Every ARC Raiders update explained. What changed, what got buffed or nerfed, and what it means for your loadout.
Official update watch
Official sources only; no rumors, leaks, or unconfirmed details.
Official May 21 update: Twitch Drops run through June 18. Watch participating channels for 1 hour to earn Spinning Top and 2 hours for Canned Tomatoes.
Cosmetic-only reward window; no balance, quest, trader, item, or map changes.
Source: ARC Raiders official X, May 21, 2026. Link Twitch and Embark accounts, watch before June 18, and claim both rewards from Twitch.
ARC Raiders' official May 24 Trials card confirms Season 4 runs May 25-31. This week's objective set focuses on damaging Shredders, damaging Bombardiers, dealing damage with Blaze Grenades, looting Weapon Crates, and, on Dam Battlegrounds, damaging ARC in the Red Lakes.
This is a weekly Trials checklist rather than a balance patch: players still chasing score before reset should plan for ARC fights, Blaze Grenade damage, and Weapon Crate routes instead of treating the post as a new item, quest, or economy change.
Source: ARC Raiders official X, May 24, 2026. Finish any remaining Trials before the May 31 window closes, bring Blaze Grenades if you are targeting the fire-damage card, and route Dam Battlegrounds runs through Red Lakes when you need ARC damage there. No rewards, item values, quest steps, or patch numbers changed in this post.
Embark's May 28 official video asks players to share standout ARC Raiders clips in the official Discord for a chance to appear in a future community highlight reel. The callout specifically mentions last-second escapes, unexpected ARC encounters, and memorable Topside moments.
This is a community event-style opportunity rather than a balance patch: selected clips can earn the exclusive Film Reel Backpack Charm, so the useful action is capturing clean gameplay moments and submitting them through Discord while the callout is active.
Source: ARC Raiders official YouTube, May 28, 2026. Save short clips with clear moments, avoid using rumors or unreleased content, and submit through the official ARC Raiders Discord if you want a chance at the cosmetic charm or highlight feature. No gameplay values, quests, or patch balance details changed in this post.
Raiders! It seems the rumors are true. After long avoiding traveling below ground, the Nomadic Envoys have arrived in Speranza. On the hunt for valuable gear and weaponry, these mysterious members of the nomadic tribe are offering deals you can't find anywhere else.
Biggest takeaways: New Trader - Nomadic Envoy (added), Cosmetics (added), Blueprints (added), Raider Tokens (added).
Expedition Vault access - Enabling Raiders to safely store up to 5 of their most prized items for retrieval post-Expedition
Gameplay and progression items, including items for current Raider projects
Fixed an issue where players would be teleported when standing on destroyed ARC parts.
Queen and Matriarch will now more often step over things than through them, reducing the amount of times players suffer unfair knockback.
Added an option to block players after reporting.
Increased the granularity of ARC vision through bushes and smokes, rewarding strategic positioning. Raiders near the edge of cover are now easier to spot, while those deeper in foliage or behind smoke are harder to detect.
Improved how ARC perceives sound in open outdoor spaces, while reducing their sensitivity to sounds in indoor environments and those passing through geometry.
Improved how the Firefly applies fire. The effect now matches the visuals more closely, and briefly grazing the flame no longer feels as punishing, reducing the sensation of being hit around corners.
When the Rocketeer shoots several missiles at once, they are now consistently spread out over a larger area to prevent unfair situations where multiple missiles hit the same location.
The Cloud of Renewal effect on the Tactical Mk. 3 (Healing) Augment has been changed to an AoE effect.
The Cloud of Renewal healing has been increased from 20 to 45.
The cooldown on Cloud of Renewal has been increased from 30s to 45s.
Changed the shield capacity on Combat Mk.3 (Flanking) Augment to accept Medium Shields.
Bettina Base Fire Rate has been increased from 235 to 250.
Weapon mods can now affect aim-down-sights transition speed for scoped weapons.
Bullet Velocity Bonus has been increased from 25 to 30%.
Increased the damage fall off distance by 15%.
Renamed to Extended Barrel III.
Added new mesh.
Fixed an issue where flying ARC could get stuck.
When Raiders first spawn into a session, ARC will be less perceptive of them and less likely to engage.
Fixed ARC Turbine legs becoming invisible in odd angles.
Improved ARC Turbine probability of finding good angles for the legs when landing.
Improved ARC Turbine landing positioning to mitigate visual clipping issues.
Increased the odds of Raiders getting burned by the ARC Turbine when inside of it.
Updated cloth physics on character outfits for more natural movement.
Fixed an issue causing some ARC weapon rotations to snap and appear laggy.
Fixed an issue where items would clip into Field Crates when picked up while holding a gadget.
Added a distinct sound when Bastion and Bombardier switch targets.
Added comb filtering to footsteps and movement sounds to achieve clearer perception of distance, elevation and movement direction.
Improved binaural audio to make it easier to distinguish the height and elevation of sounds.
Ongoing work to unify character texture settings for better performance and more visual consistency.
Players are now immune to stuns while entering a Raider Hatch, preventing interruptions when returning to Speranza.
Fixed an issue where downed players could move out of bounds.
Fixed an issue where pressing fire during certain actions like dodgeroll or climbing wouldn't buffer fire.
Fixed an issue where characters could float when disconnecting in mid-air.
Fixed an issue where the Expedition timer was not showing the correct duration.
Agave Juice now Quick Moves into available Quick Use slots instead of the Backpack, and will not be unloaded from Backpack when emptying it.
Free loadout Augment sell price: 100 -> 660.
Fixed low-res textures, odd spray paint decals, and a misaligned wall in tunnel and highway areas.
Fixed overly dark shading on vent materials to improve visibility.
Fixed a balcony structure clipping into a hotel doorway that could block passage.
Fixed floating objects and improved rope visuals and physics.
Fixed a misaligned balcony in the hotel lobby and missing wall collision at Room 207.
Polished environment textures and fixed collision issues.
Fixed an issue where voice chat could fail when opening the console UI on PS5/Xbox.
Raiders will now be able to see all squad members at the end of the round whether they extracted successfully or not.
Interacting with the squad member's name plate will display a range of social actions that can be taken, which include reporting, muting or blocking the player.
Players will also be able to immediately leave the squad in the tunnel sequence.
General performance and stability improvements.
Fixed an issue that could cause the loading screen to remain stuck.
Added information to the Crash Mat tooltip to showcase the additional safe fall height gain.
Deployable previews now show occluded portions with a striped overlay, making placement easier.
Fixed an issue where pinging an ARC Turbine as it entered the map could cause the ping marker to behave erratically.
Removed unintended delay after cancelling a Trigger 'Nade throw during which the grenade could not be thrown or triggered.
Fixed an issue where throwing grenades could not be cancelled.
Cancelling deployment of Pulse Mine or Gas Mine no longer consumes the item.
Fixed an issue where the 'Use Zipline' prompt was missing, preventing interaction at close range.
Fixed an issue where vaulting could trigger while moving upward or while standing on the ground with the Powered Descender active.
Fixed an issue where the Surge Coil would not damage teammates of the player who placed it.
Use these live tools after reading the notes so the changes turn into better runs.