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ARC Raiders’ Frozen Trail Reveal Adds ARC Frigate and Pendola Pass

The October 8 update will add Pendola Pass, the ARC Frigate operation, new enemies, weapons, gadgets, Weapon Amplification, a 60-level Reward Pass, and customizable Outposts.

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Official ARC Raiders graphic showing an armored Raider beside the text Frozen Trail First Look and September 23.

ARC Raiders‘ Frozen Trail update will make October 8 a much busier date than the arrival of a snowy map alone. The free 2.0 patch will add Pendola Pass, the ARC Frigate operation, three new ARC enemies, Weapon Amplification for 15 guns, a 60-level Reward Pass, a reworked skill tree, and personal Outposts where Raiders can display and customize the trinkets they bring home.

Frozen Trail’s story will send Raiders to investigate signals from a downed walker at Celeste’s direction. The search leads to Pendola Pass, a snowy mountain region on the northern edge of the Rust Belt that will become ARC Raiders‘ largest map yet.

Catch an early glimpse of ARC Raiders' biggest update yet.

The Frozen Trail First Look premieres on YouTube Sept 23 at 10am PDT (7pm CEST). pic.twitter.com/w4wPMDvVIi

— ARC Raiders (@ARCRaidersGame) September 18, 2026

ARC Frigate turns one operation into a sabotage run

Late-game Raiders will be able to board the ARC Frigate, one of ARC’s largest vessels, rather than simply destroy it from the ground. The ship cannot be treated like a normal ARC encounter. This high-level activity will send teams across the exterior and through puzzle-based challenges and hazards as they unlock routes through the interior, fight ARC machines and rival players, sabotage the carrier, secure its loot, and escape.

Hydra is one of the threats waiting inside the Frigate. The stationary turret has three independently operating sections with different weapons, carries six guns, and can target up to three Raiders at once. Dividing its attention and finding openings will be just as important as raw firepower during the operation.

Pendola Pass brings a harsher extraction route

Pendola Pass is an old Italian village and an Exodus transport hub surrounded by frozen mountains. Its points of interest include a supermarket, town square, observatory, and buried train depot. A fallen Emperor walker sits at the center of the map, carrying rare technology that has drawn the attention of the Frigate. Abandoned factories and research facilities will add more locations to explore, while vertical routes should give Raiders more ways to approach a fight or find a scavenging path that does not immediately become a fight.

The Grappling Hook uses stamina instead of a limited charge count. Raiders can pull themselves toward windows, rappel down building exteriors, swing across gaps, and open new ways to move between levels. The tool is separate from the existing Snap Hook, and it can also attach to ARC machines, allowing Raiders to ride them.

Flash Freeze can quickly make the valley more dangerous and will damage Raiders who remain outside for too long, forcing them to seek shelter during a run. The Ballistic Gondola adds another extraction option, although it can carry only three players, which may make cooperation a temporary arrangement at best.

The update’s four named ARC additions are the Frigate, Bully, Skulker, and Hydra, although only the last three are new enemies. Bully is a fast, four-legged machine related to the Leaper that chases Raiders while firing at them and relies on several hit-and-run abilities. Skulker stays at the edge of a fight to ambush players from range before retreating. The Frigate will also appear on other maps for now, while Bully and Skulker will initially remain tied to Pendola Pass.

Weapon Amplification changes the arsenal

A new research bench at the Research Station will unlock Weapon Amplification for 15 guns at launch. The system functions as an effective fifth quality level, adding features rather than simply raising weapon stats. Upgrades can introduce effects such as flammable ammunition or rapid fire. Supplied examples turn the Burletta into a fully automatic sidearm, add a scope to the Renegade for longer-range fights, and give the Rattler incendiary ammunition with a 64-round magazine.

Two new weapons will join the arsenal as well. The Stiletto is a light-ammo battle rifle positioned as an early-game alternative to the Renegade, while the Bantam is a quick-firing, heavy-ammo snub-nosed revolver with a special hip-fire ability intended to compete with the Anvil.

Gun customization will expand through Weapon Stencils, which work as reusable weapon skins. Losing a gun means applying its stencil again, while stencil blueprints can be found or unlocked through the Research Station.

New tools give Raiders more ways to move and build

The Tether Launcher connects two points, including ARC machines, and can root enemies or attach Raiders to ARC. The Yank Grenade pulls nearby targets toward its impact point. The Grappling Hook adds another way to reach difficult areas, rappel, and swing across gaps.

The new working Camera includes zoom, aperture controls, manual and automatic focus, and a selfie mode. Photos will be saved to the Codex. Frozen Trail will also add a banjo and a harmonica alongside new cosmetics and other instruments. Those additions are less likely to decide a firefight than the new gadgets, but they give Raiders more ways to decorate the lobby and add some personality between extraction attempts.

Reward Pass and Outposts expand the progression loop

Frozen Trail will add a 60-level Reward Pass that replaces the existing Raider Deck progression with Free, Premium, and Legacy tracks. The Free Pass includes 200 Raider Tokens, five outfits, gameplay items, and 20 cosmetic rewards. The Premium Pass costs 1,150 Raider Tokens, adds 50 rewards including outfit toggles, exclusive colourways, Weapon Stencils, and hairstyles, and provides 1,150 Raider Tokens in return.

The free Legacy Pass will combine the existing Raider Decks so players can continue their previous progression. The Collector Set DLC includes both Reward Pass tracks, a cosmetic set, the Renzo and Dragon’s Breath Weapon Stencils, the Bob hairstyle, and 2,400 Raider Tokens.

The update will add the major ARC Operation called the Outpost, as well as personal Outposts outside Speranza. Raider Den Outposts will let players reclaim parts of the surface and turn those spaces into customizable homes between the Rust Belt and the mountains. Players will be able to fill them with decorations, furniture, trinkets, modules, and upgrade benches, then display the items they collect. Outposts will not be freely walkable at launch, although Embark is considering that feature for a future version, as discussed in a PC Gamer press Q&A.

The Skill Tree has also been reworked so individual choices have a greater effect on a Raider’s playstyle. Some skills will be removed and others added, including choices between two different boosts. Players will not be able to acquire every skill on one Raider, which should make specialization more meaningful. Quests will receive more involved objectives and extra XP for optional tasks, while changes to Raider Decks will broaden progression choices.

Players looking for a deeper endgame loop may have to wait. PCGamesN’s preview says Embark is working on an Expeditions redesign for later in 2026, while Frozen Trail will make only minimal changes to that system.

New cosmetics and instruments round out the update. Frozen Trail will be the first major release under Embark’s move from monthly drops to two major updates each year, with smaller updates continuing between them.

Embark’s Frozen Trail first look was scheduled for September 23 at 10 a.m. PDT, 1 p.m. EDT, and 7 p.m. CEST before the update’s October 8, 2026 launch. The completed presentation filled in the practical details behind that date, from the Frigate’s high-risk sabotage run to the systems waiting on the surface.

Which Frozen Trail addition will change your next raid the most, the stamina-based Grappling Hook, the new ARC threats, the Reward Pass, or the Outpost system? Share your choice in the comments, then follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

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.