Embark Studios has released ARC Raiders Update 2.3 on October 27, 2026, introducing the new Souls Offering player project, the Noxious Set and an extensive collection of gameplay, performance and stability fixes. The patch also upgrades AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution to version 4.1.1, addresses ray-tracing-related crashes on Radeon RX 7000 graphics cards and reduces memory usage on Xbox Series S.
The update is rolling out across supported platforms, with Embark advising players to restart the game to download it. The official patch notes cover changes to weapons, equipment, ARC enemies, the Frigate, Pendola Pass, progression systems and several technical problems.
The Souls Offering project is the main new gameplay addition. Set against the losses suffered by Raiders in Pendola Pass, the project sees Celeste encouraging Speranza’s residents to commemorate those who died fighting ARC. Embark describes it as a way for players to honor fallen Raiders through individual offerings. The update announcement does not provide a detailed breakdown of the project’s progression requirements or rewards.
Update 2.3 also introduces the Noxious Set, although the announcement does not detail its individual contents.
Several combat balance adjustments accompany the new content. The Heavy Shield receives another improvement, increasing its base charge value from 80 to 90. Embark explains that earlier changes affected shield durability but usage remained relatively low. The latest adjustment is intended to improve survivability without creating too large an advantage over Medium Shields.
Flame Spray has received a more substantial adjustment, with its damage increased from 10 to 13 per second and its durability consumption reduced by 50%. The Firefly Burner now activates when thrown, leaving a trail of fire before exploding after approximately three seconds. Previously, players needed to shoot it to release its fire effect.
Adrenaline Shots can now be used even when stamina is full. Their effects no longer stack, however, with additional shots refreshing the existing duration instead.
Loot and progression changes are also included. Several weapon blueprints, including the Dolabra, Bobcat, Equalizer, Jupiter, Tempest and Vulcano, can now appear during any major map condition. Embark has slightly lowered the overall drop chance of that blueprint pool to account for its increased availability.
The Emperor Key blueprint is now less likely to appear in Redirection pods, which instead gain a small chance to contain ARC parts and high-tier ARC loot. An issue that inverted furniture Design drop rates has also been corrected, ensuring rarer designs appear less frequently.
Loot distribution within the Emperor has been adjusted to encourage deeper exploration. Containers near the entrance now provide lower-tier rewards, while more valuable loot is positioned farther inside. The update also improves Frigate interactions, introduces clearer visual indicators for puzzle progression and fixes collision problems that previously allowed players to enter unintended areas.
Grappling Hook behavior receives numerous corrections. These address unintended high-speed launches, problems when ropes wrap around obstacles, unreliable attachment to destroyed ARC components and animation issues when switching equipment. Zipline interactions and several locations where players could become stuck have also been improved.
On the technical side, ARC Raiders now uses version 4.1.1 of AMD’s FidelityFX Super Resolution plugin. The change follows AMD's broader FSR 4.1 expansion across gaming hardware, including plans to bring the technology to Xbox Series X|S.
Embark has not published ARC Raiders-specific frame-rate benchmarks or image-quality comparisons for the plugin upgrade, so any performance improvements attributable to this change remain unquantified.
The patch also introduces a workaround for a GPU crash affecting AMD Radeon RX 7000-series graphics cards in connection with ray tracing. Embark describes the change as a mitigation rather than a complete resolution.
Xbox Series S receives a separate stability improvement through reduced audio memory usage. This specifically targets out-of-memory crashes, particularly when players navigate around the Frigate.
Memory consumption aboard the Frigate has also been reduced to address rare crashes involving larger groups inside its cargo hold. Additional stability improvements target Frigate exploration, voice chat crashes and a problem that could leave players stuck in the post-match tunnel sequence.
Visual improvements include more stable volumetric smoke, refined skin shading, better Frigate interior lighting and changes to ambient occlusion intended to reduce ghosting and flickering.
Another notable change concerns the Expedition Vault. Embark is disabling the feature, returning stored items to players’ stashes and compensating purchased slots with Bronze Statuettes.
Daily Quests should now refresh correctly after expiration, while the Reward Pass interface has received clearer terminology and layout adjustments. A new camera bob setting has been added, alongside Color Push and Black & White filters for the advanced Camera.
Despite the extensive fixes, several known problems remain. Embark acknowledges continued crashes affecting some Xbox players, quest progression bugs, occasional Frigate docking failures and rare Grappling Hook behavior that can propel players unexpectedly into the air.
Update 2.3 also marks a change in Embark’s release schedule. Following the weekly fixes delivered since Frozen Trail launched, the developer is returning to its regular three-week schedule for bug-fix updates. Store updates will continue weekly.
This means players can expect less frequent consolidated bug-fix releases going forward, while cosmetic and store-related updates maintain their existing weekly cadence.
