Raiders, we are back in the field. The December update 1.7.0 has just dropped, and frankly, it is massive. This isn't just a standard patch; it is a fundamental shift in how we manage our economy, handle our weapons, and survive the new environmental hazards.

• Economy and Progression Overhaul
• The Skill Tree Reset
• The Credit Soft Cap
• Combat Balance: Weapons and AI
• Weapon Adjustments
• The New Shredder Threat
• The Flickering Flames Event
• Map Changes & Quality of Life
• Stella Montis Loot Buff
• Critical Fixes & Features
• FAQ: Update 1.7.0
• Final Thoughts

We have a lot to unpack, from the highly anticipated skill tree reset functionality to a brand new festive event. But beyond the shiny new skins, there are some under-the-hood changes to enemy AI and loot tables that you need to know about before you drop into your next raid.

Here is the deep dive into everything changing in ARC Raiders right now.

↖ Economy and Progression Overhaul

The biggest structural change in this update revolves around how we handle our character growth and currency. If you have been asking for flexibility, the developers finally listened, but it comes at a cost.

↖ The Skill Tree Reset

Finally, we have the ability to reset our skill trees. This is a game-changer for those of us who regretted early-game build decisions or simply want to pivot our playstyle without starting a new character.

However, this is not a free service.

The Cost: It costs 2,000 coins per skill point to reset.

The Mechanism: You cannot currently cherry-pick individual skills to refund. You must perform a full tree reset. In my own testing, resetting a mid-to-high level tree cost upwards of 118,000 coins.

The Result: Once paid, all your token points are reallocated, allowing you to rebuild from scratch.

This price point is steep, but it adds a necessary gold sink to the economy while giving veteran players a way to optimize builds for the new meta.

↖ The Credit Soft Cap

You might notice a change in your wallet UI. There is now a soft cap of 800 credits.

Why did they do this? The goal is to prevent players from hoarding massive amounts of credits to instantly unlock future Raider decks the second they release. The developers want us to engage with the game loop to earn new content, not just buy it outright with a stockpile.

What this means for you:

If you are already sitting on thousands of credits, don't panic. You keep what you have—it will just show as overflowing. However, you won't be able to earn new credits until you spend your balance down below the 800 mark.

↖ Combat Balance: Weapons and AI

The combat meta has shifted significantly. The Betina gets a new lease on life, while the Shredder becomes a terrifying threat.

↖ Weapon Adjustments

The Betina assault rifle has historically been underwhelming, often forcing players to rely heavily on a secondary weapon. This update aims to fix that.

↖ The New Shredder Threat

I need to emphasize this: The Shredder is now an absolute unit.

By reducing the knockback it takes and fixing its navigation pathing (so it gets stuck less often), this enemy is faster and more aggressive. You can no longer easily stun-lock it or rely on it getting glitch-stuck on terrain. If you are heading into Stella Montis, treat these engagements with extreme caution. They have effectively turned the Shredder into a relentless pursuer.

↖ The Flickering Flames Event

The Cold Snap update introduces the festive Flickering Flames event. This is a merit-based event, meaning you progress simply by playing the game, looting, and extracting.

Key Objectives:

Gather Candle Berries: These are the primary event currency found during raids.

The Candle Light Project: Stage one requires an Empty Wine Bottle, Plastic Parts, Durable Cloth, and Candle Berries.

The Rewards:

Completing the event track rewards you with the High-Tech Hiker skin variant and the Space Wrench. The Space Wrench isn't just cosmetic; it's part of the new tool customization system. We are finally seeing the ability to attach different Raider tools, which hints at deeper customization coming in future patches.

↖ Map Changes & Quality of Life

The update touches almost every map, but Stella Montis and Bluegate received the most significant tuning.

↖ Stella Montis Loot Buff

If you felt the blueprint drop rate was too low previously, you need to deploy to Stella Montis immediately.

I played two rounds just before writing this guide, and the difference is night and day. In a single 15-minute run, I extracted with two new blueprints. The developers have explicitly increased items and blueprint spawn rates here. Furthermore, the Aphelon blueprint drop has been moved from the Matriarch boss specifically to the general Stella Montis loot table. You no longer need to farm a boss to get it.

↖ Critical Fixes & Features

ADS Toggle: PC players, rejoice. You can finally toggle Aim Down Sights in the settings. This is huge for long-range engagements.

Epic Key Rooms: The loot value in Epic Keycard rooms has been buffed to actually reflect their rarity. Using a keycard finally feels rewarding rather than a gamble.

Bug Fixes: The arm twisting animation bug is gone, and the audio issue where the Matriarch's shield could be penetrated by Bombardier projectiles has been patched.

↖ FAQ: Update 1.7.0

Q: Can I reset just one skill point if I made a mistake?

A: No. Currently, the system only supports a full tree reset. It costs roughly 2,000 coins per point allocated, so a full reset can be very expensive (100k+ coins).

Q: Did they fix the shotgun exploit?

A: Yes. The exploit that allowed players to bypass the shotgun's fire rate cooldown by hot-swapping weapons has been patched out.

Q: Where is the best place to find blueprints now?

A: Stella Montis. The spawn rates have been significantly buffed, and specific blueprints like the Aphelon are now in the general loot pool there.

Q: Is the Bone Crown set free?

A: No, the Bone Crown set is a featured store item priced at roughly $15.99 (depending on your region). It includes the outfit, Reliquary backpack, and 2,400 Raider tokens.

↖ Final Thoughts

This update is arguably the healthiest thing to happen to ARC Raiders in months. While the credit cap might annoy hoarders, and the Shredder buff will certainly cause some frustration in the short term, the structural changes are solid.

The Betina is finally usable, the economy has a necessary sink in the form of skill resets, and the loot tables in Stella Montis actually respect your time. If you haven't logged in for a while, the Cold Snap event is the perfect time to jump back in, test out the new ADS toggle, and see if you can survive the more aggressive AI.