ARC Raiders: Frozen Trail vs The Outer Worlds 2

• Platforms: PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
• Base Game Price: $39.99 USD (Frozen Trail Update is Free to all base owners)
• Collector Set DLC Price: $29.99 USD
• Expansion Release Date: October 8, 2026
• New ARC Threats: The Frigate (Endgame Event), Bully, Skulker, Hydra Turret
• New Featured Map: Pendola Pass (Alpine Village & Exodus Transport Hub)
• New Weapon Additions: Stiletto Battle Rifle, Bantam Snub-Nose Revolver, Weapon Amplification

• Perspective: First-Person / Third-Person (Switchable)
• Multiplayer: Single-Player Only
• Setting: Arcadia Star System
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass
• Unique Feature: A deep, choice-driven RPG with a unique 'Flaw' system, switchable first/third-person perspectives, and a complete absence of a stamina bar for movement.

• Scrappy: Outpost Companion: Greets returning players, perches on research stations, and can be customized with craftable cosmetic hats and paint coats.
  Mechanical Outpost Rooster Drone
• Deployable Tactical Recon Dart: Audio Sensor Sweep: Detects and highlights nearby ARC machine movement and rival Raider footsteps through walls and smoke.
  Utility Gadget
• Pneumatic Grappling Hook: Rapid Elevation & Frigate Boarding: Allows instant ascension up sheer mountain cliffs and enables players to latch onto the low-flying ARC Frigate.
  Mobility Equipment

• The Crew: The game features six unique companions, including Niles, Inez, Aza, Tristan, Marisol, and the robot V.A.L.E.R.I.E. They are integral to the story, act as moral compasses, and provide unique dialogue and combat support. They can be easily downed in combat.
  Varies (Human, Robot)

• Exodus Transport Manifests: Found inside locked administrative filing cabinets within the Buried Transit Depot; yields significant Speranza reputation.
• Fallen Emperor Sub-Processor Core: Salvaged from the primary engine room of the downed Walker in Pendola Pass; unlocks high-tier Weapon Amplification blueprints.
• Pendola Observational Star Charts: Located on the upper viewing deck of the Mountain Observatory; grants bonus Raider Tokens and lore entries.

• Science Weapons: Iconic, one-of-a-kind weapons with bizarre effects, hidden throughout the galaxy.
• Perks: Unlocked by leveling up and meeting skill prerequisites. There are over 90 perks that provide powerful passive bonuses and new abilities.
• Flaws: Offered to the player dynamically after performing certain actions repeatedly (e.g., getting burned, reloading early). Accepting a Flaw provides a negative detriment in exchange for a benefit.

• Post-Apocalyptic
• Mechanized War
• Extraction Survival
• Retro-Sci-Fi
• Cooperative Tactics
• High-Stakes Looting

• Sci-Fi
• Action RPG
• Satire
• Hyper-Capitalism
• Player Choice
• Narrative-Driven
• Space Opera
• First-Person

• Stiletto Battle Rifle: Semi-Automatic Light Rifle
  High-mobility, low-recoil marksman rifle utilizing light ammunition. Engineered for rapid follow-up shots against exposed robotic optical sensors and sensor pods.
• Bantam Revolver: Snub-Nosed Heavy Sidearm
  Compact six-shot revolver chambered in heavy caliber rounds. Delivers massive close-range stopping power capable of shattering ARC armor plating.
• Amplified Burletta: Full-Auto Converted Handgun
  Tier-5 amplified research variant of the trusty Burletta sidearm, transforming it into a high-rate-of-fire machine pistol for room clearing.
• Amplified Rattler: Incendiary Submachine Gun
  Amplified upgrade equipping a 64-round drum magazine loaded with thermite rounds that inflict continuous burn damage on mechanical targets.
• Amplified Renegade: Long-Range Marksman Rifle
  Modified battle rifle outfitted with a high-magnification illuminated optic and high-velocity barrel, extending effective engagement range into sniper territory.

• Firearms: Varies (Rifles, Pistols, etc.)
  The game features a significantly improved combat system with 'snappier' gunplay. Weapons can be heavily modified with attachments like explosive rounds.
• Melee Weapons: Varies (Hammers, etc.)
  A variety of close-quarters weapons for melee-focused builds.
• Science Weapons: Unique
  The series' iconic, bizarre weapons return, including the 'Shrink Ray', 'Boarst Blaster' (fires exploding tumors), and 'Armageddon' (fires little arms).
• Gadgets: Utility
  Six different tactical gadgets that run on a regenerating energy system, such as an acid gun for stealth or a deployable shield.

• Pendola Thermal Insulated Parka Rig: +30% Cold Resistance against Flash Freeze cycles; +15% ballistic mitigation against small arms fire.
• Exodus Heavy Reactive Plate Carrier: +45% Explosive and Shrapnel Resistance; protects vital organs from ARC missile barrages but slightly reduces maximum sprint duration.
• High-Altitude Lightweight Harness: +20% Zipline and Grapple ascent speed; reduces stamina consumption while sprinting uphill through deep snow.

• Armor & Helmets: Players can equip various pieces of armor and helmets. A new quality-of-life feature is that gear does not have levels; its power scales with the player's investment in relevant skills and perks.
• Gary: A unique, sentient set of science armor that will lash out at foes.

• Glacier Scout Tactical Anorak: Snow-camo insulated anorak featuring tactical chest webbing, detachable fur hood, and clip-on crampons.
• Exodus Alpine Hazmat Suit: Reinforced sealed environmental suit with dual breather filters, yellow warning bands, and heavy utility gloves.
• Mountain Mountaineer Scarf & Goggles: Knitted wool thermal balaclava paired with tinted anti-glare polarized tactical glacier goggles.

The update delivers a comprehensive Skill Tree Rework, granting players a complete skill point refund to tailor their Raiders into Survivalist, Breacher, or Tech Specialist builds. Alongside the tree overhaul, the Weapon Amplification system unlocks fifth-tier modification paths for 15 existing weapons (such as granting full-auto functionality to the Burletta pistol, magnified high-caliber optics to the Renegade rifle, or a 64-round incendiary drum to the Rattler SMG). Survival perks also grant increased resistance to Flash Freeze exposure and quicker recovery when unfreezing sealed vault doors.

Features a deep, complex, and irreversible progression system. Players invest in 12 skills (like Speech, Sneak, Hacking) and over 90 perks (like Serial Killer, Charlatan). The unique 'Flaw' system returns, offering players a powerful benefit tied to a gameplay-altering detriment based on their actions (e.g., 'Bad Knees' Flaw for frequent crouching).

Pendola Pass represents the largest tactical map introduced in ARC Raiders to date. Key landmarks include the Village Square (cramped streets and vertical apartment rooftops), the Mountain Observatory (an elevated sniper redoubt), the Supermarket (dense close-quarters combat zone rich in high-grade provisions), the Buried Transit Depot (subterranean railway corridors offering cover from blizzards), and the Fallen Emperor Crash Basin (a colossal machine carcass featuring explorable interior engine rooms and high-tier tech canisters).

The game features a 'semi-open world' or 'open-zone' structure, not a single seamless map. Players travel between at least four large, distinct planets (like the tropical Eden and the snowy Cloyster) and orbital installations, each with a unique visual identity and controlling faction. Enemies do not respawn, allowing zones to be cleared permanently.

• The ARC Frigate: Automated Machine Capital Carrier
  Colossal airborne machine mothership deployed to recover fallen machine units. Functions as a dynamic, boardable high-difficulty raid venue rather than a pilotable vehicle.
• Exodus Transport Mag-Train: Derelict Pre-War Transit Train
  Massive subterranean evacuation train frozen onto rusted rails beneath Pendola Pass, serving as an interior loot corridor and ambush site.
• Speranza Scavenger Hauler: Surface Cargo Transport
  Reinforced tracked transport vehicle seen in cinematic extraction sequences, transporting extracted salvage from Pendola Pass back to underground colonies.

• Northern Red Fox: Vulpes vulpes
  Ambient Wildlife (Scampers through snowdrifts around the edges of Pendola Pass, fleeing when players or ARC machines approach)
• Alpine Raven: Corvus corax
  Atmospheric Wildlife (Flocks perched on power lines and rooftops that take flight when startled by gunfire, giving away nearby squad positions)

• Shani: Chief Logistics & Expedition Dispatcher
  Key figurehead in Speranza who coordinates expeditions into uncharted territories beyond the Rust Belt, providing briefings on Pendola Pass.
• Tian Wen: Master Weapons Engineer & Researcher
  Brilliant technician operating the underground workshop who developed the Weapon Amplification system using salvaged ARC cores.
• The Frigate AI Core: ARC Automated Airborne Overseer
  Autonomous tactical network controlling the massive ARC Frigate, deploying defense protocols and directing machine squads to salvage the downed Emperor.

• The Commander: Playable Protagonist
  An agent of the Earth Directorate who awakens after a decade in cryo-sleep to find their associate has betrayed them and the Arcadia system is in chaos.
• Niles: Companion
  A fellow Earth Directorate agent and the Commander's first companion, who shares a history from the game's opening mission.
• Inez: Companion
  A former Auntie's Choice contractor and combat medic who was abandoned by the corporation after failed experiments.
• Aza: Companion
  A violent cultist with a taste for chaos and murder, seeking out her former cult, The Glorious Dawn.
• Tristan: Companion
  A heavily armored, hammer-wielding member of the authoritarian Protectorate faction.

• Ascent to Pendola: Exploration & Reconnaissance
  Establish an initial foothold in Pendola Pass, scavenge thermal supplies from the village square, and locate an entrance into the buried transit network.
• The Frigate Heist: High-Stakes Aerial Infiltration
  Use grappling lines to board the patrolling ARC Frigate, neutralize automated Hydra turrets, extract high-level core processors, and parachute to safety.
• Cold Snap Extraction: PvPvE Extraction Climax
  Locate an active extraction elevator during an incoming Flash Freeze event while defending against charging Bully machines and stalking Skulkers.

• Main Story Quests
  A 25-30 hour cinematic campaign that follows the Commander's quest for revenge and their investigation into the destructive space-time rifts, forcing them to navigate a three-way faction war.
• Side Quests
  A large number of valuable side quests that are highly unpredictable and often 'swerve' at the end, providing crucial information that can influence main story decisions.

High-stakes PvPvE extraction gameplay supporting Solo, Duo, and Trio matchmaking queues. Players compete against both lethal ARC machine networks and rival human teams for extractable loot. The update also introduces an experimental PvE matchmaking queue option designed to allow cooperative exploration and machine hunting without hostile human gunfire.

ARC Raiders Base Game ($39.99): Standard game containing the complete PvPvE extraction experience with free access to the Frozen Trail update (new map, weapons, and free reward track). ARC Raiders: Frozen Trail Collector Set ($29.99): Premium expansion pack including the Frozen Trail Premium Reward Pass (60 levels with 50 exclusive unlocks), 2,400 instant Raider Tokens (plus 1,000 earnable via pass progression), exclusive Arctic Raider cosmetic outfits, weapon stencils, and custom Scrappy rooster cosmetics.

Frozen Trail marks the launch of Embark Studios' new major live-service content framework, shifting to two massive, feature-packed updates per year supported by intermediate live balance patches. Accompanied by the Frozen Trail Collector Set DLC and regular community-driven map condition events.

The game features an 'Expansion Pass' available with the Premium Edition, which includes two post-launch story packs. 'Loose Cannon' (Q2 2026) and 'The Flower & the Flame' (Q3 2026) will allow players to experience new stories through the perspective of other characters.

• Q: What is ARC Raiders: Frozen Trail?
  A: Frozen Trail is a major content expansion for the PvPvE extraction shooter ARC Raiders, introducing the new Pendola Pass mountain map, new ARC enemies, the Frigate endgame challenge, Weapon Amplification, the Outpost personal base, and new weapons.
• Q: When does the Frozen Trail update release?
  A: The Frozen Trail update officially launches on October 8, 2026, across PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
• Q: Is the Frozen Trail update free for existing players?
  A: Yes. The map, new weapons, Outpost, ARC enemies, and the free reward pass track are free for all owners of the base ARC Raiders game. An optional Frozen Trail Collector Set DLC ($29.99) is available for premium rewards and currency.
• Q: What is the Flash Freeze mechanic in Pendola Pass?
  A: Flash Freeze is a severe environmental condition native to Pendola Pass where temperatures plummet drastically, dealing continuous frost damage to Raiders caught outside and forcing them to seek warmth inside buildings and shelters.
• Q: Can you destroy the ARC Frigate with weapons?
  A: No. The ARC Frigate cannot be destroyed through conventional gunfire. Raiders must board the vessel, navigate its internal traps and Hydra turrets, solve puzzles, and manually sabotage its power systems to escape with rare loot.

• Q: What is The Outer Worlds 2?
  A: It is the sequel to the 2019 action RPG from Obsidian Entertainment. It's a single-player, first-person (and third-person) shooter set in a new star system, continuing the series' signature style of dark humor and anti-capitalist satire.
• Q: Is it a true open world?
  A: No, like the first game, it features a series of large, separate 'open-zone' maps on different planets, rather than one single seamless world.
• Q: Are there any major gameplay changes from the first game?
  A: Yes. The gunplay is 'snappier' and more competent, there is no stamina bar for movement, players can switch between first and third-person, and the inventory is limitless. The 'Flaw' system has also been revised to be more impactful on gameplay.
• Q: Do I need to play the first game?
  A: No, The Outer Worlds 2 is a standalone title with a new protagonist, a new star system (Arcadia), and a new story.

Showcases Unreal Engine 5's Nanite virtualized geometry and Lumen dynamic global illumination across sub-zero mountain vistas. Employs advanced snow tessellation where player and machine footprints persist, dynamic building destruction via the Chaos physics engine, and blinding whiteout particle storms.

A dynamic 1980s retro-futuristic synth and acoustic score that shifts from eerie, howling wind ambience in snowy valleys to adrenaline-fueled electronic percussion when ARC alarms trigger. Features spatial audio cues allowing raiders to pinpoint footsteps in snow, crumbling ice sheets, and the mechanical whirs of stealthy ARC Skulkers.

Updated tactical HUD featuring dynamic core temperature gauges that warn players of impending Flash Freeze exposure, ambient weather radar indicators, streamlined Outpost customization menus, and an enhanced Weapon Amplification research workbench interface.

Includes comprehensive subtitle customizations (speaker name, background opacity, font sizing), directional visual sound indicators, colorblind shaders (Protanopia, Deuteranopia, Tritanopia), toggleable motion blur, camera shake intensity sliders, and fully rebindable controller and keyboard layouts.

• ARC Raiders utilizes Unreal Engine 5 with advanced Lumen global illumination and Chaos physics destruction. Operating system requires 64-bit Windows 10/11 with DirectX 12. Online broadband connection and Embark ID account are required. Anti-cheat integrity verified via kernel-level protection.
• Laptop Performance Note: Dynamic volumetric blizzards, sprawling vertical terrain at Pendola Pass, and multi-squad firefights around the airborne Frigate place intense simultaneous demands on laptop GPUs and multi-threaded CPUs. Adequate ventilation and dedicated power profiles are essential to mitigate thermal throttling.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Requires a mobile GPU operating at 75W-95W minimum for fluid 1080p, and 115W-140W+ TGP for native 1440p high-refresh raiding.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Dual-fan cooling pads and aggressive fan curves are strongly advised to keep mobile CPU and GPU temps below 85°C during extended extraction runs.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: A sustained PL1 power threshold of 45W+ is recommended for managing 24+ player and machine netcode simulations alongside Unreal Engine 5 world partition streaming.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: Bypassing hybrid graphics via a discrete MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus provides a 12-18% boost to 1% low framerates in dense firefights.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: Full native support for NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 (Super Resolution + Frame Generation + Reflex), AMD FSR 3.1, and Intel XeSS 1.3.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Global Illumination (Lumen), Shadow Quality, Volumetric Fog, and Draw Distance exert the most significant impact on rendering performance.
• Game Name: ARC Raiders: Frozen Trail

• OFFICIAL PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS. These specifications reflect a next-generation title built on Unreal Engine 5. An SSD is a mandatory requirement for all tiers.
• Laptop Performance Note: Laptop performance will vary based on the model's cooling and TGP. The game's open-zone maps and high-fidelity visuals can be demanding.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Maximum TGP for the laptop's GPU is essential to handle the advanced graphical features of Unreal Engine 5, including ray tracing.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: The game's visually rich world and intense combat will require a laptop with a cutting-edge cooling solution to prevent thermal throttling.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: A powerful multi-core mobile CPU will be critical for handling the complex AI of various factions and the physics-based combat.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is a critical feature for reducing latency and ensuring the best possible performance in a fast-paced FPS.
• Game Name: The Outer Worlds 2

• Upscaling Tech: Full native support for NVIDIA DLSS 3.5 (Super Resolution + Frame Generation + Reflex), AMD FSR 3.1, and Intel XeSS 1.3.
• Key Settings Impact: Global Illumination (Lumen), Shadow Quality, Volumetric Fog, and Draw Distance exert the most significant impact on rendering performance.

• G P U T G P: Requires a mobile GPU operating at 75W-95W minimum for fluid 1080p, and 115W-140W+ TGP for native 1440p high-refresh raiding.
• Cooling Thermals: Dual-fan cooling pads and aggressive fan curves are strongly advised to keep mobile CPU and GPU temps below 85°C during extended extraction runs.
• C P U Power Limits: A sustained PL1 power threshold of 45W+ is recommended for managing 24+ player and machine netcode simulations alongside Unreal Engine 5 world partition streaming.
• M U X Switch Optimus: Bypassing hybrid graphics via a discrete MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus provides a 12-18% boost to 1% low framerates in dense firefights.

• G P U T G P: Maximum TGP for the laptop's GPU is essential to handle the advanced graphical features of Unreal Engine 5, including ray tracing.
• Cooling Thermals: The game's visually rich world and intense combat will require a laptop with a cutting-edge cooling solution to prevent thermal throttling.
• C P U Power Limits: A powerful multi-core mobile CPU will be critical for handling the complex AI of various factions and the physics-based combat.
• M U X Switch Optimus: A MUX switch or NVIDIA Advanced Optimus is a critical feature for reducing latency and ensuring the best possible performance in a fast-paced FPS.