Embark Studios announced that the fifth Expedition event for ARC Raiders will officially launch on September 8 and last for three weeks. The studio has made several adjustments to gameplay based on player feedback. After this Expedition concludes, the Expedition system will be paused until it returns in early 2027.
The fifth Expedition begins on September 8 at 1:00 PM CEST, 11:00 AM UTC, and 4:00 AM PT, and ends on September 29 at 10:00 AM CEST, 8:00 AM UTC, and 1:00 AM PT. Unlike previous Expedition events, there will be no late registration phase; players interested in participating must register within the official event window.
The duration of this Expedition has also been extended from the usual two weeks to three weeks. Players still need to configure their Expedition squads first, then register once the event window opens. Completing specific challenges will unlock corresponding rewards.
One of the core changes this time is that players can choose whether to reset their mission progress. Embark stated that many players previously provided feedback that having to repeat the mission line after each Expedition felt monotonous, so the team made this optimization. Since the "Shatter Cannon Blueprint" was previously a bound reward in the mission line, developers will also add alternative ways to obtain this blueprint.
Rewards for the fifth Expedition include the complete "Zenith" set, mystery rewards, up to 12 additional storage slots, and extra skill points. The cap for skill points from Expedition rewards is 15. Players who participated in the second, third, and fourth Expeditions can claim any skill points they may have missed previously.
Stacking bonuses for consecutive Expedition participation will also be retained, including XP bonuses, Scrap resource bonuses, and increased Repair Value. These bonuses can stack up to level 3.
The fifth Expedition will also be the last one for the foreseeable future. Embark stated that the team has been reviewing various player feedback on the Expedition system and ultimately concluded that issues such as registration windows, reward mechanisms, and the learning curve for new players require deep restructuring and optimization rather than minor iterative updates.
Therefore, after the fifth Expedition ends, the Expedition system will be temporarily shut down. It is planned to return in early 2027 after a major overhaul to address the core pain points most frequently raised by players. More details about these changes will be announced gradually throughout September.
During the system pause, all consecutive stacking rewards already earned by players will be retained. Players who complete all five Expeditions will also permanently unlock the full Zenith set.
During the pause, players' Expedition squad data will be reset, and all incomplete squad progress will be converted into equivalent Umal Vouchers. These vouchers can be used to redeem items from the Umal Store, ARC Parts, and firearms, or they can be sold directly for coins.
The Trial Mode will also be temporarily closed. The current season will end on September 22, after which Trial Mode will be closed for two weeks and reopen on October 8.
In summary, the fifth Expedition will be the last chance to participate before the system overhaul. Embark stated that it will use this pause period to fully incorporate feedback from ARC Raiders players and implement more comprehensive optimizations and upgrades to the system.