ARC Raiders Frigate: How to Board, Sabotage and Escape

To board the ARC Frigate, disrupt one of the smaller reclaimers it drops to the ground and ride it up to the ship. One work-in-progress guide says three Raiders must pull levers to raise the central Power Core, then destroy it and two smaller cores. Expect a Hydra turret, Rocketeers and Vaporizers. Embark has not published these steps; two press guides agree on boarding.

The Frigate arrived with the Frozen Trail 2.0 update on October 8, 2026. Embark’s Frozen Trail preview confirms the basics: ARC send one of their largest vessels to patrol the area, and Raiders have to find a way on board and move through its internal passageways. Everything about boarding and sabotage below comes from press walkthroughs and the community wiki written in the first days after launch, and some details still differ between them. For the rest of the patch, see our Frozen Trail update guide.

Where the ARC Frigate appears: map condition rules

The Frigate is a map condition, listed in Embark’s 2.0 update notes next to Redirection. Embark’s preview mentions it patrolling around Pendola Pass. The community-run ARC Raiders Wiki goes further and lists it on Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, The Blue Gate, Riven Tides and Pendola Pass. The wiki page is still a stub, so check the map condition screen before you queue.

Per the wiki, a Frigate raid changes the normal rules:

• No free loadout. You have to bring your own gear.
• No active locked doors.
• Lower overall loot value on the map.
• No active Raider Hatches, so you need another way out.

The Frigate is also excluded from the PvE test running October 13 to 20, so it is always a PvPvE raid.

How to board the Frigate in ARC Raiders

This section comes from player-written walkthroughs, not from Embark. Insider Gaming and Destructoid describe the same route, both published October 8:

1. Wait for the Frigate to settle in the sky. Smaller reclaimers then fly down to the surface. Destructoid describes them as circular discs on the ground.
2. Get to one quickly, climb on top and choose to disrupt it.
3. The reclaimer flies back up to the Frigate with you on it. Destructoid says a shield protects you on the disc; Insider Gaming warns about the large turrets on the Frigate’s underside, which fire if you get too close.
4. Jump and climb up from the disc into the ship.

Boarding The Frigate quest objectives

The wiki lists a quest named Boarding The Frigate, given by Celeste after Off The Radar. It has four objectives: find a way on top of the Frigate, then damage a Hydra, a Vaporizer and a Rocketeer. Destructoid says 100 damage is enough for the Hydra and the Vaporizer, and that you do not need to kill them. The quest hands you a Seeker Grenade, a Grappling Hook, a Barricade Kit and 2 Lure Grenades before you go.

The two sources disagree on the reward. The wiki lists a Breathtaking Snow Globe, a Medium Shield and an Osprey I. Destructoid lists a Snap Hook, a Wolfpack, a Rascal I and 3 Launcher ammo. Check the quest screen in game. The wiki names the next quest Disrupting The Frigate but has no details on it yet.

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How to sabotage the Frigate: Power Cores and Hydra

This part is from a single walkthrough, Insider Gaming’s, which calls itself a work in progress. Treat it as a single source until more guides confirm it.

1. Head to the center of the ship to find the main Power Core.
2. Three Raiders each work a nearby lever. Together they raise the central core.
3. Deal with the Hydras first, then shoot the glowing orange core.
4. Look left and right for two smaller Power Cores and destroy them too.

Because the levers need three people, a solo Raider cannot finish this step alone. It also means other squads on the ship can either help or take the loot afterwards.

How to fight the Hydra

Embark’s preview describes the Hydra as a turret split into three stacked, autonomous parts that can handle entire squads, found on the Frigate. Its advice is to divert its attention, take cover quickly and strike when you get an opening. The wiki adds that the Hydra’s back is unarmored and that you can hide behind structures on the Frigate’s top deck and shoot when it stops firing. Its health is not documented yet. The Skulker, another Frozen Trail machine, is covered in our Bully and Skulker guide.

Embark lists one known issue: the Hydra can detect and shoot you through walls in the Cargo area, though it cannot deal damage there. Standing on the side of the Cargo drop can get you eliminated instantly, and a fix is in the works.

What loot is on the Frigate

Insider Gaming reports breachable containers with high-tier loot, including Amplification Modules, and a Legendary Frigate Diagnostic Node whose use it could not work out. The community wiki also lists a Frigate Inductor as a level 4 Research Station material, covered in our Outpost guide. We have not found a source that says exactly where the Frigate Inductor drops.

Amplification Modules matter because they feed the new weapon quality tier. Our weapon amplification guide explains how Amplified Weapons work.

How to get off the Frigate

Raider Hatches are off in this condition, so plan your exit before you board. Insider Gaming advises against jumping off and hoping a teammate can revive you with a Defibrillator. Instead, go back the way you came, using a Grappling Hook where you need it, and ride the reclaimer down to the ground. The same guide says the Grappling Hook also makes it easier to climb the side panels to the top of the ship.

ARC Raiders Frigate services

If the Frigate quest or the boss fight is where you are stuck, these are the closest matches:

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Frequently asked questions

How do you get on the Frigate in ARC Raiders?

Player guides say you disrupt one of the reclaimers it drops to the ground and ride it back up to the ship. Embark has not published the steps.

Can you do the Frigate solo?

You can board alone, but Insider Gaming says three Raiders are needed on the levers that raise the central Power Core.

Do you have to kill the Hydra?

Not for the Boarding The Frigate quest. Destructoid says 100 damage completes the objective.

Can you bring a free loadout to a Frigate raid?

No. The community wiki lists the Frigate condition as no free loadout.

Is the Frigate in the PvE test?

No. Embark excludes Frigate from PvE matchmaking during the October 13 to 20 test.

Where does the Frigate Inductor drop?

Not confirmed. The wiki lists it as a Research Station material but does not document its drop source.

Sources and update history

• Embark Studios: Frozen Trail First Look, September 23, 2026 (Frigate patrols the area and must be boarded, Hydra description and advice, images)
• Embark Studios: Frozen Trail – 2.0 Update, October 8, 2026 (Frigate map condition, Hydra known issue in the Cargo area, Frigate image)
• Embark Studios: PvE Toggle test, September 24, 2026 (Frigate excluded from PvE)
• ARC Raiders Wiki (community): ARC Frigate, Boarding The Frigate, Hydra, checked October 11, 2026 (maps, condition rules, quest giver, objectives, granted items and rewards, Hydra weak point)
• Insider Gaming (Charlie Champion): Complete ARC Frigate Guide, October 8, 2026 (boarding via reclaimer, three-lever sabotage, Power Cores, loot, escape)
• Destructoid (Arka Sarkar): How to complete Boarding the Frigate, October 8, 2026 (disc boarding, shield, 100 damage objectives, reward list)

Update history: Published October 11, 2026. Facts last checked October 11, 2026 against the sources above.