ARC Raiders Second Expedition: Less Grind, More Loot
It is time to pack your bags, say goodbye to your hard-earned gear, and wipe your memory for a shiny new badge, because the Second Expedition is almost here.
If you played the first Expedition, you know the pain. The stash requirement was absurdly high, turning the game into a second job where the only paycheck was digital anxiety. Embark seems to have actually listened to the screaming masses in the discord channels. The Second Expedition sign-ups open on February 25th, with the actual departure scheduled for March 1st. This time around, they have significantly lowered the barrier to entry and added a "pity system" for those of us who didn't quite make the cut last time.
The New Coin Requirement
The headline here is that you no longer need to liquidate your entire existence to hit the maximum reward tier.
The developers have lowered the Stash Value requirement to 3 million Coins for the maximum reward. That breaks down to 600k Coins per Skill Point. If you played the first round, you know this is a massive improvement. It makes the prestige mechanic feel less like a punishment and more like an actual progression loop. You still get 5 Skill Points total for hitting that cap, but now you might actually have time to sleep between raids.
The Catch-Up Mechanic
This is the best addition for anyone who has a life outside of the Rust Belt. If you missed out on Skill Points during the first Expedition, you aren't permanently gimped.
They are introducing a "Catch Up" system. You can reclaim missed points from the first Expedition at a steep discount. You only need to gather 300k Stash Value per missing Skill Point. The game prioritizes your current Expedition points first, and then any overflow coins go toward filling the holes in your previous record. It is a smart move that prevents the player base from fracturing into "Gods" and "Peasants" this early in the game's lifecycle.
The Rewards Table
Let's look at what you actually get for throwing away your progress. The rewards are split between permanent upgrades and "Consecutive" buffs that you only keep if you keep departing.
What You Keep (And What You Lose)
Before you panic, this isn't a total hard wipe. Embark is leaving you with the things that actually matter for your sanity.
You Will Keep:
Trophy Display: Cause god knows you grinded for that.
Cosmetics: If you bought it or earned it, you keep it.
Raider Deck Progress: Your build knowledge stays.
Map Regions: Jumping into stella day 1 lets go.
Leaderboard Position: Your ego remains intact.
Raider Tokens & Codex: Currency and lore are safe.
You Will Lose:
Consecutive Buffs: If you choose not to depart, your buffs (XP, Repair, Mats) reset to zero. This is how they get you. It is a subscription service for power, paid in playtime.
Personally, the jump to 24 stash slots is the only reason I need to sign up. Managing inventory in this game is a nightmare, and doubling that first expedition bonus is worth the reset alone.
I will see you all in the queue on February 25th. Try not to shoot me in the back this time.
