“Cold Snap” the “Cold Snap” update for ARC Raiders hit last bit in order to revive the frozen wasteland but seems to have showered a surplus not anticipated by developer Embark Studios. In very clear patch notes, blueprints spawn locations were announced to be expanded to mitigate scarcity in certain places. However, early data from the community suggests that the drop rates have been overtuned to an extreme degree. Players who before invested entire days hunting down a single high-tier schematic have now reported extractions filled with as many as eight blueprints from a single session.
The major thrust for this hugely remarkable deluge is the relocating of the Aphelion, now considered as the best weapon by far in the current meta. Previously, the Aphelion blueprint was tied to the Matriarch but now resides at Stella Montis, a place that is currently being but also called “broken” for its loot density. Within a few hours of the update going live, social media feeds were filled with screenshots of inventories packed with rare drops that, until yesterday, had statistically few chances of being found in such numbers. This overnight transformation has fundamentally changed the risk-reward loop of the extraction shooter.
The timing of it all makes it even more complicated with the Expedition Project set to take place on December 22. Blueprints should be even more accessible with the imminent seasonal reset, thus providing low-friction opportunities for players to test out endgame gear before everything is wiped. Furthermore, it introduced an ability to reset Skill Trees for Coins, making the update vital for those optimizing their Raiders for the next season. Combined with the “Cold Snap” map modifier which raises loot value at the cost of visibility and safety in the environment, that has plunged the game into high-stakes, high-reward chaos.
It will be interesting to see if this bounty is actually a calculated “end-of-season” gift or a mathematical blunder. With that, Embark Studios now announces a shift to a biweekly update schedule, as the team prepares for a holiday break. The waits, however, will have the community wondering if there will be a hot fix before January. For now, there are no holds barred, and players are well advised to hit Stella Montis before developers move to rectify drop rates.
