ARC Raiders 'Cold Snap' Update is Days Away, Brand New Map Experience

Following the success of ARC Raiders this year, developer Embark Studios has announced its next major update offering not yet a brand-new map experience, but a whole new Raider too.

Released back in October, ARC Raiders is a third-person extraction shooter from the developers of The Finals.

Featuring PvPvE gameplay, “raids” can be undergone either solo or in teams of two or three with the aim to get in, get that all important loot, and get out. Since its release, ARC Raiders has received generally favourable reviews with players praising its engaging combat, interactive maps, and gameplay loop.

However, it has also been criticised for its use of generative AI with Embark admitting that it uses it “to assist with content creation”.

Nevertheless, ARC Raiders still went on to win The Game Awards for Best Multiplayer at this year’s The Game Awards. Now a week on and Embark Studios has announced that ARC Raiders will be welcoming a brand-new update as of 17 December.

“Attention Raiders,” a recent Twitter post read.

“After a minor delay in the tunnels, the Expedition departure window will open on Dec 17; this is your Raider’s chance to roll out in the Caravan you’ve built and leave the Rust Belt behind.

Prepare to start a fresh new adventure with a brand new Raider, and a whole new story to write.”

The Expedition Project will be a six-day period in which your Raider can choose to leave The Rust Belt for good by departing on the very Caravan you have helped build.

Restarting your journey with new buffs and advantages, your next Raider will be able to earn up to five skill points based on the total value of your Stash and Coins at the time of departure.

Put simply, one million Coins worth of value equals one skill point.

However, if you choose to leave The Rust Belt and start fresh, you will lose all progress, meaning that your Skill Tree, Level, Stash, Workshop, Crafting Abilities, and Blueprints will be reset.

Embark Studios

Sacrifice Your Progress For a Fresh Start

As a result, your new Raider will have the following advantages and rewards:

Permanent Unlocks:

• The Patchwork Raider outfit
• Scrappy Janitor Cap
• Expeditions Indicator icon
• Skill points (depending on Stash value)
• +12 Stash space

Temporary Buffs:

• 10% repair buff
• 5% xp boost
• 6% more materials from Scrappy

The Expedition Window begins on 17 December and ends on 22 December so you have just a few days to decide if you are willing to sacrifice it all and start again.

However, for Embark Studios, it has a reason for introducing progression wipes.

“Progression wipes are a notoriously difficult thing to balance in online multiplayer games - we get that,” a recent blog post reads.

Mandatory global wipes have some obvious benefits: heavily invested players get to re-experience the initial grind once again and, for a time, the playing field is levelled.

The optional Expedition Project is our solution to some of the problems that inevitably arise with mandatory wipes - specifically, by respecting your time investment in the game. We want to offer you the choice:

Not completed as much as you’d like? Keep on raiding, building, and growing. Ready for a new challenge and to grind once again? Depart on the Expedition, and receive buffs, rewards, and bragging rights.

For now, the story is yours to write - we can’t wait to see what you decide!”