Quick answer: The most recent confirmed map change in ARC Raiders is the return of Cold Snap as a permanent rotating condition on outdoor maps, introduced in the February 10 patch (1.15.0). The larger Shrouded Sky update — which promises a new major map condition, a new enemy type, a map update, a new raider deck, and a new player project — has not yet launched, and no official release date has been confirmed for it.
What Changed in Patch 1.15.0
Patch 1.15.0, released on February 10, 2026, was a mid-month update rather than the major content drop many players were expecting. It did not include the Shrouded Sky content outlined on the Escalation roadmap. Instead, it focused on bringing back Cold Snap, launching the Shared Watch limited-time event, and fixing a batch of bugs that had been nagging the community since January's Headwinds update.
The headline map-level change is straightforward: Cold Snap is back in the regular rotation on all outdoor maps. Frostbite damage still threatens any raider who stays exposed too long, but the trade-off remains increased loot value for those willing to brave the snow. Candleberries can still be collected, though they are no longer tied to any specific event. Snowballs are also available to pick up and throw.
Cold Snap's History and Why Its Return Is Controversial
Cold Snap originally debuted during a December 2025 holiday event called Flickering Flames. At the time, it blanketed maps in snow, reduced visibility with blizzards, and introduced Candleberry collecting alongside limited-time challenges. When that event ended, Cold Snap was quietly pulled from rotation, and most players moved on.
Its reappearance just weeks later — now as a permanent fixture rather than a seasonal novelty — drew mixed reactions. Some players appreciate the extra variety and the 2× loot modifier opportunities that come with it. Others see it as recycled content arriving too soon, especially when the community was anticipating something entirely new. Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund addressed the broader frustration in an interview with IGN, acknowledging that players with limited schedules can feel locked out of rotating conditions. He defended the rotation philosophy, saying the studio believes "not everything is available at all times" and that this creates tension and drives players across different maps.
Cold Snap currently appears roughly five to six times every twelve hours in the rotation, so you should be able to catch it without too much trouble if you check the map condition schedule before queuing.
January's Headwinds Update and Map-Specific Fixes
Before the February patch, the January Headwinds update (1.13.0) delivered a significant round of map-specific fixes and adjustments that are worth understanding if you're trying to track how the Rust Belt has evolved. Across all maps, the types of containers that can spawn condition-specific blueprints were reduced during Electromagnetic Storm, Hidden Bunker, and Locked Gate. Higher-tier weapons became slightly more common in weapon cases, while Matriarch and Queen unique parts became harder to find without fully destroying those enemies.
| Map | Key Changes (Patch 1.13.0) |
|---|---|
| Dam Battlegrounds | Cliff tweaks near the raider outpost tower to prevent getting stuck; elevator shaft collision fix on the Dam Control Tower; collision fixes inside the Pattern House; blocked an unintended location in Water Treatment |
| Buried City | Removed an invisible wall beneath the highway; removed the musical puzzle (guitar now purchasable at Shani's); added Bird City nests in chimneys as a minor map condition |
| Spaceport | Fixed floating rocks and grass; adjusted ARC spawn locations during Hidden Bunker so enemies no longer appear directly on top of antennas |
| Stella Montis | Fixed the Seed Vault extraction glitch; updated Night Raid lighting with most lamps turned off; fixed 40 locations where players frequently got stuck; fixed Bastion spawning out of bounds and attacking through walls |
These changes didn't add new areas or points of interest, but they meaningfully cleaned up collision issues, exploit spots, and loot distribution problems that had been frustrating players since launch.
The Shared Watch Event and Its Map Implications
Running from February 10 through February 24, the Shared Watch event encourages cooperation against ARC enemies. You earn merits by damaging, destroying, or assisting in the destruction of ARC machines — no merits come from PvP kills. The event offers 21 total rewards across three pages, including the Slugger outfit set, a Vit Spray, a Snap Hook, the Tactical Mark II Healing Augment blueprint, and the Vitpay blueprint.
This is not a dedicated PvE mode. Other raiders can still attack you, and there's nothing mechanically preventing betrayal. The incentive structure simply rewards fighting machines rather than players. Merits accumulate at a rate of one per 100 XP earned from ARC encounters, so consistent PvE-focused play over a few sessions should be enough to clear the reward track before the event ends.
What the Shrouded Sky Update Promises for Maps
The Escalation roadmap published on January 23, 2026 outlines the Shrouded Sky update as February's major content drop. It is slated to include a new major map condition, a new ARC enemy type, a new player project, a new raider deck, and a map update. A second Expedition window is also tied to this update cycle.
The roadmap icons have fueled plenty of community speculation. The map condition icon resembles gusts of wind, leading many players to expect a sandstorm, dust bowl, or heavy fog condition that would reduce visibility and potentially affect movement outdoors. The "new ARC threat" icon uses the same generic symbol seen in other months, so it doesn't clearly hint at a specific enemy type. The player project icon looks like a weathervane with a rooster, which some interpret as a Scrappy-related upgrade. The map update uses a location pin icon, sparking theories about new points of interest, layout changes to Spaceport or Blue Gate, or the opening of currently locked areas like the large interior door in Blue Gate or sealed sections of Stella Montis.
None of this has been officially confirmed beyond the roadmap's broad categories. The Shrouded Sky update was not part of the February 10 patch, and no official date for it has been announced. Community speculation points to late February, potentially around February 24, when the Shared Watch event concludes and the next Expedition window is expected to open, but Embark has not committed to a specific day.
Broader Roadmap Context Through April 2026
Beyond Shrouded Sky, the Escalation roadmap sketches out two more monthly updates. The March update, called Flashpoint, will bring another new map condition, another new ARC threat, a new player project, and an update to Scrappy. The April update, Riven Tides, is the biggest on the horizon — it promises an entirely new map, a new large ARC enemy, another map condition, and a third Expedition window.
For players hoping for fundamental changes to how map conditions rotate or when they're available, Söderlund's comments suggest the core philosophy won't shift. The studio may occasionally run multiple conditions in parallel or let some persist longer, but the time-limited rotation model is staying. Conditions may also be temporarily removed and brought back with different features, as Cold Snap's journey from holiday event to permanent rotation demonstrates.
Other Patch 1.15.0 Fixes Worth Knowing
Beyond the map condition and event changes, the February 10 patch addressed several gameplay issues. The Trailblazer Grenade received a notable balance pass: its explosions no longer deal damage through walls, it now does more damage to small enemies, and less damage to larger ones like the Leaper and Bastion. Weapon cycling was fixed for players who had rebound their swap keys away from the mouse wheel. Reconnection after a disconnect was improved, and the match-start tunnel animation — which could previously be skipped by visiting the practice range first, giving an early-entry advantage — now displays correctly.
A duplication glitch that had spread widely in the days before the patch was not addressed in the patch itself but was resolved via a server-side hotfix shortly after. Embark confirmed they are investigating accounts that exploited the glitch and may take action depending on severity.
ARC Raiders is still in its first year of live service, and Embark Studios is openly acknowledging that its patch note discipline and content cadence are works in progress. The map landscape hasn't seen dramatic structural changes yet — no new areas, no opened doors, no reshuffled loot zones. What has changed is the rotation of conditions and the steady cleanup of collision issues, exploit spots, and loot tables across all five maps. The bigger shifts players are waiting for are tied to Shrouded Sky and, further out, Riven Tides. For now, the Rust Belt looks mostly the same, just a bit snowier.
