Frozen Trail is sure to bring many players back. The only question is whether they’ll stay.
October 8 will be the big day for Arc Raiders’ return. That much is certain, given the sheer volume of new content. The mood at developer Embark is understandably nervous: “An update this big is always a little intimidating,” executive producer Aleksander Grøndal tells us. “It almost feels like we’re re-releasing Arc Raiders. It’s pretty complex—after all, we’ve been working on this patch since May.”
Arc Raiders had an overwhelming launch last October—perhaps too overwhelming. The team at Embark could barely keep up with the community’s endless thirst for content. Since early 2026, player numbers have gradually continued to decline.
The trend line dipped downward, and overall, the shooter settled into a healthy mid-range position among the 100 most-played Steam games. That’s no cause for concern (many Steam titles would kill for those numbers), but it’s certainly a reason for Embark to really ramp up the content.
And that’s exactly what’s happening with Frozen Trail! It’s the first new chapter in Arc Raiders’ new semi-annual update cycle, which replaces the monthly updates. Here’s what exactly it includes and whether the rumors about an “Arc Raiders 2.0” are actually true.
The New Map: Pendola Pass
The Frozen Trail update introduces a new, large map. Pendola Pass is set in a snow-covered mountain range, where the lifeless shell of a gigantic Emperor Walker from the Arc Machines looms over an abandoned mountain village.
The colossus isn’t just a backdrop—it can also be explored. The developers promise plenty of verticality on Pendola Pass as well as a completely new extraction method.
A unique feature of the new map is the dynamic weather event called Flash Freeze. This is reminiscent of the blizzard from the last winter event: When this cold snap sweeps across the landscape, players must spontaneously seek shelter during the match—either indoors or in special Avalanche Shelters that activate automatically when the natural phenomenon occurs.
New Arc Airship: Frigate
With the Frigate, the Frozen Trail update introduces one of the biggest Arc threats to date, which will also appear on older maps. This gigantic flying carrier is designed to present players with a completely new challenge. However, the Frigate is not a classic boss enemy, as Aleksander Grøndal explains:
It’s not an enemy you shoot at until its health is down to zero—that’s not the point. You have to figure out how to get onto the ship and then think about how to sabotage it. Only then will you get your hands on the valuable loot hidden inside. It’s an endgame challenge, and you should carefully consider what gear to bring and how to cooperate with other players.
Three New Enemies
- Bully: A new four-legged killing machine that is very aggressive and will get right up in players’ faces. Like its cousin, the Leaper, this AI learns its movements and patterns on its own.
- Skulker: This new enemy resembles a scorpion and relies on fast hit-and-run tactics. The agile machine prefers to attack from ambush and retreats on its own.
- Hydra: This Arc machine is a modular turret with three cannons that move independently of one another, allowing them to attack multiple Raider squads simultaneously.
The New Base Building: Outposts
With the Outpost system, players will be able to set up their own personal hideout outside the underground city of Speranza for the first time. In this base, players can freely place and personalize furniture and decorative items—from shelves, beds, and chairs to displaying treasures found during raids.
However, the Outpost won’t be accessible at launch. “Players should be able to build their own home,” explains Aleksander Grøndal. However: “Currently, you can’t walk around inside the Outpost. But we’d like to develop the feature in that direction in the future. This is just the first step.”
Probably the most important part of the Outpost: You can craft a new workbench here, which enables a new type of weapon progression.
New Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Amplification is a new system being introduced with Frozen Trail. Players will first need to set up an outpost and build the new research workbench there. Those who subsequently invest enough resources into research can unlock new endgame weapon upgrades.
However, these Weapon Amplifications do not simply increase the weapon’s damage. Instead, they provide specializations through various modules.
15 weapons from the arsenal can be upgraded. Embark lists the following examples:
- Burletta: Fully Automatic Mode
- Renegade: Scope Attachment
- Rattler: Incendiary Ammo
Why no images?
We’d love to show you screenshots of the new content here, but the developer has prohibited us from creating our own images for the Frozen Trail reveal and hasn’t provided any images to illustrate the content. However, you can catch a glimpse in the trailer on page 1 of the article!
New Weapons
In addition to the upgrade system featuring Weapon Amplifications, Arc Raiders’ core arsenal is expanding with two new additions:
- Stiletto: A battle rifle with light ammunition for combat at medium and long ranges.
- Bantam: A short-barreled revolver for close-quarters combat with rapid fire from the hip.
New Gadgets
Grappling Hook: With the Grappling Hook, players can swing through the maps like Spider-Man, climb up building facades, or quickly cross chasms. The hook can also be attached to Arc machines. Unlike the Snap Hook, you throw it manually; its only limitation is stamina.
Tether Launcher: This pistol fires anchors with ropes that connect any two points in the game world. This allows you, for example, to secure Arc to the ground and perform other creative maneuvers.
Yank Grenade: This grenade is first thrown and then fires a rope toward a nearby target, violently pulling the two points together. Ideal for bringing Arcs down to the ground or pulling enemy Raiders out of cover.
What else is coming?
- The banjo and harmonica will be added as new instruments
- An in-game camera with zoom, filters, and a selfie option is coming
- Reward Passes will be introduced as a new Battle Pass system
- The skill tree will be heavily overhauled and expanded with new talents
- There’s a new system for weapon skins that you can find in the world
Is this a comeback for Arc Raiders?
With Frozen Trail, Embark Studios is clearly setting the stage for a deeper endgame and more diverse tactical options. The grappling hook as a new movement tool and the Arc’s Frigate airship practically invite experimentation and are sure to bring plenty of surprises starting October 8.
Another obvious goal for the developers: to keep players engaged longer and give them goals that even veterans can work toward. Building an outpost and researching new weapon upgrades there is intended to provide new reasons to keep searching for rare loot and keep fans hooked until the next big thing arrives—which isn’t expected until early April 2027.
Editor’s Verdict
Frozen Trails is the most extensive update for Arc Raiders to date and picks up exactly where the acclaimed extraction shooter was slowly but surely running out of steam this year. In that sense, it feels like a long-overdue breath of fresh air.
Arc Raiders is finally delivering a substantial amount of content, instead of just limping along with sporadic mini-patches of inconsistent quality that trickle in here and there, only to eventually fade away from the Steam Top 100. Everything now points to Arc Raiders finally turning things around.
“Frozen Trail” is a sign that the developers are far from done—reading between the lines, I can clearly hear that Embark has highly ambitious plans for the future, such as turning the Outpost into a true social hub. I can’t wait.
