Map Vetting Checklist: How to Evaluate New Arc Raiders Maps for Tournament Readiness

Stop risking a mismatch: a practical tournament checklist for new Arc Raiders maps

Organizers and community hosts—you’ve seen the hype around Arc Raiders’ 2026 map rollout, and you know that a bad map can ruin a bracket. This checklist helps you validate new maps for competitive play so matches stay fair, broadcast-friendly, and fun for players and viewers alike.

Why map vetting matters in 2026 (and what changed lately)

Developer support shifted in late 2025 and early 2026 toward rapid content cadence and more varied map sizes. Embark Studios publicly signaled multiple new maps coming in 2026 that will span a wider range of sizes and playstyles—some smaller, some grander—so tournament teams must adapt their vetting workflow accordingly.

"Embark confirmed multiple maps are coming in 2026 across a spectrum of size to facilitate different types of gameplay." — Arc Raiders design lead (public roadmap comments, 2025–26)

That means you’ll see maps optimized for quick, action-heavy matches and others designed for long rotations and objective play. Our checklist prepares you to test both extremes and everything in between.

At-a-glance tournament checklist (quick reference)

• Map metadata audit: version, seed, size, expected round length.
• Gameplay balance: spawn fairness, symmetrical sightlines, chokepoint analysis.
• Objective & timing tests: objective respawn locations, capture timers, flow.
• Technical checks: FPS profiling, server tick, pathfinding, anti-exploit test.
• Broadcast readiness: spectator cams, clear minimap, UI visibility.
• Map pool strategy: pool size, veto order, rotation fairness.
• Telemetry plan: heatmaps, spawn-kill rates, match-duration baseline.

Pre-event audit: map metadata & change control

Before any live playtests, gather the map facts. Treat map files like software releases.

• Version & changelog: Confirm map version and patch notes. If the developer pushed hotfixes in the week before your event, hold a quick regression test.
• Map seed & randomness: If layout changes are procedural, determine the seed control and whether you can lock layouts for competitive integrity.
• Size & expected round length: Estimate average round time (aim for a competitive sweet spot — 6–12 minutes is typical for close-format matches; adjust to your event format).
• Compatibility matrix: Test on all supported platforms you plan to include (PC clients, cloud hosts). Document required server settings and mods.

Gameplay balance tests (the heart of fairness)

Run these tests with role-based playtests and observers. The goal: eliminate easy exploits and balance tactical choices.

Spawn safety and fairness

• Ensure spawn points are not exposed to instant multi-angle fire. Run 50 spawn trials per side; log any spawn kills within 3 seconds.
• Measure average safe movement time from spawn to first cover.
• Confirm no reliable sightlines that peek spawn locations.

Sightlines, sight-blocking and cover

• Map all long-range sightlines with simple scripts or manual walkthroughs — flag lines that give a >2:1 advantage to one side for typical weapon ranges.
• Check cover consistency: equal density of mid/high cover across lanes prevents biased rushing or camping tactics.
• Verticality audit: ensure jump/boost routes aren't trivial to dominate from one elevated position.

Chokepoints and rotation paths

• Identify chokepoints and measure average traversal time. If choke holds anchor entire rounds, add secondary rotation routes or limit single-entry chokepoint control.
• Simulate rotations with both full-team and split-team scenarios to see whether one team can deny rotations safely.

Objective placement & interaction

• Place objectives in neutral, contestable spaces. Test whether objectives can be camped from safe cover with little risk.
• Check objective timers and reset behavior under contested conditions; adjust expectations for tournament time limits.

Tactical playtests: structured sessions that surface real issues

Use structured runs with specific mission goals to get reproducible data.

1. Role-rotation scrims: players rotate roles (entry, support, anchor) across repeated rounds to ensure the map doesn’t favor one playstyle.
2. One-way advantage drills: run 10-minute sessions where one side starts with a restricted loadout to assess balance under constraints.
3. Fast-rotation tests: simulate aggressive, small-map play with 5v5 full-aggression rounds when maps are smaller.
4. Slow objective tests: for larger maps, run endurance rounds to test late-round mechanics and fatigue.

Technical & server checklist (2026 expectations)

With cloud-hosted tournaments and higher viewer counts in 2026, technical stability is non-negotiable.

• Performance profiling: Capture FPS and frame-time data across common hardware—low-end, mid-range, and recommended builds. For community events, document minimum requirements.
• Server tick & host settings: Confirm server tick rate and relevant authoritative settings. If the game server exposes tick or interpolation settings, choose values that minimize synchronization advantage.
• Pathfinding & navmesh: Test AI or bot pathing (if bots are used for warmups) and ensure no navmesh holes allow exploits or block rotations.
• Network & packet loss tolerance: Run tests with simulated packet loss/jitter to see if certain areas of the map induce desyncs or rubber-banding.
• Anti-exploit sweep: Run vendor tools and manual checks for out-of-bounds spots, clip-through geometry, and unintended high-ground. Use spectator flythroughs to catch invisible ledges or stuck spots.

Broadcast & spectator readiness

High-quality spectator experience keeps viewers engaged and reduces disputes.

• Identify fixed spectator camera positions that show objective fights without revealing unfair information (like hidden spawn positions).
• Mini-map clarity: Ensure the minimap reveals relevant tactical info for viewers and casters. If the minimap shows too much, work with dev tools to limit details during broadcast.
• Observer tools: Test free-roam, player-follow, and event-timeline features. Map mustn’t block camera movement (no clipping or invisible geometry).
• Casters’ vantage points: Provide casters with quick camera presets for high-action zones.

Competitive operations: map pool, rotation & veto

Design map pools and veto sequences that preserve fairness and spectator value.

Map pool size & diversity

• For single-day cups: 5–7 maps is a good target. It balances variety with repeatability.
• For multi-week leagues: expand to 8–12 maps but rotate subsets each week to prevent stale metas.

Veto & pick systems

• Use a structured veto system that reduces randomness but allows adaptation: e.g., Ban–Ban–Pick–Pick–Ban–Ban for best-of-three series.
• Seed maps by size/type so teams can strategize: have at least one small, one medium, and one large map in the pool for BO3/BO5 formats.
• Publish the veto rules and map pool at least 48 hours before the match so teams can prepare. Consider posting to community channels like Telegram or your league portal.

Tie-breakers & swap rules

• Define swap rights for sides if the map advocates side-based advantages. Implement side-swap for final rounds if needed.
• Use overtime rules that maintain fairness—avoid sudden-death mechanics that favor spawn-side luck.

Accessibility, inclusion & community trust

Community events live longer when players trust the process.

• Document your vetting: Publish a short vetting report for each map that lists tests run and results.
• Feedback loop: Run an open playtest day and gather structured feedback via forms. Include non-competitive players to spot fun/clarity issues.
• Accessibility checks: Look for color-blind safe signage, readable fonts, and clear audio cues for objectives.

Telemetry, metrics, and sample thresholds

Collect data during playtests to make objective decisions.

• Spawn-kill rate: Target spawn kills under 2% of rounds. Flag maps above 5% for redesign.
• Round balance: Aim for win-rate parity within ±5% between starting sides after a representative sample (50+ rounds).
• Time-to-first-contact: For small maps, expect 10–30s; for larger maps, 30–90s. Outliers indicate flow problems.
• Objective control time: Track average time teams hold key objectives. Extremely long holds (>60% of round time) suggest poor contestability.

Sample map-readiness scorecard (use this on a 1–10 scale)

• Spawn safety: __/10
• Sightline symmetry: __/10
• Cover distribution: __/10
• Rotation fairness: __/10
• Objective balance: __/10
• Performance & stability: __/10
• Broadcast readiness: __/10
• Exploit-free: __/10
• Accessibility: __/10
• Community acceptance (playtest feedback): __/10

Score >= 75%: Ready for tournament pool. 60–75%: Conditional — list required fixes. <75%: Not ready.

Staffing and test schedule (typical 7-day readiness sprint)

1. Day 1: Metadata & version control verification, install map on test servers.
2. Day 2: Baseline performance profiling across hardware and cloud hosts.
3. Day 3: Structured gameplay balance tests and role-rotation scrims (50–100 rounds simulated).
4. Day 4: Exploit sweep and spectator camera setup.
5. Day 5: Public playtest session and feedback collection.
6. Day 6: Data analysis, heatmap review, and scorecard fill-out.
7. Day 7: Final patch/mitigation or greenlight for tournament inclusion; publish vetting report.

For last-minute map drops (common in fast 2026 patch cycles), compress tests into a 72-hour sprint but prioritize spawn safety, objective fairness, and anti-exploit checks first.

Tools, scripts and reporting templates

Leverage lightweight tools to save time.

• Heatmap tool: Use community-era heatmap capture or dev telemetry (if available) to plot deaths and objective interactions. See our cloud video workflow notes for capturing and exporting match telemetry for analysis.
• Simple FPS/profile recorder: Record and aggregate frame-time logs for 10–15-minute runs.
• Network simulator: Use WAN emulators to test jitter/packet loss edge cases (combine with SRE guidance for productionizing tests).
• Shared spreadsheet template: scorecard, round logs, and public vetting report page. Keep a changelog column for fixes applied — a good starting template is available alongside task templates such as 10 Task Management Templates.

Policy examples: banning, emergency swap and post-match review

Have policies ready to prevent in-event chaos.

• Emergency map swap: If a critical exploit appears during a match, pause and swap to a pre-approved backup map from your vetted pool. Document swap rules and tie them to an edge auditability process for transparency.
• Post-match review: Allow 24 hours for teams to file disputes with video proof. Use your telemetry logs to adjudicate.
• Ban policy: For seasonal leagues, allow one community-requested ban per team per season to reduce stale metas while preserving tournament integrity.

Case study: adapting to Arc Raiders’ varied 2026 maps

When Arc Raiders announced multi-size map releases in early 2026, a European community league adjusted its process: they increased pool rotation frequency and introduced a “map type” tag in vetting reports (small/medium/large). That change reduced match duration variance by 18% and improved viewer retention during BO3s because casters could better prep for pace shifts.

Key takeaways from that adjustment: keep map metadata visible to teams and casters, and always test pacing expectations per map type.

Final checklist — quick printable summary

• Gather map version + changelog
• Run 50 spawn safety trials
• Collect 50–100 rounds of balanced scrims
• Profile FPS & server stability
• Verify spectator cams and minimap clarity
• Score using the readiness scorecard
• Publish vetting report before adding map to pool

Actionable takeaways

• Lock maps early: For competitive integrity, lock map versions 48–72 hours before match day.
• Score objectively: Use telemetry thresholds to decide readiness rather than gut feel.
• Communicate openly: Publish vetting reports so communities trust your decisions.
• Plan for variety: With Arc Raiders adding varied map sizes in 2026, design pool composition to showcase different playstyles without disrupting viewer pacing.

Closing — run safer, fairer Arc Raiders events

New content in 2026 brings opportunity—and risk. Use this checklist as your operating procedure for vetting Arc Raiders maps. It standardizes decisions, reduces disputes, and improves broadcast quality while adapting to the game’s evolving map design philosophy.

Ready to get started? Download our printable scorecard, copy the vetting spreadsheet, and join our community host channel to swap playtest schedules and vetted map pools. Running a tournament this month? Share your vetting report template and we’ll review it live on Discord.

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