Riven Tides — New Coastal Map, ARC Turbine & Full Patch 1.26.0 Notes
Riven Tides is Arc Raiders' biggest content update of 2026 — a brand-new coastal map on the western shore of the Rust Belt, a new aerial ARC machine to discover, the Beachcombing map condition, four new items, the Last Resort event running through May 25, and the five-stage Avian Alarm Raider Project. Patch 1.26.0 also overhauls weapon durability system-wide, significantly buffs the Bettina, nerfs the Photoelectric Cloak and Trigger 'Nade, and delivers 30+ bug fixes across gameplay, audio, and maps.
New Map: Riven Tides
Riven Tides is a coastal location on the western shore of the Rust Belt. Deserted during the Exodus and subsequently abandoned after failed First Wave settlement attempts, the map spans three distinct areas — each with different loot density, vertical structure, and ARC patrol patterns.
Abandoned Shoreline
Wide open coastal strip forming the western perimeter. The best Beachcombing territory — unobstructed sand gives the Dockmaster's Detector maximum scan range. Contested with other raiders for surface and buried loot.
Exodus Port
Industrial dockyard that served as a departure point during the Exodus. Elevated platforms, dense cover, and structural complexity make this the most combat-intensive zone — and the primary deployment site for the Avian Alarm buoy cages.
Panorama Azzurro Hotel
A derelict resort hotel overlooking the coast. Multiple floors and vertical traversal points reward aggressive rotations — the Powered Descender and Crash Mat have obvious utility on the upper floors.
New Enemy: ARC Turbine
ARC Turbine — Floating Aerial Patrol
The Turbine is a new floating ARC machine that patrols the skies above Riven Tides. At range it reads as calm and docile — it won't react until you close the gap. Cross that threshold and its defensive posture shifts sharply. Embark describes the engagement as requiring skill, patience, and nerves, with responses that are "notably brutal." Its exact attack patterns and defensive abilities are intentionally left for players to discover. The strong advice: observe before engaging, and don't let the quiet exterior push you into a rushed fight.
New Map Condition: Beachcombing
Beachcombing — Sweep the Sand for Buried Loot
During Beachcombing sessions, the Dockmaster's Detector can be found in the world and used to sweep coastal sand for buried loot hidden beneath the surface. Open areas with unobstructed ground are the richest hunting grounds. The Detector is also earnable as a Stage 1 reward from the Avian Alarm Raider Project, giving dedicated Riven Tides players a reliable supply for future Beachcombing sessions.
New Items
Four new items launch with Riven Tides, focused on vertical mobility and the Beachcombing map condition.
Powered Descender Epic
Epic gadget enabling safe, controlled descent from significant heights. Pairs with the Crash Mat for high-risk vertical plays on the hotel's upper floors and port structures.
Crash Mat Uncommon
Throwable that creates a soft landing zone, mitigating fall damage on impact. The intended companion piece to the Powered Descender for complete vertical mobility.
White Flag Common
New common deployable with mechanics left for players to discover in the field. Exact interactions with Riven Tides' environment and other players are not detailed in the official notes.
Dockmaster's Detector Common
The core Beachcombing tool. Find it in sessions or earn it as an Avian Alarm Stage 1 reward. Sweeps sand to reveal buried loot — works best in wide, unobstructed coastal areas.
Last Resort Event — Through May 25
The Last Resort event converts session XP into Merits throughout Riven Tides. Hidden Ship Models scattered across all maps provide bonus Merits based on their rarity — rarer models yield bigger Merit rewards. Three reward pages unlock progressively as your Merit total climbs.
Ship Models to Collect
New Raider Project: Avian Alarm
The Avian Alarm is a five-stage Raider Project tied to Riven Tides. Each stage requires deploying bird cages at coastal buoys across sessions. Complete all five stages for 250 Raider Tokens and the Bird House backpack.
Weapon & Item Balance
Durability System Overhaul
The most sweeping systemic change in Patch 1.26.0. Weapons now spawn with less durability and lose it faster at lower rarities — but upgrading repairs 25% durability, and knockdown durability loss is halved. The intent is to make rarity and weapon investment matter more over a session.
Average Weapon Spawn Durability — 50 → 30
Weapons found in the world now spawn at ~30 durability on average instead of 50. Looted weapons have a shorter natural lifespan before maintenance or replacement is needed, increasing pressure to upgrade rather than constantly swap out fresh pickups.
Upgrading a Weapon Now Repairs 25% Max Durability
Any weapon upgrade now also restores 25% of the weapon's maximum durability — making upgrades a more economical choice and rewarding players who invest in a single weapon over the course of a session rather than cycling through fresh finds.
Lower-Rarity Weapons Lose Durability Faster
Durability loss per hit is significantly increased for lower-rarity weapons and marginally improved for top-tier ones:
Knockdown Durability Loss — 30% → 15%
Durability lost when knocked down is halved. Reviving from teammates is now far less punishing on your equipped weapon, reducing the cascading cost of a bad fight in late-session play.
Bettina — Major Buff
The Bettina receives its largest stat pass to date. Across the board improvements make it a significantly stronger option for both ARC fights and mid-range combat.
Bettina — Damage, Fire Rate, Accuracy & Ammo
Item Changes
Vaporizer Regulator — Stack Size 1 → 3
The Vaporizer Regulator can now stack up to 3 per inventory slot, down from a stack size of 1. A direct quality-of-life improvement for players who run the Regulator consistently — it now takes up one third of the inventory space it previously required.
Trigger 'Nade — 1s Throw Delay + 1.3s Trigger Delay Added
The Trigger 'Nade now has a 1 second throw delay and a 1.3 second trigger delay after landing. These delays close the window on the rapid throw-and-trigger spam that was reducing counterplay in close-quarters scenarios.
Photoelectric Cloak — Weight 1 → 3, Power Use 2.5/s → 10/s
The Cloak's weight triples from 1 to 3 and its power draw quadruples from 2.5/s to 10/s. It was providing too much sustained invisibility for its loadout cost — this makes it a genuine commitment: heavier to carry, and it burns through power roughly 4× faster than before. Short bursts remain viable; prolonged cloaking is now a significant resource investment.
Enemy Adjustments
Comets Removed from Standard Dam Battlegrounds
Comets no longer appear in standard Dam Battlegrounds sessions. Their presence was disrupting the intended encounter flow of Battlegrounds. Comets remain active in other map contexts.
Firefly & Comet Presence Reduced on Specific Maps
Both ARC types have reduced spawn rates on specific maps. Embark continues to tune their density to keep encounters meaningful without overwhelming sessions.
New Cosmetic Sets
Five cosmetic sets launch with Riven Tides — two tied to Trials Season 4 progression and three in the shop rotation.
Solare Set Trials S4
Ceremonial layers and woven fabrics. One of the two Trials Season 4 cosmetic sets.
Rachetta Set Trials S4
Bold colors and athletic design with a speed-focused aesthetic. The second Trials Season 4 cosmetic set.
Corsaro Set
Techno-captain aesthetic with a robotic arm and spring-operated leg. Shop rotation.
Castaway Set
Self-reliant lone wolf aesthetic. Shop rotation.
Sandveil Set
Patient, pale design for extended operations in dusty coastal environments. Shop rotation.
New Augment
Tactical Mk.3 (Smoke)
A new Tactical augment for smoke-based playstyles, sitting above existing Tactical Mk augments in its progression tier. Full stat interactions and ideal use cases are for players to test — but smoke utility builds now have a clear upgrade target to work toward.
Bug Fixes
Over 30 fixes ship with Patch 1.26.0. Key fixes by category:
Gameplay
Audio & Voice
Maps
UI & Performance
Known Issues at Launch
Embark has flagged these as unresolved at the time of release: