Arc Raiders Expedition Overhaul Explained

Embark Studios has pushed a major rework to Arc Raiders Expeditions, the recurring soft-wipe events that let you reset your character in exchange for powerful account-wide perks. The old system, which tied bonus skill points to a steep stash-value grind, has been replaced with a more straightforward damage-based challenge designed to be less punishing and more fun.

This guide walks through how the new Expedition format works, what has changed compared to earlier seasons, and how you can reliably earn all the available bonus skill points during the limited-time event.

What Expeditions Are and Why They Matter

In Arc Raiders, Expeditions are time-limited projects that offer players the chance to perform a soft wipe of their character. You keep important account-level progress while resetting most of your gear and stash, then start a fresh run with exclusive temporary bonuses and the opportunity to gain extra skill points.

The core goals of Expeditions are:

• Encouraging fresh runs: They periodically reset your power curve so early-game content stays engaging.
• Offering meaningful account progression: Bonus skill points obtained during Expeditions persist beyond the event.
• Mixing up the meta: New modifiers and rewards nudge players toward different builds and strategies.

Previously, the appeal of Expeditions was undercut by the way bonus skill points were earned. Instead of rewarding gameplay variety, the system incentivized hoarding and repetitive grinding.

From Coin Hoarding to Damage Dealt: The Big Design Shift

Earlier Expeditions tied extra skill points to your stash value in coins. To unlock all bonus points, players had to accrue a very high combined value of currency and inventory. This created several problems:

• Discouraged using loot: Many players refused to extract or spend coins to avoid lowering their stash value.
• Felt like a second job: The coin thresholds were high enough that reaching them in time felt like a grind, especially for casual players.
• Rewarded hoarding over skill: Smart play and combat prowess mattered less than simply accumulating valuables.

Embark’s new system breaks with that philosophy. Bonus skill points are now earned by dealing damage during a dedicated Expedition challenge window. The idea is to reward playing the game aggressively instead of passively protecting your wealth.

How the New Damage-Based Challenge Works

The reworked Expedition introduces a project that appears for eligible players and runs over a limited period of days. During that window, you can earn up to five bonus skill points purely by dealing damage in live matches.

Key Characteristics of the New System

• Free participation: The bonus skill points are not bought with coins; they are tied to your performance.
• Universal eligibility: Anyone who has completed their Caravan (the early progression milestone that unlocks Expeditions) receives the challenge automatically when the project window opens.
• Flexible playstyles: Damage applied to Arc enemies and to other players counts toward your goal, as long as it occurs in real matches rather than the practice range.
• Time-limited window: You must hit the damage thresholds while the challenge project is active. After it expires, any missing points can only be reclaimed through a slower catch-up system.

Damage Thresholds for Bonus Skill Points

The new system uses cumulative damage milestones. Hitting each milestone awards one extra skill point, up to a total of five. The thresholds look roughly like this:

These damage values accumulate across the entire window; you do not need to deal 100,000 damage in a single match. The thresholds were internally tested so that a strong match can net somewhere in the ballpark of 8,000–10,000 damage, making five points attainable with several solid sessions instead of an exhausting grind.

Why the Changes Aim to Reduce Grind

Embark’s stated intent with this overhaul is to make Expeditions feel like a celebration of play rather than a second job. Several design decisions reflect this philosophy:

• Rewarding engagement over wealth: Damage-based progression pushes players to dive into combat and experiment with loadouts instead of sitting on mountains of currency.
• Encouraging loot usage: Because stash value no longer affects Expedition skill points, there is little incentive to hoard powerful gear. You are freer to use high-tier weapons and gadgets without worrying about hurting your progression.
• Reducing FOMO-driven pressure: The thresholds are tuned so that a mixture of casual and dedicated players can realistically complete the challenge within the window.
• Working with feedback: Community backlash to the coin-centric grind led Embark to adjust the system and extend the project window, signalling a willingness to adapt design based on player experience.

This aligns with a broader shift in live-service game design. Many modern multiplayer games experiment with systems that reward participation and skill rather than sheer time investment, in response to player fatigue with grind-heavy metas highlighted by both industry coverage and player surveys in recent years.

The Expedition Window and Project Timing

The damage challenge is tied to a specific project window. During this period, the Expedition project appears in your list and tracks your progress across matches. When the project closes, your opportunity to earn that season’s free skill points ends.

For one of the early implementations of this rework, Embark extended the challenge across roughly two weeks after early feedback that the initial one-week window felt too tight. While exact dates will vary by season, you can expect:

• The challenge to go live mid-season, rather than on day one.
• A clear end date communicated via in-game projects and official patch notes.
• Progress counting only between the opening and closing timestamps—damage dealt outside that window will not count for the challenge.

Players who miss the window entirely can still join a later Expedition by resetting their character, but they will not have access to that specific season’s free damage-based skill points. Instead, they must rely on the catch-up mechanism.

Catch-Up Skill Points for Missed Expeditions

If you took part in a previous Expedition but failed to claim all available bonus skill points, Arc Raiders provides a catch-up system. This mechanic predates the damage rework and continues to function alongside it.

Here is how catch-up works in practice:

• Each missed skill point from a prior Expedition can be reacquired in a later season.
• Instead of damage, catch-up points are tied to stash value again, requiring you to build up a certain amount of coins and inventory value.
• The commonly referenced figure is around 300,000 coins of stash value per missed skill point, totaling roughly 1.5 million coins if you missed all five.
• This grind is slower and more demanding than the damage challenge, acting as a safety net rather than the primary way to earn points.

Importantly, this catch-up system does not replace the damage challenge. For the current Expedition, you gain your new points by dealing damage. Catch-up only applies retroactively to points from older Expeditions you did not complete.

Expedition Perks Beyond Skill Points

Joining an Expedition is more than just chasing skill points. When you commit to the soft wipe, your character receives temporary bonuses that make leveling a fresh build faster and more rewarding. These have included perks along the lines of:

• Experience boosts: For example, an XP gain increase to help you unlock abilities quickly during your new run.
• Material gain bonuses: Increases to scrap or crafting material drops so you can quickly rebuild your arsenal.
• Improved repair value or durability: Lower maintenance costs on weapons and gear, making experimentation less punishing.

While the exact percentages and types of perks can change from Expedition to Expedition, the core idea is consistent: Embark wants the reset to feel powerful, not like starting from zero. These modifiers, combined with the damage challenge, encourage you to push into higher-risk activities without worrying about losing long-term progress.

Practical Tips to Hit the Damage Milestones

The damage thresholds are designed to be achievable, but planning your play can reduce stress and ensure you claim all five skill points before the project window closes.

1. Prioritize High-Action Activities

• Target encounters with large Arc units such as Bastions or other boss-type enemies, which soak up lots of damage before going down.
• Join hotspots, world events, or group activities where enemy density is high.
• If you are comfortable with PvP, take advantage of modes or zones where player combat is frequent, as damage to other Raiders also counts.

2. Build for Sustained Damage

• Equip weapons with good uptime, magazines, and reload speeds rather than only high burst damage.
• Consider abilities and gadgets that amplify your overall damage output or extend your survivability so you can stay in fights longer.
• Coordinate with friends to focus fire on high-health targets so everyone contributes meaningful damage to shared enemies.

3. Track Progress and Pace Yourself

• Check your Expedition project regularly to see how close you are to the next milestone.
• Spread playtime across multiple days rather than leaving everything for the final weekend—this reduces burnout and gives you room for mistakes or unlucky runs.
• If you are ahead of schedule, you can relax and focus on other goals like crafting or exploration.

4. Do Not Hoard Your Gear

• Because damage is now the main factor, do not be afraid to equip your best weapons and rare gadgets.
• Use gear you enjoy; comfort and familiarity often produce better damage numbers than chasing marginal DPS differences.
• Remember that experimentation is part of the fun of a soft wipe—trying different builds can help you discover highly effective damage synergies.

What This Means for the Future of Arc Raiders

The Expedition overhaul is more than a simple tuning pass. It signals a broader design direction for Arc Raiders:

• Player-first progression: Rewarding active play instead of hoarding and meta-gaming the economy.
• Responsive live operations: Adjusting systems and time windows in response to community feedback.
• Healthier event pacing: Designing challenges that respect player time, so seasons feel exciting instead of exhausting.

If the damage-based challenge is well received, it is likely that future Expeditions will iterate on the concept with new twists, such as rewarding specific weapon categories, role types, or encounter styles. As with other evolving live-service titles, a successful formula here could set expectations for seasonal events across the game’s lifespan.

FAQ: Arc Raiders Expedition Changes

Do I need to pay coins for the new bonus skill points?

No. For the current Expedition, the five bonus skill points are earned by dealing damage during the event window. Coins are only involved if you later use the catch-up system to reclaim missed points from previous Expeditions.

Does all damage count, including practice range?

No. Damage dealt in the practice range is excluded. Only damage inflicted in normal gameplay against Arc enemies or other players is counted toward the Expedition challenge.

Is the 100,000 damage requirement per match or total?

The 100,000 damage figure is total cumulative damage across the entire Expedition project window. You gradually work your way up through the milestones with each match you play.

What if I miss the Expedition window entirely?

You can still opt into the Expedition soft wipe the next time you log in after the window, but you will not receive the limited-time damage challenge. Instead, you will have to use the stash-value-based catch-up system in a future season to reclaim the missing skill points.

Will the thresholds or bonuses change each season?

Embark has already shown a willingness to tweak both thresholds and timings based on player feedback. While the current milestones provide a useful reference, future seasons may adjust numbers, rewards, or time frames. It is worth checking the latest official patch notes or blog posts before each Expedition to stay up to date.