders Exploit Makes the Kettle Macro Even More Powerful

By newsgame

Hundreds of ARC Raiders fans have urged Embark to “do something” about the Kettle, a semi-automatic weapon that some players are pairing with macros to instantly kill others. Like most popular multiplayer games, ARC Raiders also struggles with a cheater problem. However, this new Kettle exploit frustrating the community is more complicated than straightforward cheating, as some argue it does not technically violate the game’s EULA.

The Kettle is not the only munition that has been labeled as broken in PvP. Recently, players also called out Embark for not nerfing ARC Raiders‘ Trigger ‘Nades, which have dominated the meta. These grenade-type throwables are widely considered overpowered due to their extremely high damage, wide AoE, and near-instant detonation. That said, the situation with the Kettle is slightly different, as many believe the weapon itself is mostly balanced, but its design makes it especially vulnerable to macros and other software-based exploits.

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ARC Raiders PvP Is Suffering from a ‘Kettle Problem’

Several clips shared on social media, particularly on Reddit, show players getting downed by a Kettle-wielding enemy in just a couple of seconds. The community argues that dumping an entire Kettle magazine at the speed seen in these videos should be nearly impossible for a human player. This has led many to suspect the use of macros. A macro is a coded instruction, usually set up through third-party software or built-in hardware features, that automates a series of actions. In the Kettle’s case, some believe players are using mice with macro support or some kind of software to automate the rapid clicking needed to empty the magazine.

A macro function can be set to click automatically at extremely rapid intervals, often much faster than any human could manage. Hypothetically, this would allow a Kettle user to fire dozens of shots in a single second, which is often enough to down a raider in close-range encounters. Worse still, macros can be combined with aimbots and other cheating software, effectively turning the Kettle into an instant-kill weapon.

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Macros Have Long Been a Hot Topic in Gaming

Many players are understandably worried that macros could eventually ruin the ARC Raiders PvP experience. The debate over whether macros count as cheats or legal exploits has long been a hot topic in the gaming industry. There have been several cases of professional players using macros to gain an unfair advantage in competitive matches, often justifying it by arguing that macros do not add new functionalities to the game.

The counterargument against macros is that any software or exploit that creates behavior not intended by the game should be considered cheating in a competitive environment. From this perspective, even built-in macro functions on some mice can provide an unfair advantage over other players. Those who view macros as cheating also argue that these tools should be limited to offline or non-competitive games, where automation serves as a quality-of-life feature rather than an exploit that disrupts PvP gameplay, as seen with ARC Raiders‘ Kettle situation.

The Kettle has been considered one of the best PvP weapons in ARC Raiders even before macros emerged. The compact semi-auto gun can dominate close-range 1v1 encounters thanks to its uncapped fire rate, and players often pair it with an extended magazine to make it even deadlier. That said, many players now believe Embark should address the issue by nerfing the weapon’s fire rate and enforcing a cap that would prevent macros from being effective.

Major Nerfs Could Be on the Horizon for ARC Raiders’ PvP

Based on recent metagame shifts, it seems likely that the next ARC Raiders update could bring nerfs to several weapons and gadgets. Right now, the two main candidates for significant changes are the macro-friendly Kettles and the squad-wiping Trigger ‘Nades. Still, it remains unclear how developer Embark Studios will approach these potential nerfs, if they happen at all.