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Build the Perfect Arc Raiders Arena: Map-Making Challenge (Size Spectrum Edition)

sscrambled

2026-01-24

9 min read

Teach map scale with a community Arc Raiders challenge. Blueprints, printable templates, lesson plans, and playtest rules to master arena design.

Stop making same-sized maps. Teach scale instead.

Players and creators are tired of cookie‑cutter arenas: one layout fits all, one pace dominates, and maps feel stale after a handful of runs. In 2026, with Embark Studios promising multiple Arc Raiders maps across a spectrum of sizes, now is the moment to turn that shift into a learning moment and a community event. This guide walks you through a complete Size Spectrum Map‑Making Challenge: printable templates, classroom lesson plans, playtest metrics, and a community competition format that teaches how scale changes tactics, pace, and player behavior.

Why map scale matters in Arc Raiders right now

Embark Studios confirmed new Arc Raiders maps arriving in 2026 that will span a range of sizes, from pocket arenas to grand vistas. That matters because scale rewires gameplay. A tiny arena rewards reflexes, team synergy, and choke control. A sprawling arena rewards positioning, long lines of sight, mobility, and resource management. Good designers lean into those differences instead of copying layouts at different sizes.

Industry trends in late 2025 and early 2026 show studios shipping multiple map sizes to support distinct modes and to keep meta cycles healthy. For Arc Raiders creators and educators, that trend is an opportunity: teach students and the community why scale changes every design decision, and give them tools to sketch, print, and test maps quickly.

The Size Spectrum Challenge: concept and learning goals

Run a community challenge that asks participants to design an Arc Raiders arena in one of four size tiers. The twist: each tier teaches different design priorities and must include a printable blueprint and a short playtest plan.

Four size tiers

Pocket (very small): fast engagements, 6v6 or 8 players, playtime 4–7 minutes
Skirmish (small): tactical 8v8 to 12v12 battles, more cover and quick rotations, playtime 7–12 minutes
Battlegrid (medium): class-based squad fights, multiobjective, 12v12 to 24v24, playtime 12–20 minutes
Grand (large): open arenas with vehicles or ziplines, objectives and emergent flow, 20+ players, playtime 20+ minutes

Learning outcomes

Understand how sightlines, cover density, and choke points shift with scale
Translate gameplay goals into blueprint constraints
Create printable map templates that support classroom or community printouts
Design and run targeted playtests and interpret basic telemetry

Blueprints: how to sketch maps for each size

A blueprint is the lingua franca of level design. Here are scale‑aware blueprint specs so participants can communicate intent clearly.

Grid, units, and common references

Pick a unit: use meters to mirror game distance expectations. 1 grid cell = 2 meters is a good baseline for third‑person action where characters occupy roughly 0.8 to 1 meter of space.
Keep grid readability: for printable templates use 10 mm per cell at 300 dpi. That gives you a tactile, hand‑drawable map on A4 or Letter paper.
Use three height layers: Ground, Mid, High. Mark vertical connectors (stairs, lifts, ziplines) clearly.

Recommended blueprint dimensions by tier

Pocket: 32 x 32 cells (64 x 64 meters). Focus on looping routes, two safe flanks, 2–3 cover islands, and one central engagement node.
Skirmish: 64 x 64 cells (128 x 128 meters). Add layered verticality, a couple of short long sightlines, and 3–5 objectives or resource points.
Battlegrid: 128 x 128 cells (256 x 256 meters). Design sweeping approaches, multiple spawn rotation paths, vehicles or mobility nodes, and 6–8 objectives split into sectors.
Grand: 256 x 256 cells and up. Treat this as a level cluster: hub zones, extended traversal, dynamic events, and emergent spawn design.

Tip: label scale on every blueprint and include expected player counts. Judges and playtesters need frame of reference before they jump in.

Printable template specs you can use today

Teachers and community hosts will love low‑friction printables. Here are concrete settings so your PDFs print pixel perfect.

Page sizes: A4 landscape or US Letter landscape
Grid spacing: 10 mm per cell for handouts. For larger classroom posters use 20 mm per cell
Margins: 10 mm minimum. Include a scale bar (0 to 50 meters) on every page
DPI: export printables at 300 dpi as PDF or PNG. Provide an SVG for scalable digital use and editing — see making diagrams resilient for export tips.
Color coding: use a limited palette for clarity. Blue for traversal, red for choke points, green for objectives

When creating templates, include a legend and a small playtest checklist on the side: Spawn points, sightlines, cover density, expected playtime.

Classroom lesson: 90 minute plan for level design

This plan converts the challenge into a lesson. Works for game design clubs, classrooms, or community workshops.

Materials

Printable blueprint templates (Pocket and Skirmish sizes)
Markers and rulers or digital drawing app and tablet
Timer and playtest forms

Objectives

Design a small arena blueprint with one clear gameplay hook
Explain how your design supports that hook
Run a 10 minute playtest and iterate

Lesson flow

10 minutes: intro to scale and examples from existing Arc Raiders maps. Discuss how Stella Montis or Spaceport use verticality and corridors.
25 minutes: team sketch. Choose a tier, define the hook (control point, payload, extraction), and draw a blueprint.
15 minutes: peer review using a rubric. Swap maps and answer: where will fights happen? Which routes are choked?
20 minutes: rapid playtests or simulated walkthroughs. If digital playtests are impossible, run roleplay simulations with players moving tokens and timing runs.
20 minutes: iterate and present. Each team explains a change and why it improves pacing or balance.

Assessment rubric

Clarity of objectives: 25%
Consideration of scale: 25%
Playtest evidence and iteration: 30%
Presentation and blueprint quality: 20%

Playtesting and metrics: what to measure by size

Playtests are where good design becomes great design. Define a short list of metrics and keep tests focused.

Core metrics

Engagement density: average number of combat encounters per minute in a target zone
Respawn fairness: ratio of immediate deaths after spawn vs lived spawns
Objective time: time taken to reach or contest objectives
Traversal variance: how often players use alternate routes vs the main path

Collect data through simple spreadsheets or lightweight telemetry if available. For community events, ask testers to mark heatmaps on printed blueprints and aggregate the results. If you need advice on telemetry and observability best practices for playtest data, see modern observability guides for small teams.

Balancing tactics by tier: practical design tweaks

Scale dictates which levers you can pull. Use these rules of thumb when iterating.

Pocket: eliminate long sightlines, add soft cover so fights are dynamic, and add mobility nodes to avoid stagnation.
Skirmish: fewer but meaningful chokepoints. Make sure flanking routes are viable and not punishing.
Battlegrid: manage downtime by adding objectives that pull engagement across the map rather than concentrating it in one place.
Grand: include traversal tools and dynamic events to reduce long idle phases and reward exploration.

Community Challenge structure and judging

Host the challenge across a 6 week cycle to give time for concept, build, playtest, and polish.

Suggested timeline

Week 1: Launch and rules. Release templates and sample blueprints.
Week 2: Concept submissions. Short pitch and one rough blueprint.
Week 3: Build week. Teams finalize blueprints and printable pack.
Week 4: Playtest week. Community testers run rounds and return heatmaps.
Week 5: Iteration. Designers revise and submit final blueprint and playtest log.
Week 6: Judging and showcase. Winners announced and top maps featured for downloads.

Submission requirements

One high resolution blueprint PDF (with scale bar)
One printable pack (A4/Letter) containing grid sheets and playtest form
One-page design pitch explaining the gameplay hook and scale choices
Playtest log with at least three recorded sessions and heatmap evidence

Judging criteria

Design cohesion and clarity: does scale support the intended gameplay? 30%
Playtest evidence and iteration quality: 30%
Creativity and thematic fit with Arc Raiders lore: 20%
Printable quality and classroom friendliness: 20%

Distribution and discoverability: make your maps easy to use

Once the community creates blueprints, make them findable. Package maps with clear metadata: size tier, recommended player count, estimated playtime, required assets for in‑game build, and a short howto for running a test match. Host packages on a central repository or a GitHub repo and pin a digest on Discord or a subreddit. Use tags like map making, Arc Raiders, arena design, blueprints, printable templates.

Advanced strategies and future predictions for 2026 and beyond

Expect studios to push more size diversity through 2026. We predict three trends that designers should plan for:

Mode pairing: developers will pair specific modes with map sizes. Expect smaller maps to be matched with fast‑paced objective modes and larger maps with emergent open objectives.
Tooling democratization: more editors and community toolchains will ship to let creators test different scales quickly. Provide exportable blueprints in common formats: SVG for editors, PDF for print, and PNG for quick previews.
Telemetry standardization: community playtest metrics will standardize around a small set of heatmap and encounter metrics to make cross‑map comparisons meaningful.

Designers who master scale will be the ones shaping the meta. By experimenting with templates and playtests now, your community will be ready when Embark drops its new maps and modes.

Good arenas teach players how to play them. They reward the skill the map is trying to highlight.

Quick win checklist: start your Size Spectrum challenge this weekend

Pick a tier and download grid template at 300 dpi
Sketch a one‑page blueprint defining one gameplay hook
Run a 10 minute playtest with 6–8 players and collect heatmaps
Iterate and prepare a printable pack for sharing
Submit to your community hub and ask for focused critiques

Closing: turn Embark's 2026 map wave into a learning moment

With Arc Raiders expanding its map slate in 2026 across different sizes, creators and educators have a rare runway to teach scale intentionally. The Size Spectrum Map‑Making Challenge does more than create cool arenas: it trains players to think like designers, gives teachers printable tools to run hands‑on lessons, and builds a catalog of blueprints that keep community play fresh.

Ready to run a challenge or print your first blueprint? Join the community hub, download the starter pack, and launch a weekend sprint. If you want, host a micro‑tournament and feature the winners in a classroom showcase. Small maps, big lessons.

Call to action

Download the free Size Spectrum starter pack, grab the Pocket template, and post your first blueprint in the Arc Raiders Map‑Making Discord thread. Want a lesson plan emailed to your teacher folder? Sign up for the classroom printables newsletter and get a complete 90 minute lesson and judging rubric this week.

scrambled

Contributor

Senior editor and content strategist. Writing about technology, design, and the future of digital media. Follow along for deep dives into the industry's moving parts.