After an incredibly successful launch and an impressive ongoing player retention rate, the PvPvE extraction shooter Arc Raiders is officially beginning its first full year of content updates. Speranza has thawed out following the treacherous temperatures of the Cold Snap event, the first wave of raiders has left the Rust Belt in the first expedition, and storm gathers on the horizon. Embark announced their new content roadmap for Arc Raiders for the next four months, and though there’s not a ton of details about the content listed, it looks incredible even at a glance. It’s ominously titled Escalation, so Raiders take heed; things are gonna heat up topside.
January is nearly finished, but players can expect a few more treats before the month is up. The Headwinds update launches next Tuesday, January 27th, and adds a new minor map condition, new player project, and a new matchmaking option for veterans of the game. The map condition hasn’t been fully revealed, but its icon on the roadmap graphic is a bird, so perhaps it has something to do with a nature-related bonus resource or a different kind of storm, as some have suggested on Reddit. Those who are above level 40 will presumably have the choice of pairing with other high level players, which might make raiders running free-loadouts or attempting an exploit less common.
In February, The Shrouded Sky update will roll out with a new major map condition, a brand new arc robot to fight, another player project, a new grind-able raider deck, a map update, and an expedition window, which presents another opportunity to wipe and start anew if you skipped the previous one. The “map update” is something that we haven’t seen before in the game, and it’s unknown if that means a revision of level design or loot distribution, or an expansion of a new area in a map, or how many maps that applies to. Only time will tell.
In March, the Flashpoint update will release, and with it bring another new major map condition, another new arc robot to fight, another player project, and an update to the ever-faithful Scrappy the rooster. Hopefully, that means he’ll gather more free resources for you while you’re out raiding, but that remains to be seen.
Finally, to round out the season, the Riven Tides update will crash onto shore in April and in its wake, reveal a brand new map. That’s right, a shiny new map. And it ought to provide a welcome contrast from the frigid claustrophobic hallways of Stella Montis, and instead open up to a temperate beach area, judging by the feature’s icon and what appears to be a cropped image of a raider amidst a graveyard of shipwrecks. Additionally, there will be a new large arc, another new map condition, and one more expedition window to wrap up the season.
All of this comes with new quests, gameplay items (a new weapon?), new cosmetic items, as well as the usual gamut of quality of life updates and bugfixes. Get ready for action, Raiders.