Arc Raiders Patch: Flamethrowers, Fixes, And A Darker Stella Montis
The latest Arc Raiders patch delivers a mix of bug fixes, balance changes, and a creative solution to one of the game’s most notorious exploits. If you have been using glitches to sneak into locked rooms or abusing the quick swap trick for wild damage bursts, your life just got a lot harder.
At the same time, the update adds a fresh challenge in the form of a new night raid modifier for Stella Montis, turning an already tense map into something even more intense. Here is a breakdown of what changed and what it means for your runs.
Locked Door Exploits Get A Fiery End
For a while, Arc Raiders players figured out ways to get into locked loot rooms without using keys. In solo play, people used barricades and clever positioning to clip through doors. In squads, you could literally jump on a teammate’s head to squeeze past the lock and grab high tier loot early.
The developers have now shut that down in a dramatic way. Rather than just patching the collision or adjusting the doors, they have added what they call exploit mitigation mechanisms to every locked room across all maps.
In practice, that means one thing: flamethrowers.
These flamethrowers are built into the walls of locked rooms and trigger if someone manages to enter through unintended methods. In a clip shared by a player who tested the change, you can see them glitching through a locked door like before, only to be instantly greeted by a wall of fire. The flames engulf them before they can even escape the room.
So what does this mean for you as a player?
- Glitching into locked rooms is now extremely risky and almost guaranteed to get you killed.
- Keys and intended access routes are now the only safe way to grab that premium loot.
- Teams that relied on this exploit to accelerate their gearing will have to adapt and play more systematically.
It is not the most subtle solution, but it fits the game’s style and sends a clear message: if you break into rooms you are not supposed to access, you are going to get cooked.
Quick Swap Exploit And The End Of Double Pump
The patch also targets another popular exploit that many players considered a core part of high level play: the gun quick swap glitch. This trick allowed you to bypass normal fire rate limitations by rapidly swapping weapons, effectively stacking burst damage faster than intended.
One of the most infamous uses of this was the double pump style tactic, where you would chain shotgun shots by swapping between two weapons to delete enemies before they could react. It felt powerful and satisfying once you learned the rhythm, but it clearly pushed combat balance beyond what the developers wanted.
According to the patch notes, this exploit has now been fully removed. There are no special traps or funny punishments for this one. The underlying behavior is simply gone.
However, that does not mean quick swapping is useless now. It just works the way it was originally intended:
- Swapping weapons instead of reloading is still a solid strategy. If one gun is empty and the fight is still going, switch to your secondary instead of standing still to reload under fire.
- You can still increase your effective damage over time by smart weapon cycling, as long as you respect each weapon’s real fire rate.
- The difference is that you can no longer artificially speed up the fire rate beyond what the guns were balanced around.
From a gameplay perspective, this should make fights feel a bit more predictable and fair. You will not get instantly erased by someone abusing a timing exploit, but strong players who manage ammo and weapon choices well will still have an edge.
New Stella Montis Night Raid Modifier
The patch does not just take things away. It also adds a new Stella Montis modifier in the form of a night raid version of the latest map. If you already thought Stella Montis was dark and stressful, this update leans into that vibe even harder.
In the new night raid variant, visibility becomes an even bigger part of the challenge. Threats are harder to spot, navigation is more demanding, and any mistake is easier to make when you can barely see what is ahead.
While the article does not go into deep technical details, this kind of modifier usually changes how players approach a run:
- You will likely need to play more cautiously and rely more on sound cues and team communication.
- Loadout choices may matter more, especially anything that helps with awareness or survivability.
- Encounters that felt manageable in daylight can become intense when you are fighting in near darkness.
This new modifier is perfect for players who feel comfortable with the base map and want something that really tests their nerves and coordination. For others, it may be a terrifying but rewarding way to push their skills to the next level.
What This Patch Means For Arc Raiders Players
Overall, this patch is a clear step toward tightening up Arc Raiders gameplay. By removing high impact exploits and introducing a spicy new environment twist, the developers are trying to keep the game both fair and exciting.
If you built your play style around slipping through locked doors or abusing the double pump quick swap trick, you will need to adjust. That might feel like a nerf in the short term, but it also opens the door to more consistent balance and a healthier meta in the long run.
For everyone else, expect more honest fights, fewer cheesy deaths, and a new night raid challenge in Stella Montis that will push your squad to communicate better, aim tighter, and stay on edge from drop to extraction.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-latest-patch-has-fixed-the-infamous-door-glitch-by-turning-rooms-into-ovens-and-cooking-cheaters-alive-all-while-sneaking-in-a-new-stella-montis-modifier/
