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ARC Raiders’ Fifth Expedition Will Run for Three Weeks Before a Long Break

The September 8 window removes Last Call, adds an opt-in quest reset, and will be the final Expedition before the early 2027 return.

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ARC Raiders artwork showing an armored Raider holding a rifle beside the text “5th Expedition.”

ARC Raiders‘ fifth Expedition will open on September 8 and run for three weeks before the system enters a long break. It will also be the final Expedition until early 2027, as Embark Studios explained in its Steam announcement.

The longer window is only one of several changes coming to the Expedition system. Players will be able to keep their quest progress instead of resetting it, but the familiar Last Call option will not be available for this run.

Fifth Expedition timing and sign-up rules

The Expedition Window opens on September 8 at 1pm CEST/12pm BST/11am UTC/7am ET/4am PT and closes on September 29 at 10am CEST/9am BST/8am UTC/4am ET/1am PT. Completing the Caravan ahead of time does not enroll anyone automatically. Players must sign up after the window opens, and everyone who signs up will depart on September 29.

Returning players can begin contributing to their Caravan after completing the previous Expedition, while players entering their first Expedition can start contributing immediately. Players can work on their Caravan between windows, but the Expedition itself can only be completed during its scheduled window. The required challenge must be finished during that window to claim its rewards. With no Last Call available, missing the sign-up period means missing the fifth Expedition.

Expeditions remain an ordered personal progression system, but participation is optional. Players who do not enroll can keep their current Raider progress. Completing an Expedition voluntarily resets the character to level one and empties the stash in exchange for the system’s permanent and temporary rewards, upgrades, extra skill points, and additional stash space.

Quest progress will become optional

The fifth Expedition will give players the choice to avoid resetting their quest line after departure. That lets them continue from their existing progress instead of repeating the same objectives every time an Expedition ends.

Because the Hullcracker Blueprint has been tied to the quest line, Embark said in its official Expedition 5 announcement that it will provide other ways to obtain the blueprint. The Expedition window itself is also growing from two weeks to three.

ARC Raiders infographic comparing the third, fourth, and fifth Expeditions

Fifth Expedition rewards

The reward track includes the complete Zenith Outfit, Mystery Rewards, and 12 additional stash spaces, with the overall stash limit capped at 60.

The fourth Expedition’s reward path shifted some Skill Point rewards to Blueprints and Raider Tokens. For the fifth run, players who have not reached the current limit of 15 can receive up to five Skill Points. Players already at the Skill Point cap instead have access to damage challenges, with each completed departure objective able to provide a Blueprint and 150 Raider Tokens.

Expeditions can award up to 15 bonus skill points in total. Catch-up rewards for missed points become available beginning with a player’s second Expedition. Players on their second, third, or fourth Expedition can recover up to five missed Skill Points per Expedition, with catch-up progress remaining tied to stash value until all 15 points have been earned. The XP boost, Scrappy materials boost, and repair value increase can each reach three consecutive levels.

Expeditions will pause after September 29

Embark plans to put Expeditions on hold after the fifth run while it works on larger changes to the system. The studio pointed to tight departure windows, the reward structure, and accessibility for new players as problems that need more than small adjustments. Expeditions will return in early 2027, but Embark has not announced a specific return date and has promised more information in September.

Any consecutive buffs earned before the pause will remain active. Players who complete all five Expeditions will fully unlock the Zenith Outfit. Caravans will be reset during the pause, but partially completed Caravans will be converted into Ermal Vouchers of equal value. Those vouchers can be used for Ermal offers, ARC Parts and firearms trades, or sold for Coin.

Frozen Trail arrives during the break

The pause will overlap with Frozen Trail, the October 8 update for ARC Raiders. It will arrive while Expeditions are inactive rather than shortly before or alongside a new departure window, leaving players who use Expeditions as a long-term progression goal waiting for the system’s early 2027 return.

Trials will pause in October

The current Trials season will end on September 22. Trials will then pause for two weeks and resume on October 8.

The fifth Expedition gives players one more scheduled chance to collect its rewards before the system takes a break. Share your thoughts in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram for more coverage.

ARC Raiders is a multiplayer extraction adventure, set in a lethal future earth, ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as ARC. Enlist as a Raider and scavenge the surface to thrive in a desolate world. But beware of the machines. Beware of Raiders preying on others.

ARC Raiders blends the tension from extraction shooters with atmospheric settings from the adventure genre. Lurking threats—from deadly machines to other Raiders—create a constant ebb and flow of intensity, where every moment is charged with the thrill of high stakes. Extract valuable loot and explore the unfolding mysteries of a vibrant, lethal world.

ARC Raiders supports seamless social play across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Play with your squad and thrive as a team, or rise in the ranks as a lone ranger.