What Is The Expedition Project In Arc Raiders
Arc Raiders is adding a new seasonal feature called the Expedition Project. It is basically a prestige style system that lets you wipe your current character and start fresh in exchange for rewards and long term bonuses.
From December 17 to 22 you will be able to choose whether to opt in. It is completely optional. If you do nothing your current raider and progress will carry on into the next season as normal.
If you do sign up for the Expedition your existing character is retired at the end of the season. You then begin the next season with a brand new raider plus a package of rewards that depend on how hard you pushed your stash and coins before resetting.
This system is aimed at players who love the grind of extraction shooters and want a reason to start over without losing everything they worked for.
What You Get For Doing An Expedition
Embark Studios has confirmed a mix of permanent and temporary rewards for anyone who commits to an Expedition.
The guaranteed rewards include:
- A new outfit for your raider
- A Janitor Cap cosmetic for Scrappy
- A special Indicator icon to show you prestiged
- Plus twelve extra stash slots, which is a permanent inventory upgrade
On top of that you get temporary buffs at the start of the new season. Scrappy will offer improved rates for a while giving you:
- Better repair efficiency
- Increased experience gain
- More materials
These boosts help your fresh character catch back up after you willingly threw away a high level raider.
The most interesting reward is extra skill points for your new character. The amount you get is tied directly to how valuable your stash and coins are when the sign up window closes on December 22.
The rule is simple. You gain one bonus skill point for every one million coins you have earned by that date. So if you have ten million in value you will start your new raider with ten extra skill points. That makes your early build a lot more flexible compared to a true day one character.
Why This Prestige System Matters For Arc Raiders
Seasonal wipes are always controversial in live service and extraction style games. Players do not like losing progress but long running games need ways to reset power creep and keep things balanced. Embark is trying to strike a middle ground with Arc Raiders.
Unlike harsher games like Escape from Tarkov or some action RPG seasons where old characters are locked out or shoved into separate leagues Arc Raiders keeps the Expedition fully optional. If you skip it you keep your existing character and will actually have a mechanical edge at the start of the new season because you are not resetting anything.
The Expedition is more of a prestige challenge for dedicated players who want the satisfaction of starting over. The rewards are deliberately generous but not game breaking. You get nicer cosmetics a small permanent stash upgrade and some early season boosts. The extra skill points feel strong but they are capped by how much you played and they only really affect your early game comfort.
That design keeps the experience fair for everyone. New or casual players can simply keep their character and continue progressing without feeling forced into a system they do not understand. Hardcore players can chase long term cumulative bonuses by repeatedly retiring raiders season after season
Because Expedition rewards stack over time the feature becomes a prestige track. Every time you opt in you are slowly building more stash space cosmetics and small advantages for future seasons. It is not about crushing other players. It is about having a long running history with the game that is visible on your account.
Community reaction so far has been mixed. Some players on the Arc Raiders subreddit feel the rewards are a little stingy for giving up a strong character and a big stash. Others argue that because the Expedition is a self imposed challenge it cannot offer too much raw power without breaking balance. A prestige system that is too strong would make non prestige players feel forced to join every season which defeats the point of it being optional.
From a design point of view the Expedition is also a clever answer to fear of missing out. If you take a break from Arc Raiders for a season or two you will not be punished. You can always come back and just not prestige one season to ease yourself back into the game. On the other hand if you are the type who loves resets you get a structured and rewarded way to do that every season.
To get in on the first Expedition you need to reach at least level 20 before the sign up window closes on December 22. After that it is all about how much value you can squeeze into your stash and coins before you lock in. The more you build up now the more skill points and benefits you will enjoy when your new raider wakes up next season.
If you are planning to prestige this is the time to grind out missions loot Field Depots and Crates and finish side quests. Every extra bit of value in your stash will translate into a slightly stronger fresh start when the Expedition Project finally launches.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-finally-lifts-the-curtain-on-its-expedition-rewards-showing-us-what-players-can-expect-to-get-for-retiring-and-prestiging-their-raiders-later-this-month/
