ARC Raiders Frozen Trail: Release Date, New Map and Weapons

The ARC Raiders Frozen Trail update, version 2.0, went live on October 8, 2026, as a free update on every platform. It added Pendola Pass, the Frigate and Redirection map conditions, Bully, Skulker and Hydra, the Outpost and Research Bench, Amplified Weapons, Stiletto and Bantam, the Grappling Hook, a Reward Pass that replaced Cred, and a rebuilt Skill Tree.

Embark’s Frozen Trail 2.0 update notes of October 8 are now the main source for this guide. The background comes from the Frozen Trail First Look on September 23, the August 12 announcement and Embark’s October 2 free-play post. Where Embark has still not published a number, this guide says so rather than guessing. The full game is also free to play on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation until October 12 at 08:00 UTC. If you are still working through the current maps, our ARC Raiders key locations and blueprint locations guides cover the current maps.

ARC Raiders Frozen Trail release date and platforms

The update is free on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam and Epic Games Store) and GeForce NOW. Embark’s free-play post gave 09:00 UTC as the start of free play on October 8 and said the free period “coincides with the launch of Frozen Trail.” Embark has not published a patch size. Embark’s 5th Expedition post also said Trials was “on pause for two weeks until October 8,” so the first week on the new map overlaps with a fresh Trials ladder. Our Trials guide has the Season 5 results and the October 8 return date; the next season’s rewards have not been announced.

The biggest account change is Cred. In the Live Update 1.45.0 notes Embark said any Cred left on your account “will expire with the Frozen Trail update,” and the 2.0 notes confirm Cred “has been removed from the game and replaced by Reward Points.” Rewards already claimed are kept. Our ARC Raiders Reward Pass guide covers how Reward Points are earned now.

ARC Raiders free weekend and PvE test dates

Embark paired the update with a free-play period. Its October 2 post says ARC Raiders is free to play on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation from October 8 at 09:00 UTC to October 12 at 08:00 UTC, with access to the full game. New players can enter Pendola Pass straight away if they team up with someone who has already unlocked the map. Playing solo, the community-run ARC Raiders Wiki says the map unlocks after 25 completed rounds; Embark has not stated that number.

A second date follows. Embark’s PvE Toggle post of September 24 says a PvE matchmaking toggle will be tested from October 13 to October 20. In PvE sessions there is zero player-to-player damage, Solos, Duos and Trios share the same session, and you can switch between PvE and the classic PvPvE mode. Your PvPvE matchmaking rating is not affected, and overall loot value is lowered in PvE. Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and the Frigate are excluded, so the Frigate described below stays a PvPvE activity during the test. Embark calls it a limited test: the toggle is removed when it ends, and the post says the test “is not a promise that there will be a PvE mode in the future.” Our PvE test guide has the reported start times, and our Frigate guide covers how to board it.

Pendola Pass: the new ARC Raiders map

Pendola Pass is an old Italian village and Exodus transport hub beyond the peaks that ring the Rust Belt. Embark describes a supermarket, a lifeless town square, an observatory and a buried train depot, and says the whole valley is preserved by icy air. The reason anyone goes there is that one of the Emperors has fallen and rare technology is inside it. To get inside the fallen Emperor, see our Emperor Gateway Conduit guide.

Two things make it play differently from the existing maps. First, flash freezes cut through the valley, which Embark calls brutal; the exact damage and timing have not been published, but the August post already framed the map around threats “both above and below ground.” Second, the map has more verticality than the current ones, which is why the Grappling Hook shipped in the same update. The 2.0 notes list two new Map Conditions, Frigate and Redirection; Embark has not described what Redirection does.

Pendola Pass is also the test bed for a Dynamic Loot Zone system. Per the 2.0 notes, certain areas change how much loot value they hold from raid to raid, so fixed loot routes are less predictable. A zone keeps its loot type, so a Residential area stays Residential; only the value varies. For now the system is exclusive to Pendola Pass.

The Frigate and the three new ARC

The Frigate is one of ARC’s largest vessels, sent to patrol the fallen Emperor. Embark pitches it as content for highly skilled Raiders: you find a way on board, navigate internal passageways, unlock paths and fight ARC “new and old” in close quarters hundreds of feet in the air, while other Raiders on board can either cooperate or cut through you. This is the “large-scale ARC Operation” the August post promised for experienced players.

• Bully — a machine-learned ground enemy that “cedes no ground,” gallops onto your position and fights with several lethal attacks. Embark’s advice is cover, timing and hitting your shots. Our Bully and Skulker guide covers how to kill both.
• Skulker — the opposite temperament. It waits at the edge of your vision, lands a flurry of blows, and retreats out of sight the moment you are distracted.
• Hydra — a turret split into three stacked, independent sections, found on the Frigate. Embark says it can handle entire squads, so the intended answer is one Raider drawing fire while the others reach cover and attack in the gap.

The 2.0 notes list the Frigate as a Map Condition but do not say which maps it can appear on, or where the Bully and Skulker spawn. Two known issues are worth knowing before you board: the Hydra can detect and shoot players through walls in the Cargo area without dealing damage, and standing on the side of the Cargo drop can eliminate you instantly. Embark says a fix for the second is in the works.

The Outpost and the Research Workstation

The Outpost is a second home base between the Rust Belt and the mountains. You customise it with modules and furniture, and it holds a Research Workstation that unlocks “higher levels of weapon customization and modding.” Embark calls it “the first step to reclaiming parts of the surface” and says it is the start of a feature they plan to develop much further.

The 2.0 notes explain how to get it. You unlock the Outpost by completing a project, and unlocking it gives access to the research station (called the Research Bench in the notes). Accept the quest and bring a Camera: the first step, “Research Topside Living Conditions,” asks for a photo of a farmland house. The Camera can be bought from Shani, crafted at the Workbench or found Topside. Our Outpost unlock guide lists every stage of the project.

The Outpost expands with modules and is furnished with Furniture Designs, which work like blueprints. Of the 100 designs added, 73 are found Topside, 22 unlock by upgrading the Outpost, 4 are exclusive to the Frozen Trail Pass and 1 to the DLC. Embark has still not published expansion costs or what the research station consumes.

ARC Raiders Workbench UpgradesWorkbench upgrades for your current Raider Den stations; how the new Research Workstation relates to them has not been published.From $26.99View offer

Amplified Weapons: a fifth quality tier for 15 guns

This is a major progression change in Frozen Trail. With a fully upgraded Research Workstation, a range of guns gain a fifth quality level with a branching path of abilities. Embark’s own examples are a fully-automatic Burletta, a Renegade with a scope, and a Rattler with incendiary bullets and a 64-round magazine. Embark said the feature launches on 15 weapons, with more planned.

The stated goal is to get late-game Raiders off their one favourite gun. The 2.0 notes add two confirmed details. The Anvil is one of the amplifiable guns: the Anvil Splitter is no longer a mod and has become an improved upgrade option for the Amplified Anvil. Amplified Weapons are repaired with Amplified Fragments, and leftover Anvil Splitters can be sold or recycled into those fragments. Embark has still not published the full list of 15 weapons or the material costs; our weapon amplification guide covers what the community wiki lists so far.

New weapons and gadgets in Frozen Trail

The 2.0 notes also list Basic and Advanced Cameras and a Mountaineer’s Detector among the new items, without describing the detector. Two existing weapons changed: the Anvil moved from Green to Blue rarity, with the Bantam taking over the uncommon hand-cannon role, and the Snap Hook was cut from 20 m to 18 m range with higher durability and power costs so it plays differently from the Grappling Hook. PCGamesN described the Grappling Hook as stamina-based with unlimited uses; Embark’s notes do not give those details, so file that under Not confirmed.

Reward Pass, Skill Tree rework and what carries over

The Reward Pass replaces Raider Decks as the progression track. The Frozen Trail Pass has 60 levels with a Free and a Premium option, and a separate Legacy Pass sits beside it, per Embark:

• Free Pass — rewards unlocked by completing Feats, including up to 200 Raider Tokens, five new outfits, new gameplay items and 20 cosmetics (Scrappy outfits, furniture, charms, attachments, emotes).
• Premium Pass — premium toggles for every outfit, exclusive colourways, weapon stencils, hairstyles and up to 1,150 Raider Tokens. Embark’s Reward Pass explainer says it can be obtained for 1,150 Raider Tokens, so completing it earns the cost back, and that it contains no gameplay items such as weapons or gadgets.
• Legacy Pass — free, and it bundles every existing Raider Deck so no current progress is lost.

A Collector Set DLC grants access to the Premium Reward Pass and adds the Renzo cosmetic set, the Dragon’s Breath stencil, the Bob hairstyle, 2,400 Raider Tokens and a Retro Sofa for the Outpost. Embark says it is the only way to get the Banjo blueprint. The Embark posts cited here do not give its cash price.

With 2.0, Feats were split into Easy, Medium and Hard tiers that pay Reward Points, with three weekly milestones on top; the Reward Pass guide linked above has the numbers.

The Skill Tree was rebuilt. Each branch now has one middle choice node where you pick one of two skills and two end choice nodes that together let you take up to two of three, and you can only change those picks by resetting the tree. The 2.0 notes do not mention a free reset or a skill point refund. Our ARC Raiders skill tree guide lists every choice.

No wipe of stash, blueprints or levels was announced; the maximum stash size actually went up by two tiers, to 328 slots without Expedition bonuses. Embark did say it is restricting accounts that hold large numbers of duplicated items and removing duplicated items from inventories. Our Expedition 5 guide covers what the Expedition keeps and resets.

ARC Raiders services for the Frozen Trail launch

Frozen Trail rebuilt the Skill Tree, added a new base with its own research, and raised the stash cap. These are the ARC Raiders services that relate to those systems.

ARC Raiders Skill Tree BoostThe 2.0 Skill Tree adds choice nodes in every branch; picks only change with a full reset.From $139.99View offer ARC Raiders Level BoostAccount level boosting for ARC Raiders.From $74.53View offer ARC Raiders Stash ExpansionFrozen Trail added two more stash tiers, up to 328 slots without Expedition bonuses.From $6.29View offer

Frequently asked questions

When did ARC Raiders Frozen Trail come out?

Thursday, October 8, 2026, as update 2.0 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam, Epic) and GeForce NOW. Free play opened at 09:00 UTC (11:00 CEST, converted) that day.

Is Frozen Trail free?

Yes. The update, the Free Pass and the Legacy Pass are free. The Premium Pass can be obtained for 1,150 Raider Tokens. The Collector Set DLC is a paid purchase; the Embark posts cited here do not give its cash price.

Does Frozen Trail wipe progress?

Embark did not announce a stash, blueprint or level wipe. It explicitly says existing Raider Deck rewards are kept, while Cred was removed and replaced by Reward Points.

What is the new map called?

Pendola Pass, an Italian village and Exodus transport hub beyond the Rust Belt with a fallen Emperor at its centre.

Which weapons get Amplified?

Fifteen at launch, per the First Look. Embark named the Burletta, Renegade and Rattler as examples, and the 2.0 notes confirm an Amplified Anvil, but the full list has not been published.

Is ARC Raiders free to play during Frozen Trail?

Yes, on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation from October 8 at 09:00 UTC to October 12 at 08:00 UTC, with the full game.

Does Trials come back with the update?

Embark said Trials was paused from September 22 until October 8. The next season’s rewards and cutoff are not in the 2.0 notes.

Sources and update history

• Embark Studios, Frozen Trail – 2.0 Update, October 8, 2026 (map conditions, Dynamic Loot Zones, Outpost unlock, furniture counts, Amplified Anvil and fragments, weapon and Snap Hook changes, Cred removal, Feats, Skill Tree, stash cap, known issues, Twitch Drops)
• ARC Raiders Wiki (community-run), Pendola Pass, checked October 9, 2026 (25-round unlock; not stated by Embark)
• Embark Studios, Frozen Trail First Look: Content highlights from October 8, September 23, 2026
• Embark Studios, Frozen Trail is coming October 8!, August 12, 2026
• Embark Studios, Store Update 1.47.0, September 22, 2026 (First Look time, Expedition 5 sign-up deadline)
• Embark Studios, Live Update 1.45.0, September 8, 2026 (Cred expiry, claimed rewards kept)
• Embark Studios, The 5th Expedition, August 21, 2026 (Trials paused September 22 to October 8)
• Embark Studios, Play ARC Raiders for free: October 8 – 12, October 2, 2026 (free-play hours and platforms)
• Embark Studios, Reward Passes: our new progression mechanic, explained, September 28, 2026 (60 levels, Premium Pass cost, Collector Set contents)
• Embark Studios, We’re testing a PvE Toggle, September 24, 2026 (PvE test dates and rules)
• Embark Studios, Play ARC Raiders for FREE from Oct 8 to Oct 12, Steam announcement, October 2, 2026 (Redirection map condition)
• PCGamesN, Arc Raiders’ Frozen Trail update finally adds a grappling hook, September 23, 2026 (stream coverage; used only for details flagged as Not confirmed)

Update history: Published September 24, 2026. Updated October 8, 2026: added the free-play window and platforms, the Redirection map condition name, the Premium Pass cost and Collector Set contents, and the October 13 to 20 PvE test; corrected the Free Pass to Feats-based rewards. Updated October 9, 2026: rewritten for the live update using Embark’s 2.0 notes (Redirection and Frigate map conditions, Dynamic Loot Zones, how to unlock the Outpost, Amplified Anvil, Anvil and Snap Hook changes, Cred replaced by Reward Points, new Skill Tree structure, stash cap, Frigate known issues). Facts last checked October 9, 2026.