That could be a possibility, I guess I just never found them. At least in sg 4 and sg 2 they are usually right in the open, the others they must be hidden quite well.
There called survival games and not lightning rounds for a reason. There are plenty of chest out there Just have to take the time to find them. I've never starved to death on any of the arenas because I took the time to find chest and develop a route. Quit bashing arena one because you guys are to lazy to actually "survive" in SURVIVAL GAMES