The Patchwork Raider outfit is the headline cosmetic reward for taking part in Arc Raiders’ first character reset, the Expedition Project. It is a full-body outfit that permanently marks your account as having departed on an Expedition, sitting alongside a small set of buffs and progression perks aimed at softening the impact of wiping your character.
What the Patchwork Raider outfit is
Patchwork Raider is a complete outfit, not a mix-and-match set of separate clothing pieces. Arc Raiders outfits work as full-body looks that include headgear; you cannot currently combine a helmet from one outfit with the jacket or pants from another. Color variants and toggleable details exist for some outfits, but those are separate unlocks and still operate within the “one outfit at a time” structure.
Embark has not published an official preview image for Patchwork Raider alongside the Expedition announcement. Players are therefore going into the first Expedition window without a confirmed visual for what their wiped character will be wearing after the reset. Community discussion has focused on whether the name implies a stitched-together, salvaged aesthetic similar to other Arc Raiders clothing, or something closer to the muted “tutorial” outfit seen during onboarding, but that remains speculation until the outfit actually appears in-game.
How to unlock the Patchwork Raider outfit
Patchwork Raider is tied directly to the Expedition Project, Arc Raiders’ optional prestige system. To earn the outfit, you need to:
- Reach at least character level 20 on your current Raider.
- Finish building the Caravan in the Expedition Project chain in Speranza.
- Opt in to depart during an active Expedition Window.
Once the Expedition departs, your existing Raider permanently leaves the Rust Belt. The new Raider that replaces them on your account receives the Patchwork Raider outfit as a permanent cosmetic unlock, alongside other Expedition rewards. You do not need to hit any particular stash value threshold just to receive the outfit; the one-million-coin thresholds only affect bonus skill points, not the cosmetic itself.
When the Expedition Window runs
The first Expedition Window opens on 17 December and runs for six days, closing on 22 December. You must sign up to depart while the window is open. All participating Raiders leave at the same time when the window closes, not at the instant you opt in.
The value of your stash and coins is also taken at the end of this window, not when you first register. That means you can keep looting and crafting right up until departure to increase your stash value and secure more bonus skill points for your next character.
What you lose when you depart on an Expedition
Taking an Expedition is a full progression reset for that Raider. When you choose to leave Speranza, the following are wiped:
- Character level
- Skill Tree allocations
- Stash contents
- Workshop progress
- Crafting abilities
- Blueprints
That reset is character-wide and is designed to mirror the “fresh wipe” experience seen in other extraction shooters, but in Arc Raiders, it is optional rather than mandatory for the entire player base. If you prefer to keep your current build, you can simply ignore the Expedition Window and continue playing.
What carries over to your new Raider
Expeditions are intended to feel like a new run, not a total loss of investment. Some advantages are granted to your next Raider to offset the wipe. These fall into three groups: cosmetics, progression perks, and temporary account buffs.
Permanent Expedition rewards (including Patchwork Raider)
When you complete an Expedition and restart, your account gains several permanent unlocks:
- Patchwork Raider outfit – the exclusive Expedition outfit that visually marks your Raider as having departed at least once.
- Scrappy Janitor Cap – an additional cosmetic item themed around the in-world character Scrappy.
- Expeditions Indicator icon – a profile marker that signals you have taken part in the Expedition Project.
- Extra skill points – up to five bonus skill points for your new Raider, depending on stash value at departure.
- +12 stash space – permanent expansion of your storage capacity.
These items and perks remain tied to your account once unlocked. Future Expeditions might add further rewards, but the initial window specifically lists Patchwork Raider and these related unlocks.
How bonus skill points from stash value work
Expeditions convert your outgoing stash into early power on your next character. The conversion is simple:
- Every 1,000,000 coins of value in your stash and wallets at departure grants 1 bonus skill point.
- You can earn up to 5 bonus skill points through this system.
Value is calculated on the total of items in your stash plus your coins balance when the window closes, so late-session looting still contributes. These extra points are added to your new Raider’s Skill Tree, giving you a slightly stronger start than a fresh account.
Temporary account buffs from the Expedition Project
Alongside cosmetics and stash space, Expeditions grant a set of account-wide buffs that apply to your new Raider:
- 10% repair buff – reduces the cost or impact of gear repairs.
- 5% XP boost – increases experience gained from activities.
- 6% more materials from Scrappy – improves material payouts from Scrappy’s deliveries.
These buffs are not permanent. They persist only if you continue to participate in subsequent Expeditions. If you skip a future Expedition Window, the buffs expire, though your cosmetics, stash space increase, and earned skill points remain.
Embark also plans to increase the strength of these buffs for the next three Expeditions you complete, while still limiting you to one departure per Expedition Window.
How the Patchwork Raider outfit fits into Arc Raiders’ cosmetic system
Arc Raiders organizes character fashion into a few broad categories: outfits, backpacks, charms, emotes, and Scrappy skins. Outfits are the most visible element, defining almost the entire silhouette of a Raider. The current lineup includes items unlocked by:
- Base progression (for example, Origin as the initial outfit and Sforza at character level 10).
- Quests (such as Aviator and Radio Renegade).
- Trials ranks (like Patrol for high Trials performance).
- Community events and Raider Decks.
- Direct purchase in the in-game store.
Within that framework, Patchwork Raider sits in a small group of cosmetics earned through major account-wide milestones rather than day-to-day gameplay or direct purchase. It effectively functions as a prestige skin: a one-time cosmetic badge for players willing to wipe their character during a specific time-limited window.
Why Expeditions and Patchwork Raider exist at all
Online shooters with persistent progression eventually run into a ceiling—players hit max level, complete the core unlocks, and see fewer reasons to log in. Many extraction shooters and survival games respond with mandatory global wipes, forcing everyone back to the starting line on a schedule.
Arc Raiders takes a different route. The Expedition Project keeps wipes optional. The intent is to:
- Give highly invested players a way to replay the early game with a meaningful head start.
- Avoid invalidating the time of players who prefer to keep their current Raiders.
- Offer long-term bragging rights via cosmetics like Patchwork Raider and profile indicators.
That balance is delicate. A prestige outfit that feels underwhelming can make the wipe look unrewarding for many players. On the other hand, a highly coveted skin risks creating pressure to wipe even for those who would rather keep their existing progress. Embark’s first Expedition leans conservative: a modest boost package paired with a single, exclusive outfit and a hat, rather than a bundle of flashy skins.
If you are considering the Expedition, the decision comes down to how much you value the combination of Patchwork Raider, extra stash space, and early skill points versus the time it took to reach your current build. The outfit itself is a permanent badge, but the reset is significant, and there is no way to preview the look in-game before committing. Planning your stash value and Caravan progress before the Expedition Window opens is the safest way to make that choice on your own terms.
