- Primary Subject: ARC Raiders – Headwinds Update (Version 1.13.0)
- Key Update: Embark nerfs drop rates of rare items and blueprints, making powerful loot harder to obtain, while increasing high-tier weapon spawns.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: January 27, 2026
- Quick Answer: ARC Raiders’ latest update reduces rare blueprint and unique part drops, frustrating solo and co-op players, but boosts high-tier weapon availability.
The latest ARC Raiders update brought another major issue to its community after nerfing the drop rates of its most elusive items. Players on the official ARC Raiders subreddit criticized Embark, asking, “Why on earth would [they] make these changes?”
In the official ARC Raiders patch notes for Update 1.13.0, Embark tweaked three pivotal drop rates across the game’s five sets of maps. The first was reducing the spawn rates for blueprint drops during Electromagnetic Storm, Hidden Bunker, and Locked Gate events. The Reddit user who created the thread complained that the game’s most powerful blueprints: the Bobcat, Snaphook, and Vulcano, are now harder to find from this major nerf.
The second nerf from ARC Raiders’ Headwinds patch notes was toning down the chances of finding Matriarch and Queen unique parts. Normally, the Raiders would have to loot from the fallen armor pieces when the Matriarch and Queen encounters are active, often giving them one or two components. The intent of Embark was to “make it a bit harder to get them without destroying them completely.”
This creates further discourse among the community, as it disincentivizes solo Raiders to participate in slaying both massive Arcs. It was already difficult finding a lobby working together to slay Matriarchs and Queens, and this update makes things far more difficult to cooperate as Raiders would need to completely take down the machines and race to loot their core, inviting more chaos.
One suggestion from the community is that instead of looting a single core, it would be split into multiple pieces to guarantee a fair distribution among players who lent their helping hand.
But not all of the spawn rate tweaks were bad. The third change was increasing the chances of finding higher-tier weapons in various weapon cases. Players should find more powerful weapons, like a Level 4 Anvil or Venator to the loot pool.
In the same Reddit thread, part of the players’ concerns was how the drop rate reduction dwindles the solo Raider experience. This makes it even more difficult for lone wanderers to find the materials they need and have to rely on coordinated lobbies to make things work. ARC Raiders already has a problem with finding trusted players due to its lack of a social hub, and this update is making things far more difficult for them.
Embark has yet to comment on this bizarre nerf.
ARC Raiders’ Headwinds update is officially live now, offering a new solo vs. Squad matchmaking system, pitting one lone Raider against a lobby filled with three-player squads. However, it is considered an endgame mode that requires a loot pool worth over 40,000 credits. That means the Raiders running the traditional “Free Loadouts” won’t find themselves participating in the event.
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