The wind turned play into a calculation and my sprint stuttered into a choice. A grenade I thought would land at my feet instead described a lonely arc and vanished into fog. I felt the update before the download finished: something in the maps had shifted.
I’ve spent hours in the Rust Belt with the 1.20.0 build so you don’t have to guess what matters. Read this as a guided patrol: I’ll point out the risks, the opportunities, and the moves that actually change how you play.
Full Arc Raiders Shrouded Sky Update 1.20.0 Patch Notes
On my first run after the patch, footsteps sounded wrong and the sky seemed to be moving faster than usual.
The 1.20.0 release rearranges the battlefield: a weather condition that alters movement and projectiles, two ARC enemies tuned to take advantage of low visibility, a free Raider Deck called The Surgeon, cosmetic options (yes, beards), map tweaks, and a time-limited seasonal project that runs from February 24, 2026 to March 31, 2026. Expect changes across PC (Steam), Xbox, and PlayStation sessions; the studio shipped this as a multiplayer-first salvo aimed at shaking up momentum and reward loops.
New Map Condition: The Hurricane
The first time I tried to sprint across an open plaza, I lost half my stamina in a dozen steps.
The Hurricane rewrites movement: wind is now vector-based. Run with a tailwind and you’ll surge; run into a headwind and your stamina evaporates. The Hurricane is a hungry animal—it eats speed, scatters your throws, and distorts cover.
What does the Hurricane map condition do?
Short answer: it changes how you move and how you use gear. Tailwinds become speed lanes; headwinds punish sprinting and deplete stamina faster. Thrown items—grenades, smoke, gas—are pushed off-course, so timing and aim need prediction, not reflex. The storm also spawns First Wave Raider Caches—very high-value loot that appears only during the Hurricane—so you’ll trade danger for payoff if you go hunting.
New ARC Enemies: Firefly and Comet
I watched a floating unit force a squad out of a safe corner; another rolled in like a fuse and detonated against a tree.
Two new ARC types respond to the shrouded sky. The Firefly is an armored floating unit with a flamethrower that forces people out of cover; it shapes engagements by creating dangerous zones. The Comet is a kamikaze sphere that locks on, detonates, and sends a concussive wave that can knock players off high ground. Both are tuned to exploit low-visibility play and the airflow mechanics, so your usual safe spots no longer feel safe.
New Raider Deck: The Surgeon
On my third match I watched someone patch a teammate mid-fight and the round flipped in seconds.
The Surgeon is a free Raider Deck that nudges the meta toward a combat-medic archetype. Complete the Deck to steadily claim Surgeon cosmetics and playstyles that reward battlefield triage. This changes high-skill group play: squads that coordinate healing and positioning will outlast solo lurkers.
Beards
A squadmate joked that facial hair is the only personalization that actually intimidates other players.
Customization gets a small but wanted expansion. All players receive a Stubble option immediately. The Full Beard is gated behind The Surgeon Deck as a progression cosmetic. Two additional styles—Stubble Beard and Thick Moustache—hit the in-game store on February 24, 2026. Cosmetic prices vary by platform storefront (Steam, Xbox store, PlayStation Store).
Map Changes: Dam Battlegrounds
I found a shortcut that cut a cross-map run by half and it changed how I planned extractions.
Dam Battlegrounds received a new interior: a flooded turbine that acts as a shortcut between the tower and riverbed. That shortcut rewrites choke points and flanking routes, especially under Hurricane conditions. Expect different rotation timing and new trap corridors that reward map awareness.
New Seasonal Project: Weather Monitoring System
On a raid I picked up components in a high-risk zone and felt the game asking for a longer-term objective.
From February 24, 2026 to March 31, 2026 a five-stage Weather Monitoring Project asks you to collect meteorological components from dangerous areas to help Speranza build a monitoring rig. Rewards include 250 Raider Tokens and other progression items. This project is a timed path to currency and cosmetics, designed to pull teams into riskier zones while the Hurricane is active.
Expedition 2 Sign Ups
I marked the calendar the day sign-ups opened and logged on at the start time to secure a slot.
When do Expedition 2 sign-ups start and what do you get?
Sign-ups begin on February 25, 2026 and close on March 1, 2026. Entry gives access to Expedition rewards like 5 permanent skill points, the evolving Patchwork outfit, and extra stash space. If you chase permanent progression, this window matters—miss it and you’ll be waiting for the next expedition cycle.
End of the Shared Watch Event
I noticed more teams grouping up rather than hunting each other during the event’s run.
The Shared Watch cooperative event ends with this update. It temporarily encouraged players to face ARC threats as a group rather than immediately fight each other, and its close nudges the game back toward competitive scavenging. Expect a shift in lobby behavior as the incentive structure changes.
There’s a lot packed into 1.20.0: you get a weather system that reshapes every sprint, new enemies that punish predictable play, a Med-Deck that rewards team support, and timed projects that force decisions about risk versus reward. I’ve highlighted what changes matchflow and what’s mostly cosmetic—now it’s on you to test the trade-offs. Will you charge the hurricane for the cache or sit the storm out and take safer gains?