ARC Raiders Frozen Trail: Everything in the 2.0 Update

ARC Raiders Frozen Trail is live. Embark Studios shipped it on October 8, 2026 as the 2.0 update, and the patch notes open by calling it "our biggest update since launch." This page used to be a preview built on the May announcement. It now covers what actually shipped, checked line by line against Embark's own patch notes and news posts, plus the parts of the old preview that turned out differently.

Updated 2026-10-08: rewritten after launch. The release date, map name, enemies, pricing and free play window now come from Embark's October 8 posts instead of the May preview.

TL;DR: ARC Raiders Frozen Trail (update 2.0) launched October 8, 2026. It adds the Pendola Pass map, the Frigate and Redirection map conditions, three new ARC (Bully, Skulker, Hydra), two weapons (Bantam and Stiletto), an Outpost with a Research Bench, Amplified weapons for 15 guns, a reworked skill tree and a Reward Pass that replaces Raider Decks. The game is free to play from October 8 to October 12.

Image: ARC Raiders promotional art, Embark Studios

What is ARC Raiders Frozen Trail? (quick answer)

ARC Raiders Frozen Trail is the 2.0 update, released October 8, 2026. It sends Raiders beyond the Rust Belt to a new map, Pendola Pass, where one of the Emperor ARC has fallen. It is the first major update under the twice-a-year schedule Embark announced on May 13, 2026, and it reworks progression as much as it adds content.

The short list from Embark's highlights: a new map, two new map conditions (Frigate and Redirection), three new enemies, two new weapons, Amplified weapons, a revamped skill tree, new items including the Grappling Hook and Tether Launcher, the Outpost, 22 new quests and a new Reward Pass.

Key takeaways

• Release: October 8, 2026, as the FROZEN TRAIL 2.0 update.
• Free play: October 8 (09:00 UTC) to October 12 (08:00 UTC) on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation.
• Price: Steam showed ARC Raiders at $19.99, 50% off the $39.99 list price, on launch day.
• New map: Pendola Pass, with a Dynamic Loot Zone system that is exclusive to it for now.
• New ARC: Bully, Skulker and Hydra.
• Progression: Cred is gone, replaced by Reward Points and the 60-level Frozen Trail Pass.
• Paid extra: the optional Collector Set DLC.

Pendola Pass and the Frigate

Pendola Pass is the headline. Embark's First Look post describes it as "an old Italian village and Exodus transport hub," with a supermarket, a lifeless town square, an observatory and a buried train depot. The reason Raiders go there is the fallen Emperor: "Rare technology lies within, and your job is simple - get there, and find a way inside." Brutal flash freezes cut through the valley, so the cold is part of the threat, not only the backdrop.

Image: "Frozen Trail: First Look" video thumbnail, official ARC Raiders YouTube channel (Embark Studios)

The map also tests a new loot rule. The patch notes describe a Dynamic Loot Zone system, "currently exclusive to Pendola Pass," where an area keeps its loot type but its value changes from raid to raid. A Residential zone stays Residential; it just might be rich one raid and thin the next. Fixed farming routes, the habit our ARC Raiders loot guide warns about, matter less here.

The second new piece is the Frigate, a map condition. Embark says ARC are "sending one of their largest vessels to patrol the area," and Raiders have to find a way on board, unlock paths inside and deal with other squads in close quarters. The live post adds that the Frigate "has arrived to patrol the Rust Belt," so it is not tied to Pendola Pass alone. The other new map condition is called Redirection; Embark's posts name it but do not explain it, so this page doesn't guess.

New players are not locked out on day one. The free play post says newcomers can enter Pendola Pass immediately when teamed with players who already unlocked it. For route basics that carry over to any map, see the ARC Raiders maps guide and the extractions guide.

GODEEPER: Pendola Pass joins a map pool with very different risk levels. ARC Raiders Maps Guide →

The three new ARC: Bully, Skulker and Hydra

Frozen Trail adds three enemies, and Embark built each one around a different kind of pressure.

• Bully: a "machine-learned enemy" that "gallops upon your position" with lethal attacks. Embark's advice is to use cover, time your response and hit your shots.
• Skulker: the opposite. It lies in wait at the edge of your vision and retreats when you look away, then hits you when it comes back.
• Hydra: a stationary turret "split into three stacked and autonomous portions," found on the Frigate. Embark says it needs a tactical approach: divert attention, find cover, attack fast.

One warning from the known-issues list: "The Hydra can detect and shoot players through walls in the Cargo area." Until that is fixed, cover there is not real cover.

The patch also changes two older bosses. Higher tier loot moved "from the armor pieces of the legs to the legs pieces for Queen and Matriarch," and the Matriarch "can once again use all of its ranged attacks." If you farm either boss, read our Queen boss guide and Matriarch boss guide with that change in mind. The ARC enemy types guide covers the older roster.

Outpost, Amplified weapons and the two new guns

The Outpost is a Raider Den extension. Per the patch notes, it unlocks by completing a project ("Remember to accept the quest and bring your camera!"), it can be expanded with modules, and unlocking it gives access to the research station. Furniture comes from Designs, which work like blueprints: 100 were added, 73 of them found Topside.

Amplified weapons are the late-game hook. Using the fully upgraded Research Workstation, Raiders can push some guns to a fifth quality level with a branching set of abilities. Embark's own examples: "a fully-automatic Burletta, a Renegade with a scope, or a Rattler with incendiary bullets and a 64 bullet magazine." The First Look post says it rolls out to 15 weapons, with more planned.

Image: table by GameBrief from Embark's 2.0 patch notes and First Look post

The two new weapons fill old gaps:

• Stiletto: a light-ammo battle rifle, pitched as "an early-game alternative to the Renegade." Cheap to craft; spamming the trigger costs accuracy.
• Bantam: a snub-nosed heavy-ammo revolver with a hip-fire trick. It takes over the uncommon hand cannon role, because the Anvil moved from Green to Blue rarity. The Anvil Splitter is now an upgrade option for the Amplified Anvil instead of a mod.

Explosives changed too. The ARC explosive damage formula was reworked so weapons like the Hullcracker deal "over 50% more damage against armor plates but around 30% less damage against more fragile parts." Check the ARC Raiders weapons tier list against that before you build around explosives.

Skill tree, Reward Pass and the smaller changes

The skill tree got a structural rework, not only new numbers. In the middle of each branch, the old pair of nodes is now one binary choice between two skills. At the end of each branch you pick up to two of three skills once you have spent enough points. Embark expects "more tweaks and updates in the near future." Our skill tree tier list was written for the old layout, so treat it as background until it is redone.

The Reward Pass replaces Raider Decks. Cred has been "removed from the game and replaced by Reward Points." The first pass, the Frozen Trail Pass, has 60 levels across Free and Premium tracks, and old Raider Decks live on in a Legacy Pass. Feats now come in three sizes: Easy (15 Reward Points), Medium (25) and Hard (50). Each week has three milestones worth 250 Reward Points each. The progression and currency guide predates this change.

Smaller changes that players noticed first:

• "Solo vs. Squads" is no longer in matchmaking options while Embark re-evaluates it.
• The Stash gets two more upgrade tiers, up to 328 slots before Expedition or Nomadic Envoy space.
• You can open the map while downed and drop loot straight from containers to the ground.
• The Snap Hook went from 20m to 18m range, with power cost raised from 50 to 60.
• Riven Tides loot value went up by about 15%.
• On the trader side, Cassio replaces Ermal among the Nomadic Envoys.

Image: "Frozen Trail Teaser" video thumbnail, official ARC Raiders YouTube channel (Embark Studios)

What players are saying

The first reactions on r/ArcRaiders went straight to the small quality-of-life lines. In the full patch notes thread, u/Siouxsie2011 called the map-while-downed change "Super awesome," then added about the Snap Hook nerf: "...Less awesome. But gonna see how much it really makes a difference before I complain much."

The boss loot change split opinion more. u/Debenham argued it fixes an old habit: "This will massively encourage everyone to actually fight the bloody thing because there will be a fair chance if getting loot at the very end, rather than it going to loot goblins."

Embark's launch trailer:

GODEEPER: Queen loot now sits in the leg pieces, which changes how you fight her. ARC Raiders Queen Boss Guide →

How the preview compared to what shipped

The May 13 announcement, signed by executive producer Aleksander Grøndal, promised "the largest map in the game," new ARC enemies, new progression for players who "maxed out their Raider Den and hit the Skill Point ceiling," and a look at where ARC come from. Grøndal also admitted the slower schedule "won't please everyone," adding "we truly believe this will be worth it."

Most of that shipped as described. Two things the old preview got wrong or could not know: the update arrived on a firm date, October 8, and the paid side turned out to be a Collector Set DLC plus a Premium Reward Pass, not a paid expansion. The Collector Set includes the Renzo cosmetic set, the Dragon's Breath Weapon Stencil, a Bob hair style, 2,400 Raider Tokens and access to the Frozen Trail Premium Reward Pass.

Our take

Based on the patch notes and Embark's posts cited here, Frozen Trail is less about the new map than about changing what late-game players chase. Amplified weapons, the Outpost and the Reward Pass all give maxed accounts a new goal, which was the exact complaint in May. The risk is churn: a rebuilt skill tree, removed Cred, an explosives rework and a Snap Hook nerf all land at once, during a free play weekend full of new players. Expect follow-up balance patches, as Embark itself says, before you settle on a build.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did ARC Raiders Frozen Trail release? October 8, 2026, as the 2.0 update. Embark calls it the biggest update since launch and the first major drop under its twice-a-year schedule.

Is ARC Raiders free to play during Frozen Trail? Yes, from October 8 (09:00 UTC) to October 12 (08:00 UTC), 2026 on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation. The game was also 50% off on all platforms at launch.

What is Pendola Pass in ARC Raiders? The new map: an old Italian village and Exodus transport hub with a supermarket, town square, observatory and buried train depot, built around a fallen Emperor ARC.

What new enemies does Frozen Trail add? The Bully, the Skulker and the Hydra. The Hydra is a three-part turret found on the Frigate.

What are Amplified weapons in ARC Raiders? A fifth quality level for 15 weapons, unlocked through a fully upgraded Research Workstation in the Outpost, with branching abilities.

Is the Frozen Trail update free? Embark's launch posts name one paid item: the optional Collector Set DLC. The Frozen Trail Pass also has a Free track.

Related Reading

• ARC Raiders Maps Guide: every map's risk level and loot profile, for context on where Pendola Pass fits.
• ARC Raiders Queen Boss Guide: the boss whose loot moved to the leg pieces in 2.0.
• ARC Raiders Matriarch Boss Guide: the other boss affected by the leg loot change.
• ARC Raiders Weapons Tier List: the pre-2.0 ranking the Anvil and explosives changes affect.
• ARC Raiders Skill Tree Tier List: the old skill tree, useful to compare against the rework.
• ARC Raiders Riven Tides Guide: the map whose loot value went up about 15% in 2.0.
• ARC Raiders Stella Montis Guide: the underground map with its own blueprint loot table.
• ARC Raiders Anti-Cheat Update and October 8 Details: the fair-play changes announced alongside the update.
• ARC Raiders PvE Rebellion Mode Explained: the separate PvE test, not part of Frozen Trail.

References

• FROZEN TRAIL - 2.0 Update patch notes (Embark Studios)
• Frozen Trail is live! Play for free October 8-12 (Embark Studios)
• Frozen Trail First Look: Content highlights (Embark Studios)
• Play ARC Raiders for free: October 8 - 12 (Embark Studios)
• Collector Set DLC: Gear up for Frozen Trail (Embark Studios)
• We're changing how we update ARC Raiders (Embark Studios, May 13, 2026)
• Frozen Trail Launch Trailer (official ARC Raiders YouTube)
• ARC Raiders on Steam
• r/ArcRaiders: 2.0 full patch notes discussion
• ARC Raiders Steam key on Green Man Gaming (sponsored link)