The Arc Raiders Frozen Trail update is out now, adding new weapons, a new map, new Arc enemies, and plenty more to reinvigorate the extraction shooter. There's been a rather long gap between Frozen Trail and the last update for Arc Raiders, and that's due to Embark Studios deciding to slow down the rate of content updates for more sustainable development. But Frozen Trail is a big one, serving almost as a 2.0 update for the game. With that, I'll take you through all the new content in the Frozen Trail update for Arc Raiders below.
Everything new in the Arc Raiders Frozen Trail update
A huge amount of content was added to Arc Raiders with the release of Frozen Trail, much of it focused around a new snowy map. He's a quickfire list of all the headline changes and additions, but you'll find more detail further below:
- New Map: Pendola Pass
- A large, snowy, mountainous map in the shadow of a fallen "Emperor" Arc Robot, with a variety of playstyles, a focus on verticality, and occasionally afflicted by "Flash Freeze" weather conditions that force players to take shelter.
- New Minor Map Condition: Redirection
- Specific to Pendola Pass, players can call in Harvester payloads from the Collector, prompting both PvE and PvP conflict.
- New Enemies
- Frigate
- Bully
- Skulker
- Hydra
- New Weapons
- "Stiletto" Battle Rifle
- "Bantam" Revolver
- New Gadgets / Tools
- Grappling Hook
- Tether Launcher
- Yank Grenade
- New Instruments
- Banjo
- Harmonica
- New Feature: Weapon Amplification
- A new system wherein players can upgrade weapons further and modify them.
- New Feature: Weapon Stencils
- Allows players to customize weapon appearance and aesthetic without affecting their stats.
- New Feature: Outposts
- Customisable player bases and homes that players can craft/acquire items to display in.
- New Feature: Skill Tree update
- New skills are being added to the Skill Trees, with others being modified or rebalanced.
- New Feature: Camera
- A handheld camera gadget that players can bring into missions to take photos with.
- New Quests
- Frozen Trail will add new quests, as well as quests with optional objectives for bonus XP rewards.
- New Trials
- Trials Season 6 will be kicked off with the Frozen Trail update.
- New "Frozen Trail" Reward / Battle Pass
- A two track battle pass of in-game rewards, with a free pass that includes all Cosmetics, and a Premium Pass that includes everything.
- Frozen Trail Collector Set DLC
- A DLC Bundle with new cosmetics will be added to the game on the same day, costing 2400 Raider Tokens.
Map: Pendola Pass
The new Arc Raiders map is a snowy, mountain region specifically based around a giant, dead Emperor Arc walker robot. The map is specifically meant to push a wide range of gameplay styles, with both enclosed spaces for close quarters, open spaces for long-range, and a mention of verticality.
The map also includes its own unique weather condition: Flash Freeze, unpredictable moments of cold which will force players to take refuge indoors (or even in Avalanche Shelters) or else be negatively hit by the cold.
Pendola Pass is also the only map where you can experience the New Minor Map Condition: Redirection, which lets players can call in an Arc Raiders Harvester away from the Queen but, in so doing, draw the attention of both Arc robots and other raiders.
New enemies
The Frozen Trail update comes with four new Arc enemies, though one is less of a traditional enemy and more of an event.
- Frigate: A massive endgame challenge that's not really a traditional enemy as it's a flying carrier vehicle. You can't kill it but can get on top and navigate various hazards to obtain the loot it's carrying.
- Bully: A four-legged walker similar in size to a Leaper but with a turret on top, these squat enemies charge at you in relentless offense.
- Skulker: A small, opportunistic enemy that uses stealth to hide from players and take distant pot shots. It's a fast, stealthy sniper that you need to listen out for as much as anything else.
- Hydra: A floating weapons platform similar in look to a Shredder, the Hydra has three pairs of gun turrets that can all target individual enemies separately, meaning that there's a viable strategy in diverting its attention among groups.
New weapons
Frozen Trail adds two new weapons for players to use, each of which has a clear niche:
- Stiletto: A light ammo battle rifle designed for medium-to-long range, and better for PvE than PvP.
- Bantam: A snub-nosed revolver with a unique fire-from-the-hip animation, designed as an alternative to the Anvil, a popular favourite among the Arc Raiders weapons.
New gadgets and tools
There are four new gadgets and tools in the Frozen Trail update, assuming you include the previously mentioned Camera.
- Grappling Hook: An alternative to the Snap Hook, the grappling hook is a hand-thrown rope and hook that lets you rappel, swing, climb or even tether to enemies and be dragged along behind them.
- Tether Launcher: A device that fires two tethers attached by a wire. When both are fired, they pull together, allowing you to drag enemies or other players around.
- Yank Grenade: A thrown version of the Tether Launcher, that fires a wire at the nearest character from where it detonates and pulls them towards it. Can be used to smash Arc enemies or pull players out of cover.
Outposts
Outposts are a new form of progression in Arc Raiders for the Frozen Trail update, where players will be given a new base that they can customize, including crafting furniture and cosmetics from items found on missions.
Weapon Amplification
Frozen Trail adds a new system for upgrading guns called "Weapon Amplification", in which players will get a new workbench for their base where they can research upgrades for certain guns, then build those upgrades with materials found on missions.
These are different to weapon mods or levelling up guns in that these are more about converting weapons with substantial changes rather than general stat improvements.Not every weapon in the game will immediately be viable for Amplification: when the update is released, only 15 of them will compatible with this new feature but there will be plenty of Amplifications to choose from. For example, You can make the Burletta pistol burst fire, give the Il Toro shotgun slug rounds, and give the Anvil hand cannon explosive X-Rounds.
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