ARC Raiders’ January Update 1.13—Solo Showdowns, Buried City Birds, and Epic Loot

You’ve probably been waiting for this, and it’s finally upon us—January update 1.13 has arrived. It’s the first update of the new roadmap, and while it’s not the absolute biggest drop of content you’ll see this year, it’s still pretty sizable. There’s a lot to unpack, so you'd better keep your eyes glued to your screen while reading this. 

First of all, the world seems a little rougher than usual. Heavy sandstorms have been hitting the surface hard, making it harder to explore. Also, flocks of birds have been seen flying around Buried City and nesting in empty chimneys. People are already guessing that these birds might have some secret or "evil" plan. 

And if that wasn’t enough, Maverick Raiders have been spotted hunting ARCs just for fun, taking on entire squads solo. It’s setting the stage for one of the most talked-about additions in this update: solo versus squads. This new matchmaking option is for those who love a PvP challenge.  

If you’re level 40 or above, you can toggle solo versus squad mode above matchmaking, putting yourself straight into the fire against groups of raiders. The incentive? A 20% XP boost at the end of the round, whether you extract successfully or come out victorious. 

In ARC Raiders, a 1v3 situation is brutal: kill one squad, and another will come in before you have time to catch your breath. There's no doubt that it's intense. But the loot is amazing, and I think it's worth the risk. Think about all the containers that sit empty in trio lobbies most of the time. If you can get in and out without being seen, you're in for a big payday. For y'all adrenaline junkies, this is going to be a lot of fun. 

There are a couple of new epic augments showing up on your screen, though the update doesn’t spell out exactly what they are.  

You’ll just have to discover them for yourself playing the updated ARC Raiders. And if you’re into long-term projects, there’s a new one that will have you hunting tougher ARC groups to submit their parts for rewards. Over five steps, you can build a display case, and you may think of it as your personal trophy shelf.  

Each stage adds new items, and rewards include blueprints, raider tokens, and even a howl emote for full completion. On top of that, you can snag a guitar and 300,000 coins. There’s no end date for this project, and it won’t be affected by expedition resets, FYI. 

Buried City’s map condition is permanent, cycling weekly, with more bird traps and ziplines popping up. Combat isn’t just on the ground anymore—you’ll be encountering enemies on rooftops, more flying ARCs, and more players close by. Bird traps could also double as loot containers, similar to the lush bloom baskets you’re used to, so keep an eye out. 

The update doesn’t stop at events and new modes.  

There are seven new quests to tackle and a variety of patch highlights that smooth out gameplay in ARC Raiders. You can now set your party as open, letting friends join in, and squadmates can invite each other to parties alongside the party leader. Achievements that were previously glitchy have been fixed, although the fix for extracting from the seed vault is still on our wish lists. 

Dead Shredders can now be properly labeled as scavengeable. Snitches won't stop ARC calls if a law grenade is thrown, and they won't make noise when they are destroyed. Spotters can no longer get stuck in buildings, and when you grab the tick, you can now dodge roll for a short time. There have been fixes for emoting voice lines, voice chat problems, and other UI bugs. 

Map updates are extensive. Condition-specific blueprint spawns have been lowered in certain locations like Electromanic Storm, Hidden Bunker, and Locked Gate, while higher-tier weapon spawns have been increased.  

Chances of finding Matriarch and Queen unique parts in armor have been slightly reduced.

Multiple container issues, raider hatch timing bugs, camera glitches, and collision problems across various maps have been fixed, from cliff areas to elevators and even Buried City highways. 

Other fun updates include removing a musical puzzle in Buried City (but you can still buy the guitar from Shani's), correcting floating rocks and grass, adjusting ARC spawn points on antennas, and fixing extraction glitches in Stella Montis. Night raid lighting has been updated, and several spots where players would frequently get stuck have been corrected.  

Embark has also added fixes for crashes, options for matchmaking delays, ways to stop stream sniping, and consistent aim assist across all frame rates. The problems with helmet and trinket placement and input registration at 30 FPS or higher have been fixed. Problems with graphics and lighting, such as sun lens flare and resets of graphics settings, have also seen tweaks in the latest ARC Raiders update. 

Movement updates are minimal, but UI improvements include a new tab allowing free rebinding of most gamepad buttons.  

When changing augments and loadouts, excess items are now better organized in the stash. Interactions for the final objective in the Groundbreaking quest have been improved. Also, a three-strikes progressive ban system is being implemented—bans will go from 30 days to 60 days and eventually to a permanent ban. 

The store has a few notable additions. The Sandwalker set offers some normal clothing options, letting you remove the gas mask, goggles, and scarf if you want. There’s no ballerina skirt this time, but the colorways are solid, and the outfit is versatile enough. The Alpine Rescue set has a snowy mountain theme, complete with a snow rescue kit and a road flare.  

All in all, update 1.13 might not be the most massive drop you’ll see this year, but it packs a lot of new content, tweaks, and fixes. From solo versus squads PvP madness to quirky bird-driven loot events and long-term projects that reward dedication, there’s clearly been some heart put into this ARC Raiders update from Embark.