Seasonal Event April 25, 2026

Trials Season 4 — Recon Outfit, Riven Tides Map & Everything That Changed

Season 4 is the biggest shake-up to Trials yet. It launches April 29 alongside the brand-new Riven Tides map, introduces a new top rank called Cantina Legend, replaces double-progress Map Conditions, and adds melee and gadget challenges to the weekly rotation. Here's everything you need to know before you drop in.

What's New in Season 4

Season 4 is not just a cosmetic swap — the developers have made structural changes to how Trials runs. If you played Season 3, read this section carefully before assuming anything works the same way.

Trials now runs during Expeditions

Season 4 runs simultaneously with the Riven Tides Expedition — previously Trials was suspended during Expedition events. You can now progress Trials rank while the Expedition is live.

Map Conditions no longer award double progress

Major Map Conditions previously doubled your star progress, rewarding players who waited for specific conditions to trigger. In Season 4 this bonus is removed — map selection is now entirely flexible.

New top rank: Cantina Legend

Season 4 adds Cantina Legend above Hotshot — a new peak for the leaderboard's best performers, with exclusive alternate outfit colors as the reward.

New challenge types

Weekly tasks now include melee combat objectives, specific gadget and grenade usage challenges, and searching unique containers — broadening the ways you can earn stars each week.

Core rule still applies: All trial progress is made in a single raid. Death wipes your accumulated stars for that run. You must extract alive to bank any progress.

Season 4 Ranks — Now With Cantina Legend

Season 4 keeps the familiar climb from Rookie through Daredevil and Hotshot, but adds a new ceiling: Cantina Legend. You're placed in a pool of 100 Raiders each week, and your performance within that pool determines whether you advance, hold, or drop.

⚔

Tryhard

The first competitive milestone of Season 4. Reach Tryhard I to unlock the base Recon Outfit — your entry-level Season 4 cosmetic.

Recon Outfit (base)

🔥

Daredevil

Mid-tier rank for consistent performers. Reaching Daredevil earns you the River Dance emote plus new backpack color, charm, and attachment.

River Dance Emote + Backpack Cosmetics

★

Hotshot

Elite rank. Hotshot players earn alternate Recon Outfit colorways — distinguishing them clearly from lower-rank Raiders in the field.

Alternate Outfit Colors

🏆

Cantina Legend

New for Season 4. The absolute top of the ladder. Cantina Legend is the peak rank this season, reserved for the best Raiders in each weekly pool.

Exclusive Alternate Colors

Season 4 Exclusive Rewards — The Recon Outfit

The headline reward for Trials Season 4 is the Recon Outfit, a beach-themed cosmetic set with unlockable variants tied to rank progression. The base outfit unlocks at Tryhard I — every rank above that adds a new cosmetic layer or colorway. All rewards are Season 4 exclusive and cannot be obtained after the season ends.

Recon Outfit (Tryhard I)

Base version of the Season 4 exclusive outfit. Unlock it by reaching Tryhard I in any weekly pool — this is the minimum seasonal reward.

River Dance Emote (Daredevil)

A new dance emote earned at Daredevil rank — the standout Season 4 personality reward alongside a new backpack color, charm, and weapon attachment.

Beach-Themed Gear Set

Life vest, backpack cosmetics, and outfit toggles distributed across ranks. The full beach aesthetic is tied to the Riven Tides coastal theme.

Hotshot & Cantina Legend Colors

Alternate Recon Outfit colorways exclusive to the top two ranks. These variants visually signal your achievement to other Raiders both in lobby and in the field.

Season 3 Completion Rewards — Torque Set Distribution

If you competed in Trials Season 3, your Torque Set pieces are distributed at the start of Season 4 based on the highest rank you reached before April 28:

Rank Reached Torque Set Reward

Rookie II Orange color variant

Tryhard I Jacket variant

Tryhard III Headgear variant

Wildcard II Shoulder pad variant

Daredevil I Yellow/Grey color

Hotshot Red color (max reward)

Where You'll Be Running Trials: Riven Tides

Trials Season 4 launches the same weekend as Riven Tides — Arc Raiders' new coastal map dropping April 28, 2026. For the first time, Trials and an Expedition run simultaneously, meaning you'll be completing weekly challenges across this new environment. Knowing the map before you drop in is a direct competitive advantage.

Panorama Azzurro Resort

Interior

A coastal hotel that remains structurally intact but has been completely abandoned. Features a rooftop bar, pool area with a water slide descending from the hillside, sun loungers, and multi-floor accommodation blocks. Salt-worn walls and left-behind furnishings make for excellent interior cover. Expect close-quarters engagements — ideal for melee challenge runs and gadget deployments.

Harbor / Dockyard

Vertical

An Exodus-era industrial port with towering cranes, stacked shipping containers, and a sea wall. The most tactically complex zone on Riven Tides — high verticality, dense concealment, and multiple elevated angles make this the best zone for aggressive container-search challenges and positional plays. Evidence of tidal flooding has toppled container stacks along the shoreline, creating chaotic terrain. An unidentified aerial threat has been spotted here — "just a shadow, slow, deliberate." Bring something that can handle threats from above.

Unknown aerial entity confirmed in harbor airspace. Treat as high-threat until further scouting data is available.

Beach Coastline

Open

A sandy strip running between the resort and harbor, defined by open terrain and low cover. A dried-up riverbed cuts toward the ocean through this zone, flanked by cliffside terrain. Wasps are confirmed active on the beach — plan accordingly if you have culling challenges this week. The open sightlines make this zone punishing without proper movement and communication. Best crossed quickly or used for flanking routes rather than prolonged firefights.

Season 4 Challenge Types

Season 4 expands the weekly task pool with three new objective categories, alongside the existing ARC culling and collection tasks. Knowing what's available lets you prepare the right loadout before dropping in.

Melee Combat Challenges

New for Season 4. Get close — these tasks require dealing melee damage or securing kills in hand-to-hand range. The Resort's interiors and the Harbor's container maze are your best venues. Coordinate with your squad so teammates don't clean up your kills from range.

Gadget & Grenade Usage

New for Season 4. Tasks that require using specific gadgets or grenade types during a raid. Check the challenge description before you load out — some will require specific items that aren't in your default kit.

Unique Container Searches

New for Season 4. Search specific unique containers found on the map. These won't be the same generic crates — learn the Riven Tides map layout and where named or special containers spawn to complete these efficiently.

ARC Culling (Returning)

A Season 3 staple returning in Season 4. Destroy a specified ARC type within a single raid. Check the ARCs database for spawn patterns and weaknesses before loading in — efficient routing separates top performers from everyone else.

How Trials Works (Quick Refresher)

Each week you're placed in a pool of 100 Raiders at your current rank. You receive a set of tasks to complete in a single successful raid. Stars earned from that raid determine your weekly standing, which in turn decides promotion, demotion, or a hold at your current rank.

Promotion

Rank in the top portion of your 100-Raider pool by hitting the threshold for the next rank. Consistently outperform your pool to climb from Tryhard to Daredevil, Hotshot, or Cantina Legend.

Hold

Contribute enough stars to remain at your current rank without advancing. Mid-table performance keeps you in place for the following week.

Demotion

Fall below the minimum contribution threshold and you drop back to the rank below. Missing raids entirely is the fastest way to slide — plan your weeks around the Trials schedule.

Death resets your run. All stars and task progress accumulated in a raid are lost on death. You must extract alive to bank anything. A clean 1,000-star extract beats dying with 3,500 every single time.

Tips for Trials Season 4

Learn Riven Tides before the season starts — spend your first raids scouting container locations, ARC patrol patterns, and the Harbor's vertical angles. The players who know where things spawn will dominate the early weeks.
Map Conditions no longer matter for double progress — don't waste time waiting for a specific condition to trigger. Load in when you're ready and play the challenge in front of you.
Pack a melee option every raid — melee challenges will appear in the rotation and you can't complete them without the right kit. A dedicated melee slot costs you little and prevents a wasted run.
Read the harbor carefully — the unidentified aerial entity spotted near the dockyard is a real threat. Until more scouting data surfaces, assume it's dangerous and don't dawdle in open airspace near the harbor.
Wasps are live on the beach — if you have culling tasks involving Wasps, the beach coastline between the Resort and Harbor is the most reliable spawn zone. Check the ARCs database for Wasp weaknesses.
Use the maps page as more Riven Tides zone data comes in — container and resource locations will update as the community scouts the full map.
Target Cantina Legend if you're a Hotshot already — Season 4 adds a new ceiling. If you maxed out at Hotshot last season, you now have room to push further and earn the exclusive Cantina Legend colorway before the season ends.
Bring appropriate weapons for your weekly tasks — if your gadget challenge specifies a grenade type, it needs to be in your kit. Pre-read the full task list before you finalize your loadout.