-Arma Reforger, Still Love It, But It’s Struggling Right Now

I’ve been a long-time fan of the Arma series, and I still love what Reforger wants to be. But lately, it’s a frustrating ride, and not for lack of trying on my end. The problems are stacking up.

Console Player Behavior
Teamwork and communication have really taken a hit. Compared to the old-school PC crowd, the console player base feels more chaotic, less coordinated, and often outright toxic. It’s especially rough on the US side, where most new or inexperienced players tend to land — and let’s be real, many just aren’t good at the game. It kills the immersion for those of us playing with strategy, squad cohesion, or realism in mind.

Overmodded Servers & Stability Issues
Mods are a core part of Arma, no argument there, but many server owners go way overboard. Between bloated mod packs and poor optimization, crashes and instability have become the norm. And the recent patch or expansion made it worse.

You can usually reconnect (around 76% of the time), but about 15% of the time you lose gear, get kicked out of your squad, or worst of all, end up stuck in a server queue just trying to get back in. If you were lone-wolfing or doing a stealth op for fun or lore, you’re suddenly out of sync and frustrated. Immersive play is suffering, big time.

And it’s not just modded servers. Even vanilla and private servers, and yes, the official ones too — are riddled with crashing issues right now. It’s out of hand, and it has to be addressed.

Radio Spawning & Coordination – From Suspect to Strategic
At first, I suspected some kind of exploit, that enemies could eavesdrop on radio comms. Turns out, they can. But it’s actually part of the game’s depth.

Here’s what I’ve learned:
There are two primary uses for radios in Reforger:

Lore-style teleportation, Place a radio somewhere in the field, and as long as it’s still there, you can teleport to it from a friendly base that can afford your loadout. It’s immersive and useful for regrouping or continuing a stealthy operation.

Supply-based respawning, If the radio is near a supply pile (deployed outside of a vehicle loaded with supplies), it can draw gear from that pile and respawn players with their kit. It’s a more “gamey” but practical way to sustain forward operations.

Each method has a cooldown (~10 minutes), and both offer strategic depth. I’ve come to appreciate this system a lot more, but most players don’t understand it, and there’s little in-game guidance. A tutorial or better UI hints would help immensely.

But here’s the twist: radio eavesdropping is real. Every player spawns with a personal radio, and if they die, enemies can pick it up and tune in. Some server settings even allow players to respond back to enemy team channels, sowing confusion and feeding misinformation. This isn’t necessarily broken, it’s actually pretty cool in a realism sense, but again, it needs to be clearly explained and properly moderated to prevent abuse.

Faction Imbalance
Russia used to win consistently despite “inferior” gear, mostly due to better teamwork. But now something feels off. Whether it’s balance changes or just a shift in player habits, matches have started to feel completely one-sided. That kind of imbalance sucks the fun out for everyone, regardless of team.

Final Thoughts
I still believe in what Arma Reforger is trying to do. The realism, the scale, the squad-based coordination, that’s why I keep logging in. But right now, it feels like the game is veering off course.

The crash issues, even on vanilla and official servers, are unacceptable. The imbalance and poor communication around core mechanics like radios are hurting the experience. And the quality of players has taken a nosedive with the wrong kind of crowd showing up and staying loud.

Please don’t let this become another Atlas, where the most vocal, least-invested players steer the devs into watering it all down. Reforger can still be great. But something’s gotta change, soon. When will we see the FIA in a APC?

-Arma Reforger, Still Love It, But It’s Struggling Right Now I’ve been a long-time fan of the Arma series, and I still love what Reforger wants to be. But lately, it’s a frustrating ride, and not for lack of trying on my end. The problems are stacking up. Console Player Behavior Teamwork and communication have really taken a hit. Compared to the old-school PC crowd, the console player base feels more chaotic, less coordinated, and often outright toxic. It’s especially rough on the US side, where most new or inexperienced players tend to land — and let’s be real, many just aren’t good at the game. It kills the immersion for those of us playing with strategy, squad cohesion, or realism in mind. Overmodded Servers & Stability Issues Mods are a core part of Arma, no argument there, but many server owners go way overboard. Between bloated mod packs and poor optimization, crashes and instability have become the norm. And the recent patch or expansion made it worse. You can usually reconnect (around 76% of the time), but about 15% of the time you lose gear, get kicked out of your squad, or worst of all, end up stuck in a server queue just trying to get back in. If you were lone-wolfing or doing a stealth op for fun or lore, you’re suddenly out of sync and frustrated. Immersive play is suffering, big time. And it’s not just modded servers. Even vanilla and private servers, and yes, the official ones too — are riddled with crashing issues right now. It’s out of hand, and it has to be addressed. Radio Spawning & Coordination – From Suspect to Strategic At first, I suspected some kind of exploit, that enemies could eavesdrop on radio comms. Turns out, they can. But it’s actually part of the game’s depth. Here’s what I’ve learned: There are two primary uses for radios in Reforger: Lore-style teleportation, Place a radio somewhere in the field, and as long as it’s still there, you can teleport to it from a friendly base that can afford your loadout. It’s immersive and useful for regrouping or continuing a stealthy operation. Supply-based respawning, If the radio is near a supply pile (deployed outside of a vehicle loaded with supplies), it can draw gear from that pile and respawn players with their kit. It’s a more “gamey” but practical way to sustain forward operations. Each method has a cooldown (~10 minutes), and both offer strategic depth. I’ve come to appreciate this system a lot more, but most players don’t understand it, and there’s little in-game guidance. A tutorial or better UI hints would help immensely. But here’s the twist: radio eavesdropping is real. Every player spawns with a personal radio, and if they die, enemies can pick it up and tune in. Some server settings even allow players to respond back to enemy team channels, sowing confusion and feeding misinformation. This isn’t necessarily broken, it’s actually pretty cool in a realism sense, but again, it needs to be clearly explained and properly moderated to prevent abuse. Faction Imbalance Russia used to win consistently despite “inferior” gear, mostly due to better teamwork. But now something feels off. Whether it’s balance changes or just a shift in player habits, matches have started to feel completely one-sided. That kind of imbalance sucks the fun out for everyone, regardless of team. Final Thoughts I still believe in what Arma Reforger is trying to do. The realism, the scale, the squad-based coordination, that’s why I keep logging in. But right now, it feels like the game is veering off course. The crash issues, even on vanilla and official servers, are unacceptable. The imbalance and poor communication around core mechanics like radios are hurting the experience. And the quality of players has taken a nosedive with the wrong kind of crowd showing up and staying loud. Please don’t let this become another Atlas, where the most vocal, least-invested players steer the devs into watering it all down. Reforger can still be great. But something’s gotta change, soon. When will we see the FIA in a APC?