Server Slam: Play ARC Raiders this weekend

Step into the Rust Belt early. No codes. No sign-ups. No walls.

The storm is brewing, Raiders.

From October 17 to 19, anyone can dive into ARC Raiders on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and the Epic Games Store. It’s free to play for the weekend, and it’s our last big push before launch on October 30.

This isn’t just another closed test. This is a full-scale Server Slam so we can hit the ground running at launch! We’re opening it up to everyone 16 years old and up to help us stress test our systems, and experience a taste of the ARC Raiders experience!

Why we're doing this

We’re tuning, refining, and pushing our infrastructure before launch. It’s an essential final step in making sure every citizen of Speranza has a bed to rest in and a hook to hang their pack on. Every shot fired, every connection made, every encounter survived helps us make the full game smoother.

We’re opening the hatch permanently in just a few weeks and we want you to feel charged up when you drop in! So this Server Slam is also here to give people who have not played yet a chance to experience ARC Raiders for themselves.

What you'll experience

The Map: Dam Battlegrounds

The Dam Battlegrounds stretch across a broken landscape of flooded lowlands and forgotten structures. You’ll cross through dark forests and overgrown research centers, through swamps thick with mist and echoes of a civilization long gone.

You can run solo, or head there with a squad. Your choice.

This is the first map Raiders will explore in the full launch version of ARC Raiders. It’s the perfect fighting ground to get your bearings, test your instincts, and learn the rhythm of the Rust Belt.

Keep your eyes open for some special conditions like Electromagnetic Storms and Night Raids, and perhaps even a visit from the Queen…

Trading and Quests

In Speranza, survival means connection. The Traders of Speranza keep the wheels turning, even if each one has their own agenda and their own way of seeing the world. They’ll send you on quests that tell the story of the Rust Belt and reward you for your help. You’ll trade with them, sell what you don’t need, and earn their trust one job at a time.

During the Server Slam, Traders will offer a selection of early quests. The more advanced work will have to wait until launch.

Server Slam content

• Weapons and Gear: Early and mid-tier equipment will be available for you to experiment with, but some things will be locked until launch.
• Blueprints: Blueprints expand your Raider’s ability to make and modify weapons and gear. All blueprints can be found, but those of the highest-tier will not be craftable during the Server Slam.
• Raider Deck: You’ll be able to test out the Raider Deck functionality with one page of items to unlock.
• Workshop: Basic crafting stations (Weapon, Equipment, and Medical) are available, but upgrades aren’t possible for this limited test.

Some systems will be visible in the world, but not yet active:

• Projects (Expeditions): Long-term missions where a Raider leaves the Rust Belt permanently. Some progress resets, but key rewards and benefits carry over. For more information you can read this blogpost from Design Director Virgil Watkins.
• Trials: A proving ground for seasoned Raiders. Complete the challenge, return safely to Speranza, and vie for a place on the leaderboard. You’ll have to wait for launch to climb ranks and earn seasonal rewards.
• Codex: A growing archive of your Raider’s accumulated knowledge. Here you will collect stories, people, and places as you progress deeper into the world.

It's important to note that all progress made during the Server Slam including any cosmetics or character level will not carry over to launch. However, those who participate will receive the Server Slammer Backpack that can be obtained on launch! (you must connect the Embark ID account you played with for Server Slam).

Feats, Cred, and Raider Decks

Topside, Raiders can complete small, moment-to-moment challenges called Feats. You’ll receive a list of rotating daily tasks, asking you to destroy ARC, extract with rare loot, or other requirements. Completing these Feats will earn you Cred, a currency used to unlock rewards through the Raider Decks.

Raider Decks are made up of multiple pages of rewards that open as you progress. Some decks are free, others are premium, and while most stay in circulation, a few are time-limited. Be aware that you won’t be able to purchase any in-game benefits.

The ARC machines

The Rust Belt is crawling with machines that don’t care who you are or how many fights you’ve survived. Each one hunts differently. They are known as ARC.

Here are a few you’ll face:

• Wasps: swarming fliers, firing with accuracy
• Ticks: small scuttlers in the dark, waiting for you to come close
• Bastions: slow-moving tanks that annihilate anything in their sight
• Leapers: agile jumpers that will close the gap before you can react

Their sounds might give them away. Listen closely for a low hum, a metallic skitter, the warning whine of a weapon spinning up. Use that knowledge to survive.

Survival tips for new Raiders

• Plan your loadout. Bring the tools suited for the mission, not everything you own.
• Breaching is loud. You may get loot, but it also calls attention from ARC and other Raiders.
• Stay alert. Extraction points disappear over time. The longer you stay, the greater the risk.
• Be smart. Know when to extract, or you might just lose it all.

Rewards

Play during the Server Slam and confirm your Embark ID to earn an exclusive backpack: The Server Slammer! This prize will be yours to claim when you launch the full game for the first time after the launch on October 30th!

Your mission

This is your first step into the Rust Belt.

A chance to help out, test the game with your friends for free, and be part of the history of ARC Raiders. If you played TT2, this is a chance to dive back in once more and be a guide for new Raiders. If you’re brand new, now is your time to get to experience the game before the gates open on October 30.

Help us test the systems.

Feel the tension for yourself.

This is your chance to experience ARC Raiders.

And when the full game drops, you’ll walk back into Speranza already knowing what it takes to survive.

October 17–19. Free for everyone. Join the fight against the ARC.

enlist. resist.