What's New in 1.45.0
Headline Additions
- Raider Project: Ascending the Mountain — phantom ARC signals lead north of the Tube
- Hornet Hunter Set — new hunter bundle, following Tick Hunter
- Cred expiration — spend remaining Cred before October 8; the currency is retiring with Frozen Trail
- Expedition 5 is live — three-week window, opt-in quest reset, last Expedition until 2027
- Community Rubber Ducks — winning designs are now in Bird City and the Raider Den
- Unreal Engine 5.7 — the client jumped from 5.3
Spend Your Cred Before October 8
This is the time-sensitive one. Frozen Trail is reworking Raider Decks, and Cred is going with the old system. It stays usable until October 8. After that, leftover Cred on your account expires.
"We are retiring Cred as a currency, as we'll be introducing a more expansive reward system launching with the Frozen Trail Update. All existing Raider Deck rewards will also be available in the new system. You will keep any rewards you have already claimed at the time of the update."
Do not sit on a pile hoping it rolls over. The note is explicit: remaining Cred dies with Frozen Trail. Claim anything still sitting on the Deck, then dump the rest at Shani. If you already own the Deck cosmetics you wanted, the new reward track is supposed to cover the same items — so the only thing you actually lose by waiting is the Cred itself.
Forging the Way North
Shani's phantom-signal hunt did not end with glitched Wasps. Raider work has traced those readings to a place Speranza cannot follow: the mountain range just beyond the Tube. Apollo is putting together an experimental workaround and wants Raiders who can read a schematic and stay quiet.
"Unfortunately, these signals lead ARC to a place we can't follow - the mountain range just beyond the reach of our Tube system. Rumor has it Apollo's working on an experimental solution, and he's requested assistance from Raiders who understand schematics, and can keep their heads down."
The project is called Ascending the Mountain. The official art is a scavenged lightbulb balloon — which is a pretty on-the-nose hint that Speranza is trying to get over the range the Tube cannot reach.
This is the narrative on-ramp to Frozen Trail. Part 2 of Phantom Targets named the glitched Wasps; 1.45.0 names the destination. A new map beyond the mountains on October 8 was never going to drop cold — this project is how they get Raiders looking north for the next month. If you still have Phantom Targets unfinished, some players still cannot start Part 2; Embark is sending compensation in a later update.
Expedition 5 Is Open
The fifth Expedition started with this patch. It is the last one until early 2027: a three-week window, no Last Call, and the final Zenith piece. The patch also implements the quest-reset change Embark promised — starting an Expedition no longer resets your quests by default. You choose whether to reset them when you depart.
Full Expedition 5 breakdown
Window, rewards, consecutive buffs, the Trials pause, and why Expeditions are stopping until 2027 are in our Expedition 5 article. Completing the Caravan still does not count as signing up — you have to opt in once the window is open.
Hornet Hunter Set
The Hornet Hunter Set is live with 1.45.0, the next hunter bundle after Tick Hunter. Embark did not publish a full bundle breakdown in the patch notes, so check the in-game store for what's included.
A related store note: the Boonie outfit arrives September 15.
Community Rubber Ducks
The three Discord-voted ducks from 1.42.0 are in the game. They live in Bird City and can be displayed in your Raider Den. The designers are gekko.rar, im_AshCheeks, and nassguhl.
Content & Bug Fixes
ARC
- Snitch Scanners now spawn ARC the same way a regular Snitch does, with a lower chance of stronger ARC
Audio
- Fixed the Equalizer playing its firing sound when holstering
- Fixed voice chat failing when Raider Voice was enabled
Customization
- Fixed Rawhide headgear staying on with the toggle set to off
- Boonie outfit available September 15
Gameplay
- Landing on a moving surface now makes you follow that surface on landing, not while still in the air
- Quick item cycling can be rebound separately from the quick-use wheel (or disabled); both can share the same key
- ARC Turbine mines can be pinged
- Reduced weapon sway on Aphelion
- Starting an Expedition no longer resets quests by default — you choose on departure
- Matriarch stomp should no longer damage players through tall cover or while standing on top of the Matriarch
- New severe over-encumbrance tier: well above your loadout weight limit, movement is walk-only — no sprint, no jump
Two of these will change raids immediately. Severe over-encumbrance is the extract-walk-of-shame patch: if you are grossly over weight, you are not kiting a Leaper to the hatch anymore. Bank or drop before you get greedy. And the quick-cycle rebind is the fix for the classic "closed the wheel and swapped the item I meant to keep" problem — split the binds or turn cycling off.
The Matriarch stomp-through-cover note is a sequel. 1.42.0 already claimed that stomp was fixed. If you still get flattened through a doorframe, this is the one to test.
Stability
- PS5 crash shortly after starting a session
- Crash from rapidly pressing certain keys during gameplay
- Squads getting stuck after a squadmate signed out and rejoined, blocking ready-up and matchmaking
Performance
- Unreal Engine upgraded from 5.3 to 5.7
A four-point engine jump on a live client is not a small patch note. It is the kind of change you make when the next map and systems update needs the newer renderer, not when you are polishing Snitch audio. Combined with the "last Live Update before October 8" line, this looks like Frozen Trail scaffolding. Expect a few new crash reports while it settles — Xbox Series S and the Windows Update KB5121003 issue are still on the known-issues list.
UI
- Loadout weight indicator updates immediately when you drop part of a stack
- Visual tweaks to selected Skill Tree nodes
- Distance-based map markers appearing incorrectly
- Pickup prompt now shows "loadout full" when inventory is full
- Clearer matchmaking errors if you go offline in queue or if crossplay settings are incompatible
Known Issues
Still on the board after 1.45.0:
- Some players still cannot start Phantom Targets Part 2 — compensation is coming in a future update
- Xbox Series S crashes are still under investigation; report anything persistent
- PC crashes tied to Windows Update KB5121003 — Embark posted a workaround in the official Discord while a real fix is in progress
- Epic users may suddenly lose keyboard input — disable overlays, or alt-tab out and back in
- Throw animation can fail when detonating a Trigger 'Nade immediately after throwing
- Weapon-swap animation can look broken if you swap right after vaulting
- Player animations can break if you interrupt a Baron Husk search
- Shredders still float to the ceiling in some Hidden Bunker rooms; Leapers can still jump through the ARC Turbine
- Shots taken while riding ARC may not register
- Some doors let flashlight beams pass through
- Clipping on the Triumph, Reaver, and Azimuth outfits
If Expedition 5 is on your list, start with the full Expedition 5 guide. Spend the Cred. Then keep October 8 on the calendar — our Frozen Trail breakdown covers the map, the Outpost, and the new ARC Operation.
See you Topside, Raiders.
— Arc Raiders Hub