ARC Raiders: HEADWINDS — Update Overview

Recently, the developers of ARC Raiders published the ARC Raiders Roadmap 2026 covering the period from January to March. Over the course of four months, players can expect a series of changes and new content. On January 27, the HEADWINDS update went live, bringing a new game mode, new map conditions, and much more. In this article, we take a closer look at the most important updates introduced in ARC Raiders.

Solo vs Squads — a New Challenge for Solo Players

One of the most interesting additions in ARC Raiders is the Solo vs Squads mode. Solo players who have reached level 40 can now enable a special toggle and enter the squads matchmaking queue, where they will face full squads on their own. Players who opt into this mode receive a +20% bonus XP at the end of each raid. This bonus is granted regardless of whether the raid ends in a successful extraction or a defeat, making Solo vs Squads a high-risk but rewarding option for skilled players.

Bird City: How Buried City Changed with the New Map Condition

Buried City has received a new permanent map condition called Bird City. Flocks of birds have settled in building chimneys, creating nests and storing valuable items inside. This version of the map features more bird traps and ziplines, while combat encounters are more likely to take place on rooftops and in vertical spaces. Players should also expect a higher number of flying ARC units and increased player density. The Bird City condition will rotate in and out weekly, adding variety to Buried City runs.

Trophy Display — A Long-Term Progression System

Patch 1.13.0 introduces the Trophy Display, a new long-term progression project aimed at players who focus on hunting ARC. Raiders must defeat increasingly dangerous enemy groups and submit their parts to gradually build the display across five stages. Each stage unlocks new rewards, including blueprints and Raider Tokens, while fully completing the project grants unique cosmetic items, a guitar, the Howl emote, and 300,000 Coins. The Trophy Display has no time limit and is not affected by Expedition resets.

New Quests and Augments: Expanding PvE Content

The update adds seven new quests, further expanding the PvE experience and providing additional objectives during raids. Alongside this, two new types of Epic augments have been introduced, offering more build variety and deeper loadout customization. In addition, the developers have expanded the final objective of the Groundbreaking quest by adding new interactions, making the final stage more engaging and varied.

Map and Loot Changes: Balance and Reward Distribution

Patch 1.13.0 delivers significant adjustments to maps and the loot system. The number of containers spawning condition-specific blueprints has been reduced during certain events, while the chances of finding higher-tier weapons in weapon cases have been increased. Unique parts from Matriarch and Queen are now harder to obtain without fully destroying their armor. Developers have also fixed dozens of problematic areas, collision issues, and spots where players could get stuck across multiple maps. Loot placement has been made more even overall, improving pacing and fairness during raids.

Other Changes and Quality-of-Life Improvements

Patch 1.13.0 also includes a large number of smaller but important improvements focused on game stability, controls, and overall quality of life. Developers addressed numerous crashes, input issues at high framerates, and inconsistencies with aim assist, while also adding mouse smoothing options and a matchmaking delay to help mitigate stream sniping. Visual bugs, lighting across maps, and various clipping issues have also been polished.

Player movement has been improved, particularly interactions with ladders and input responsiveness after network issues. The UI now features a new tab for free gamepad button rebinding, improved VOIP display clarity, and fixes related to inventory values, upgrades, and rewards. Social features were also expanded, including open parties, squadmate invitations, and Discord integration.

In addition, several gameplay issues were fixed, such as defibrillator interactions, zipline behavior on moving platforms, and various cosmetic bugs. The update is rounded out by improvements to the anti-cheat system, which is gradually introducing a three-strike progressive ban system for repeat offenders.