ARC Raiders Frozen Trail 2.0 Update: Patch Notes
Frozen Trail 2.0 is live. Check the new content, Snap Hook nerfs, Anvil changes, Outpost unlocks, PvE test dates and known launch bugs.
October 8, 2026 | Based on Embark's Frozen Trail 2.0 launch patch notes.
The ARC Raiders Frozen Trail 2.0 update is live, bringing Pendola Pass, new ARC enemies and weapons, and a player Outpost. Before your first raid, check your build: the skill tree has been rebuilt, the Snap Hook has shorter range, and the Anvil has moved to Blue rarity.
Embark's October 8 patch notes also cover a new reward system, two more stash upgrades and several launch bugs. Here are the changes that affect what you bring, what you loot and what you work toward next.
Key takeaways
- Pendola Pass launches with Bully, Skulker and Hydra, plus the Frigate and Redirection map conditions. Bantam and Stiletto join the weapon roster.
- The skill tree now makes you choose between major perks. Outposts unlock weapon research, and Reward Passes replace Raider Decks.
- Snap Hook range drops to 18 metres, its durability cost doubles, and the Anvil becomes Blue. Explosives hit ARC armor harder but do less damage to fragile parts.
- The PvE toggle test runs October 13–20, five days after this update. Field Repair, the Tether Launcher and Cargo encounters have known launch issues.
What is new in the ARC Raiders Frozen Trail 2.0 update?
Pendola Pass is the new map, taking Raiders into a frozen mountain region built around a fallen Emperor. The Frigate brings another place to fight through ARC and compete with other Raiders for loot.
| Addition | What arrives in 2.0 |
|---|---|
| Map and conditions | Pendola Pass, Frigate and Redirection. |
| ARC enemies | Bully, Skulker and Hydra. |
| Weapons | Bantam, Stiletto and the Amplified Weapons upgrade system. |
| Gadgets and social items | Grappling Hook, Tether Launcher, Yank Grenade, Basic and Advanced Cameras, Mountaineer's Detector, Banjo and Harmonica. |
| Player progression | A revised skill tree, Outposts with a Research Bench, Reward Passes and 22 new quests. |
| Customization | Weapon Stencils and lootable Furniture Designs for your Outpost. |
The Stiletto is a light-ammo battle rifle, while the Bantam is a heavy-ammo revolver. Our Frozen Trail first look covers their intended roles, the new enemies and the traversal gadgets.
Loot value can change between Pendola Pass raids
Embark is testing Dynamic Loot Zones on Pendola Pass. An area's loot value can rise or fall between raids, so a route that paid well last time may be less rewarding next time.
The loot category stays the same. A Residential area still gives Residential loot; the value changes. Keep that in mind before committing every run to the same buildings.
Snap Hook nerfs, Anvil changes and ARC damage
The Snap Hook now reaches 18 metres instead of 20, consumes twice as much durability per use and costs more power. Embark is giving it a more specific role as a quick burst of movement alongside the new Grappling Hook.
| Stat or item | Before 2.0 | Frozen Trail 2.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Snap Hook range | 20 m | 18 m |
| Snap Hook durability per use | 2% | 4% |
| Snap Hook power per use | 50 | 60 |
| Heavy Shield durability decay | 0.20 | 0.15 |
| Heavy Shield movement penalty | 15% | 10% |
| Anvil rarity | Green | Blue |
| Back on Your Feet healing | 30 | 40 |
The Anvil Splitter moves into amplification
The Anvil keeps its familiar combat role, but the Bantam takes over as the uncommon hand cannon. The Anvil also loses its Tech Mod slot.
The Anvil Splitter stops working as an attachable mod. Its effect becomes an improved upgrade option for the Amplified Anvil. Existing Splitters can be sold or recycled into Amplified Fragments used to repair Amplified Weapons.
Hullcracker shots favor armor plates
The revised ARC explosive-damage formula makes weapons such as the Hullcracker deal over 50% more damage to armor plates and roughly 30% less to fragile parts.
Jupiter also loses an unintended double-damage interaction with ARC parts behind the target. Embark describes the resulting weapon as stronger against armor and slightly weaker against weak spots.
Queen and Matriarch loot has changed too. Higher-tier loot has moved from leg armor plates into the leg pieces those plates protect. The armor can still hold some loot, but the more valuable drops are deeper in.
How does the reworked skill tree affect your build?
Each branch now has a middle node where you pick one of two skills. At the end of a branch, two choice nodes let you select up to two skills from a shared pool of three after meeting the point requirements.
You can change those choices when you reset the tree. Our Frozen Trail skill tree guide covers the new perks and branch changes.
Several returning skills also get buffs. Fight or Flight grants about 25% more stamina per level, Stubborn Mule's stamina regeneration rises by about 33%, and Back on Your Feet heals 40 instead of 30.
Field Repair has a launch bug that can leave it unavailable after you unlock it. Embark's current workaround is to restart the game.
How do you unlock the Outpost and weapon research?
Accept the Outpost quest and complete its project. The first step, Research Topside Living Conditions, requires a photograph of a farmland house. Bring a Camera, which you can buy from Shani, craft at the Workbench or find Topside.
Unlocking the Outpost opens access to its research station. Weapon amplification adds a fifth weapon quality tier with special upgrade choices, giving familiar guns new behavior as you progress through research.
You can expand the Outpost with modules and furnish it using learned Designs. Frozen Trail adds 100 Furniture Designs, including 73 found Topside and 22 unlocked through Outpost upgrades. The remaining five are tied to the Frozen Trail Pass and DLC.
Weapon Stencils work like learned recipes and require Stencil Parts to apply to compatible guns. There are 14 at launch: eight found Topside, five exclusive to the Premium Pass and one exclusive to DLC. A decorated weapon remains lootable after you are downed.
What happens to Cred and Raider Decks?
Cred is gone. Reward Points now advance whichever Reward Pass you have selected, and only one pass can be active at a time.
The Frozen Trail Pass has 60 levels with Free and Premium tracks. Your old Raider Decks move into the Legacy Pass, with previously unlocked rewards kept. Select the Legacy Pass when you want your new points to advance those rewards.
Feats and weekly milestones
Feats now have three difficulty categories with different point payouts and weekly progress:
- Easy Feats give 15 Reward Points and one weekly milestone progress.
- Medium Feats give 25 Reward Points and two weekly milestone progress.
- Hard Feats give 50 Reward Points and three weekly milestone progress.
The three weekly milestones unlock at four, eight and 12 progress. Each pays 250 Reward Points.
Starting from zero, four Hard Feats would provide 12 weekly progress and 200 Reward Points from the Feats themselves. All three milestones add another 750, for a total of 950 Reward Points. Further Feats still pay their own points after the milestones are finished, but the milestone bonuses wait for the weekly reset.
Stash upgrades, traders and changes you'll notice mid-raid
The stash gains two upgrade tiers, raising its maximum to 328 slots before Expedition rewards or acquired Nomadic Envoy space. Other changes make looting and navigating a little less awkward:
- You can drop loot straight from a container onto the ground.
- You can open the map while downed.
- Backpacks with lights get an Emissive Toggle, so you can switch those lights off.
- Sprinting into a steep slope can trigger the new Scrambling movement.
- Quest objectives and completed quests now grant XP, with XP shown among the rewards.
- Riven Tides receives roughly 15% more overall loot value.
Check the map-selection screen and controller bindings before heading out, as both have been updated. The Solo vs. Squads matchmaking option has been removed while Embark reconsiders its incentives.
Trader stock also shifts. Tian Wen's Anvil and Hullcracker offers move to the weekly Nomadic Envoys rotation, and Launcher Ammo and Energy Clips get daily purchase limits. Shani trades in Coins and stocks Cameras and social items. Cassio replaces Ermal in the Nomadic Envoys lineup, trading for valuables and offering some quests.
The patch includes memory and stability work, voice-chat fixes for some console players, better hit registration while standing on ARC and an upgrade to AMD FSR 4.1.1.
Is the PvE toggle live with Frozen Trail?
The PvE toggle beta runs October 13–20, 2026. It starts five days after Frozen Trail's October 8 launch.
Embark's PvE test announcement says player-to-player damage will be disabled in those sessions, with Solos, Duos and Trios sharing lobbies. Loot value will be lower, and Frigate, Night Raids, Hidden Bunker and Locked Gate will be excluded from the test.
Our PvE toggle beta breakdown covers the rules and what happens when the test ends. A permanent PvE mode has not been promised.
Known Frozen Trail launch bugs and current workarounds
Check these before risking gear or working through the new quests:
- If Field Repair stays unavailable after unlocking it, restart the game.
- The Tether Launcher currently has no repair option. Embark plans to fix it in an upcoming update.
- Hydra can detect and shoot players through walls in the Cargo area. Standing on the side of the Cargo drop can also cause instant elimination, so avoid that position.
- Picking up the Pieces cannot be completed on Pendola Pass. The quest works on other maps.
- Non-English keyboard layouts can have their keybinds reset after each raid.
- The Premium Pass can still show lock icons after purchase, even when the rewards are unlocked.
- In rare invisible-lobby cases, players cannot loot or interact. Embark says returning to Speranza should leave your loadout as it was before the affected raid.
Outpost decorating also has collision, camera and selection problems. Furniture can block selectable slots, and Low shadow quality can corrupt lighting in the main building.
The patch notes confirm further action against accounts storing large amounts of duplicated items, plus removal of duplicated items from inventories. For the wider enforcement rules, see our September anti-cheat policy breakdown.
Frozen Trail 2.0 update FAQ
Is Frozen Trail free?
Yes. Frozen Trail is a free content update. The Collector Set DLC and Premium Reward Pass are separate purchases. Embark is also running free access to ARC Raiders from October 8–12 for players trying the game.
Can you still progress the old Raider Decks?
Yes. They are now part of the Legacy Pass, and previously unlocked rewards are kept. Make the Legacy Pass active to direct your Reward Points toward it.
What are the Frozen Trail Twitch Drops?
The October 8–November 4 campaign offers two backpack attachments. Watch participating ARC Raiders streams for 60 minutes for the Oxygen Respirator and 120 minutes for the Mailbox.
Where can you plan a build for the new skill tree?
Use our Frozen Trail skill tree builder to compare perks and work out your choices before spending points.