[Hartmann]

I've spent the last week queueing into squad lobbies alone, and I'm not gonna pretend it's chill, but it's nowhere near the horror story people sell it as. If you like planning your own route, grabbing what you came for, and leaving before the map turns into a circus, it actually feels cleaner than standard solos. I started doing it while tracking upgrades and ARC Raiders Items, and it quickly clicked: squads give you space, and space gives you options.



Why the spawns work in your favour
Solo-only matches often feel cramped. You spawn, take ten steps, and someone's already holding an angle like their life depends on it. In squad lobbies, the game spreads teams out so they don't instantly collide, and that spacing is a gift when you're alone. You can hit a strong POI early—Arrival in Space City is the obvious one—loot fast, and slip away while the nearest three-stack is still jogging across the streets. It turns the opening into a job: in, grab, out. No messy sprinting to beat three other solos to the same box.



Controlled profit runs and quieter extracts
If you're here more for PvE, crafting, and steady progression, solo vs squads can feel like the server forgot you exist. Key rooms stay closed longer. The good containers don't get vacuumed in the first minute. You've got time to listen, to wait, to let patrols move on. Hatch keys get way more value too, because you can plan around them instead of being forced into the loudest elevator extract on the map. People talk like solo vs squads is all desperation, but a lot of it is just choosing not to announce yourself.



Hunting squads without taking fair fights
When you do want PvP, the whole vibe changes. Squads make noise—constant sprinting, random shots at machines, loud heals, frantic comms you can basically hear through the walls. You'll usually hear them first, and that's the real advantage. Don't take the "honest" 1v3. Tag one when they're busy, reposition, let another squad crash the party, then step in when everything's already on fire. Third-partying isn't cheesy here; it's smart. You're not trying to prove something, you're trying to win.



XP boost, reputation, and knowing when to leave
The extra 20% XP is hard to ignore, especially if you're still pushing levels and need the grind to feel worth it. Just don't forget the game's watching how you behave. If you play nice in solo lobbies then turn into a full-time ambusher in squad queues, your matchmaking "reputation" can swing and your normal solos may get a lot nastier. Still, once you get used to controlling tempo—choosing fights, choosing exits, choosing when to disappear—it's tough to go back, and even tougher to say no when you're walking out geared and stocked, with cheap ARC Raiders Items on your mind for the next run.