Helldivers 2 Patch 4.1.2 Backfires: Ongoing Crashes, Lack Of New Content, And Developer Silence Fuel Community Frustration
Helldivers 2, one of the most popular third-person shooters today, has recently launched the new 4.1.2 patch for Into the Unjust update. This patch aims to resolve a number of persistent technical issues that players have reported since November 4 update, hoping to stabilize the game’s loyal but increasingly frustrated player base.
However, despite the developers’ claim that they have shifted their focus away from new content and toward core performance improvements, the community’s feedback has been overwhelmingly negative, and at times openly sarcastic.
Logically, a patch with substantial changes should be something players welcome, yet Patch 4.1.2 delivered the opposite reaction. So what exactly went wrong? This guide takes a deep look at 4.1.2 update, breaks down the developers’ decisions, and explores why the community has responded with widespread pessimism.
Patch Details
To understand why there’s such widespread pessimism, we should first start with this 4.1.2 patch. Previously, patch 4.1.0 was released on November 4th, which included bug fixes and optimizations to address issues that could cause unexpected game crashes.
However, this didn’t satisfy players, so patch 4.1.2, the second patch of the month, was released on November 18th. According to the developers, this latest patch is still addressing previous issues related to the game experience, it has caused serious dissatisfaction among players.
As a mature developer with excellent original works, it is impossible that they cannot completely solve the problems of game crashes, freezes and performance issues. Therefore, players believe that Helldivers 2 is an abandoned child adopted by the developers and has not been managed with any care.
For example, modifications that could cause crashes to game content such as Alt+Tab, changing display-related settings, dropping into city missions, and waiting for Pelican to land, as well as a bug where all audio stops working after the game has been running for a long time.
What players find most absurd is that, nearly two years after the release of Helldivers 2, the developers are still working on improving the way environmental effects such as sandstorms, blizzards, and acid rain apply status effects in order to reduce their impact on game performance and normal operation.
If Helldivers 2 were still in Early Access, slow improvements might be understandable. But after nearly two years, players expect deeper mechanical updates, especially improvements to Helldivers 2 Items functionality, balancing, and consistency.
So when the developers made it clear that there would be no new content in the updates for the next few months and that they would focus on fixing these existing problems, players became angry and complained, even though the developers mentioned at the end of the patch notes that there would be some big news on December 2nd.
Are Developers Really Doing Nothing?
As debates intensified across the community, many expected the developers to address these concerns more proactively. However, the response was muted. Game director Mikael Eriksson simply stated that the team recognized their mistakes and would take a more cautious approach to future updates.
So what have they been focusing on lately? - The availability of AI in shooting games. Recent comments from Helldivers 2 CEO Shams Jorjani indicate that their focus has been on the role of AI in modern shooters. He criticized many contemporary titles for relying too heavily on artificial intelligence but clarified that he is not opposed to its use and he believes the future of game development lies in finding a balance between the two.
While this offers an interesting industry perspective, it ultimately provides little reassurance to players who are still grappling with frequent crashes, noticeable performance drops, and the absence of meaningful improvements to core gameplay systems. And without clear fixes or forward-looking adjustments, the community is left feeling that their concerns are being acknowledged in words but not addressed in practice.
Future Development
For a live-service shooter, stability and consistency are essential. Players expect not only routine fixes, but also improvements that refresh the gameplay cycle and address long-standing frustrations. When patches repeatedly focus on the same technical issues without measurable results, confidence naturally declines.
Therefore, for Helldivers 2, the key to its continued progress in the face of the rapid development of similar games lies in quickly completing all content fixes and releasing seasonal updates, mechanic adjustments, and more expansions.
In short, patch 4.1.2 was intended to reassure players, but instead highlighted the deeper challenges facing Helldivers 2. Nearly two years after release, persistent crashes, inconsistent performance, and vague development direction have created a sense of uncertainty that the community can no longer ignore.
Even so, the game is far from beyond saving. A stronger communication strategy, more decisive technical fixes, and a renewed commitment to stable updates could reverse the current trend. With December 2 approaching, the future of Helldivers 2 now depends on whether the developers can deliver the clarity and progress the community has been waiting for.
ARC Raiders Shredder Boss Guide In Stella Montis | Location, Weaknesses, Gear, And Battle Strategies
With the release of North Line Update in Arc Raiders, a community event requiring the cooperation of all players was launched. Its main objective was to open the tunnel from Speranza to the new map, Stella Montis, facilitating subsequent exploration. Fortunately, the process has progressed very smoothly, and the new map is now available.
According to the developers’ description of the new Stella Montis exploration area, Arc’s enemies have spread to various regions, and the combat risks are greater than ever before. Additionally, a brand new boss called Shredder appears, whose destructive power is a hundred times greater than Ticks, Pops, and Fireballs!
While it’s generally advisable to avoid encounters with these bosses on maps with limited space, Shredders are definitely worth the effort to defeat, given their unique loot and generous rewards. Before attempting the challenge, it’s recommended that you consult this guide for a detailed introduction to the boss, its obvious weaknesses, and combat strategies, which may give you more confidence.
Boss Overview
As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you’ll win every battle, so EZG.com will first introduce you to the specifics of the new boss, Shredders. According to the developer’s announcement, they are medium-sized, floating ARC enemies that will only appear in Stella Montis.
They are often found in the northern and eastern parts of the map, especially near Lobby entrance, Business Center, the corridor above Sandbox, Assembly Workshop, Cargo Docks A and B, Lobby Metro platform, and Culture Archives. At these locations, Shredder is patrolling slowly.
Unlike other bosses who fight with gear, Shredder doesn’t have machine guns or missile launchers; instead, his entire body is his weapon. Once you enter its patrol area, the boss will quickly enter a hostile state: it will stride towards you and, after a short delay, fire four shotgun shells at a wide area around you.
Don’t underestimate these four shotgun shells; they are extremely powerful and can easily take out a Light Shield, reduce your Medium Shield by at least 80% or reduce Heavy Shield by 40%-50%.
The specific value depends on the distance between you and Shredders and your Arc Raiders items. The farther away you are, the lower the probability of them hitting you, because their accuracy is lower.
Overall, the in-game resources you need to spend or invest in this boss encounter are not as many as those required to fight Matriarch, but you still need to pay attention to your offensive and defensive capabilities, otherwise you are likely to be defeated in a few battles.
Weakness Analysis
After reviewing combat feedback from multiple players, it was surprisingly discovered that Shredders has a very obvious weakness: the thrusters located at the bottom of its body. Once this area is damaged, the boss will lose its ability to float quickly, and its balance will also be compromised, making it easier for you to kill it.
By the way, because Shredders wear very heavy armor, their mobility is not very high, even if you damage their thruster. Therefore, in battle, you should prioritize targeting the thruster to make it lose its ability to float before launching a second attack.
Gear Options
After understanding Shredder's overview and weaknesses, it’s time to choose some handy and powerful gear options. The first one to introduce is weapons with Arc Penetration, such as Ferro or Anvil with heavy ammo, because an overly heavy weapon cannot accurately aim at the most important thruster while constantly moving.
Their high damage output can not only cause serious health loss, but also knock back the enemy slightly, which is very helpful in creating a distance between you and the boss. If you’re lucky enough to hit it multiple times, you might even stun it temporarily, which would further increase your chances of successfully completing this Shredders encounter.
In addition, Trigger Nades are also decent portable Arc Raiders in-game items,which allows you to remotely detonate them from a distance to cause massive explosive damage. The main reason for choosing it is its very low production cost. It only requires one Crude Explosive and one Processor, which are readily available in Stella Monti and are very easy to obtain.
Generally, two are enough to destroy a Shredder, as long as you keep a sufficient distance. However, considering accuracy and dynamic combat situations, it is recommended that you throw some grenades at the boss’s back or place them on the nearby floor when it is about to charge at you, which will also cause very heavy damage.
Battle Strategy
The final section will provide you with some strategies that you can use during your battle with Shredder. You can choose the ones that you think will be helpful to you based on your gaming style, and you can also modify them accordingly.
1. Maintain Distance
This is of utmost importance. In ARC Raiders, Shredders can only unleash close-range explosive attacks, not ranged attacks. So as long as you can outrun them or create distance, they will keep chasing you instead of attacking you.
While being chased, use Adrenaline Shot promptly, which can fully restore your stamina and temporarily increase your stamina recovery speed. When you encounter any room with a door, you can hide inside and close the door, which can effectively block its shotgun fire and prevent it from locking onto you. However, you need to close the door quickly enough.
2. Pay Attention To Terrain
Since encounters with this boss are triggered by approaching its patrol area, you’ll often see it return to its original position because it can’t lock onto you. Therefore, you can take full advantage of the terrain to attack it with near-zero damage: you shoot at it from higher shipping containers or floors.
Because of the numerous cover options, Shredder cannot pinpoint your location very precisely and reduces most of the damage he takes from you, which is extremely useful. You can also lead it to a more vertical area, it gives you more opportunities to attack enemies.
3. Seize The Opportunity
Like most Arc enemies, it is crucial to listen carefully to the sounds of Shredders’ every attack, as this can give you the upper hand: locate them by sound before they see you and shoot them.
Additionally, if you plan to kill Shredders at Cargo Docks for the reward, remember to deal with Bastion, who frequently appears there, first, because even the strongest character build can’t withstand attacks from two powerful enemies at the same time.
This concludes the overview and strategies for defeating the new enemy Shredders in ARC Raiders. Given that defeating it isn’t particularly difficult and that Shredder Gyro, basic ARC loot, and Shotgun Shells it provides are essential for many players’ exploration, many are hoping its battle will be added to the weekly trial challenge to unlock more rewards. Stay tuned!
World Of Warcraft 21st Anniversary Celebration Guide Overview | Schedule, Location, And Gameplay
Recently, World of Warcraft announced a major event - the 21st Anniversary Celebration, featuring a variety of exciting activities, abundant in-game currency, and unique cosmetic outfits to collect. While this celebration isn’t as a large scale as last year’s 20th anniversary event, it still offers a high level of gameplay.
If you’re planning to jump into this celebration soon but don’t know where to start, this WoW 21st Anniversary Celebration guide can be incredibly helpful, including schedules, gameplay details, and a list of rewards - everything you need.
Release Schedule
First, let’s get straight to the question that players are most concerned about: This World of Warcraft 21st Anniversary Celebration officially started on November 16 and is expected to end on December 7, giving you three weeks to thoroughly explore this celebration.
It’s worth noting that the celebration schedule in WoW Mists of Pandaria Classic is slightly different: it begins on November 18 and ends on December 9, still lasting three weeks.
Additionally, modern World of Warcraft®, Legion Remix, or World of Warcraft® Classic Era will not be able to participate in some of the 21st Anniversary Celebration bonus events.
Celebration Location
The WoW 21st Anniversary Celebration, open to all characters in Azeroth, will be held in Caverns of Time in Tanaris. You can gain the opportunity to enter the celebration using a portal by interacting with any Holiday Celebrant in your game and accepting a quest.
Like every quest entry point that requires careful exploration, your portal is located in Orgrimmar and Stormwind, with specific options depending on the faction you choose.
Specific Gameplay
Here comes the most important part of this guide! As a celebratory event intended to benefit all players, the rewards offered are sure to be very generous, such as a 10% experience and reputation bonus that can be obtained without activation. However, if you want even more benefits, you can get an extra 10% bonus by completing Celebrate Good Fun! quest provided by Yllana every day.
Furthermore, during this celebration, the experience and reputation bonuses can be stacked with existing in-game bonuses. Based on previous years’ events and some rough calculations, you can gain up to a 75% experience bonus during this period, which is irresistible to any player.
In addition, there are some exclusive buffs or bonuses specific to certain expansions or game modes, as detailed below:
- Completing Five Warband Mentors achievement in WoW The War Within will grant you a 25% experience bonus.
- In War Mode, experience points and WoW Gold gain are increased by 10%.
- Draught of Ten Lands potion currently provides a 10% experience bonus, but it is only available to character’s level 49 and below.
In addition to the generous buffs, this 21st anniversary celebration also includes the essential element of exchanging specific in-game currencies for various items, consumables, and cosmetics. The most noteworthy item is the all-new Loyal Watchman ensemble, which includes a truly impressive collection of accessories: Helm, Gauntlets, Trousers, Cuirass, Spaulders, Belt, and Boots.
There are four types of currency available, and five anniversary merchants with whom you can trade, offering numerous rewards.
Currency Types & Sources
- Timewarped Badges: These can be obtained through Timewalking events.
- Marks of Honor: You need to complete quests and kill members of the opposing faction in world PvP target areas to obtain them.
- Ancient Mana: They often appear in Suramar City and require careful searching.
- Polished Pet Charms: Can be redeemed at Battle Pet Masters.
These quests and events for acquiring WoW Anniversary in-game currency are available to all characters in Warband, and their completion counts towards Warband’s weekly Warband Transferable Token earnings. If you want all the characters to experience the fun of this 21st anniversary celebration, try participating in the event with multiple characters each week.
Merchant Types & Uses
- Traeya - Armor Vendor: Redeem Tier 2 Armor using Timewarped Badges.
- Time-Displaced Thanthaldis Snowgleam - Stormpike Supply Officer: Exchange Marks of Honor and Timewarped Badges for PvP-themed weapons and armor that scale with your level.
- Time-Displaced Jorek Ironside - Frostwolf Supply Officer: Use Marks of Honor and Timewarped Badges to exchange for various PvP-themed weapons and armor.
- Historian Ma’di: Redeem various anniversary rewards using Timewarped Badges.
- Notary Grably: Delivering Bronze Celebration Titles.
Special Bonus In MoP Classic
To reward the great adventurers in WoW Mists of Pandaria Classic, the developers have provided an additional reward for all characters: Joyous Journey’s experience buff, which increases your experience gain during exploration by 50% and lasts until you reach level 90.
It’s worth noting that this bonus is enabled by default. You can go to any of the innkeepers in capital cities and Dalaran to turn it off or restart it, but it’s recommended to keep it on, since who wouldn’t like more experience points?
Bonus In WoW Classic Anniversary Edition Realms
During 21st Anniversary Celebration, an Unrelenting Rallying Cry of the Dragonslayer buff will be added, increasing spell critical strike chance by 10%, melee and ranged attack critical strike chance by 5%, and granting 140 attack power. Please note that this gain cannot be stacked with Rallying Cry of the Dragonslayer and will not be Chronobooned.
Overall, even though this World of Warcraft 21st Anniversary Celebration isn’t as massive as last year’s milestone event, I personally believe it delivers far more value than expected. Hopefully, you can collect more interesting tokens and redeem more useful or unique items during the three-week celebration. Have fun playing!
MLBB Top 3 Roamer Heroes Best Suited For Blade Of Heptaseas Guide | Hilda, Chou And Khaleed
In Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, some aggressive items, such as Blade of Heptaseas, should generally be more suitable for heroes focused on dealing more damage. However, this rule has changed as the game environment has continued to strengthen.
In some high-level matches, you can often see roamer heroes showing outstanding damage output in the early stages of the game, which is mainly because their primary role in these matches becomes prioritizing lane control, advancing the game’s progression and posing a significant threat to enemy heroes.
Therefore, many roamer heroes rely heavily on the Blade of Heptaseas to maximize their impact in matches, which can provide essential burst damage, allowing roamers to quickly chip away at enemy health bars, initiate team fights with confidence, and secure critical kills at key moments. So the question is: which heroes can benefit from Blade of Heptaseas the most?
If you have similar questions, you might want to check out the guide that EZG.com has painstakingly compiled for you, which includes the current effectiveness of Blade of Heptaseas and three Roamer Hero options that are best suited for using it to achieve a game-changing effect.
Blade Of Heptaseas Effect For Roamer Hero
First, let’s give a brief introduction to Blade of Heptaseas. The key to its great effectiveness lies in its passive skill: after avoiding damage for a short period of time, you can gain additional damage. And this item also provides you with very strong physical penetration, making it still highly competitive in the mid-to-late game.
This combination of effects allows Roamer characters who aim for aggressive playstyles, quick roaming, and expanding vision of their allies to maximize their effectiveness, effectively disrupting the flow of battle or extending their team’s economic advantage.
Recommended Roamer Heroes
Based on the above detailed introduction to Blade of Heptaseas, here are three recommended Roamer Hero options that best complement it. However, it’s worth noting that these figures are based on the current version and will change as the game content is modified.
1. Hilda
Hilda’s extremely high offensive strength makes him one of the best tank roamers to pair with Blade of Heptaseas in MLBB. Furthermore, this hero can trigger health regeneration and bonus damage by hiding in bushes, which coincides with the passive effect of this optional item.
With this powerful buff, Hilda can unleash devastating burst damage the moment she steps out of the bushes and engages on the battlefield. This effect is particularly impactful during the laning phase and early-game rotations, where her natural mobility and bush-related passive give her a significant advantage.
Most importantly, Hilda’s dash ability and ultimate skill, which stack damage over time, grant her powerful chasing capabilities. This buff, combined with Blade of Heptaseas, can significantly enhance her early-game pressure and create crucial kill opportunities, thereby controlling the game’s tempo.
2. Chou
Although Chou requires 499 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang in-game Diamonds to unlock, this highly mobile roamer remains one of the most valuable heroes you can invest in, especially for players aiming to perform well in high-level matches. And when it is paired with Blade of Heptaseas, his assassin-style roaming gameplay becomes even more threatening.
Based on the developers’ design for Chou, he frequently seeks advantageous opportunities to eliminate opponents during matches. With this specific item, the damage of your first basic attack after using Jeet Kune Do or a dash is significantly increased, allowing him to kill squishy heroes much faster, especially during roaming and early-game invasions.
In addition, with the addition of physical penetration from Blade of Heptaseas, all his damage becomes considerable, which means he can efficiently initiate or end team fights without losing his core role as an initiator. Normally, these clean and decisive kills can easily change the course of a team fight and turn defeat into victory.
3. Khaleed
The last one is Khaled, who often appears in MLBB as an EXP Laner. However, recently, players have preferred to use it as a tank roamer because its excellent poke damage and super sustain provided by its healing skills make it very effective in roaming. The addition of Blade of Heptaseas is like icing on the cake.
With the unique passive of this item, the first attack you land after successfully dodging incoming enemy damage will trigger a powerful burst of bonus damage. This effect makes it an extremely valuable tool for initiating team fights, catching opponents off guard, and creating high-pressure openings for your team.
And its superior mobility and the area control capabilities provided by his ultimate skill, Desert Tornado, allowed his team to firmly control the entire battlefield. With this buff combination, Khaled can be both a resilient frontline tank in team fights and provide crucial functional damage contributions to the team.
This concludes our analysis of the current effectiveness of Blade of Heptaseas in MLBB, along with three recommended roamer hero options best suited for this item. Here’s a bold hypothesis: if the developers don’t modify its penetration boost or passive duration in future updates, this item could very well lead to more diverse builds and collaborative strategies. Stay tuned!
ARC Raiders Matriarch Guide | Spawn Locations, Applicable Weapons, And Combat Strategies
As the first major update to ARC Raiders since its launch, ARC Raiders 1.2.0 Patch not only brings the brand-new map Stella Montis, but also introduces a new ARC enemy even more threatening than The Queen – Matriarch.
While the former typically guards a Harvester that provides resources for lower-level players, Matriarch is more like a high-risk target roaming the map.
Unlike previous rewards, Matriarch will drop a special loot added in this North Line update after the battle – Matriarch Reactor. Therefore, be well-prepared to face this alluring yet dangerous behemoth.
With the right weapons and effective strategies, defeating her is not impossible. Below is a comprehensive guide for Raiders intending to challenge this formidable foe.
Matriarch Spawn Locations
Similar to other dynamic events in ARC Raiders, you won't encounter Matriarch without warning; the game will alert you to the special status of the current map through mission notifications.
Due to the smaller size of Buried City and Stella Montis maps, Matriarch will not spawn there, but she can appear on all other maps.
Although she doesn't have a fixed spawn location, you can usually find her in large areas of each map, such as Red Lake in Dam Battlegrounds, the area in front of Launch Tower on Spaceport, and the hilly area near the center of the map above Checkpoint.
Recommended Weapons And Equipment
If you have already defeated The Queen or unlocked Wolfpack Blueprint, you should have a good grasp of weapon and equipment choices, as Matriarch's weaknesses are quite similar to those of her more heavily armored and equally large ARC counterparts, here are the best weapon and equipment choices to fight Matriarch:
Weapon Selection
When facing the beetle-form Matriarch, your weapon choice is paramount. Hullcracker Launcher is an excellent choice, dealing massive damage to this heavily armored ARC unit.
Considering the difficulty of accurately hitting targets from a distance with Hullcracker, carrying an upgraded Anvil is a good supplement, as it deals extra damage to armored sections penetrated by Hullcracker.
Additionally, Barricades can be used to construct defensive positions, isolating safe zones and allowing you to focus more on fighting Matriarch.
While you might be tempted to gear up all your equipment for Matriarch, EZG.com recommends that in addition to your primary weapon, Hullcracker, you also carry at least one powerful secondary weapon, such as Venator.
This configuration, while slightly impacting your efficiency in killing ARC enemies, effectively protects you from other third-party Raiders who might exploit your weaknesses and steal your hard-earned loot.
Finally, weapons using Medium Ammo can also deal considerable damage to the weak points of ARC enemies.
Equipment Selection
Regarding equipment selection, there are several quick-use items and grenades that can simplify the fight against Matriarch, with Wolfpack grenade and the newly added Deadline Mine being particularly crucial.
Wolfpack grenade's main advantage is that each rocket hit deals up to 1992 damage, while also effectively clearing large groups of flying enemies summoned by Matriarch.
While the placement of Deadline Mines, Blaze Traps, and Blaze Grenades requires skill and improper operation can be self-destructive, they can deal massive damage to heavily armored enemies like Matriarch. Deadline Mines, in particular, can even completely stun Matriarch for a short time.
While there are many other ARC Raiders Items that can make your fight easier, the following recommended combination is a good starting point, with each additional item enhancing your advantage. However, be careful not to carry too many items, as this can hinder your mobility during combat.
- Raider Hatch Key: Allows you to quickly extract with loot after defeating Matriarch.
- Combat Module With Medium/Heavy Shields: Enhances survivability against powerful attacks and other Raiders.
- Plenty of Medical Supplies: Provides healing sprays and defibrillators for yourself and your teammates, ensuring rapid health regeneration.
- Lure Grenades: Lure Matriarch's summoned ARC enemies to attack her, exposing them to your firepower.
- Showstoppers & Smoke Grenades: Lifesavers in critical moments, used for quick escapes or to cover low-health teammates.
- Photoelectric Cloak: Makes you invisible to enemy ARC units, allowing you to escape danger or approach Matriarch to lay mines.
Defeat Strategy
When engaging Matriarch and dodging her rocket barrage, focus your fire on the center of her vertical eye or the vent located on the lower front of her body.
You can also try attacking G-joints connecting each of her legs; these areas can damage and may temporarily stun her, but hitting these joints is difficult due to her frequent movement. Unlike The Queen, who allows you to use cover to avoid her deadly rocket and laser attacks, Matriarch summons a large number of more challenging enemies, forcing you to maintain distance and eliminate them one by one.
Given that most of the enemies she summons, such as Fireballs and Leapers, are ground-based, it is recommended to occupy high ground and find ample cover when engaging Matriarch, prioritizing the elimination of air units that can reach your position, especially the more threatening Rocketeers.
However, to prevent you from remaining in one place for too long, Matriarch will periodically drop Gas Grenades to deplete your stamina or launch Flashbang Bombs to blind you, so you will need to frequently change position to avoid being surrounded by ARC enemies.
These two attack methods themselves do not cause direct damage, but they make you more vulnerable to her subsequent rocket attacks or being hit by nearby summoned ARC enemies.
During the battle, Matriarch will occasionally spawn an Electric Shield around herself. This shield completely blocks all attacks from outside, providing an excellent opportunity to heal, prepare for the next wave of attacks, or weaken ARC enemies she summons.
Upon successfully defeating Matriarch, you will receive the following material rewards:
- ARC Alloy
- ARC Circuitry
- ARC Performance Steel
- Advanced ARC Powercell
- ARC Flex Rubber
- ARC Motion Core
- ARC Synthetic Resin
- ARC Thermo Lining
- Magnetic Accelerator
- Matriarch Reactor
Of these drops, only Matriarch Reactor is a unique material exclusive to the Matriarch, used to craft Aphelion series of weapons. While the exact location and material requirements for obtaining the weapon's Blueprint are currently unclear, considering the extreme difficulty of defeating ARC Matriarch, it is foreseeable that this will be an extremely powerful weapon.
In brief, taking on Matriarch is the ultimate test of your gear, tactics, and team coordination. The substantial rewards for defeating her will definitely enhance your adventure, so make sure you're fully prepared for this high-stakes battle!
ARC Raiders Expedition Guide | Mechanism, Required Materials, And Rewards Explained
ARC Raiders is a third-person escape shooter with RPG elements, where the player’s chosen skills and gear are crucial factors in determining the gameplay style and exploration difficulty throughout the game. However, unlike Path of Exile, once you activate the wrong skill here, you cannot change it and can only reset your character.
This is where you’ll need to use Expeditions, which can also be called a wipe or a prestige. After you complete the entire expedition, your account will be reset, and you can start building your character and your exploration again.
While it’s hoped that no player will experience this ordeal, who can guarantee they won’t make mistakes when choosing build options? Fortunately, this guide will provide a detailed explanation of how expeditions work in Arc Raiders and the exploration strategies required, which may help you avoid some of the difficulties.
What Are Expeditions?
According to the developers’ announcement, Expedition is an optional data wipe system in ARC Raiders that requires active player intervention and will completely reset most of your game progress. It will also offer you some rewards, such as the novelty of exploration and some benefits options in the subsequent process.
How It Works?
When your player reaches level 20, you can unlock Expedition missions, which are divided into 6 stages, each of which requires you to submit the corresponding ARC Raiders items to complete. Note that these items will be permanently lost once submitted, so please use your resources wisely to ensure you can successfully participate in the raid before your account is reset.
And, the quantity and quality of these items gradually increase, so it’s recommended that you collect and prepare everything you need for the entire expedition phase to ensure everything goes smoothly. The following is a list of items required for each stage of the expedition.
Stage 1: Foundation
- 150 Metal Parts
- 200 Rubber Parts
- 80 ARC Alloy
- 15 Steel Springs
Stage 2: Core Systems
- 35 Durable Cloth
- 30 Wires
- 30 Electrical Components
- 5 Cooling Fans
Stage 3: Framework
- 5 Light Bulbs
- 30 Batteries
- 20 Sensors
- 1 Exodus Module
Stage 4: Outfitting
- 5 Humidifiers
- 5 Advanced Electrical Components
- 3 Magnetic Accelerators
- 3 Leaper Pulse Units
Stage 5: Load Stage
- 250,000 Coins worth of Combat items
- 100,000 Coins worth of Survival items
- 180,000 Coins worth of Provision items
- 300,000 Coins worth of Materials
Stage 6: Departure
- No required items, but Expedition Departure Window must be active.
One thing you should note is that when you reach Stage 6, you need to wait for Expedition Departure Window to open, which is currently closed, likely because we are still in the early stages of the game and not many players need to reset their accounts.
This window of opportunity is approximately seven days after the end of the eight-week preparation period, which gives you a short buffer period to decide whether to set off immediately or collect the last few items you are still missing. Some leaked information suggests that the first Departure Window may officially open next month, so stay tuned!
Once you’ve completed all the expeditions, your account will be completely reset, meaning you’ll need to acquire items again, complete quests again, and start most of the other progress quests from scratch. Fortunately, some of your in-game items will be retained, as listed below:
Reset Items
- All Stash upgrades
- All Inventory items
- All collected Blueprints
- All Coins in your bank
- All earned player levels (you reset back to level one)
- All spent Skill Points
- Your Raider Den
- All Workshop upgrades
- All complete quests
Keep Items
- All Unlocked maps
- All Unlocked Workshop stations
- All Unlocked Codex entries
- All Raider Tokens
- All earned Cred
- All Raider Deck progress
- Your place on active Leaderboards
- Any active Trials
- All earned or purchased Cosmetics
- Any Personal Event progress
- Any bonus Skill Points earned from Expeditions
- Any bonus Stash Slots earned from Expeditions
What Rewards Can Get?
As mentioned earlier, while expeditions in ARC Raiders will reset your account, it’s not without its benefits. Besides retaining the additional Skill Points and Stash Inventory slots you had before the reset, there are other substantial rewards, such as permanent account unlock rewards and unique cosmetic rewards.
In addition, there are experience bonuses that can be applied to the next expedition cycle, increased upgrade material quantity at Scrappy, weapon repair efficiency, and more. Most importantly, the magnitude of these bonuses increases with the number of consecutive expeditions completed.
It’s worth noting that the rewards from ARC Raiders’ expeditions are unlikely to appear in other in-game content, such as the shop, deck rewards, or raids, making them extremely valuable, even something to brag about to other players. However, opinions on resetting accounts are divided, and you might get different responses.
For advanced players, using expeditions to access fresher and more challenging game content is the best option; however, for players with lower skill levels, any reset risk could lead to their demise in the initial raid, so participating in limited-time events to increase their sense of novelty is the best approach.
This concludes the detailed introduction to Expedition content in ARC Raiders. Hopefully, with a better understanding of it, you can more easily complete collecting and submitting the items needed for your Expedition, and experience more of the game’s freshness by resetting your account. Enjoy the game!