It has been nearly two weeks since the launch of ARC Raiders: Flashpoint, and we believe the development team is already working in full swing to prepare for the upcoming release of Riven Tides. Currently, we have visibility on the update roadmap covering January through April. But what comes after April?
It is possible that shortly after Riven Tides officially goes live - likely sometime between early and mid-May - the developers will release the update roadmap for the May-to-August period. For now, let's explore the imminent Riven Tides update and potential future additions.
Confirmed New Content for Riven Tides
A Brand-New Map
We speculate that the new map is situated in the southwestern region of the world map, specifically along Buried City zone and close to the western coastline. This hypothesis stems from the fact that, following Flashpoint update, new post-it notes and other markers appeared on the left side of the map selection interface.
These markers point toward a piece of previously unused concept art depicting a coastal city. However, it remains unknown at this time whether the final in-game map will precisely match this concept art.
A New Major ARC
As of now, there are no specific details or official teasers regarding the new ARC unit slated for Riven Tides.
The community generally speculates that it could be Bishop, a draft-style ARC unit that previously appeared during the pre-alpha phase or in developer documentaries. Bishop is massive and possesses truly fearsome firepower.
Of course, this remains pure speculation based on the memories of veteran players, as there are currently no concrete clues to confirm it.
A New Map Environment
The new map environment will probably function similarly to the existing Matriarch or Harvester events; that is, it will serve as an independent, full-map condition that rotates across all zones, rather than being exclusive to the new map area.
While this specific map condition may be linked to the spawning of the new major ARC, the two elements are fundamentally distinct entities: one is a new event that rotates across all maps, while the other is a standalone new map area available for players to explore.
Expedition Window
Based on the patterns observed during the previous two Expedition Windows, it is unlikely that Expedition Window for Riven Tides will open simultaneously with the game update itself. Players will typically need to wait an additional one or two days.
We predict that Riven Tides will go live around April 28th; consequently, Expedition Window is expected to open on or around April 29th, remaining open for a period of 4 to 6 days during which players can choose to embark on an expedition.
The specific rewards for this particular expedition have not yet been announced. Embark has indicated a desire to overhaul the current system, in which Expeditions exclusively reward Skill Points. However, the exact timeline for implementing these changes remains unknown.
Other Common Content Accompanying Updates
New Missions
Each major ARC Raiders update typically introduces five or more new missions. The content of these missions is usually tied to the new ARC, map, or in-game events featured in the update.
New Crafting Parts
The introduction of a new major ARC inevitably brings with it new crafting components. Examples from previous updates include Matriarch Reactor, dropped by Matriarch. And Queen Core dropped by Queen.
Assessor Matrices and Vaporizer Regulators - items actually obtained during Flashpoint update - serve as useful precedents here.
Vaporizer Regulator is used to craft Dabra shotgun. To date, Assessor Matrices have not been utilized in any crafting recipes; it is possible they have been reserved specifically for the new weapons arriving in Riven Tides update.
New Weapons
Typically, each major ARC is paired with one or two Legendary weapon ARC Raiders blueprints.
For instance, Harvester and Queen previously offered blueprints for Jupiter and Equalizer, while Matriarch provided blueprints for Aphilion.
Consequently, the new major ARC featured in Riven Tides will probably drop core components for new weapons, which will then need to be synthesized at a new crafting station.
New Cosmetics and Raider Decks
The release of new cosmetic items is virtually guaranteed with every update.
Regarding Raider Decks, we can observe a distinct release pattern: Cold Snap included one, Headwinds did not; Shrouded Sky included one, Flashpoint did not. Based on this alternating pattern, it is reasonable to speculate that the upcoming Riven Tides update will indeed feature a new Raider Deck.
New Projects
Although Riven Tides teaser card does not explicitly mention a New Project, previous updates - specifically Headwinds, Shrouded Sky, and Flashpoint - each introduced a new Project progression track.
It is highly probable that Riven Tides will continue this trend by offering a new Project for players to pursue.
Future Plans
The current roadmap concludes in April 2026; a new roadmap will probably cover the period from May through August.
It is anticipated that the development team will first release Riven Tides update, and then - one to two weeks after the update goes live - announce their future plans. This approach mirrors their previous strategy, where the roadmap was released only after Headwinds update went live in January.
Based on the systemic changes the developers have already alluded to, the current model of exchanging real-world currency for Skill Points within Expedition system is merely a temporary solution. Future updates will introduce a wider variety of rewards, moving away from Skill Points as the sole form of compensation.
Additionally, the developers have acknowledged that the effectiveness of certain skills is currently lacking, and these skills are slated for adjustments or complete reworks.
All in all, players are undoubtedly looking forward to a faster pace of content releases, as well as a greater variety of ARCs and weapons. We hope that the future of ARC lives up to expectations, becoming ever more exciting!
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