ARC Raiders Coins

In keeping with routine and the plan announced last week to release a small update prior to Frozen Trail, ARC Raiders has launched Update 1.46.0 this week.

This update focuses on the in-game store, introducing two new color schemes for Boonie Set. It also provides a recap of the previously launched Ascending the Mountain project and Trials Season 5.

Here, we focus on these updates to bring you a guide on how to make the most of this week in ARC Raiders following the release of Update 1.46.0.

New color schemes for Boonie Set

ARC Raiders Boonie Set consists of four components: a cape, headgear, a mask, and a water tank. Originally available in Yellow, Green/Red, and Turquoise Glow, Update 1.46.0 adds a Black and Green Camo variant.

While outfits do not provide combat stat bonuses, they allow you to craft a specific visual style. That said, wearing a set that matches the surrounding environment might help you blend in better.

The release of new colors for this specific set ahead of Frozen Trail launch suggests that these new combinations could create a striking look within the new map environment.

Continuing Ascending the Mountain

Launched last week, this project runs until October 5 and comprises four stages, giving you roughly three weeks to complete it. You earn specific ARC Raiders items as rewards for fulfilling the material submission requirements of each stage.

Although the schedule suggests these rewards are primarily intended to help meet the damage output requirements for Expedition 5 launch window, you might also want to hold onto high-value weapons or blueprints to give yourself a head start in Frozen Trail.

Wrapping Up Trials Season 5

Unlike previous transitions, there is no seamless handover between ARC Raiders Trials Season 5 and Season 6; instead, there is a gap of about two weeks. Season 5 Trials conclude on September 22, while Season 6 will not begin until Frozen Trail goes live.

Consequently, this is not only the eleventh week of Trials Season 5 but also the final one. Successfully completing this week's trials earns you not just the standard trial rewards, but also additional prizes based on your ranking at the end of the season.

Simply completing Trials Season 5 earns you the new Scorta outfit, but achieving a higher rank unlocks additional variants and color schemes. In addition to the set, you will receive:

• Backpack: Green Bruiser
• Backpack Charm: Pressure Gauge
• Backpack attachment: Hydraulic Pump
• Emote: Come at me

How to complete Season 5 Week 11 Trials?

This week's trials follow the usual format, consisting of five specific tasks. Generally, ARC Raiders trials aren't overly dangerous; the challenge lies more in their complexity. However, this time, one of the tasks requires you to attack Queens or Matriarchs.

Damage ARC enemies using Deadline

Deadline is an in-game mine; once deployed, it has a six-second countdown, during which you must retreat as far as possible to avoid the massive blast radius.

This item deals lethal damage to most ARCs. Due to its high power, it is rare and difficult to find while scavenging, so it is primarily obtained through crafting.

It is worth noting that the reward for Stage 3 of Ascending The Mountain includes two Deadlines, so it is best to complete that stage as soon as possible.

Open ARC Probes

ARC Probes are non-hostile ARC units found across the maps. Completely destroying one yields valuable crafting materials as loot, but attacking it triggers a distress signal that draws in other PvE enemies.

Normally, these probes remain on the ground for only seven minutes before flying away. However, once you interact with one, it will not fly away for the remainder of its duration, regardless of what happens.

Completing this task isn't difficult; the key is to minimize encounters with the swarms of ARCs that gather. It is recommended to retreat quickly after opening a probe, or to resolve any necessary combat swiftly.

You can employ a touch-and-go strategy: run up to the probe, initiate the hacking sequence, and then leave to find the next one.

The map area you need to explore is vast; as long as ARC Probes don't fly away, you can easily return later to finish them all off.

Damage Queens or Matriarchs

Although this task carries a higher risk, you can complete it in conjunction with the first task. In other words, provided you can retreat in time, you can plant Deadline explosives on Queens or Matriarchs to deal massive damage.

Of course, if you aim to complete the mission with a three-star rating, you should plant Deadline on the enemy's weak points and ideally supplement the attack with other mines or weapons.

Damage ARC enemies in Red Lakes

Red Lakes is a specific area on the east side of Dam Battlegrounds map; you can easily reach it by locating Control Tower. This mission requires you to eliminate a sufficient number of PvE enemies in this area.

Damage ARC using Hullcracker

Hullcracker is a special pump-action grenade launcher that uses unique Launcher Ammo; it detonates upon impact, dealing increased damage.

Interestingly, the reward for Stage 3 of Ascending The Mountain includes 30 rounds of Launcher Ammo, making this project a perfect opportunity to complete Season 5 Week 11 trials!

Overall, there isn't much to worry about regarding this week's update itself; the key is to complete the trials as soon as possible. If you find any of the missions tricky, be sure to team up with others to get them done!

During the nearly six-month hiatus leading up to Frozen Trail launch, ARC Raiders development team focused heavily on optimizing underlying mechanics, most notably, ABMM matchmaking system, in addition to occasional project updates.

In traditional extraction shooters, teammates are often assigned randomly, with no guarantee of compatibility or friendly cooperation. To mitigate the risks associated with such systems, ARC Raiders introduced ABMM matchmaking mechanism.

This system aims to match you with teammates or opponents who share a similar playstyle based on your individual in-game performance; however, achieving the ideal balance requires ongoing fine-tuning by the development team.

While Update 1.39.0 (released in late July) introduced significant optimizations, many players feel the system has yet to reach an ideal state.

As Frozen Trail launch approaches, will the team tweak ABMM system again beforehand, or wait until the new content stabilizes? Here is our analysis.

Current state of ABMM Matchmaking

ARC Raiders ABMM system operates on a continuous sliding scale, calculating matches based on behavioral patterns observed across multiple sessions to group players with similar tendencies.

At the same time, the system retains an element of randomness to ensure the game maintains the necessary level of excitement and tension.

Casual players generally report high satisfaction with the system, as it successfully creates lobbies with lower aggression levels, allowing them to focus on environmental exploration and PvE combat.

However, the experience is often less than ideal for hardcore players who prefer PvP.

These players tend to favor frequent firefights and looting, environments where the prevalence of cheating is often higher.

Furthermore, in the high-PvP environments fostered by ABMM, players wishing to switch up their style or focus temporarily on PvE objectives often face constant harassment, which hampers efficiency.

Although Update 1.39.0 clarified that self-defense in PvP does not count as aggressive action, the system still faces ambiguity in complex combat scenarios.

Additionally, your experience can be affected if your teammates have a different playstyle profile than yours.

Potential impact of Frozen Trail on matchmaking

While ARC Raiders has not yet released full details, it is confirmed that Frozen Trail update will introduce a new map, new ARCs, and Outposts, player-base-derived spaces.

A key feature of the new map is the blizzard; this will inevitably obscure visibility, likely increasing the frequency of sudden skirmishes and accidental fire.

Furthermore, the launch of Frozen Trail will draw in newcomers and returning veterans. This expansion of the matchmaking pool, and the resulting dilution of player behavior data, may lead to short-term fluctuations in the matchmaking experience.

Further adjustments likely after Frozen Trail launch

With the release of Update 1.45.0 this week, the developers indicated that only one minor update would precede Frozen Trail, and that update is unlikely to include significant matchmaking changes.

We therefore anticipate that the development team will implement further optimizations later on to align with the new gameplay mechanics introduced in Frozen Trail and to address the community's accumulated dissatisfaction with the current ABMM Matchmaking system.

Currently, the matchmaking system relies on aggregate statistics derived from your behavior across the entire map. However, the influx of new players and content means that even casual players may find themselves inevitably drawn into firefights in high-value zones.

Consequently, ARC Raiders might lower the penalty weighting for such combat encounters. This would prevent the awkward situation where a player is labeled aggressive simply for vying for high-value loot on the new map.

The developers will also likely address issues such as the misclassification of self-defense as aggression and accidental friendly fire during cooperative combat, ensuring a better overall experience in Frozen Trail.

Potential solutions could include refining the criteria for identifying legitimate self-defense and allowing for independent combat-style weighting when fighting as part of a squad.

To safeguard the interests and experience of PvP players, and to prevent players from avoiding PvP modes solely to steer clear of cheaters, ARC Raiders should also upgrade its anti-cheat measures alongside Frozen Trail launch.

Finally, beyond tweaking existing algorithms, ARC Raiders could shape player behavior by introducing new mechanics, such as placing bounties on aggressive PvP players or offering reputation boosts for assisting teammates or strangers.

Summary

Recent plans for ARC Raiders, specifically the move to scrap Cred in favor of a new reward system, indicate that the development team intends to use Frozen Trail update not only to introduce new content but also to refine the game's core mechanics.

ABMM Matchmaking is a pivotal factor in the player experience; it, too, should be adjusted during this period to better align with the game's evolving trajectory and underlying logic, rather than remaining merely an idealized concept.

The developers have recently stated that, despite the typically short lifespans of games in this genre, they aim to build ARC Raiders into a long-term project capable of running for at least a decade.

Achieving this goal requires more than just periodic updates to gameplay and maps; the game's core systems and operational framework must remain reliable and capable of evolving with the times. ABMM Matchmaking plays a crucial role in this regard.

Of course, the idea that ARC Raiders will optimize its matchmaking system alongside Frozen Trail update is merely our speculation.

That said, if you want to avoid unnecessary confrontations on the new map, you should start paying attention to your playstyle now and adjust your behavioral weighting accordingly!

Matchmaking is just one piece of the puzzle; to ensure the best possible experience at all times, having ample resources is essential, so be sure to buy ARC Raiders items whenever the need arises!

This is especially important following the launch of Frozen Trail, as the initial phase of the new environment will make locating valuable supplies more difficult and time-consuming. Being prepared in advance will give you a head start and a distinct advantage!