One of the cheapest weapons in Arc Raiders, the Kettle, is dominating lobbies and outperforming even the highest-grade weapons in the game as a result of an exploit, and players are not happy.
Despite being a seemingly strong weapon compared to the other firearms in its tier, the Kettle is kept in check by its semi-automatic fire, requiring players to manually pull the trigger for every shot. However, players have found a way to circumvent this limitation by using macros to automate the firing process, effectively removing the weapon’s only real drawback and turning it into a beast in PvP combat.
The Kettle macro in Arc Raiders enables players to use it like any other automatic weapon in the game, but with more serious damage. As a result, players are finding themselves getting destroyed within milliseconds, leaving them no time to react to their attacker.
Arc Raiders Kettle Macro Exploit
Over the past few weeks, hundreds of posts have surfaced on social media forums showcasing how overpowered the Kettle can be when the player wielding it has auto-clicking macros enabled.
Recently, a post by Reddit user ‘ContextEFT’ has gained traction within the Arc Raiders community. The clip showcases the user getting downed in one second with the Kettle despite them having Medium Shields equipped with full hp.
Taking a look at the clip, it’s evident that the other player unloaded over 10 shots under a second, strongly indicating towards them using a macro or an auto-clicker.
While the use of macros is generally a bannable offense in most games, they can often be harder to detect than other cheats, as they closely mimic human input and can be hardware-bound, making them a tough violation for developers to reliably identify and enforce.
Other Reddit users in the comments have suggested countermeasures like nerfing the Kettle’s fire rate or aggressively banning macro users to prevent issues like these, but Embark has yet to officially address these incidents. However, considering the fact that Embark has punished exploiters in the past, the long-term risk of using such macros may outweigh the short-term advantage they give you in combat.