Arc Raiders Miniature Voyages Event Guide: Ship Models, Merits, and Surviving Riven Tides
The new map is live, the Turbine is loud, and there is a fresh cosmetic grind to keep your hands busy.
Embark Studios just launched the Riven Tides update for Arc Raiders. It brings a new map to explore and a massive new mechanical enemy called the Turbine to avoid. Alongside the permanent additions, we also get the Miniature Voyages event. It runs for just under a month and operates exactly like the candleberry event from the holiday season. You play the game, earn XP, and unlock some new gear. It is a straightforward system that does not ask you to reinvent your playstyle. You have until Monday, May 25 to hit the cap of 3,150 merits. Here is how I recommend tackling the grind without burning out.
Earning Merits Naturally
The best part about this event structure is that it respects your time. Any XP you earn automatically converts into merits, meaning your standard gameplay loop is all you need.
Stick to the Basics
You do not need to go out of your way to progress. Shooting Arc enemies, opening containers, and downing rival players all feed into your merit pool. My advice is to simply run your standard routes. If you usually play slow and loot every building, keep doing that. If you prefer hunting other players, those eliminations yield a solid chunk of XP. The only real adjustment I suggest is opening containers you might normally skip. Even junk loot gives you a tiny bit of progression, which adds up fast over 27 days.
Finding Ship Models for Fast Cash
If you want to speed up your merit gains, you can look for event specific trinkets scattered around the environment.
Cashing Out Safely
These items are called ship models. They take up inventory space and range in rarity from common to legendary. Finding one is great, but you actually have to extract with it to see the benefits. They sell for coins, which helps fund your loadouts for the week. Grabbing a Leviathan's Crown is a nice 10,000 coin payday. It is not going to break the economy or let you retire early, but it certainly takes the sting out of ½ bad runs. Just play smart when you have one in your backpack. Do not push unnecessary fights if you are sitting on easy money.
The Reward Track Breakdown
The main draw here is the Junior outfit set. If you hit the maximum rank, you get multiple variants and colors to mix up your look.
Unlocks by Merit
You need 3,150 merits to finish everything. You have nearly a month to do it, which averages out to a very casual pace if you drop in a few nights a week. You also get a decent early unlock at 600 merits with the Canto I SMG, which is incredibly handy if you have been struggling to find one in the wild.
The Riven Tides update is really about getting used to the new map geography and figuring out how to path around the Turbine without getting crushed. The Miniature Voyages event is just nice background progression while you do exactly that.
