The North Line update pushes Arc Raiders beyond the Rust Belt with a community-unlocked route to Stella Montis and two fresh ARC threats: the Matriarch and the Shredder. One is a map‑condition boss that sits above the Queen in perceived danger; the other is built to pressure you in tight spaces. Here’s what to expect and how to prepare.
Matriarch: a high‑threat, map‑condition encounter
The Matriarch is positioned as a larger, more dangerous counterpart to the Queen. It doesn’t simply wander into every run — it spawns under specific map conditions. Expect it to function like an event-tier threat: rare, disruptive, and a strong signal to reassess your route and extraction plan the moment the condition hits.
Practical implications:
- Treat the encounter like a roaming objective: decide quickly whether you’re committing to a takedown or rerouting to avoid it.
- Plan for sustained armor damage. Heavy ordnance and anti-armor tools are the baseline here; squads that typically lean on mid‑tier weapons will feel outgunned.
- Visibility and spacing matter. Don’t get boxed in — give yourself lanes to disengage and reset.
Shredder: close‑quarters pressure in Stella Montis
The Shredder debuts in Stella Montis once the community opens the tunnels. It’s designed to force close‑quarters fights, which makes it a different kind of risk than the towering set‑piece ARCs. In the facility interiors typical of Stella Montis, that pressure comes fast and with limited escape angles.
Practical implications:
- Prioritize space control. Mines (Pulse, Deadline, Gas) and room‑denial tools create breathing room and punish pursuits.
- Carry fast-deployables. Trailblazer and Seeker grenades expand your options when line of sight breaks or flanks collapse.
- Define a point player. One teammate should own entry angles and call tempo; the rest cover crossfires and exits.
Where and when they appear
| ARC | Spawn trigger | Location scope | Engagement type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matriarch | Specific map condition | Event‑style appearance (not tied to Stella Montis unlock) | Boss‑tier, high durability | Above the Queen in perceived threat; plan routes and extraction early. |
| Shredder | Available after Stella Montis opens | Stella Montis | Close‑quarters pressure | Excels in tunnels and interiors; rewards space denial and tight team coordination. |
How North Line gates access — and why that matters
Stella Montis isn’t open by default. The community must donate basic materials in the Breaking New Ground effort to restore the tunnels beneath Speranza. Once the route is complete, Phase II (“Staking Our Claim”) unlocks with a time‑limited progression track. The Shredder appears in this region after the unlock.
What this means for squads:
- Front‑load materials: while Merit earnings are capped from donations, extra contributions still move the community toward opening the map faster.
- Use the waiting period to kit for interiors: mines, quick‑use grenades, and builds that excel at mid‑range to close‑range transitions.
- Expect early volatility: first weeks in Stella Montis will be noisy as players learn the space and the Shredder’s patterns.
Loadout planning for each ARC
Against the Matriarch
- Heavy damage packages: bring your highest burst and sustained DPS options for armor.
- Stagger the commitment: split roles between damage, repair/utility, and crowd control to avoid full‑team wipes during adds or ability cycles.
- Extraction insurance: anchor a fallback route and cache heals/ammo along that path before you engage.
Against the Shredder
- Space denial: Pulse, Deadline, and Gas mines force pathing choices; deploy them at doorways, corners, and choke points.
- Tempo control: Trailblazer and Seeker grenades help you seize or reset momentum when the fight collapses into tight corridors.
- Mobility discipline: move in small bounds between cover, clear sound cues before rotating, and avoid stacking in single lanes.
What’s confirmed versus what’s still unknown
Confirmed:
- Matriarch is a high‑end ARC that appears only during a specific map condition and is framed as more dangerous than the Queen.
- Shredder first appears in Stella Montis and is built around close‑quarters encounters.
- Stella Montis unlocks through a community material donation effort; a limited‑time progression phase follows the unlock.
Unknowns to watch:
- Exact Matriarch spawn conditions and full move set.
- Shredder weak points, armor distribution, and mobility profile in varied interiors.
- Whether either ARC gains new behaviors under future map conditions.
North Line’s two ARCs target different skill sets: composure and firepower for the Matriarch, discipline and spacing for the Shredder. Prepare accordingly, contribute to the tunnel effort when you can, and plan your first Stella Montis routes with CQC in mind. The game just added a boss‑tier threat you’ll likely avoid unless you mean it — and a brawler that will find you if you don’t respect the corners.
