Players keep spotting colossal ARC silhouettes looming on the horizon and calling them “Emperors.” The term isn’t a confirmed unit name, but it has become useful shorthand for the biggest machines implied in the world of ARC Raiders — the multiplayer extraction adventure releasing October 30th, 2025. The core loop is clear: you head topside from Speranza, scavenge under PvPvE pressure, and extract with whatever you can carry. Where “Emperors” fit is less settled.

Giant ARC machines in the fiction (what’s confirmed vs. rumored)

ARC element Status Role/notes
Queen Confirmed An apartment-building–sized machine that furiously defends the Harvester. Taking it on is framed as endgame-dangerous.
Harvester Confirmed A large ARC structure with an unspecified purpose, guarded by the Queen.
Other large variants Rumored Official materials nod to additional giant variants without naming them. Community uses “Emperor” or “King” as nicknames.

Below that top tier, the surface is busy with named machines — Ticks, the Snitch, Leaper, Bombardier (with spotter drones), Pop, Fireball, Bastion, and flying units like Wasps, Hornets, and Rocketeers. These all shape how you plan a topside run under changing conditions such as Night Raids, Harvest Season, and electromagnetic storms.

What players mean by “Emperor”

“Emperor” is community shorthand for the massive walkers seen in the distance on some maps. The appeal is obvious: they’re imposing, they suggest a brutal scale jump beyond patrol bots, and they hint at an interior you could penetrate for high-value salvage. There’s also loose debate over “Emperor” vs. “King” as a nickname, which underscores the key point — the label is unofficial and subject to change if an official unit name is introduced.

Could an “Emperor” work as a raid space?

A compact, vertical raid that unfolds inside a giant machine is a strong pitch precisely because ARC Raiders already leans on traversal, line-of-sight breaks, and PvPvE timing. A giant, sparsely wide but tall target would:

  • Favor vertical navigation: ladders, ziplines, and interior shaft climbs.
  • Pack high-tier ARC density: chokepoints, overlapping patrol cones, and alarm risks akin to fighting near the Harvester.
  • Skew to a smaller footprint: shorter horizontal distance, more interior layers.
  • Reward precision looting: rare tech caches with a higher risk of being trapped between ARC spawns and player squads.

One common twist on the idea is a broken-down giant: a toppled “Emperor” that becomes a labyrinth of exposed compartments. That would naturally justify narrow corridors, occasional outdoor breaches, and a mix of mid- and close-range engagements.

“Emperor” vs. “King”: naming expectations

Right now, “Queen” and the Harvester are the only giant ARC elements explicitly named. Mentions of other large variants leave room for an officially titled counterpart later, but the community nicknames aren’t binding. Expect any final naming to snap to the game’s existing taxonomy when or if a giant walker becomes an actual target space.

For now, treat “Emperor” as a catchall for the biggest machines implied by the setting. The idea of raiding one aligns with the game’s emphasis on compact, high-stakes spaces, traversal problem-solving, and hard choices about when to cut and extract. If a giant-machine raid arrives, plan for height, noise, and chokepoints — and bring gadgets that turn vertical walls into exits.