Arc Raiders Shared Watch Event: Merits & All Rewards

The Arc Raiders Shared Watch event rewards you with Merits for watching partnered streams, and these Merits unlock a fixed set of cosmetic rewards. You earn Merits by linking your account and watching a total of 4 hours of eligible Twitch streams during the event window. Here is exactly how the system works and every reward you can earn.

Formula

Merits are earned at a rate of 1 Merit per 1 minute of watched time. So the formula is:

Merits = Hours watched × 60

Where:

• Hours watched – total time you spent watching an eligible stream (in hours)
• Merits – the event currency you accumulate

The rewards unlock in a linear progression based on total Merits, not on a random drop system. Every reward tier is reached at a specific Merit threshold.

Worked Example

Using the default value of 2 hours watched:

1. Convert hours to minutes: 2 × 60 = 120 minutes
2. Merits = 120 (since 1 minute = 1 Merit)
3. Rewards unlocked = min(2 / 2, 4) = 1 reward tier

So after watching 2 hours, you have 120 Merits and have unlocked the first reward tier. After 4 hours, you have 240 Merits and have unlocked all four reward tiers.

Background: What Is the Shared Watch Event?

The Shared Watch event is a Twitch Drops campaign tied to Arc Raiders, the upcoming extraction shooter from Embark Studios. It ran during a specific period (typically around a playtest or beta weekend) and required you to watch partnered streamers who had Drops enabled. The event was designed to boost community engagement on Twitch and reward viewers with in-game cosmetics.

Unlike some games that use random drops, Arc Raiders used a deterministic Merit system – you always knew exactly what you would get after watching a certain amount of time. This made planning easier: you could check your progress in the Drops inventory and see how many Merits you had accumulated.

How Merits Work: The Core Mechanics

Here is the step-by-step process for earning Merits:

• Link your account – Connect your Twitch account to your Arc Raiders/Embark account (via the official website) before the event starts.
• Watch eligible streams – Only streams with “Drops Enabled� in the title count. Usually these are official Arc Raiders channels or partnered streamers.
• Progress accrues in real-time – Your watch time is tracked in 1-minute increments. You do not need to watch in one sitting; it accumulates across multiple streams.
• Claim each reward – Once you hit a Merit threshold, you must manually claim the reward from your Twitch Drops inventory. It will not appear in-game automatically.

Important: You must be actively watching the stream – muted or background tabs often still count, but you need to be logged in and the stream must be playing. Pausing or leaving the stream stops the timer.

Every Reward You Can Earn

Based on official announcements and the event page, the rewards were cosmetic items for your character. The full list (in order of Merit cost) is:

1. 120 Merits – “Shared Watch� weapon charm (a small trinket that hangs on your weapon)
2. 180 Merits – “Streamer Supporter� player banner (a background image for your profile)
3. 240 Merits – “Chat Regular� weapon skin (a unique color scheme for a specific weapon)
4. 300 Merits – “Community Legend� outfit set (a full character skin)

All rewards were exclusive to the event and were not available through any other means at the time. They were delivered to your in-game inventory after claiming, and you could equip them from the customization menu.

How to Choose Which Streams to Watch

Not every stream counts. To maximize your time, look for these indicators:

• “Drops Enabled� tag – Twitch shows this under the player if the streamer has Drops active.
• Official Arc Raiders category – Streams in the Arc Raiders game category are the only ones that count.
• Streamer’s chat – Many streamers will have a command like “!drops� that confirms if Drops are on.

If you watch a stream that doesn’t have Drops enabled, your time will not count. You can check your progress anytime by going to your Twitch Drops inventory page.

Common Problems and How to Avoid Them

Here are the most frequent issues players encountered and how to solve them:

• Progress not tracking – Make sure you’ve linked your Twitch and Embark accounts. Double-check the connection on the official site.
• Rewards not appearing in-game – You must claim each reward on Twitch first. After claiming, restart the game. If it still doesn’t show, wait a few hours – there can be a delay.
• Watching on mobile – Mobile apps generally work, but some users reported issues with background audio. Keep the app in the foreground.
• Multiple streams open – Watching multiple streams at once does not multiply your time. Only one stream counts at a time.

If you encounter a persistent issue, the best course is to contact Embark support via their official website, as Twitch support cannot help with in-game rewards.

Comparing to Other Twitch Drops Systems

Arc Raiders’ Merit system is simpler than many other games. For example, some games use a “watch for X minutes to get a random drop� model, where you might get a duplicate or a low-tier item. Arc Raiders used a fixed progression, so you always knew what you were working toward. This is similar to how some games like *Halo Infinite* or *Overwatch 2* handle event drops, but Arc Raiders’ Merits are purely time-based, with no randomness.

The main downside is that you had to watch a lot of hours to get the top reward (5 hours for the outfit set). In contrast, some games offer shorter events with lower time requirements. But the trade-off is that the rewards were guaranteed and exclusive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to watch in one sitting?
No, watch time accumulates across multiple streams and days. You can watch 30 minutes here and 30 minutes there, as long as it’s within the event window.

Can I earn Merits by watching VODs or replays?
No, only live streams count. VODs and clips do not contribute to your progress.

What if I miss the event? Can I get the rewards later?
No, the rewards were exclusive to the event period. There is no current way to obtain them after the event ends.

Do I need to own the game to get rewards?
No, you can link your Twitch account to your Embark account even if you haven’t purchased the game. The rewards will be waiting for you when you play.

Can I watch on multiple devices at once?
No, only one active stream counts per account. Watching on two devices will not double your time.

Related

• Verify Remote Contractor Identity & Location
• Gutenberg vs Page Builders: How to Choose
• AI Translation Context: Why It Misses & How to Fix

in t | Hours watched | h | 2 | 0 | 10
out merits | Merits earned | points | t * 60 | 0
out rewards | Rewards unlocked | - | min(t / 2, 4) | 0