The sky tore open and my HUD spat warnings. My shield hiccupped as grit slid across the visor. The map tagged the event: the Hurricane — a beast in the sky.
I’ve run dozens of raids in ARC Raiders, and I’m telling you this: the next patch forces you to think like a weather reader as much as a gunfighter. You’ll still fight robots and other players, but now you’ll be bargaining with wind and visibility. Read this as a field guide from someone who has sprinted through the storm and lived to tell the tactics.
On the quay, wind wedges into open crates — How the Hurricane reshapes movement
Practical observation: wind changes your sprint the way a tide shifts a boat. When the gusts push you, your speed nudges up; when they hit you head-on, your stamina melts faster and your steps feel like swimming through molasses. That matters because every second you bleed stamina is a second you can’t kite an ARC or chase a looter.
Mechanically, thrown items will arc differently and grenades won’t land where they used to. Smoke and gas clouds are no longer reliable screens; they will hang, stretch, or evaporate in odd ways. Your jump trajectory will be altered, so practice in the new conditions before you bring a squad to Speranza’s rooftops.
What is the Hurricane map condition in ARC Raiders?
The Hurricane is a new map condition arriving with the Shrouded Sky update. It layers wind, rain, flying debris, and reduced sight over southern Italy’s Speranza map. The official ARC Raiders site and the game’s YouTube channel posted notes and a short preview video showing the effects in action.
Outside the shelter, debris lashes and shields spark — How visibility, shields, and loot change the risk calculus
Practical observation: debris slams across open streets, turning clear sightlines into a strobe of danger. Hit by junk and your shield will glitch and spark, making you glow on other players’ sensors. That single mechanic flips stealth play on its head — a stray gust can expose you the same way a flashlight does.
There’s an upside. Wind has unearthed First Wave Caches, tempting you with high-value loot if you accept the gamble. Use the gusts to your advantage: move with the wind to sprint hard, and use the storm’s noise to mask repositioning. Think of the weather as a tool that can either betray or protect you depending on how you read it — visibility is a shuttered window you can open or slam closed.
How does wind affect player movement and combat in ARC Raiders?
Wind affects speed, stamina drain, projectile arcs, and environmental effects like smoke and gas. In practice, that means you’ll need to re-learn grenade lob distances, time your dodges against gust cycles, and weigh whether to take exposed routes for a cache or detour through alleys for cover. Pro players will test attachments and movement builds on PC and console test lobbies — Steam and platform-specific communities will fill with optimized setups fast.
I recommend you queue a few practice runs solo. Test throwing, sprinting with and against gusts, and how smoke behaves in the storm. Watch the official clips on YouTube, skim the patch notes on the site, and then try a conservative build before you gamble on a cache run.
If you want to lead a group, call your shots early: assign a wind reader, a cache runner, and a cover shooter. Communication wins storms as often as gear does.
The Hurricane map condition arrives with Shrouded Sky on Feb. 24 — mark the date, watch the preview clips, and ask yourself whether you’ll bend the storm to your will or let it break your run?