ARC Raiders Patch Notes 1.17.0: Stitcher and Kettle Nerfs, Venator Damage Cut, and Shrouded Sky QoL

Patch 1.17.0 landed alongside the Shrouded Sky content update on February 24, 2026. While the content update introduced the Hurricane condition, new ARC machines, and cosmetics, patch 1.17.0 is where the balance changes live. This is the first major weapon tuning pass since the game entered early access, and it targets the three most dominant PvP weapons while buffing two that were underperforming. The official patch notes from Embark Studios include detailed developer reasoning for each change.

Beyond weapons, there are sweeping changes to Feats, a new expedition catch-up mechanic, semi-auto weapon input buffer adjustments, item cost rebalancing, and a long list of bug fixes. If you only read the weapon section, you are missing half the patch.

Before you read the weapon changes, you need context on what happened with semi-auto weapons. In patch 1.13, Embark adjusted how semi-auto weapons registered inputs. That patch felt good for paced shooters but frustrated players who clicked fast. Then in 1.13.1, an unintended change effectively removed the cadence limit, letting you spam-click at maximum fire rate with no penalty. That was too strong.

Patch 1.17.0 takes a middle-ground approach. Each semi-auto weapon now has a per-weapon input buffer window. If you click during the buffer window, the shot queues and fires at the next available moment. If you click outside the window (too early), the input is dropped. The result: spam-clicking still works better than it did before 1.13, but players who pace their shots and time clicks to land inside the buffer window will out-DPS spam-clickers consistently.

This matters most for the Jupiter and any other semi-auto weapons in your rotation. If you have been relying on spam-clicking since 1.13.1, expect a slight DPS drop. If you pace your shots, you will feel rewarded.

The crafting economy got a round of adjustments. The Energy Clip is now available in the workbench by default, so you no longer need to unlock it through blueprints before crafting. This is a quality-of-life win for new players who need ammo early on.

The Feat system got a significant overhaul. You can now reroll your Feats up to three times per day for free. No cost, no currency drain, just straight rerolls. This is a huge change for players who have been stuck with Feats that do not match their playstyle or the weapons they are running.

PvP Feats have been completely removed from the game. Existing PvP Feats were replaced with updated versions, and new PvE-focused Feats were added to the pool. If your entire Feat loadout was built around PvP kills and extractions, it will look different now, but the free rerolls let you reconfigure quickly.

Several tactical items received usability improvements. Pop Triggers and Spotter Relays can now be placed in your quick slots, which means faster access during combat without needing to open your inventory. The Spotter Relay has a new secondary function: it can be deployed as an ARC lure trap that draws nearby machines to its location. Pop Triggers now roll forward a short distance before detonating, making them more useful for area denial.

On the lighter side, there is a new Field Craft called the Shaker, a musical instrument you can craft and use in the world. There is also a new interactable piano placed somewhere on the map. Neither affects gameplay, but they add to the social sandbox that Embark has been building since launch.

The full bug fix list is massive, but here are the ones that affect gameplay the most.

• Interaction distance exploit fixed. Players could trigger interactions from too far away. This was a major exploit that affected loot containers, extraction points, and interactables.
• Players can no longer stand on grenades. Yes, this was happening. It was used to reach unintended positions.
• Downed raider body blocking hatch extraction fixed. A downed teammate's body could block the extraction hatch, preventing the surviving player from leaving. This was one of the more frustrating PvP griefing methods.
• NVIDIA Freestyle filters exploit removed. Players were using Freestyle color filters to gain visibility advantages. This has been blocked.
• Ziplines on carryable objects removed. You can no longer attach ziplines to objects you are carrying.
• Mines and traps on deployables removed. Placing mines on deployable items has been disabled.
• Fall damage now applies during knockback. Previously, getting knocked off a height during a knockback event would not deal fall damage. It does now.
• Sentinel shots passing through geometry fixed. Sentinel projectiles were clipping through certain walls and terrain. This has been patched.
• Multiple out-of-bounds fixes on Stella Montis. Several spots where players could clip outside the map boundary have been sealed.
• Scrappy clucks less frequently. The community's favorite chicken companion has been toned down. Fewer clucks per minute. A true tragedy.

Embark has tightened anti-cheat enforcement with this patch. Strong detections now result in permanent bans on first offense. Weaker or ambiguous detections trigger a temporary suspension with one chance to clean up before a permanent ban follows. If you want the full history of how ARC Raiders handles cheating, we covered the system in detail in our anti-cheat and compensation post.

Family Sharing on Steam has also been adjusted to reduce ban evasion. Players who are banned can no longer simply share the game to a new account and continue playing. A manual ban appeal review system is in the works, giving falsely flagged players a path to dispute their bans directly with the team.