ARC Raiders Frozen Trail Update: Full 2.0 Patch Notes

The ARC Raiders Frozen Trail update is live, and Cred is gone, Snap Hook got nerfed and the skill tree works differently. Missing those changes costs you progress on day one. Embark released Frozen Trail on October 8, 2026 as the 2.0 Update. We went through Embark’s official patch notes so you don’t have to.

Table of Contents

• Pendola Pass: The New Map
• New Enemies
• New Weapons and Gadgets
• Amplified Weapons and Weapon Stencils
• The Outpost
• Skill Tree Rework
• Cred Is Gone: Reward Points and the New Pass
• Stash, Matchmaking and Anti-Cheat Changes
• Balance Changes
• Trader Changes
• What to Do First
• Known Issues
• Event Dates
• What Isn’t in the Update
• Key Takeaways
• FAQ

Pendola Pass: The New Map

Pendola Pass (full map guide) is an old Italian village and Exodus transport hub beyond the Rust Belt, according to Embark’s Frozen Trail first look. It is the frozen mountain region teased through the Ascending the Mountain project. Our Ascending the Mountain guide covers the story setup. Our Flash Freeze guide covers the storm hazard, and the Exploring Pendola Pass quest guide walks through the map’s first quest.

Two new map conditions arrive with it: Frigate and Redirection. The Frigate is one of the largest ARC vessels yet (our Frigate guide covers the full run). You board it, work through its internal passageways, unlock paths and fight ARC while other Raiders do the same. The notes give no details on Redirection.

Pendola Pass also tests a Dynamic Loot Zone system. An area’s loot value can change between raids, while its loot type stays the same. Treat any fixed “best loot spot” advice for the map with caution until the system settles.

Other maps changed too. Riven Tides has about 15% more overall loot value, so our Riven Tides loot route is worth a second look. Buried City’s Hospital Roof is climbable again, and Blue Gate got lighting and stuck-spot fixes.

New Enemies

Frozen Trail adds three ARC enemies. The notes list only their names. Embark’s first-look post describes how each one behaves:

• Bully gallops at you and uses lethal attacks. Use cover, time your responses and land your shots.
• Skulker waits in your peripheral vision and ambushes you with a flurry of blows. A brief distraction makes it retreat out of sight.
• Hydra is a turret split into three stacked, autonomous sections with triple weaponry. It sits on the Frigate and can threaten a whole squad. Divert its attention, take cover fast and attack in bursts.

Official stats, weak points and drop tables have not been published yet. Our enemies guide covers the existing roster.

New Weapons and Gadgets

Weapons

• Bantam is a snub-nosed revolver that fires heavy ammo. Embark says it works against both ARC and Raiders and has a unique hip-fire ability. It takes over the uncommon hand cannon role from the Anvil.
• Stiletto is a light-ammo battle rifle positioned as a cheap-to-craft early-game alternative to the Renegade. Mashing the fire button hurts accuracy.

Our new weapons guide has hands-on impressions of both guns. The Anvil also changed:

• Its rarity rises from Green to Blue.
• Anvil Splitter can no longer be used as a mod. It is now an upgrade option for the Amplified Anvil.
• The Anvil’s Tech Mod slot was removed.
• The Splitter mod no longer drops, though you can still sell it or recycle it into Amplified Fragments.

The Jupiter no longer propagates damage twice to ARC parts behind its target. That makes it stronger against armor and slightly weaker against weak spots. The Dolabra now destroys the Harvester’s yellow weak points, and weapons you pick up off the ground keep their attachments. Check our best weapons ranking for how these changes fit the wider meta.

Gadgets and Items

New gadgets and items:

• Grappling Hook
• Basic and Advanced Cameras
• Tether Launcher
• Yank Grenade
• Mountaineer’s Detector
• Banjo and Harmonica

Existing gear changed as well:

• Snap Hook: range cut from 20m to 18m, durability use raised from 2% to 4% per use, power cost raised from 50 to 60. Embark now frames it as a burst mobility gadget.
• Heavy Shield: durability decay reduced from 0.20 to 0.15, and the movement penalty reduced from 15% to 10%.
• Flame Spray: range increased.
• Ziplines: now break if they intersect something after placement.

Amplified Weapons and Weapon Stencils

Amplified Weapons add a fifth quality level. Per Embark’s first-look post, you unlock it with a fully upgraded research station in your Outpost. The level opens a branching path of abilities and enhancements that can change how a weapon behaves. It launches on 15 weapons, with more planned. See our amplified weapons guide for every confirmed perk path, and our weapon mod guide covers the existing mod system it builds on.

Weapon Stencils are cosmetic. There are 14 in total:

• 5 come from the Frozen Trail Premium Pass.
• 1 comes from the DLC.
• 8 are found Topside.

You apply a stencil like a blueprint, using Stencil Parts found Topside. A stenciled weapon can still be looted if you are downed, so keep your best-looking gun out of risky raids.

The Outpost

You unlock the Outpost by completing a project. Accept the quest and bring a camera. Our Sheltered Retreat project guide covers all three stages. Finishing it also unlocks the Research Bench (Embark’s first-look post calls it the Research Workstation). You can expand the Outpost with modules.

There are 100 furniture designs:

• 4 are exclusive to the Frozen Trail Pass.
• 1 is exclusive to the DLC.
• 73 are found Topside, unlocked by looting Design items.

Our Outpost breakdown covers the base in more detail.

Skill Tree Rework

The rework adds new skills, changes existing ones and reshuffles the layout:

• Mid-branch nodes are now a binary choice between two skills. You can change the pick when you reset the tree.
• End-of-branch nodes offer three skills. You pick up to two once you meet the skill point requirement.

Three skills were buffed:

• Fight or Flight: stamina gain up about 25% per level.
• Stubborn Mule: stamina regen up about 33%.
• Back on Your Feet: healing up from 30 to 40.

Embark plans further tweaks based on how players use the tree. See our leveling guide for how the tree worked before the rework. For the new gate rules and every pick, read our Frozen Trail skill tree explainer, and for ready-made point lists see our best skill tree build guide.

Cred Is Gone: Reward Points and the New Pass

Cred has been removed. It is replaced by Reward Points, which go automatically toward whichever pass is active.

• The Frozen Trail Pass has 60 levels across a Free and a Premium track.
• Raider Decks moved into the Legacy Pass, which is free. Rewards you had already unlocked were kept, and you can switch back to it.
• Only one pass can be active at a time.
• Embark’s notes don’t list prices for any pass.

Feats are how you earn Reward Points:

There are 3 weekly milestones, each worth 250 Reward Points. They unlock at 4, 8 and 12 weekly milestone progress. You can keep completing Feats after that, but no major milestone rewards are granted until the weekly reset.

Our reward pass breakdown compares the Free and Premium tracks. If you are wondering what happened to your balance, see our Cred guide.

Stash, Matchmaking and Anti-Cheat Changes

• Stash: the maximum stash increased by two tiers to 328 slots, without Expedition bonuses.
• Weapon slot weight: the reduction now applies only to your loadout.
• Looting: you can drop loot to the ground directly from containers.
• Matchmaking: Solo vs. Squads was removed from the matchmaking options while the team re-evaluates its role. Our matchmaking guide covers the earlier system.
• Duplication: Embark is restricting accounts that hold large amounts of duplicated items and removing duplicated items from inventories. See our anti-cheat guide for the wider picture.
• Technical: FSR was upgraded to 4.1.1, with crash, performance and memory fixes. Enemy memory usage was reduced.

Balance Changes

• ARC explosive damage was reworked. It deals over 50% more against armor plates and around 30% less against fragile parts such as the Hullcracker.
• Matriarch can use all ranged attacks again.
• Queen and Matriarch higher-tier loot moved from leg armor to leg parts.
• Vaporizer: the multi-target laser was adjusted so it’s easier to dodge.
• Ladders: you can no longer sprint-climb while exhausted.
• Scrambling: a new move that lets you scramble up steep slopes for a short time while sprinting.
• Sliding: you now slide automatically after tumbling too long, and slides no longer snag on small obstacles.

Trader Changes

• Celeste trades new furniture crafting materials and gameplay items.
• Tian Wen no longer sells Anvil or Hullcracker offers. They moved to the weekly Nomadic Envoys rotation.
• Launcher Ammo and Energy Clips now have daily purchase limits.
• Shani’s offers are now Coin-based and include Cameras and Light Sticks.
• Apollo gained Epic Augment offers.
• Cassio replaces Ermal, trading valuables and offering quests.

The update also adds 22 new quests. Completing quests and objectives now grants XP. Five older quests now require camera photos: The League, Reduced to Rubble, Life of a Pharmacist, Battening Down and Groundbreaking.

What to Do First

1. Start the Outpost project. Everything else in the base, including Amplified Weapons, depends on it. Bring a camera.
2. Check your skill tree. Mid-branch picks are now binary, so look at your build before the first raid. Our best skill tree build guide has tested point lists.
3. Check your gadgets. If you run a Snap Hook, expect shorter range and faster wear.
4. Pick your pass. Reward Points only feed the active pass, so choose between the Frozen Trail Pass and the Legacy Pass before you grind Feats.
5. Spend Coin carefully at Shani. Her offers are now Coin-based.

Known Issues

Embark lists several open problems. The ones most likely to affect you:

• Outpost: the first objective requires a photo of a farmland house. Furniture clipping, blocked slots and a missing unlock indicator are also listed.
• Quests: “Picking up the Pieces” can’t be completed on Pendola Pass, and the “Sizing Things Up” cinematic can fail to trigger.
• Hydra: it can detect players through Cargo walls, and standing on the Cargo drop can cause an instant elimination.
• Gear: Tether Launcher repair is unavailable (see our Tether Launcher and Yank Grenade guide), and Field Repair is sometimes unavailable until you restart.
• UI: keybinds can reset after raids on non-English layouts, and a lock icon can appear on unlocked Premium rewards.

Event Dates

Twitch Drops include the Oxygen Respirator at 60 minutes of watch time and the Mailbox at 120 minutes. The Collector DLC is available now.

During the PvE test, reports say the Frigate is excluded, along with Night Raids, Hidden Bunker and Locked Gate. Our PvE toggle breakdown has the test rules.

What Isn’t in the Update

Several pre-launch leaks did not make it into the official notes:

• Player trading and clans. Both appeared in datamined files. Neither is in the 2.0 notes.
• A progression wipe. None is mentioned.
• The weapons datamined as Stanza and Malleus. The two new weapons are the Bantam and Stiletto.

We’ll update this page if Embark confirms any of these later.

Key Takeaways

• Frozen Trail went live on October 8, 2026 as the 2.0 Update.
• Pendola Pass brings the boardable Frigate, plus Bully, Skulker and Hydra.
• The Bantam and Stiletto are the new weapons. Amplified Weapons launch on 15 guns.
• Cred is gone. Reward Points feed the active pass.
• The skill tree uses binary mid-branch choices and pick-two-of-three end nodes.
• The stash grew to 328 slots, and Solo vs. Squads was removed.
• Snap Hook lost range and durability.

FAQ

When did the ARC Raiders Frozen Trail update release?

Frozen Trail (the 2.0 Update) went live on October 8, 2026. Embark is also running a free-play window from October 8 to 12 and a PvE toggle test from October 13 to 20.

What is the new map in Frozen Trail?

The new map is Pendola Pass, an old Italian village and Exodus transport hub beyond the Rust Belt. It brings the Frigate and Redirection map conditions and a testing Dynamic Loot Zone system where an area’s loot value can change between raids.

What new weapons and gadgets does Frozen Trail add?

The two new weapons are the Bantam and the Stiletto. New gadgets and items include the Grappling Hook, Basic and Advanced Cameras, the Tether Launcher, the Yank Grenade, the Mountaineer’s Detector, the Banjo and the Harmonica.

What new ARC enemies are in Frozen Trail?

Frozen Trail adds three new ARC enemies: Bully, Skulker and Hydra. Bully charges you down, Skulker ambushes from your peripheral vision, and Hydra is a three-section turret found on the Frigate.

What are Amplified Weapons?

Amplified Weapons are a new fifth quality level that opens a branching path of abilities and enhancements for a weapon. You unlock it through a fully upgraded research station in your Outpost. Embark says it launches on 15 weapons, with more planned.

What happened to Cred?

Cred has been removed. It is replaced by Reward Points, which go automatically toward whichever pass is active. Raider Decks moved into the Legacy Pass and previously unlocked rewards were kept.

How does the skill tree rework work?

Mid-branch nodes are now a binary choice between two skills, which you can change on a tree reset. At the end of a branch you pick up to two of three skills once you meet the skill point requirement. Fight or Flight, Stubborn Mule and Back on Your Feet were also buffed.

How do I unlock the Outpost?

You unlock the Outpost by completing a project. Accept the quest and bring a camera, because the first objective needs a photo. Finishing it also gives you access to the Research Bench.

How big is my stash after Frozen Trail?

The maximum stash increased by two tiers to 328 slots, not counting Expedition bonuses. You can also drop loot to the ground straight from containers.

Did Frozen Trail add player trading, clans or a progression wipe?

No. Trading and clans appeared in earlier datamines, but neither is in the official 2.0 notes, and the notes mention no wipe. We will update this page if Embark confirms any of them.

How often will ARC Raiders get major updates now?

Embark moved away from monthly content updates. Major updates like Frozen Trail arrive twice a year, with smaller live updates, balance changes and events in between.