Frozen Trail went live in ARC Raiders on 8 October 2026, and Embark calls it the biggest update since launch. It adds a snowbound map, Pendola Pass, three new ARC enemies, two weapons, a reworked skill tree and the Outpost, a base you build up to push weapons to a fifth tier. Here is everything that changed, from the official patch notes (Embark Studios, Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes).
Pendola Pass, the first map beyond the Rust Belt
Ballistic gondolas now carry Raiders up the mountain to Pendola Pass, the first region outside the Rust Belt. One of the giant Emperor ARC has gone down there, and rare tech lies inside the wreck (Embark Studios, Frozen Trail is live). Two new map conditions arrive with it: Frigate, a patrolling ARC ship that also carries rare tech, and Redirection.
Three new ARC: Bully, Skulker and Hydra
- Bully pins your position and keeps pressure on it.
- Skulker stalks from cover and pops up where you least expect it.
- Hydra is a squad killer that guards the Emperor wreck and the Frigate.
If you are still learning the existing ARC, our guide to every enemy and how to kill it covers the older roster.
Weapons, items and amplified gear
Two new weapons join the pool, the Bantam and the Stiletto. Building your Outpost lets you amplify weapons to a fifth tier with special abilities. New items include a grappling hook, basic and advanced cameras, a tether launcher, a yank grenade and a mountaineer's detector. There is also a banjo and a harmonica, if your squad needs a soundtrack.
Weapon Stencils are new cosmetics for your guns. There are 14 of them, and a stenciled weapon can still be looted from you like any other.
The skill tree revamp
Embark reworked skills that were not pulling their weight and changed how branches work. In the middle of each branch you now pick one of two skills. At the end of each branch you choose up to two of three, once you have put enough points in. You can change these choices by resetting the tree. Our older skill tree guide was written before this revamp, so treat its picks as a starting point.
The Outpost, quests and the reward pass
The Outpost is a base you build up over time, with a new Research Bench and furniture you unlock by looting Design items. Frozen Trail also adds 22 quests, a new reward pass system, a reworked map selection screen and two more stash levels, for a maximum of 328 slots before Expedition bonuses.
Free weekend and pricing
ARC Raiders was free to play from 8 to 12 October to launch the update, and Embark also put it at 50% off on all platforms at the time. The free weekend is over, so check your store for the current price.
Playing Frozen Trail with Pandora's Box
Our ARC Raiders build has a humanised aimbot with FOV and visibility check, full enemy ESP with skeleton, held weapon, armour and health, plus loot and container ESP with a rare loot filter, which matters more now that Pendola Pass and the Frigate carry rare tech. It is built for Easy Anti-Cheat on Windows 10 and 11, with controller support. Big updates mean new builds, so check the live status page before you play. See everything it includes on the ARC Raiders cheat page and every plan length on the pricing page.