ARC Raiders, a PvPvE extraction adventure game developed by Embark Studios and published by Nexon, unveils its massive new update 'Frozen Trail' today (October 8). Marked as the game's largest update of the year, it introduces new exploration and progression content set in a brand-new region, along with new weapons and more.
On September 30, a preview event was held for media and influencers. During the hands-on session lasting around two hours, participants explored the new region, Pendola Pass, firsthand, testing out new ARC threats, firearms, and traversal tools like the Grappling Hook.
A New Region That Feels Chilling Just Looking at It: Pendola Pass
The main feature of Frozen Trail is the addition of this new map. Blanketed in snow on all sides, Pendola Pass is located beyond the northern mountains of the Rust Belt, featuring an old Italian village and a transport outpost for Project Exodus across a snowy landscape. While not overly vast, it stands out with its intricate mix of open spaces, narrow passageways, and steep elevation changes.
In particular, after a match begins, a freezing wave called 'Instant Freeze' periodically strikes, gradually draining health if players are outdoors. Instant Freeze starts when approximately 28 minutes remain in the session, lasting 3 minutes each time. Once an Instant Freeze subsides, there is a 1-minute lull, occurring 4 times in total before stopping completely. This means players exploring the snowfields must manage not only nearby enemies but also the timing of these cold snaps.
The map also features the wreckage of a fallen giant ARC known as the Emperor. The development team stated that placing a fallen giant ARC in such a harsh environment reflects their vision of showing that 'even ARC can make mistakes.' Regarding Pendola Pass, they noted it serves as an opportunity to 'break away from the warm-color-dominated map rotation and take a step toward a richer ecological lineup.'
Of course, cold weather isn't the only threat on the snowfields. Frozen Trail introduces three new ARC types alongside existing ones: the Bully, Skulker, and Hydra. Additionally, Fireflies and Turbines appear during night matches or under the 'Reroute' map condition. During this preview, only the Bully and Skulker could be observed firsthand.
The Bully is a quadrupedal ARC that gallops like a horse, proving to be the most annoying enemy throughout the demo. With exceptional mobility, it becomes extremely difficult to shake off once it spots a player. Against distant Raiders, it fires mortars that scatter cluster submunitions, while at close range, it uses a shotgun attack, leaving players vulnerable regardless of distance.
The Skulker hides amid the snowdrifts, resembling a white robotic vacuum cleaner. Upon detecting a player, it approaches while emitting eerie sounds, transforms into a turret, and opens fire with a machine gun. While taking it down isn't as difficult as dealing with smaller standard ARCs like Wasps, its machine gun deals considerable damage, making it a threat that cannot be ignored when playing solo.
Pendola Pass also introduces a new extraction option: the Ballistic Gondola. Holding up to three players for extraction, players call the gondola using transmitters scattered across the map, move to the boarding point, and climb safely inside. Once arrived, the gondola remains on the map for roughly 2 minutes by default, but as soon as a single player boards, the timer until departure accelerates significantly.
The catch is that calling the gondola easily draws nearby attention. Activating the transmitter creates noise that risks attracting nearby ARCs, and the gondola descends with thick green smoke, highly likely to draw enemy Raiders' eyes. On the other hand, players can also cling to the gondola using tools like the Grappling Hook or Snap Hook. In this case, everyone attached counts as having successfully extracted, even if the maximum capacity is exceeded.
'Amplified Weapons' Give Existing Weapons Wings
With increased threats on the snowfields, the arsenal to combat them has also evolved. The demo showcased new weapons—the Stiletto and Bantam—along with 'Amplified Weapons,' which grant special effects to existing firearms.
The Stiletto is a semi-automatic rifle using Light Ammo with a 16-round magazine. It features high accuracy and low initial recoil, but sustained firing degrades its handling, making it harder to control. Because the stability of the first few shots differs greatly from holding down the trigger, careful burst control is required during continuous fire.
The Bantam is a compact revolver using Heavy Ammo. While it seems to overlap in role with the Anvil, the Bantam trades accuracy for faster response times. A subtle delay occurs between pressing the trigger and firing, adding a slight layer of complexity to gunplay.
Amplified Weapons are a brand-new system introduced in this major update that grants existing weapons fresh capabilities. In the hands-on session, players could try out the Amplified Renegade and Amplified Burletta. Beyond increased durability, both weapons carried traits that affected aiming or firing mechanics.
First, the Amplified Renegade featured 'Amplified Durability' and 'Scoped' traits. Consequently, weapon durability was significantly boosted to 200, and the attached scope allowed for much more precise aiming. On top of that, upgrades like a 50% reduction in bloom recovery time and a 75% increase in rate of fire stood out.
The Amplified Burletta also possessed 200 durability alongside a 'Full Auto' trait. This allowed players to unleash an entire magazine simply by holding down the button without repetitive clicking, offering a massive advantage in the close-quarters Raider engagements characteristic of the Burletta.
A Gateway to the Emperor? The New 'Reroute' Condition
The fallen Emperor in Pendola Pass is both part of the scenery and a site where players can explore its interior using rare resources earned through gameplay. Designed as ARC Raiders' first dungeon-style content, the developers explained that its layout changes slightly every time you enter. As a result, the key locations and sequence players must navigate shift, providing a fresh experience each run.
In this media preview, part of the preparation process required to enter the Emperor's interior was revealed. Tied to this process is the new map condition, 'Reroute.' Under the Reroute condition, Instant Freeze does not occur; instead, multiple 'Emperor Relays' are active across the map.
Active Emperor Relays can be spotted by red lasers shooting up into the sky, and opening the map shows how much time remains before a relay turns off. Approaching an active relay yields a 'Beacon' item. Deploying this on the ground causes a large barrage of Harvester Cargo to rain down from above.
The core objective of the 'Reroute' condition is securing various rewards through this Harvester Cargo. Although remarkably valuable crafting materials were not spotted during the preview, it was confirmed that 'Coupler' components required to enter the Emperor dungeon drop nearly guaranteed. Couplers could also be obtained by defeating Bully ARCs in addition to looting Harvester Cargo.
The doors leading inside the ARC Emperor are locked, requiring a key item called the 'Emperor Gateway Conduit' to open. To craft this key item, players must gather three different Couplers. The three types visible during the preview were the 'ARC Insulated Coupler,' 'ARC Plated Coupler,' and 'ARC Conductive Coupler.'
However, even after gathering all Couplers, the method for crafting them into a conduit was not uncovered during the test. It is anticipated that crafting during a session is either disabled or requires an additional blueprint. The actual internal layout of the Emperor and how exploration plays out inside remain unanswered questions from this session.
The roughly two-hour hands-on session with 'Frozen Trail' encapsulated both the process of adapting to the snowfields and preparing for subsequent expeditions within them. While dealing with periodic freezing waves and relentless Bullies, players under the Reroute condition tracked down relays, secured cargo, and collected necessary parts to gain entry to the Emperor. Even within Pendola Pass itself, tasks shifted depending on map conditions and player objectives.
Although this run ended at gathering Couplers, the fallen Emperor on the map clearly signaled where those resources will eventually be spent. What kind of experience this dynamically changing dungeon actually delivers will only be known by stepping inside. The next expedition into Pendola Pass will likely begin with unlocking the doors of the Emperor that remained sealed this time.
