ARC Raiders will open its next Expedition departure window on December 17th. The developer explained these details in a new update, making it clear that this is a chance to start a new story with a different set of benefits.
The Expedition system allows each player a six-day period during which they can choose to leave Speranza. According to the update, all items kept in a Raider’s stash will be added to the project when the departure happens. The combined value of stash items and coins will determine how many extra skill points, up to five, the next Raider gets, with one million coins of value being equal to one point. Players who join the Expedition will have all their main progress reset, including skill trees, levels, stash contents, workshop development, crafting skills, and blueprints. However, the first deployment’s initial training section will be skipped, granting instant access to the full map and upgrade routes.
While Raiders who choose to return to the beginning will lose their previous progress, they will also unlock several permanent rewards. These include the Patchwork Raider outfit, the Scrappy Janitor Cap, an Expeditions Indicator icon, bonus skill points based on stash value, and an extra twelve stash slots. There will also be temporary boosts applied, such as a ten percent improvement to repairs, a five percent experience gain boost, and a six percent increase in materials earned from the Scrappy system. These buffs only stick around if the player keeps choosing to go on future Expeditions, though their strength will grow over the next three cycles. Only one departure is permitted during each window.
The Expedition window runs from December 17th through December 22nd, and all players who sign up during that period will depart at the same moment on the final day. The value of stashed items and coins will be totaled the minute the window closes. Players who decide not to leave during this cycle will keep their Caravan progress, allowing them the option to keep preparing for a future Expedition opportunity.
In explaining the choice, the studio said that wiping progress is tough in online games, pointing out that mandatory, global resets have clear upside but also risk upsetting players’ investment. With this system, the team aims to provide a choice that respects what individuals have built up while still offering the excitement of starting fresh. Those who are ready for another challenge can depart for new rewards and buffs, while others can keep building up their current Raiders without stopping.
ARC Raiders is a cooperative extraction shooter set on a hostile future Earth, where teams of up to three venture into topside zones outside the underground city of Speranza. Players battle mechanical ARC threats and rival Raiders to hunt for high-value loot before the extraction conditions get too bad. The game launched on October 30, 2025, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, with full cross-platform support.
