The latest update from Embark Studios dives deep into the Arc Raiders Expedition Project, addressing one of the community’s biggest concerns: progression wipes. This update clarifies how resets will function, what players can keep, and how the system will respect player time while still offering reasons to start fresh.
How the Expedition Project Works
Design Director Virgil outlined that Arc Raiders will not enforce mandatory wipes. Instead, the game introduces a voluntary reset mechanic tied to the Expedition Project. Players can engage with these cycles every eight weeks, allowing them to reset progress by choice. Completing each project unlocks a fresh start while keeping certain permanent rewards and cosmetics.
This approach strikes a balance between giving veterans a chance to re-experience the game’s early challenges and ensuring casual players don’t lose hard-earned progress. Players can work toward an Expedition over time and finalize it during a one-week window every cycle. Missing the window doesn’t erase progress—players can continue next cycle without losing progress.
What Carries Over and What’s Lost
Embark confirmed that character progression—levels, items, crafting stations, and workshops—will be wiped after an Expedition reset. However, cosmetics, achievements, and any premium purchases will remain intact. These items are part of the game’s metagame layer, ensuring that no one loses real-money content.
Additionally, players who complete an Expedition will skip early onboarding steps, allowing faster access to gameplay systems and maps. This helps returning players focus on exploration and high-level objectives rather than repeating tutorials.
Rewards and Incentives for Resets
To motivate participation, the Arc Raiders Expedition Project offers a layered reward system. Completing an Expedition grants permanent account unlocks, exclusive cosmetics, and temporary account-wide buffs for the next cycle. Repeated completions will strengthen these bonuses up to a set limit, but the studio emphasized that none of these will grant combat advantages.
Instead, these bonuses focus on quality-of-life improvements, cosmetic flair, and prestige. The design goal is to create a rewarding sense of progression for both new and veteran players while keeping the experience fair across the board.
Community Feedback and Regional Pricing Update
Embark continues to adjust based on community response. Regional pricing has been recalibrated across several countries, reducing costs by as much as 35% in some regions. However, some areas, like South Africa, remain more expensive than the USD baseline—a point the community has flagged for further review.
The team reaffirmed that they aim to respect player time and investment, acknowledging that not everyone can dedicate long hours to live-service grinds. The Expedition system’s flexibility reflects this philosophy, ensuring that all players—whether daily grinders or weekend explorers—can enjoy the experience at their own pace.
Server Slam and Upcoming Launch
The Arc Raiders Server Slam runs from October 17–19, available on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Players can experience the game for free and earn an exclusive backpack for participating. Progress won’t carry over, but it’s the perfect opportunity to test the game’s performance and feel.
The game’s standard edition is priced at $39.99, while the Deluxe Edition costs $59.99 and includes 2,400 Raider Tokens and bonus in-game cosmetics.
The Expedition Project update signals Embark’s continued commitment to transparency and balance. By combining flexible resets, fair rewards, and evolving feedback loops, Arc Raiders aims to set a new standard for live-service shooters.
