The wind howled as I crested the ridge, sand stinging my eyes. A flock of metallic birds wheeled above the Buried City’s chimneys, their cries echoing off the ruined towers—then, a glint of reflected light, something stashed in a nest. What secrets did they guard? The newest Arc Raiders update promises a shift in how we fight, loot, and survive.
Headwinds of Change: Arc Raiders Update 1.13.0
Ever seen a sparrow build a nest in a rusted-out engine block? That’s the spirit of the new Arc Raiders update—life adapting to the machine. Update 1.13.0 is live, bringing a mix of bug fixes and content additions, smaller on consoles than PC. Let’s break down what’s coming with the “Headwinds” update.
Before jumping into the details, here are some highlights:
- Solo vs Squads matchmaking (level 40+)
- Trophy Display with unique cosmetic rewards
- “Bird City” map condition in Buried City, emphasizing rooftop combat
- Open Parties and expanded squad invites
- Two new Epic Augments and seven new quests
- Improved ARC behavior and enemy fixes
- Stella Montis Seed Vault extraction exploit fix
- Anti-cheat system rolling out
Full Arc Raiders Update 1.13.0 Patch Notes
Imagine the desert reclaiming an abandoned factory, forcing you to rethink every angle of attack. The 1.13.0 patch reshapes gameplay with high-risk systems, long-term progression, and dynamic map conditions, primarily focused on rewarding skilled Raiders.
Solo vs Squads
- New Solo vs Squads matchmaking for experienced PvP players (level 40+)
- Toggle above matchmaking places solo players into the Squads queue
- 20% XP bonus on extract or defeat
Trophy Display
- New long-term ARC hunting project
- Requires submitting ARC parts from dangerous enemy groups
- Built over five upgrade steps
- Each step adds to the Display Case
- Rewards blueprints and Raider Tokens
- Full completion rewards:
- Howl emote
- Guitar
- 300,000 Coins
- No fixed end date; unaffected by Expedition resets
Bird City
Think of a city overgrown with nature, where every ledge is a potential sniper’s nest. “Bird City” introduces birds, chimney nests, extra ziplines, and tighter player proximity to Buried City.
- Permanent map condition exclusive to Buried City
- Birds nest in empty chimneys, containing trinkets
- Rotates in and out weekly
- More bird traps and ziplines
- Increased rooftop and vertical combat
- More flying ARC
- Higher player density around rooftops
New Items
Expanding late-game build options, 1.13.0 adds two new Epic Augments.
- Added two new Epic Augments
New Quests
- Added seven new quests
Open Parties
- Parties can be set to open
- Friends can join seamlessly, even mid-round
Squad Invites
- Squadmates can invite players
- Party leader restriction removed
Achievements
- Fixed progress tracking for “Enemy of My Enemy”
- Fixed “Hook, Line, and Sinker” achievement issues
ARC
Enemy behavior has been improved, aiming for more consistent encounters.
General
- Improved ARC traversal over obstacles
Leaper
- Improved movement after losing legs
Shredder
- Dead Shredders correctly labeled as scavengeable when pinged
Snitch
- Fixed Snitches aborting ARC calls when Lure Grenades are thrown
- Snitches no longer emit sound after being destroyed
Spotter
- Fixed Spotters following players into buildings and getting stuck
Tick
- Added a dodge roll window to remove Ticks after being grabbed
Audio
- Fixed missing emote voice lines in previews
- Fixed voice chat cutting out
- Improved voice chat stability
Maps
Loot balance, collision fixes, and spawn adjustments have been made to all major locations.
General
- Reduced condition-specific blueprint container spawns during Electromagnetic Storm, Hidden Bunker, and Locked Gate events
- Increased chances of finding higher tier weapons in weapon cases
- Slightly reduced Matriarch and Queen unique part drop rates from armor pieces
- Fixed non-interactable containers across all maps
- Fixed raider hatch timing and camera lock issues
Dam Battlegrounds
- Adjusted cliffs near the raider outpost tower
- Improved elevator shaft collision in Dam Control Tower
- Fixed collision issues inside Pattern House
- Fixed unintended access to Water Treatment areas
Buried City
- Removed an invisible wall beneath the highway
- Removed the musical puzzle
- Guitar is now purchasable at Shani’s for 25000 coins (€23)
Spaceport
- Fixed floating rocks and grass
- Adjusted ARC spawn locations during Hidden Bunker events to avoid antenna spawns
Stella Montis
- Fixed the Seed Vault extraction exploit
- Updated Night Raid lighting
- Fixed locations where players could get stuck
- Fixed Bastion spawning out of bounds
Miscellaneous
- Various crash fixes
- Added mouse smoothing option
- Added matchmaking delay option for stream sniping mitigation
- Fixed aim assist inconsistencies across framerates
- Fixed input registration issues above 30 FPS
- Fixed trinket placement issues
- Fixed sun lens flare appearing through thick clouds
- Fireworks boxes now trigger when the deploying Raider is knocked out
- Fixed graphics settings resetting on PS5
- Lighting polish across multiple maps
Movement
- Fixed temporary movement loss after network connection issues
- Fixed ladder descent issues
- Fixed automatic jumps when entering ladders while crouched
UI
- Added gamepad rebinding options
- Improved VOIP UI clarity
- Fixed incorrect inventory value display during Expedition signup
- Fixed stash weapons not appearing in upgrade screens
- Fixed item amount display for non-stackable rewards
- Added party join notifications when a friend joins topside
- Added Discord invite and join support for linked accounts
Utility
- Fixed zipline anchor behavior on moving platforms
- Improved stash organization when changing augments
- Fixed double defibrillator revives restoring full HP
Quests
- Added additional interactions to the final objective of the Groundbreaking quest
Anti Cheat
- Implementing a three-strike progressive ban system
- Ban durations escalate from 30 days to 60 days to permanent bans
Known Issues
- Solo vs Squads does not currently display an unlock notification at level 40
- Some Raider Token cosmetics may be missing from customization menus until purchased
- One Marco helmet variant may appear incorrect in menus but displays correctly in game
- Some players may not receive a skill point as shown on the results screen
- Restarting or playing another round resolves the skill point issue
That’s a lot to digest. Which changes will truly reshape the wasteland and which are just rearranging the deck chairs?