The big Arc Raiders Headwinds update arrives Tuesday, January 27, adding a surprise Buried City map condition, a new raider project that's all about hunting big Arc, new party settings, and a strange matchmaking option.
Headwinds kicks off the 2026 roadmap revealed this month. The new matchmaking option, exclusive to players at level 40 or above, is "Solos vs Squads," letting solo players opt into the team queue if they really want to challenge themselves (or die). I, too, struggle to see why you would choose this option if not for the amusement of a Twitch audience.
This comes alongside two new lobby settings: open parties and squad invites, respectively allowing friends to join your lobby directly, and letting anyone in the party, not just the leader, invite more people.
The new map condition, stepping in for the expected Arc Raiders Toxic Swamp modifier spotted in unreleased trials, is Bird City. This minor condition covers Buried City in flocks of birds that'll leave piles of treasure on rooftops and other high-up areas, "drawing players in search of loot upward into more vertical combat spaces and tighter encounters," says Embark, quietly stoking the fires of PvP. (Full Arc Raiders Bird City guide here.)
"The condition rewards bold traversal and situational awareness, offering high-risk, high-reward opportunities through rooftop routes and chimney caches that can contain valuable materials and rare trinkets, while increasing player proximity and encounter frequency across the map."
"Headwinds is about opening up new ways for the community to approach Arc Raiders and additional challenges for advanced players," design director Virgil Watkins says in a press release. "Between the expanded matchmaking options, new map condition and new player project, we're excited to see how Raiders adapt and experiment — and we can't wait to see the unexpected, funny moments and short clips the community starts creating as the update rolls out."
The next raider project, the Arc Trophy Display, is a "long-term" goal designed to reward PvE. "Hunt increasingly dangerous Arc enemies and submit their parts in exchange for progression rewards," Embark explains. "Advancing through the project unlocks new items and cosmetics tied to player achievements including rarer blueprints and Raider Tokens."
A new, deterministic way to acquire blueprints is great news, and it's also exciting to see additional PvE incentives. Embark says these additions are joined by new quests as well as smaller gameplay and quality-of-life updates, but we'll seemingly have to wait for the patch notes on Tuesday for specifics here.
Everything in the Arc Raiders Escalation roadmap.
