Arc Raiders News
Comprehensive breakdowns of every Arc Raiders update. Weapon balance changes, new content, enemy adjustments, and everything you need to know.
Live Update 1.36.0 — ARC Turbine Loot Buff & THE FINALS Crossover
Live Update 1.36.0 ships alongside the Fourth Expedition and Trials Season 5. ARC Turbine loot value is significantly increased, weapons now display installed mods when dropped, and ARC Turbine parts no longer drop from Couriers. Queen & Matriarch stomp knockback no longer penetrates walls. Matchmaking now tracks Solo, Duo, and Trio separately. The ARC Raiders x THE FINALS crossover runs July 9-30, earning the Azimuth outfit and Archeologist backpack, alongside a store redesign and the new Triumph Set.
Fourth Expedition — Zenith Outfit, Damage Rewards & Departure Dates
The Fourth Expedition overhauls Skill Point rewards again — the Expedition Challenge no longer grants Skill Points directly. Instead, earn Blueprints and Raider Tokens across five damage thresholds from 5,000 to 100,000 total damage, with duplicate protection on Blueprint rewards. Registration window July 7-21, 2026. Permanent unlocks include the first tier of the Zenith Outfit, +12 stash space (48 total across all four Expeditions), and bonus Skill Points capped at 15. Consecutive buffs now cap at three levels.
Trials Season 5 — The Scorta Outfit, Riven Tides & New Objectives
Trials Season 5 runs July 7 to September 30, 2026 at Riven Tides, with increased ARC activity and a developing alliance with the Nomads faction — heavy armor recommended. New objectives include damaging specific ARCs with certain weapons and absorbing Pop explosions. The Scorta is the Season 5 exclusive reward outfit, with Hotshot and Cantina Legend ranks unlocking Red and Blue variants, plus the Green Bruiser Backpack, Pressure Gauge Charm, Hydraulic Pump attachment, and "Come at me" emote.
Live Update 1.33.0 — Forgotten Relics Event & Full Changelog
Live Update 1.33.0 launches the Forgotten Relics event (collect relics for Merits, unlock the Saltwalker Outfit) alongside the Converging Paths community project running through July 27. The Rocketeer now drops Launcher Ammo instead of Heavy Ammo. Queen & Matriarch get terrain-navigation fixes, the Firefly no longer drops incendiary grenades without being destroyed, and a Pilgrim's Peak fall-through spot is fixed. Free loadouts disabled on Night Raid and Close Scrutiny for three weeks.
Patch 1.29.0 — Nomadic Envoy Trader, The Rascal & Full Changelog
Patch 1.29.0 adds the Nomadic Envoy trader Ermal for Level 25+ Raiders — offering stash expansions, Expedition Vault access, and weekly rotating stock. The Rascal is a new lightweight grenade launcher anti-ARC sidearm. Photoelectric Cloak power cost is halved from 10/s to 5/s. Extended Barrel splits into three tiers. Augment changes: Tactical Mk.3 Healing reworked to AoE with doubled healing (20→45), Combat Mk.3 Flanking now accepts Medium Shields. 20+ bug fixes. Denuvo Anti-Cheat begins limited rollout.
Riven Tides — New Coastal Map, ARC Turbine, Last Resort Event & Patch 1.26.0 Notes
Riven Tides is Arc Raiders' biggest content drop of 2026. Explore the new coastal map at the Exodus port and Panorama Azzurro hotel, face the new aerial ARC Turbine enemy, and sweep beaches with the Dockmaster's Detector in the Beachcombing map condition. The Last Resort event runs through May 25 with five collectible Ship Models and the Junior Outfit. The five-stage Avian Alarm Raider Project rewards the Bird House backpack and 250 Raider Tokens. Patch 1.26.0 overhauls weapon durability, significantly buffs the Bettina, nerfs the Photoelectric Cloak and Trigger 'Nade, and ships 30+ bug fixes.
Trials Season 4 — Recon Outfit, Cantina Legend Rank & Riven Tides Map Guide
Trials Season 4 launches April 29 alongside the Riven Tides coastal map — the first time Trials and an Expedition run simultaneously. New top rank Cantina Legend added above Hotshot. The Recon Outfit is the Season 4 exclusive reward, with the River Dance emote, life vest, and backpack cosmetics tied to rank milestones. Map Conditions no longer award double progress. New melee, gadget, and unique container challenge types added to the weekly rotation.
Third Expedition — A Triumphant Exit: Damage Challenge, Rewards & Departure Dates
The Third Expedition overhauls how Skill Points are earned — deal damage with any weapon or gadget instead of grinding stash value. Departure window April 28–May 4, 2026. Rewards include the Patchwork Outfit (Evolved) with new toggles and color variants, the Scrappy Turban, +12 stash space (316 total), up to 5 Skill Points, and max 91 total Skill Points with catch-up. Consecutive buffs reach 15% XP, 18% Scrappy Materials, 80% Repair Value.
Patch 1.24.0 — Nascosto Set, FSR Blur Fix & Pre-Riven Tides Polish
Patch 1.24.0 adds the Nascosto Set and Scrappy Speckled Set to the shop and cleans up several quality-of-life issues before the Riven Tides update. Crash fixes, AMD FSR Frame Generation blurriness resolved, Vanguard Set model stretching corrected for other players, Stella Montis audio levels fixed, bandage auto-fire timing bug patched, and an edge case with ziplines on carriables at ledge edges is closed. Confirmed last patch before Riven Tides drops end of April.
Patch 1.23.0 — Vanguard Set, Close Scrutiny Fixes & Full Changelog
Patch 1.23.0 adds the Vanguard Set cosmetic and delivers a focused Close Scrutiny event cleanup: Vaporizer stuck near Assessor, platform visibility for reconnected players, Assessor orbital return breaks from rapid Breach & Search, ARC idle despawn, and overlapping Assessor/Probe landing spots in Buried City. Gameplay fixes cover Trigger 'Nades damage calculation, the anvil splitter dispersion exploit, barricades on ziplines, weapon switch timing, and shoulder swap camera. Stella Montis and Buried City map bugs resolved.
Flashpoint Update — Vaporizer, ARC Assessor & All New Content
The Flashpoint update is Arc Raiders' biggest content drop of March 2026. New ARC Assessor operation (Close Scrutiny), new flying Vaporizer enemy with laser attacks, Canto SMG, Dolabra Legendary energy shotgun, Surge Coil deployable, Shredders expanding to all maps, the High Gain Antenna community project, Scrappy Feeding system, and the Wasp Hunter Bundle with 2,400 Raider Tokens.
Patch 1.22.0 — Flashpoint Content Drop, Balance & Full Changelog
The Flashpoint patch brings Rocketeer collision nerfs, significantly reduced Firefly spawn rates, locked room loot scaling by key rarity, Baron Husk loot increases, Blue Gate security code overhaul (codes only from printers, expire on extraction), 11 audio fixes, 7 gameplay bug fixes, animation polish, dam Sentinel spawns, Spaceport elevator fixes, Intel XeSS 2.1.1 / AMD FSR 2.1.0 upgrades, and 12 known outstanding issues.
Patch 1.21.0 — New Raider Tool, Backpack Set & Bug Fixes
A small QoL patch adding a new Raider Tool and Backpack cosmetic set. Three bugs fixed: DirectX 11 crash, players getting stuck inside the Harvester, and a wall-walk exploit via Fuel Cell/Field Crate pickup. Embark teased the Flashpoint update arriving next week as the major end-of-month content drop.
Patch 1.20.0 — Il Toro Nerf, Rawhide Outfit & Bug Fixes
The Il Toro shotgun is nerfed across the board — pellet damage reduced from 7.5 to 7, fire rate cut from 43 to 38, dispersion widened, and total reload time increased from 4.3s to 5.7s. Embark wants positioning and timing to matter more. New Rawhide outfit and two haircuts added. Three bug fixes (Comet/Fireball audio, Dam CAZ wall push, Spaceport collision) and Energy Clips sell price slashed from 1,000 to 200 coins.
Trials Season 3 — Ranks, Star Thresholds & The Torque Outfit
Trials Season 3 runs March 3 to April 29, 2026. Compete in weekly pools of 100 Raiders across three ranks: Rookie II, Daredevil, and Hotshot. Earn The Torque exclusive outfit by reaching 1,000, 2,500, or 4,000 stars. All progress is lost on death — extraction is everything.
Patch 1.18.0 — Bug Fixes & Hurricane Cache Rebalance
Six bug fixes: Safekeeper Augment exploit, Snaphook safe pocket, Dam CAZ, ARC performance drops, Worth Your Salt quest completion conflict, and a Player Proximity menu crash. Hurricane First Wave Caches rebalanced — blueprint rates lowered, high-tier material rates raised.
Firefly & Comet — New ARC Enemy Tips and Tricks
Meet the two new ARC machines added in Patch 1.17.0 Shrouded Sky. The Firefly is a tenacious flying unit that hunts Raiders into corners with flame attacks — target its yellow gas tank. The Comet is a heavily armored rolling sphere of explosives — use high fire rate weapons to force its armor open and hit the exposed machinery.
Patch 1.17.0 - Shrouded Sky: Hurricane Weather, New ARCs & Weapon Nerfs
Hurricane map condition, two new ARC enemy types, and a weather monitoring system headline this update. Stitcher headshot nerfed 2.5→1.75, Kettle damage 10→8.5, Venator damage 9→8, Aphelion reload cut from 4.5s to 3.5s, Jupiter ADS up to 2.2x. Volare & Surgeon cosmetic sets, Expedition Window, Dam Battlegrounds update, and stricter anti-cheat enforcement.
Patch 1.15.0 - Shared Watch Event, Cold Snap & Trailblazer Changes
The Shared Watch collaborative event runs through February 24 - earn merits by destroying ARC machines. Cold Snap returns with frostbite and increased loot. Trailblazer Grenade rebalanced, new Vulpine & Slugger cosmetics, and bug fixes.
Second Expedition - Rewards, Requirements & Departure Dates
Adjusted stash requirements, catch-up mechanic for missed Skill Points, new Patchwork cosmetics, doubled stash space, and increased consecutive expedition buffs. Sign-ups open February 25th.
Patch 1.13.0 - Solo vs Squads, Bird City & Trophy Display
Solo vs Squads matchmaking, Trophy Display Project, Bird City map condition, new augments, party system improvements, and extensive bug fixes.