ARC Raiders New Map: Pendola Pass Guide (Flash Freeze)

The ARC Raiders new map, Pendola Pass, arrived with the Frozen Trail 2.0 update on October 8, 2026, and almost nothing about it is fully documented yet.

This guide pulls together what Embark and the community wiki actually say about unlocking it, Flash Freeze, the Ballistic Gondola extraction and the new loot system, and marks what nobody has confirmed.

TL;DR: Pendola Pass is a frozen summit map you reach after 25 rounds, according to the wiki. It adds Flash Freeze cold events, a Ballistic Gondola extraction instead of the usual tubes and Dynamic Loot Zones where loot value changes between raids. The wiki page is still a stub, so exact loot spots and extraction counts are unconfirmed.

What is the ARC Raiders new map, Pendola Pass? (quick answer)

Pendola Pass is the seventh raid map, added in Frozen Trail 2.0. Embark's preview describes an old Italian village and Exodus transport hub preserved by icy air, with a supermarket, a lifeless town square, an observatory and a buried train depot.

The reason Raiders are sent there is that one of the Emperors has fallen. The wiki places the map in a summit basin around the Exodus-era Ceilo Sereno Observatory and says it is out of reach of the Tubes.

Press kit: Embark Studios. Official Frozen Trail artwork showing the fallen machine over the Pendola Pass village.

Step-by-Step: reaching and leaving Pendola Pass

Embark's notes do not give a full walkthrough, so these steps combine its preview with the community wiki. The wiki labels its Pendola Pass and Ballistic Gondola pages as incomplete, so treat the details as community-documented and check them in game.

1. Complete 25 rounds: the wiki says the map is unlocked after completing 25 rounds. Embark has not published a number, so confirm on your map selection screen.

2. Check the conditions schedule: the wiki lists a Pendola Pass schedule that rotates Night Raid, Redirection and ARC Frigate entries by the hour. Look before you queue so you know which one you are walking into.

3. Plan for Flash Freeze: the wiki says a Flash Freeze may be indicated in game and that you need to find shelter to hide from the cold. Do not plan a long open-ground push.

4. Activate a transceiver: to extract you visit one of the transceivers on the map and activate it, according to the wiki. A Ballistic Gondola then floats down and lands.

5. Breach and board: breach the red panels on any of the three tubes attached to the gondola and climb in. The wiki also lists climbing on top or attaching a grapple hook as alternatives.

GODEEPER: Pendola Pass is the newest of seven raid maps, and the older ones still use the Tubes. See how all of them compare. ARC Raiders maps guide →

What is Flash Freeze?

Flash Freeze is the map's cold hazard. The wiki calls it a harder version of Cold Snap that is integrated into the map, says it may be indicated in game, and tells you to find a shelter.

Embark's preview puts it in one sentence: a scrambled ARC response and "brutal flash freezes that cut through the valley" make the trip dangerous. Neither source gives a damage rate, a timer or a count of shelters. The wiki's own Flash Freeze page does not exist yet, so anyone quoting exact numbers is guessing.

How does the Ballistic Gondola extraction work?

The wiki says Pendola Pass is beyond the reach of the current Tubes system, so Raiders needed the Ballistic Gondola to climb the mountain and leave it.

You activate a transceiver, the gondola lands, and you breach a red panel on one of its three tubes to climb inside. The wiki says the gondola then floats away into the sky, which is also what you see if you hang on with a grapple hook.

What is not documented: how many transceivers the map has, how long the wait is, and whether the gondola needs a full squad. A pre-launch Reddit thread about the first gondola screenshot shows players guessing. One asks, "I wonder how it works in solos, 3 randoms spawn together?" That was a guess before release, not an answer, so we are not treating it as fact.

GODEEPER: If gondola waits get tense, compare it with how the older maps handle exits. ARC Raiders extractions guide →

What are Dynamic Loot Zones?

Dynamic Loot Zones are the main reason this map plays differently. Embark's 2.0 notes say it is testing a system "currently exclusive to Pendola Pass" that makes the loot value of certain areas vary from raid to raid.

The studio's stated aim is to make routes less predictable. A zone does not change its loot type, so a Residential area stays Residential, but it may yield more value in one raid and less in the next. The wiki adds that it may be expanded to other maps in the future.

Players are already arguing about it. One Reddit player says it "really forced me to explore parts of the map I would have likely avoided" if the best loot sat in one or two places. Another says it is the main reason they have not reinstalled for Frozen Trail, and hopes it reaches every map. Both are opinions, not measurements.

Which enemies and conditions are new?

Frozen Trail 2.0 adds three ARC: the Bully, the Skulker and the Hydra. Embark's preview describes the Bully as aggressive and fast on its feet, and the Skulker as opportunistic, lying in wait at the edge of your vision.

Press kit: Embark Studios. Official card for the Skulker, one of three new ARC in the update.

The Hydra does not walk. The preview says it is split into three stacked, autonomous portions and is a turret that can handle entire squads. It is found on the Frigate, the large vessel ARC send to patrol the area after the Emperor fell.

Press kit: Embark Studios. Official card for the Hydra, the three-part turret found on the Frigate.

Embark's highlights also list Frigate and Redirection as new map conditions. The wiki's Frigate and Redirection pages are stubs, so we cannot describe how either one plays.

Tips

• Open the wiki conditions schedule before you queue, and pick the condition you can handle with your squad.
• Treat shelter as your first objective when cold starts, not an afterthought.
• Do not memorise loot spots. Embark says values change between raids.
• Keep a grapple hook if you own one. The wiki lists it as an alternative way onto the gondola.
• Re-check any number you read here against the in-game text, since the wiki pages are still being filled in.

Frozen Trail launch trailer

Official Frozen Trail Launch Trailer from the ARC Raiders channel.

Our take

This is a research page, not a play report. We did not run Pendola Pass ourselves, so every step above is Embark's or the wiki's wording, not our measurement.

What the sources support is a plain reading. Embark shipped a harder map with a different exit and a loot system built to break routine, and the community is still working out the details. If you are close to 25 rounds, the useful prep is simple: check the schedule, plan for shelter and learn the gondola panels before your first raid.

For the rest of the update, see our Frozen Trail preview and the new Outpost guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you unlock Pendola Pass in ARC Raiders? The community wiki says the map unlocks after you complete 25 rounds. Embark's own notes do not state a requirement, and the wiki page is a stub, so check the in-game map screen if you are close to that number.

What is Flash Freeze in ARC Raiders? The wiki calls it a harder version of Cold Snap built into the map. It may be signalled in game, and the wiki says you should find shelter to get out of the cold. Embark describes it as brutal flash freezes cutting through the valley.

How do you extract from Pendola Pass? The wiki says Pendola Pass sits beyond the Tubes, so you extract with a Ballistic Gondola. Activate a transceiver, wait for the gondola to land, then breach a red panel on one of its three tubes and climb in.

What are Dynamic Loot Zones in ARC Raiders? Embark is testing them on Pendola Pass only. A zone keeps its loot type, but how much value it yields varies from raid to raid, so routes become less predictable. A Residential area stays Residential.

What new enemies are on Pendola Pass? Embark lists three new ARC with Frozen Trail: the Bully, the Skulker and the Hydra. The preview says the Hydra, a three-part turret, is found on the Frigate, the large ARC vessel that patrols the area.

Is Pendola Pass worth playing? We have not played it, so we cannot rate it. What the sources show is a harder, colder map with changing loot values and a different extraction. Players on Reddit like the loot variation but remain unsure how the gondola works in small squads.

Related Reading

• ARC Raiders Maps Guide: all seven raid maps, their unlock rules and how extraction works.
• ARC Raiders Frozen Trail Preview: everything the expansion adds.
• ARC Raiders Outpost Guide: the base feature that arrived in the same update.
• ARC Raiders Skill Tree 2.0: the rebuilt skill choices.
• ARC Raiders Extractions Guide: how exits work on the older maps.
• ARC Raiders Stella Montis Guide: another late-game map worth comparing.
• ARC Raiders Beginner Guide: what to learn before you chase 25 rounds.

References

• Frozen Trail 2.0 update notes, ARC Raiders official site: highlights and Pendola Pass Dynamic Loot Zone section, accessed 2026-10-09.
• Frozen Trail content preview, ARC Raiders official site: New Map, Frigate and new enemy sections, accessed 2026-10-09.
• Pendola Pass, ARC Raiders Wiki: unlock rule, Flash Freeze and schedule, last edited 2026-10-09.
• Ballistic Gondola, ARC Raiders Wiki: extraction method, last edited 2026-10-07.
• r/ArcRaiders: So this is how we extract from Pendola Pass
• r/ArcRaiders: Dynamic Loot Zones are an S tier addition!
• ARC Raiders on Steam
• Frozen Trail Launch Trailer, official YouTube