Cold Snap and Headwinds

6:25 Cold Snap, Headwinds and Shared Watch are the three ARC Raiders updates of the first winter: Cold Snap, patch 1.7.0, on Dec 16, 2025, Headwinds, patch 1.13.0, on Jan 27, 2026 and Shared Watch, patch 1.15.0, on Feb 10, 2026. Embark calls Cold Snap the second content update since launch, after North Line. The events on this page are over; the Bird City condition and Trophy Display project were built to last, and each has a note on where it stands.

Quick facts

Sources: Cold Snap, Dec 16, 2025; Headwinds 1.13.0, Jan 27, 2026; Shared Watch 1.15.0, Feb 10, 2026; The Expedition Project is departing soon, Dec 6, 2025.

Cold Snap, 1.7.0

3:28 The Cold Snap condition is an opt-in winter variant on Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport and The Blue Gate, where staying outside too long causes frostbite damage. Candleberry bushes grew in it for the event. Hotfix 1.7.2 two days later added volumes so indoor areas deal no cold damage. See Map Conditions.

Flickering Flames had 25 levels, earned through Merits converted from XP, and needed 5 rounds played to activate. The Candleberry Banquet project had 5 stages and paid a cosmetic, Raider Tokens and Merits. Both ended on Jan 13, 2026. The free Goalie Raider Deck arrived on Dec 26. See Events and Feats.

The patch's lasting changes:

• Skill Tree reset, at 2,000 Coins a skill point (as of Dec 16, 2025; see Skill Tree for today).
• An Aim Down Sights toggle and Raider Tool customization.
• Bettina: magazine 20 to 22, reload 5 to 4.5, about 26 magazines to wear out instead of about 12. Rattler: magazine 10 to 12.
• Shredder: less weapon knockback, faster, more parts that break individually.
• The Aphelion blueprint moved from the Matriarch to Stella Montis, and the Locked Gate condition was added to The Blue Gate.
• An 800 soft cap on Cred, a currency retired on Oct 8, 2026.

It also opened the first Expedition window, covered on Expeditions. Hotfix 1.7.2 slightly lowered blueprint drop rates, still above their pre-1.7.0 level, and re-enabled Hidden Bunker.

Between the updates

Patch 1.11.0 on Jan 13, 2026 marked 12 million copies sold with a free Gilded Pickaxe for players who had logged in, added the Abyss set, and raised the Trigger 'Nade's detonation delay from 0.7 s to 1.5 s, as Embark said it dominated PvP. 1.12.0 on Jan 20 fixed item and ammo duplication exploits.

Headwinds, 1.13.0

7:31 Headwinds mainly served veterans, with new ways to play and a long project.

• Solo vs Squads: solo Raiders at level 40 or above could opt into the squads queue for 20% bonus XP, win or lose. Frozen Trail removed it on Oct 8, 2026 while Embark re-evaluates its role. See Matchmaking.
• Trophy Display: a 5-step project of hunting ARC for parts, with blueprints and tokens along the way and a Howl emote, a guitar and 300,000 Coins at the end. At launch it had no end date and Expeditions do not reset it.
• Bird City: a permanent condition on Buried City, cycling weekly, with nests, more bird traps and ziplines, and more flying ARC. Embark's tracker still lists it on Oct 31, 2026.
• Content: two new types of Epic Augment and 7 new quests. The notes do not name them in the highlights; see Shields and Augments and Update Quests.
• Quality of life: open parties, squadmate invites, free gamepad rebinding, a mouse smoothing option and a matchmaking delay against stream sniping.
• Fair play: a three-strike ban system of 30 days, 60 days, then permanent, later replaced by permanent bans on a first offense. See Anti-Cheat and Fair Play.
• Stella Montis: 40 stuck spots fixed, most Night Raid lamps off, loot spread more evenly.
• Loot: better odds of high-tier guns in weapon cases, lower odds of Matriarch and Queen parts from armor pieces.

The patch shipped a bug that slowed semi-automatic fire. Hotfix 1.13.1 the next day fixed it and rebalanced looting speed, and the fix's side effect was settled in Shrouded Sky. See Flashpoint and Shrouded Sky.

Shared Watch, 1.15.0

Shared Watch is an in-world holiday: from Feb 10 to Feb 24, 2026, players earned Merits for destroying, assisting and damaging ARC, and none from PvP. Cold Snap returned on outdoor maps, now with increased loot value and throwable snowballs. The Vulpine and Slugger sets came with it, and the Trailblazer's blast stopped hitting through walls. Embark also admitted some changes had slipped past its notes and promised to do better. The Patch Notes and Updates table has every patch.

Frequently asked questions

When was the ARC Raiders Cold Snap update? Cold Snap, ARC Raiders patch 1.7.0, came out on Dec 16, 2025. The condition has returned since, including in Shared Watch.

What did the ARC Raiders Headwinds update add? Headwinds, patch 1.13.0 of Jan 27, 2026, added Solo vs Squads, the Trophy Display project, the Bird City condition, Epic Augments, quests, open parties and gamepad rebinding.

Is Solo vs Squads still in ARC Raiders? No. Frozen Trail removed Solo vs Squads on Oct 8, 2026 while Embark re-evaluates its role.

How do you get Merits in ARC Raiders Shared Watch? During the Feb 10 to Feb 24, 2026 event, Merits came from destroying, assisting and damaging ARC, never from PvP. The event has ended.

Can you still do the ARC Raiders Trophy Display? It had no fixed end date when it launched on Jan 27, 2026, and no Embark post since has announced one, as of Oct 31, 2026.

Sources

• COLD SNAP - December Update 1.7.0 Patch Notes, Embark Studios, Dec 16, 2025
• COLD SNAP, Embark Studios, Dec 16, 2025
• The Expedition Project is departing soon, Embark Studios, Dec 6, 2025
• Hotfix - Dec 18, Embark Studios, Dec 18, 2025
• Patch Notes 1.11.0, Embark Studios, Jan 13, 2026
• Patch Notes 1.12.0, Embark Studios, Jan 20, 2026
• HEADWINDS - Patch Notes 1.13.0, Embark Studios, Jan 27, 2026
• Hotfix 1.13.1, Embark Studios, Jan 28, 2026
• SHARED WATCH - Patch Notes 1.15.0, Embark Studios, Feb 10, 2026
• SHROUDED SKY - Patch Notes 1.17.0, Embark Studios, Feb 24, 2026
• Live Update 1.45.0, Embark Studios, Sep 8, 2026
• An Update on Anti-Cheat, Embark Studios, Sep 30, 2026
• Frozen Trail 2.0 Update, full notes, Embark Studios, Oct 8, 2026
• Map Conditions, Embark Studios, read Oct 31, 2026
• The Evolution of ARC Raiders S2: EP1 - Updating ARC Raiders, Embark Studios, Oct 2, 2026 (video)
• The Evolution of ARC Raiders S2: EP2 - Creating Frozen Trail, Embark Studios, Oct 5, 2026 (video)