ARC Raiders Update Shakes Up the Meta With a Major Skill Nerf

❄️ Cold Snap Expands ARC Raiders’ Sandbox

Embark Studios continues to build momentum for ARC Raiders with its latest Cold Snap update, introducing snow-covered conditions that add both risk and reward to extraction runs. Players exposed to the Cold Snap environment take incremental damage over time, but those willing to brave the cold are often rewarded with higher-tier loot.

This update also arrives alongside the Flickering Flames event, which introduces:

A new Merit-based reward track
Limited-time progression incentives
A brand-new Raider Deck launching on December 26

Together, these additions reinforce Embark’s commitment to keeping the game fresh with consistent monthly updates.

🔒 Security Breach Takes an Unexpected Hit

While much of the Cold Snap patch has been well received, one subtle change has had a significant impact on the meta. Security Lockers, once fixed in predictable locations, now spawn dynamically across maps.

This directly affects the Security Breach skill, a capstone ability in the red Survival tree that allows players to open these lockers. Previously, many players built their entire run strategy around guaranteed locker locations to secure rare and valuable loot before extracting.

With lockers now appearing unpredictably:

Runs may contain fewer—or no—Security Lockers
The payoff for investing heavily in the Survival tree is less consistent
Players risk spending many skill points on an ability that may not provide value every run

While dynamic spawns improve overall unpredictability, they also reduce the reliability that once made Security Breach so appealing.

🧠 Skill Respec Offers a Way Out

Thankfully, the update also introduces a long-requested feature: skill tree respecs. Players who feel burned by the Security Breach change can now reset their builds and experiment with safer or more versatile options.

Key respec details include:

Cost is roughly 2,000 coins per skill
Individual skill changes aren’t allowed
Total reset cost depends on overall progression

For players at the maximum level of 75, a full reset can cost up to 152,000 coins, making the decision meaningful—but still welcome.

📦 Blueprint Drops Are Surging

Despite the Security Breach nerf, the update brings a major upside: blueprint spawn rates appear significantly higher than before. While patch notes suggested this boost was limited to the Stella Montis map, many players believe it’s affecting the game globally.

This has led to:

More frequent blueprint discoveries
Increased excitement during runs
Reduced reliance on third-party marketplaces

Given how expensive and risky real-world blueprint trading can be, higher in-game availability benefits the community and discourages reselling practices.

🧭 Final Thoughts

The Cold Snap update highlights the delicate balance between unpredictability and player investment in extraction shooters. While the Security Breach skill has undeniably lost some of its former strength, the addition of respec options and improved blueprint drops softens the blow.

Overall, ARC Raiders is in a strong place. The game continues to evolve with meaningful content drops, and this update encourages players to adapt rather than stagnate. Whether Embark fine-tunes blueprint rates or further adjusts skill balance, one thing is clear—the world of ARC Raiders remains dynamic, challenging, and worth diving into right now.