ARC Raiders is temporarily going free-to-play from Oct. 8 at 9 a.m. UTC until Oct. 12 at 8 a.m. UTC, across Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The four-day event coincides with Embark Studios launching the huge Frozen Trail update, giving newcomers access to the base game alongside its latest content.
New players won’t necessarily have to grind before seeing the headline addition, either. Embark says they can immediately enter the new Pendola Pass map when grouped with somebody who has already unlocked it.
Frozen Trail Adds the New Pendola Pass Map
Frozen Trail takes Raiders beyond the Rust Belt to Pendola Pass, an abandoned Italian village and former Exodus transport hub surrounded by frozen mountains. Its major landmarks include an observatory, supermarket, town square and buried train depot, but the biggest attraction is a crashed Emperor. Raiders are heading into the region to recover its rare technology while contending with flash freezes and an escalating ARC response.
That response includes the Frigate, one of ARC’s largest vessels. Players can find a way aboard, explore its internal passages and unlock routes while dealing with machines and competing Raiders in close quarters.
Three new ARC enemies also debut. The aggressive Bully pushes directly toward players, while the Skulker stalks around the edge of encounters before attacking. Hydra is a stationary three-part turret found aboard the Frigate that can threaten an entire squad.
Outposts and Amplified Weapons Expand Progression
Frozen Trail also introduces the Outpost, a customizable extension of the Raider Den positioned between the Rust Belt and Pendola Pass. Players can furnish the space and build modules, including a Research Workstation that opens new weapon customization and modding options. Embark describes the Outpost as the beginning of a feature it hopes to expand into a more personalized home for each Raider.
The Research Workstation is also tied to Amplified Weapons. Fully upgrading it unlocks a fifth quality level for 15 weapons at launch, with branching upgrades capable of substantially changing how existing guns behave.
Embark’s examples include turning the Burletta fully automatic, fitting a Renegade with a scope or giving the Rattler incendiary ammunition and a 64-round magazine.
Two completely new weapons are included as well. The Stiletto is a light-ammo battle rifle designed as an accessible alternative to the Renegade, while the Bantam is a heavy-ammo revolver with a dedicated hip-fire mechanic.
Grappling Hooks, Tethers and a New Reward Pass
Frozen Trail adds several gadgets designed to create new traversal and combat options. The Grappling Hook lets Raiders climb difficult terrain, abseil down structures and swing across gaps. The Tether Launcher can connect targets or objects together, while the Yank Grenade violently pulls nearby enemies, including other players and flying ARC.
There’s even a dedicated Camera gadget with zoom, aperture settings, manual and automatic focus, selfies and custom emotes. Captured images are stored in the player’s Codex.
Progression is changing through the new Reward Pass system, too. The free track includes 200 Raider Tokens, five outfits, gameplay items and 20 cosmetic rewards. A Premium Pass adds additional cosmetics and 1,150 Raider Tokens, while the free Legacy Pass combines existing Raider Decks so previous progression isn’t lost.
Frozen Trail additionally includes new questlines, a Skill Tree rework and a new Map Condition.
Embark Is Also Toughening ARC Raiders Anti-Cheat
The influx of free players arrives shortly after Embark outlined stronger measures against cheating. The studio says permanent bans are now standard for accounts caught using known cheat programs, alongside broader license restrictions, linked-account enforcement and hardware bans. Detection combines Denuvo’s kernel-level protection, Anybrain and Embark’s own machine-learning systems.
Embark is also working to expand hardware-ban coverage later this year as it attempts to make it harder for repeat offenders to return.
The Last Word
ARC Raiders isn’t permanently becoming free-to-play, but Oct. 8 presents an unusually substantial entry point for new players. The four-day free period provides access to the complete game just as Frozen Trail introduces Pendola Pass, new ARC threats, Outposts, Amplified Weapons, additional guns, traversal gadgets and redesigned progression.Â
Existing players, meanwhile, get the largest expansion Embark has released so far. Combining the free weekend with its biggest update is an obvious attempt to bring a fresh wave of Raiders Topside, while stronger anti-cheat measures will be especially important if that influx significantly increases the player population.
Featured Image Credits
Image via Steam
