What's New
"What happens topside, stays topside - Raiders have to leave their grudges at the tubes. But Speranza also has a conscience. While Raider violence can't be totally controlled, Celeste is keen to remind us why we took refuge under the dust of the Rust Belt; and that just because we live in the dirt, we don't always have to act like it."
The February update centers around cooperation and community, with the Shared Watch Event serving as Speranza's annual holiday celebrating Raiders who have each other's backs.
Shared Watch Event
Running from February 10-24, the Shared Watch Event is a live event (not map-specific) where players automatically earn Merits from ARC combat. Progress is tracked globally and rewards unlock as you accumulate Merits.
How it works:
- Earn Merits automatically from damaging ARC enemies
- Earn Merits from destroying ARC enemies
- Earn Merits from assists on ARC kills
- No Merits from PvP encounters
- Progress tracks across all matches during the event period
Event Rewards
The Shared Watch Event features three pages of rewards unlocked progressively as you earn Merits:
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Rewards include The Slugger cosmetic set, Raider Tokens, blueprints, and various progression items.
For a complete breakdown of the event mechanics and strategy tips, check out our dedicated Shared Watch Event Guide.
Cold Snap Returns
Winter isn't done with the Rust Belt. The Cold Snap map condition returns to regular rotation on outdoor maps, bringing the same mix of risk and reward introduced in December's update.
Check the Events Calendar for the current Cold Snap schedule and rotation.
What's Changed
Cold Snap is no longer event-exclusive. The map condition now appears in regular rotation alongside other weather conditions, with some important updates:
- Permanent rotation: Cold Snap appears regularly on outdoor maps
- Candleberries remain: You can still collect Candleberries, but they're no longer tied to any event
- Snowballs added: Collect and throw snowballs—use them wisely, or don't
- Same mechanics: Frostbite damage remains deadly without shelter
- Increased loot value: Braving the cold still offers better rewards
If you need Candleberries to sell for coins, our Candleberry Locations Guide covers all spawn points across every map.
New Cosmetics
Two new cosmetic sets arrive with the February update:
The Slugger Set
The baseball umpire-themed Slugger set is the headline reward for completing the Shared Watch Event. This sports-themed cosmetic continues ARC Raiders' tradition of incorporating athletic aesthetics into the lore.
Vulpine Set
The Vulpine Set (referred to as "Huntsman" in the character customization menu) features a distinctive fox or raccoon-inspired "hat" that has sparked community discussion. The set brings woodland aesthetics to the Rust Belt and offers a unique alternative to the more common military and industrial-themed cosmetics.
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Note: There's a known issue where Scrappy's "Batting Helmet" and the "Slugger" outfit might not appear correctly in the event preview, though they display properly in-game.
Balance Changes
Trailblazer Grenade ADJUSTED
The Trailblazer Grenade receives significant changes to improve consistency and balance:
- Fixed wall penetration: Explosions no longer deal damage through walls
- Damage rebalanced: Increased damage to small enemies
- Large enemy nerf: Reduced damage to Leapers and Bastions
These changes make the Trailblazer more effective against swarms while reducing its effectiveness as a heavy-damage option against large targets.
Weapon Cycling FIXED
Fixed inconsistent weapon cycling when bound to keys other than the mouse wheel. Keybinds now swap weapons reliably, improving combat flow for players using keyboard shortcuts.
Bug Fixes
Connectivity and Stability
- Improved instances where players sometimes could not reconnect after disconnecting from a game
- Fixed an issue where the match start tunnel scene sometimes wasn't being shown
Rewards and Progression
- Fixed trials' objective rewards failing to grant at the end of a round due to timeout
- Fixed the end of round screen sometimes showing incorrect Merits, XP, and Live Event points
- Ensured partial rewards are awarded when earned
UI and Interface
- Fixed players' platform icons sometimes showing incorrectly
- Fixed crafting sometimes getting cancelled unexpectedly
Embark on Patch Notes
"Some of you have noticed changes in past updates that didn't make it into the patch notes, thank you for flagging those and keeping us on our toes! We've been building ARC Raiders for years, but we've only been live for a short while, and we're still growing into the rhythm (and discipline) of live operations. Making patch notes that are complete, accurate, and easy to follow is a muscle we're actively training."
Embark acknowledges that some changes have slipped through without documentation and commits to improving their internal process. The studio encourages players to continue reporting undocumented changes to help maintain accurate patch notes.
Known Issues
Embark has identified several issues that remain unresolved in this update:
- One Marco set helmet variant may appear incorrectly in preview and menu (displays correctly in-game)
- Players may occasionally not receive skill points shown in the result screen (fixed by rebooting or playing another round)
- 'Purchase Raider Tokens' page may appear in front of inbox and profile page when switching between them
- Player animations may appear broken when interrupting a Baron Husk search
- Certain containers may be unavailable for interaction
- Ziplines placed onto destroyed ARC parts will not appear correctly
- Scrappy "Batting Helmet" and "Slugger" outfit might not appear correctly in event preview
- The "Blindsided" achievement may not trigger as intended on the first attempt
Looking Ahead
The February Update 1.15.0 marks the first major content drop of 2026, with the Shared Watch Event setting the tone for community-focused gameplay. According to the 2026 Escalation Roadmap, February should also bring:
- A new map condition (Shrouded Sky)
- A new ARC threat
- A new Raider Deck
- Map updates to existing locations
- The second Expedition Window
It's unclear whether these features will arrive in a separate update later this month or if they've been delayed to March.
See you topside, Raiders.
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