Flashpoint lands with a lot on its plate

Embark Studios has already pushed out a recent ARC Raiders patch that focused on cosmetics, exploit fixes, and the usual clean-up work every live game needs to survive contact with its own players. Now the studio is back with something much larger. The next update, Flashpoint, is the third major addition outlined in the game’s roadmap earlier this year, and it is set to arrive tomorrow, March 31, 2026.

According to the latest blog post, Flashpoint brings a new ARC Operations map condition, a new ARC threat, three new weapons and items, a fresh project, upgrades for Scrappy, new map hazards, crafting improvements, the Wasp Hunter Set bundle, and more cosmetics. In other words, it is the kind of update that looks suspiciously like a studio trying to keep players busy for a while.

ARC Operations gets a new condition

One of the bigger additions is a new class of map condition called ARC Operations. The first version, Close Scrutiny, will reduce loot across the map, which is not exactly a festive development, but there may be something extra waiting to be found in the Assessor.

Flashpoint also introduces a new flying ARC called Vaporizer. It reportedly comes armed with devastating laser attacks and attack patterns that are, the studio says, a little unusual. That is one way to describe a machine that wants you very dead.

New weapons and a new item

Players will also get three new combat tools to test, break, and eventually insist are balanced in just the wrong way:

  • Canto, a submachine gun that uses medium ammunition and is built for close-range fights
  • Dolabra, a high-energy shotgun that can punch through ARC armor at close range
  • Surge Coil, a new item that can electrify the area around you

Dolabra also comes with a variable focus, letting players choose between a wider burst or a more concentrated funnel of electricity. Which is a helpful way of saying it can make a mess in more than one direction.

Project High Gain Antenna and Scrappy’s latest dietary expansion

Flashpoint adds a new project for players to complete: Project High Gain Antenna. In this one, Celeste and Shani are working to build a high gain antenna so they can get, in the game’s own words, an eye in the sky.

Scrappy, the game’s ever-useful rooster, is also getting an upgrade. Players will be able to feed him specific items to expand the types of loot he collects. If they keep him well fed, he will also drop more valuable items. Apparently even in the post-collapse future, the bird still knows how to negotiate.

Spreading Shredders and crafting changes

Map conditions will also now include Spreading Shredders, which players will need to watch for in Blue Gate, Buried City, Spaceport, and Dam Battlegrounds.

Crafting is getting a few welcome changes as well. The update will automatically supply missing materials directly and reduce crafting time. If players do not have the needed resources, the crafting screen will also show a list of available materials that can be recycled, refined, or purchased from one place. It is almost enough to make resource management feel less like a part-time job.

Wasp Hunter set and new cosmetics

For players who prefer to look prepared while everything goes wrong, Flashpoint adds the Wasp Hunter Set bundle. It includes four colourways and the following items:

  • Diver Backpack (White)
  • Scrappy Helmet
  • Thruster Hammer Raider Tool

The bundle costs 2,400 Raider Tokens.

Three additional outfits are also scheduled to arrive throughout April:

  • Brigade Set
  • Vanguard Set
  • Nascosto Set

All of these details were shared through Embark Studios’ latest blog post.

More ARC Raiders news

The ARC Raiders director recently said he was surprised that fans of The Last of Us are also into the game. Which is a reminder that audiences can be wonderfully unpredictable, and not just when they are picking cosmetics.