Frozen Trail is coming October 8!
Greetings from Embark, Raiders!
As we head toward October, the Frozen Trail update draws closer. We wanted to take a moment to share what we’ve been working on since we communicated how we’re changing updates.
Back in May, we shared that we’d be moving to fewer, larger updates. We know that means longer stretches between major releases, and we appreciate everyone who has stuck with us while we’ve continued to ship new content like projects, events, a new Trader, and ongoing improvements based on your feedback!
Behind the scenes, our focus has been firmly on Frozen Trail. It’s going to be our biggest update since launch, and it’s been designed to address some of the broader questions that the community has been asking. Nearly every part of the game has benefited from what we’ve learned over the past few months. Here’s a look at some of what we’ve been working on.
The Next Frontier
At the heart of Frozen Trail is our newest map. Shani will call upon Raiders to investigate an unprecedented signal emanating from beyond the mountains. Something big has happened here – could anyone resist being a part of the initial scouting party?
Explore a harsh, frozen settlement nestled beneath towering mountains at the edge of the Rust Belt. Once home to thriving villages, factories, research facilities, and an observatory, long since abandoned.
Building the new map has challenged our level design team in exciting new ways. We’ve focused on creating an ambitious environment with greater verticality, exploration, and opportunities for discovery. You’ll encounter threats above and below ground, and navigate environments that no Raiders have seen before.
We’ve recently completed a round of user experience research testing, and our team is currently iterating to ensure the new map is as exciting as possible.
New High-level Challenge
The Frozen Trail update will also introduce an enormous new ARC Operation designed for experienced Raiders looking to push themselves even further.
Without giving too much away, this new activity is built around many of the ideas that have become increasingly important to us throughout development: meaningful decisions, dynamic encounters, and moments that demand cooperation and careful judgment.
Success won’t come easily. You’ll need to balance combat, teamwork, risk, and survival in what we believe will be one of the most intense experiences ARC Raiders has offered to date – one that rewards those willing to rise to the challenge.
We’ll save more details for the full reveal later – but we’re excited for you to experience it for yourselves.
New ARC, New Threats
Our team has been hard at work developing new ARC threats that will arrive alongside the new map, each designed to challenge the ways you’ve learned to move, fight, and adapt. These new ARC enemies range from a small and nifty problem-maker to an enormous machine that will halt you in your tracks.
Creating new ARC is one of the more involved parts of development. From early concepts and animation to behavior and machine learning systems that give them their distinctive “spark of life”, every enemy goes through months of iteration to get right. We think it’ll be worth the wait, and we can’t wait to see what you think.
Deepening Progression
Frozen Trail is also evolving what it means to be a Raider.
One lesson that’s continued to shape our thinking is that the most rewarding raids are driven by meaningful choices. That’s influenced how we’re approaching progression throughout Frozen Trail, allowing you to build a deeper identity in the Rust Belt.
Your Raider Den has served you well, but it’s time to expand. We're building deeper progression systems, giving players more ways to craft their own journey and build toward long-term goals.
That’s why your Raider will have the opportunity to inhabit a new space; the Outpost. After spending months on the back foot, hiding underground, it’s time to start taking the fight to ARC. Decorate your Outpost, research new elements of the world, and take your first steps to reclaiming the surface.
On top of Outposts, we’re also adjusting the Skill Tree to give you more agency over the kind of Raider you want to become. Raider Decks have also been on our radar, with the focus on making them more engaging and rewarding for players.
And More…
These are just a few of the additions coming in Frozen Trail.
The team is continuing to work on new content that will enhance your experience, as well as new weapons (and ways to personalize them!), gadgets, cosmetics, instruments, and plenty of other surprises we’ll talk about closer to launch.
Alongside all of that, we'll continue improving the core ARC Raiders experience through ongoing work on matchmaking, anti-cheat, stability, and quality-of-life updates. While these improvements may not always be the headline features, they remain a critical part of making every raid feel balanced and enjoyable.
You’ll be able to experience Frozen Trail for yourself on October 8, and we will be sharing more details with you in September.
Until then, if you’re heading to gamescom in Cologne, come say hello! We’d love to meet you and see you experience ARC Raiders in person.
See you topside,
Aleksander Grøndal
Executive Producer
