ARC Raiders is closing out its prestige loop for the year. The fifth Expedition is the last departure window before Embark shelves the system until early 2027, and the clock is nearly run down. Every Raider who signs up leaves the Rust Belt for good when the window shuts, and there is no grace period after it does.
Quick answer: The final Expedition window closes September 29, 2026 at 08:00 UTC (1:00 AM PT). Finish your Caravan, open the Expedition screen and sign up manually — completing the Caravan alone does not register you, and there is no Last Call this cycle.
The final Expedition dates and deadline
The window opened on September 8 and runs a full three weeks, longer than the two-week departure period earlier cycles used. Departure happens automatically for everyone who signed up the moment the window ends on September 29. Miss it and you wait for the redesigned system in 2027.
| Milestone | Date and time |
|---|---|
| Window opened | September 8, 2026, 11:00 UTC (4:00 AM PT) |
| Departure deadline | September 29, 2026, 08:00 UTC (1:00 AM PT) |
| Trials Season ended | September 22, 2026 |
| Frozen Trail update | October 8, 2026 |
How to depart before the window closes
The Expedition Project unlocks once a Raider hits level 20. Two things must happen in order for a departure to count: a finished Caravan and a manual sign-up during the window. Do both and confirm the status before the deadline.
Mystery Rewards and the damage challenge
The final Expedition uses the Mystery Reward format that replaced challenge Skill Points in the fourth cycle. Each damage threshold you cross hands over one duplicate-protected high-end Blueprint plus 150 Raider Tokens. Hit all five and you walk away with 750 tokens. Rewards register the instant you pass each total, so you do not need to clear the whole challenge in one session.
| Reward | Damage required | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5,000 | Blueprint + 150 Raider Tokens |
| 2 | 10,000 | Blueprint + 150 Raider Tokens |
| 3 | 30,000 | Blueprint + 150 Raider Tokens |
| 4 | 50,000 | Blueprint + 150 Raider Tokens |
| 5 | 100,000 | Blueprint + 150 Raider Tokens |
100,000 damage is about what it takes to destroy 20 Bastions. Even an especially powerful run tops out at roughly 8,000 to 10,000 damage, making multiple runs necessary to earn the final reward. Raider Tokens remain permanently, but reward Blueprints are temporary and are wiped on your next departure; no separate expiration during the pause has been announced.
What a fifth departure unlocks
Rewards are based on your personal Expedition count, not the number of the overall window. On a Raider’s fifth personal Expedition, the Zenith Outfit is completed: its first stage arrived with Expedition four, and this completion secures the full look. Each finished Expedition grants 12 permanent Stash spaces; by the fifth, a veteran reaches the stated cap of 60 bonus slots.
Expeditions can grant no more than 15 permanent Skill Points altogether. Catch-up still uses Stash value, at 300,000 for each missed point; it opens with the second Expedition and can restore up to five missed points per eligible Expedition. The system stops once all 15 bonus points are earned. Separately, three temporary buffs accumulate across consecutive departures, but skipping a window clears them.
| Buff | Per completion | Max (3 consecutive) |
|---|---|---|
| XP boost | +5% | +15% |
| Scrappy materials | +6% | +18% |
| Repair value | +10% | +30% |
Earn these buffs before the shutdown and they stay active through the entire pause. Departing now locks in a head start you keep until Expeditions return.
What resets and what carries over
A departure voluntarily resets your character; it does not wipe the server. Raider-specific progress is removed, while account-wide progress and anything bought with real money remain. The only change this cycle is that you can choose to retain quest progress.
| Resets on departure | Carries over |
|---|---|
| Player level and Skill Points | Unlocked maps and Codex entries |
| Stash, inventory and Stash upgrades | Raider Tokens and Cred |
| Blueprints learned and Coins | Cosmetics and outfits |
| Workshop upgrades and Raider Den | Achievements, leaderboards, Trials and Merits |
| Quest progress (only if you choose) | Bonus Skill Points and Stash slots from past Expeditions |
Your Trials and leaderboard standing survive intact, so there is no downside to checking them in the Speranza menu before you commit to leaving.
What changed for the final cycle
Two player-friendly adjustments arrived alongside the last window, and one convenience was removed.
- The departure window is three weeks instead of two.
- Resetting quest progress is now optional, so experienced Raiders can keep their chains.
- Last Call is gone — a finished Caravan with no sign-up will not depart.
- The Hullcracker Blueprint currently comes only from the quest line; other ways to get it are planned but not yet named.
Why Expeditions pause until 2027
Embark considers the underlying issues too fundamental to address with another minor adjustment. Raiders raised concerns about narrow departure windows, how rewards are structured, and access for newcomers; the studio plans more substantial revisions before the next cycle. The next Expeditions are expected in early 2027. Embark has yet to give a specific date or release the revised rules.
Normal play continues through the gap, including the Frozen Trail update. Partly built Caravans are handled separately from a signed-up reset: when the pause begins, Caravans are cleared and any incomplete contribution value converts into an equal value of Ermal Vouchers, which you can spend on Ermal’s offers, use in ARC Parts or firearm trades, or sell for Coin. Unfinished contributions will not simply vanish.
Confirming your departure worked
Because rewards follow your personal sequence, a first-time departer advances one stage — they gain 12 Stash slots, not 60, and progress the appropriate Zenith stage rather than the complete outfit. The blueprint and 150 Raider Tokens land the moment you clear each damage total, so watch those register during the window. The decisive check is the Expedition screen: it must show you as signed up before September 29. When the window closes, your new Raider spawns with the permanent unlocks, the correct Zenith stage, and the extra Stash slots already applied — proof the departure went through.
