Embark Studios has announced another adjustment to the expedition wipe system in their free-to-play shooter, Arc Raiders, with the fourth expedition now offering premium currency and blueprints as its primary rewards. This marks a departure from the previous season's incentive of permanent extra skill points.
The studio revealed that player feedback indicated a stronger preference for blueprints over minor competitive advantages. Under the new system, each completed departure objective within the expedition will grant players 150 Raider Tokens and one blueprint. These blueprints are drawn from a pool of valuable items, including components for weapon attachments like Heavy Gun Parts, Complex Gun Parts, Padded Stock, Extended Barrel III, Muzzle Brake III, Stable Stock III, and Vertical Grip III. Other blueprints include those for specific weapons such as the Venator, Rascal, Osprey, Trailblazer, Anvil, Bettina, Hullcracker, and Tempest, alongside rarer items like the Vulcano, Dolabra, Aphelion, Combat Augment Mk 3 Flanking, Tactical Augment Mk 3 Defensive, Looting Augment Mk 3 Safekeeper, Looting Augment Mk 3 Survivor, Wolfpack, Powered Descender, and Snap Hook.
Raider Tokens, earned through completing up to five departure objectives, can accumulate to 750 tokens. This amount is equivalent to approximately $7 worth of premium currency, roughly half the cost of a standard store bundle in Arc Raiders. It is also worth noting that this is not the first method Embark has introduced for preserving blueprints through wipes. Players can already purchase up to five expedition vault slots from an in-game vendor, which allows items stored within to carry over. Combined with the new expedition rewards, players can potentially acquire up to 10 blueprints to start the next wipe.
Embark Studios acknowledges that the current expedition structure, which requires completion in a specific order and only once per season, can be frustrating for new players who may not have engaged with them from the outset. The studio stated its commitment to finding a balance that rewards veteran players while also providing fair and accessible ways for newcomers to catch up.
The fourth expedition is scheduled to begin on July 7th at 1pm CEST/11am UTC/4am PT and will conclude on July 21st at 10am CEST/8am UTC/1am PT. This iteration appears to serve as an interim solution before potentially larger changes are implemented for the expedition system in the future.