The ARC Raiders Frozen Trail update will add a new map called Pendola Pass, three new enemies and a late-game weapon upgrade system when it launches on October 8th. The ARC Raiders team shared a first look at the update on September 23rd, outlining what players can expect when they travel beyond the Rust Belt, the region where the game has been set so far. "Braving the new frontier will challenge you to your extremes, but you'll also be offered opportunities to develop your capabilities so you're prepared for the danger," the team wrote.
New map: Pendola Pass
According to the announcement, Pendola Pass is an old Italian village that once worked as a transport hub for the Exodus Project. It lies past the mountains that surround the Rust Belt.
In the game's story, characters Celeste and Shani traced a strange signal heard across Toledo back to the location. The map includes a supermarket, an empty town square, an observatory and a buried train depot.
The main reason players are heading there is a fallen Emperor, which the team said holds rare technology inside. Players will need to reach it and find a way in, while dealing with sudden flash freezes that sweep through the valley and a disrupted ARC response.
The Frigate
The fallen Emperor has also drawn a reaction from ARC, the machines players fight in the game. One of their largest vessels, which players have nicknamed the Frigate, will patrol the area.
Once on board, players will have to move through its internal passageways, unlock new routes and fight off both familiar and new ARC enemies. Other Raiders will be competing for the same prize, and the team said players will need to "collaborate or cut through them in order to pass."
Three new enemies
The Bully is an aggressive, machine-learned enemy that charges at players and uses a range of attacks. The team advised players to use cover and time their responses carefully.
The Skulker takes the opposite approach. It waits at the edge of a player's vision for an opening, attacks, then retreats out of sight again.
The Hydra is a stationary turret found on the Frigate. It is split into three stacked sections that operate on their own, and according to the team, it can take on entire squads.
Outpost and Amplified Weapons
Frozen Trail also expands the Raider Den with the Outpost, a new base located between the Rust Belt and the mountains. Players can customise it with modules and furniture, and use its Research Workstation to unlock higher levels of weapon customisation and modding.
"The Outpost is the start of a feature we hope to develop much further," the team said, adding that the long-term goal is to give players "a deeply personal space."
Fully upgrading the Research Workstation gives access to Amplified Weapons, a fifth quality level for 15 guns. At this level, players can pick from a branching path of abilities and upgrades that change how a weapon behaves. Examples shared by the team include a fully automatic Burletta, a Renegade with a scope and a Rattler that fires incendiary rounds from a 64-round magazine.
The team said it built the system because skilled players tend to stick with their favourite weapons, leaving others barely used. More weapons are set to receive the upgrade in future.
New weapons and gadgets
Two new weapons are included in the update. The Stiletto is a light-ammo battle rifle positioned as a cheap early-game alternative to the Renegade. The Bantam is a snub-nosed revolver that uses heavy ammo and has a unique hip-fire ability.
On the gadget side, the Grappling Hook lets players climb, abseil off buildings and swing across gaps. The Tether Launcher connects two points with a wire, which can root enemies in place or even attach Raiders to ARC. The Yank Grenade pulls a nearby target towards it when it explodes, which the team said can bring flying ARC down or drag Raiders out of cover.
There's also a camera gadget with zoom, aperture control, manual and automatic focus, and a selfie mode with emotes. Photos are saved to the player's Codex.
Other additions include two instruments, the Harmonica and the Banjo (the Banjo blueprint comes with the Collector Set DLC), and Weapon Stencils for reskinning guns. Players who lose a fight risk having their personalised weapon taken by the Raider who beat them.
