Thunder hurled gravel across the Dam as you ducked behind a crate and felt the world tilt. Your radio clicked dead, then a streak of heat carved the air — a Firefly screaming past. I’ve read the patch notes; here’s what you need to know before you climb back into the hatch.
I combed through the full ARC Raiders patch notes and the community threads on Steam and Discord to separate signal from noise. Below: the changes that will actually alter your runs, the timing that matters, and where to cash in on the new loot.
On the forums, Storm threads are blowing up — patch highlights you should open first
Shrouded Sky (v1.17.0) brings weather that fights back, two new ARC threats, a free Raider Deck, cosmetic additions, and targeted weapon tuning. If you only have time for the cliff notes, here they are — the moments that will make you adapt your loadout right now.
- Hurricane map condition: fierce winds throw damaging debris and chop visibility; expect ambushes but also First Wave Raider Caches with high-value items.
- Weather Monitoring System: a five-stage project chain that pays out meaningful rewards when completed.
- New ARCs: Firefly — a flying incendiary ARC; Comet — a surface patrol ARC that detonates in a seismic blast when it closes on you.
- Free Surgeon Raider Deck: new playstyle options themed around Surgeon; decide how far into the gray you’ll go.
- Cosmetics: facial hair options and two bundles — Devotee and Volare — now in the store.
- Dam Battlegrounds: Controlled Access Zone added as a high-value loot area.
At a glance, weapon balance changes that will change fights
Players posted side-by-side clips showing the Stitcher and Kettle before nerfs; your DPS spreadsheet will need a quick edit. Here’s what to expect on the firing line.
- Stitcher: headshot multiplier reduced (2.5 → 1.75), base damage down (7 → 6.5), and per-shot dispersion increased — tighter aim matters more.
- Kettle: base damage reduced (10 → 8.5).
- Venator: headshot multiplier lowered (2.5 → 2), base damage reduced (9 → 8).
- Jupiter: ADS magnification up (~1.9x → ~2.2x); equip/unequip times improved for quicker swaps.
- Aphelion: faster reload and firing cadence, reduced vertical recoil, and snappier ADS settle — it’s been tuned toward sustain fire.
What changes to weapons should I expect to feel first?
You’ll notice longer fights with some rifles and faster follow-up shots from the Aphelion. If your playstyle leans on Stitcher one-taps, you’ll need cleaner aim; if you rely on Aphelion burst windows, you’ll get the upper hand.
At the workbench, item and crafting adjustments that affect progression
I checked trading posts and crafting recipes; the value shifts push some weapons up the priority list for salvage farming. Key changes worth bookmarking:
- New default: Energy Clip is available in the Workbench.
- Several weapons had value and trader-price adjustments (for example, Deadline value 5,000 → 6,000; trader price 15,000 → 18,000). These are credit figures for in-game economy.
- Additional ARC parts have been added as crafting costs to several items, and ARC Parts sell value was reduced to reflect progression use.
From players’ screenshots, map and encounter fixes you’ll appreciate
Community reports of out-of-bounds exploits and weird collisions have been addressed on several maps — Buried City, Stella Montis, Blue Gate and the Dam. That means fewer surprise shots from impossible angles and cleaner extraction sequences.
- Fixed ladder and collision issues; adjusted lighting for night-time visibility in key extraction zones.
- Reduced rare loot chance in Bird City chimneys during that map condition, and improved thunderstorm lighting in Blue Gate.
- Controlled Access Zone at the Dam now offers a clear high-risk/high-reward loop for teams chasing gold.
How do I find the new ARC types?
Firefly shows up as aerial patrols and favors open corridors; Comet moves ground paths and detonates on proximity. Use high cover, call out sweep lanes in party chat, and consider taking hardware that clears flyers and blast zones. Steam guides and subreddit threads are already mapping spawn maps if you want exact spawn points.
At the animation and audio layers, polish that changes feel and feedback
Players noticed clipping and reload oddities in clips; the team smoothed animations and tightened audio so your sensory cues line up with hit registration.
- Fixed vaulting and reload-magazine issues; improved equip timing for pistols and hand cannons.
- Audio: reduced voice volume, fixed stutters on low-end PCs, limited burst SFX to actual shots, and adjusted positional sounds (birds, ziplines).
- Menu SFX and music mix have been rebalanced for less ear fatigue during long sessions.
At the UI and social layer, small fixes that stop frustration
People shared clips of lost keybinds and confusing end-of-round screens; those are cleaned up. The UI now shows clearer ping labels, inventory tooltip icons for recycling/salvage, and fixes for squad color errors.
- Mouse scroll will switch Raider Deck pages. VoIP HUD now better shows mic transmit state for Push-To-Talk or Toggle-To-Talk users.
- Matchmaking messaging improved when party members remain topside; clearer login messages around shared-account bans.
- Crafting and recycling screens now list costs and rewards in a consistent order for faster reading.
In community channels, progression and utility changes that affect play patterns
Threads debating Feats and catch-up systems sparked the devs to add quality-of-life changes. You can reroll Feats three times per day for free, and a new Expedition catch-up system grants missed Skill Points.
- Removed PvP Feats, updated several Feats, and added new ones aligned with cooperative play.
- Utility tweaks: Pop Triggers and Spotter Relays in quick slots; Spotter Relay can be a trap; Pop Trigger can roll briefly before exploding.
- Vita Spray healing now applies continuously to close exploit cases; ziplines can no longer be placed on carryable objects.
Where can I buy the new cosmetic bundles and the Surgeon Deck?
Cosmetics (Volare set, Surgeon set, and the upcoming Devotee set) are available through the in-game store and the Raider Deck interface. The Surgeon Raider Deck is free for all players — check the Raider Deck UI or the ARC Raiders site and Steam storefront for storefront listings and platform notes (Epic Games Store included).
In practice, stability and quality fixes you’ll notice across sessions
Crash reports from DirectX 11 launches and zipline traversal have been patched; general performance improvements and popping fixes will make repeated runs smoother.
- Fixed crash on DirectX 11 launch and a crash when using ziplines. General performance improvements across the board.
- Fixed fall-damage edge cases, prevented interaction spam from range exploits, and stopped hatches from being blocked by downed bodies.
- Added missing gamepad aim assist for several enemy types and disabled Practice Range queuing while in a party to reduce matchmaking errors.
Two notes from my testing: the Hurricane condition forces a different pacing — move slower, prioritize vertical cover. Also, the Comet’s seismic blast punishes tight bunching; spread formation works better than stacking.
One last metaphor: the update lands like a coiled spring ready to snap players into new strategies, and if you’re patient with the new weather loops you’ll find value faster than before.
If you want the full granular list, the official patch notes live on the ARC Raiders website, and community guides on Steam, Reddit, and Discord are already mapping optimal routes — which change will force you to change your playstyle first?