Frozen Trail 2.0 is live with Pendola Pass, the Outpost and a rebuilt Skill Tree

Frozen Trail went live October 8. Embark calls the 2.0 update "our biggest update since launch, packed with new features, fresh challenges, and a long list of fixes and improvements." It adds Pendola Pass, the Frigate and Redirection map conditions, three new enemies (Bully, Skulker, Hydra) and the Bantam and Stiletto.

What's new

Embark's highlight list:

• New Map: Pendola Pass
• New Map Conditions: Frigate and Redirection
• New Enemies: Bully, Skulker, Hydra
• New Weapons: Bantam and Stiletto
• Amplified Weapons
• Revamped Skill Tree
• New Items: Grappling Hook, Basic and Advanced Cameras, Tether Launcher, Yank Grenade, Mountaineer's Detector, Banjo and Harmonica
• The Outpost, including a new Research Bench
• Lootable "Design" items that unlock craftable Outpost furniture
• Quest System improvements, 22 new quests added
• New Reward Pass system
• Weapon Stencils
• Updated default gamepad mapping
• Reworked Map Selection screen
• Collector DLC
• Max Stash Size increased by 2 levels

Pendola Pass and map changes

Pendola Pass is the new map, and Embark is using it to test a Dynamic Loot Zone system. Embark says "the intent is to make the loot values of certain areas vary from raid to raid, thus making 'routes' less predictable and scavenging more dynamic." Zones keep their loot type. "Residential loot areas remain Residential loot areas no matter what." One raid an area may pay out more, the next raid less.

Elsewhere, Riven Tides loot value rises by approximately 15%. Blue Gate gets new lighting, and the Hospital Roof in Buried City is climbable.

The Outpost

The Outpost unlocks when you complete a project. Embark's tip: "Remember to accept the quest and bring your camera!" The first step, "Research Topside Living Conditions," asks for a photo of a farmland house. Cameras can be bought at Shani's, crafted at the Workbench or found Topside.

Once unlocked:

• The Outpost can be expanded with different modules
• You get access to the research station

Furniture comes from Designs. "Similar to blueprints, they can be learned and used to craft different furniture for your Outpost," Embark says.

• 100 Furniture Designs in total
• 73 can be found Topside
• 4 are exclusive to the Frozen Trail Pass
• 1 is exclusive to the DLC

The Skill Tree rework

Embark was blunt about the old tree: "We've heard the comments (and seen in the data) that the Skill Tree was not living up to its role." Weak skills were modified or replaced to make "choice and expression a more core feature."

The new layout:

• The old "large" nodes are replaced
• Mid-branch, one node offers a binary choice between two skills. You pick one
• At the end of each branch, two nodes offer three skills. You can take up to two after reaching the required skill point investment
• Resetting your tree lets you choose again

Returning skills tuned to fit:

• Fight or Flight: about 25% more stamina gained per level
• Stubborn Mule: stamina regen up about 33%
• Back on Your Feet: healing raised from 30 to 40

Embark expects "more tweaks and updates in the near future, to existing and new skills."

Weapon Stencils

Stencils are cosmetic patterns for your weapons. Learn one like a blueprint, then apply it with Stencil Parts found Topside.

• 14 Weapon Stencils in total
• 8 can be found Topside
• 5 are exclusive to the Frozen Trail Premium Pass
• 1 is exclusive to the DLC

The catch: "if you're downed, other Raiders can loot your weapon along with its stencil."

Feats

Feats now come in three tiers:

• Easy: 15 Reward Points, +1 weekly milestone progression
• Medium: 25 Reward Points, +2
• Hard: 50 Reward Points, +3

Three weekly milestones pay 250 Reward Points each, at 4, 8 and 12 progress. You can keep doing Feats after that, but "no major milestone rewards will be granted until the weekly timer is reset."

The Reward Pass

The Reward Pass is "the evolution of Raider Decks," Embark says. Cred is removed. Reward Points replace it and count toward whichever pass is active.

The Frozen Trail Pass has 60 levels across a Free and a Premium track.

"Your existing Raider Decks haven't gone anywhere." They now live in the Legacy Pass, and rewards you unlocked show as granted. Set it active to keep progressing. Only one pass can be active at a time.

Duplicated Items

Embark has "begun taking further action to restrict accounts that store high amounts of duplicated items and remove items that were obtained through duplication from player inventories." The goal is "to help correct the in-game economy and clean up items that have appeared through past exploits."

Key balance changes

Anvil

The Anvil moves from Green to Blue. Embark calls it "a tricky weapon to evaluate" that "is outperforming weapons both within and above its own level of rarity," and also "a fan-favourite and a staple of the game." A higher rarity puts it "in a better place within the economy." The Bantam takes over as the uncommon hand cannon.

The Anvil Splitter becomes an upgrade option for the Amplified Anvil, and the Anvil loses its Tech Mod slot. Old Splitters can be sold or recycled into Amplified Fragments.

Snap Hook

• Range: 20m to 18m
• Durability consumption: 2% to 4% per use
• Power cost: 50 to 60

With the Grappling Hook in the game, Embark wanted each gadget to have "their own identity outside of a 'linear upgrade' path." The Snap Hook becomes a burst tool, "used to quickly close distance or traverse a location, but with more commitment when doing so."

Explosive damage

Explosive weapons like the Hullcracker now deal over 50% more damage to ARC armor plates and around 30% less to more fragile parts. Embark wants explosives to "feel more consistent across the board" and stronger against heavy armor. Most ARC are heavily armored, so weak-point damage is slightly reduced. A Jupiter fix leaves it stronger against armor and slightly weaker against weak spots.

Queen and Matriarch loot

Higher tier loot moves from the leg armor to the legs. "The armor plates are supposed to protect the legs, so it made sense to relocate the loot to the protected area." Armor pieces can still contain some loot.

Solo vs. Squads

Solo vs. Squads is gone from matchmaking options. "We want players to have a proper incentive to use all of the available matchmaking settings, which Solo vs. Squads currently lacks," Embark says. It is "taking time to re-evaluate its role in the game."

Also tuned

The Heavy Shield decays slower, from 0.20 to 0.15, and its movement penalty drops from 15% to 10%. The Stash gets two more tiers, up to 328 slots without Expedition rewards or Nomadic Envoy space.

Trader offer changes

• Celeste trades new furniture materials and newly introduced gameplay items
• Tian Wen drops the Anvil and Hullcracker. Both join the weekly Nomadic Envoys rotation
• Launcher Ammo and Energy Clips have a daily purchase limit
• Shani's offers are Coin based, including Cameras and Light Sticks
• Apollo adds a set of Epic Augments
• Ermal heads back on the trail, and Cassio comes in to trade for valuables and ask Raiders for help with certain quests

New items

Embark's new item list: the Grappling Hook, Basic and Advanced Cameras, the Tether Launcher, the Yank Grenade, Mountaineer's Detector, and the Banjo and Harmonica. The Bantam and Stiletto are the new weapons.

Cameras have a job right away. Five older quests now ask for photos taken with the new camera: The League, Reduced to Rubble, Life of a Pharmacist, Battening Down and Groundbreaking. Quests and quest objectives also grant XP now.

Collector DLC

Embark's highlight list says the Collector DLC "is available now." The notes mark one Weapon Stencil and one Furniture Design as DLC exclusives.

Notable fixes

A few fixes from Embark's list, in its words:

• "The Matriarch can once again use all of its ranged attacks."
• "Fixed an issue where weapons picked up from the ground appeared without their attached parts."
• "Fixed an issue where the Dolabra would not destroy the yellow weak points inside the Harvester."
• "Fixed party join not working sometimes when accepting game invites on XBOX."
• "Fixed a crash that could occur when changing graphics settings."

Embark also lists known issues. The Tether Launcher can't be repaired yet, which "will be fixed in the upcoming update." For the Outpost, "most fixes are already in the works and will be implemented in an upcoming Live Update."

Twitch Drops

Watching ARC Raiders streams earns new backpack attachments. Watch 60 minutes for the Oxygen Respirator and 120 minutes for the Mailbox. Drops run October 8 to November 4, 2026.

Every change is listed in our Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes.