The Hurricane map condition in Arc Raiders adds strong directional wind, flying debris that drains shields, and low visibility, while also exposing rare First Wave Caches with high‑value loot across Blue Gate, Buried City, Spaceport, and Dam Battlegrounds. To survive, you need to move with the wind whenever possible, avoid long runs in the open, manage your shield so debris doesn’t constantly reveal you, and treat First Wave Caches as contested high‑risk objectives instead of free rewards.
| Role | Focus in Hurricane |
|---|---|
| Scout | Stays near cover, listens for fights, checks caches first. |
| Anchor | Holds mid‑range angles, manages shield timing, covers looters. |
| Flanker | Uses tailwinds to swing wide and pressure distracted squads. |
If you just want the basics, follow this loop on PC, PS5, or Xbox co‑op raids during Shrouded Sky: stay near hard cover, rotate along wind‑friendly routes, limit your time topside in headwinds, and only commit to cache fights when your squad has stamina, ammo, and a clear escape line.
Fast step‑by‑step Hurricane survival route
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Check wind direction as soon as you step topside and plan rotations that use a tailwind for long pushes.
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Move between buildings, cliffs, and wrecks, avoiding extended sprints into headwinds where stamina drains faster.
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Keep shields up only when crossing open lanes or under direct fire; drop them or stay sheltered when you want to stay hidden from debris sparks.
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Approach First Wave Cache locations from cover, send a scout ahead, and assume at least one other squad or ARC patrol is nearby.
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Loot quickly while teammates watch likely sightlines through the fog, then rotate out with the wind before staying pinned in.
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If conditions are bad (headwind, low shields, strong ARC presence), mark the cache and disengage instead of forcing a bad fight.
What Hurricane changes: wind, debris, and visibility
Shrouded Sky’s Hurricane condition is a rotating topside modifier that brings high winds, reduced sightlines, and shield‑shredding debris to multiple maps once the update hits on February 24. Embark confirmed that wind affects how quickly you move with it or against it, and that it also alters projectile trajectories, smoke, gas, and even how far you jump.
That directional wind is the core of every decision you make. With a tailwind, you cover ground faster and can hit objectives or flanks before other squads expect you. In a headwind, sprints feel sluggish and stamina drains faster, so a simple crossing becomes a major risk if ARC walkers or players open up on you while you’re stuck mid‑field.
Debris is the second big threat. The storm launches dirt, metal fragments, and shrapnel across the Rust Belt, and that constant chip damage slowly drains your energy shield. As your shield takes hits, it starts sparking and flickering, which pops visually in the dark storm and makes you easier to track at range. That’s why shield timing matters as much as raw shield value in this mode.
Visibility is also heavily reduced. Official previews describe fading sightlines and swallowed sound, and community breakdowns show night‑only raids where landmarks disappear into fog and rain. Long‑range fights become unreliable, and ambushes around corners, vehicles, and container stacks become the norm instead of the exception.
Movement, shields, and positioning: playing with the storm
The best Hurricane runs treat wind like another resource. You want to route along leeward sides of structures, hugging buildings and cliffs to reduce stamina drain and exposure while still letting you pivot with the wind when you need speed. Instead of cutting straight open lines, break your path into short segments between hard cover: rooftops, cargo, rock outcrops, and bunkers that let you duck out of debris and gunfire.
Shield management turns into a real dilemma. Standing in the open while debris flies is effectively a soft DPS check on your shield, and if you let it sit under constant pressure it will fail at the worst possible time. At the same time, a bright, glitching shield gives away your movement through low visibility long before enemies can see your full model. The safest pattern is to keep shields active during unavoidable pushes and known chokepoints, then rely on cover or shieldless movement while rotating through quieter pockets of the map.
Expert insight from early Hurricane testing: squads that only kept shields up during crossings and direct firefights finished raids with significantly more shield charge and fewer emergency heals than teams who stayed fully shielded at all times. Over a full expedition, that difference often decided whether a team could risk one more cache run or had to bail early.
Simple Hurricane positioning checklist
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Plan movement with the wind for long rotations.
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Avoid standing still in debris‑exposed spots.
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Use corners and doors to reset stamina and shield recovery.
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Turn off or avoid recharging shields when you want to stay hidden.
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Watch for enemy shield sparks as early warning through the fog.
First Wave Caches: risk, routes, and when to back off
The Hurricane’s biggest reward is the First Wave Caches: hidden Raider stashes unearthed by the storm. Embark and community previews both describe them as rare, high‑value loot containers tied directly to this condition, likely holding better resources and collectibles than standard topside crates. They appear in limited numbers and quickly become magnets for ARC patrols and rival Raiders.
The safest way to play around a cache is to treat it like a mini raid boss. Approach from cover on the side with a tailwind escape if possible, and send one player ahead to listen for gunfire or drone audio before the whole squad commits. If the scout hears sustained shooting or spots active shields and tracers in the fog, you can either set up a third‑party angle or wait for the fight to finish instead of walking directly into a crossfire.
Once you start interacting with the cache, assume your position is compromised. Debris sparks, flashlight beams, and muzzle flashes cut through the gloom much more than usual, especially at night. Have one or two players loot while the others hold tight sightlines and keep grenades ready to break pushes from likely approach directions. Since wind distorts grenade arcs, keep these throws short and use them to disrupt pushes rather than attempt highlight‑reel long bombs.
A simple decision rule: if your squad is low on shield, stamina, or ammo and the wind is against you, mark the cache location and leave. Hurricane matchmaking will bring more storms, and preserving gear for a better‑positioned cache later is usually smarter than feeding everything into a bad fight.
Loadouts, throwables, and squad roles that work in Hurricane
Shrouded Sky’s Hurricane condition heavily favors mid‑range guns, flexible throwables, and squad roles that exploit wind direction. Weapons that stay stable at medium distances and don’t rely on long‑range precision feel much more reliable through fog and rain. Rapid‑handling rifles and LMGs that can track silhouettes through debris tend to outperform ultra‑long‑range options when you rarely see more than a few dozen meters.
Throwables behave differently in the storm. Official notes and previews highlight that wind can extend or pull projectiles and push smoke or gas clouds off course. In practice, that means tight, short‑range throws are your friend, while lobbed grenades across valleys or gaps become harder to predict. Gas and smoke are better used for quick crossings and repositioning than as long‑lasting walls, because the hurricane thins and drags them in its direction.
