Embark isn't slowing down. The studio's breakout extraction shooter, ARC Raiders, just received its biggest content drop since launch — patch 1.26.0, better known as Riven Tides. Live on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S as of today, the update introduces a brand-new map, a deadly new ARC enemy, an entirely reworked expedition system, and a surprise visual overhaul that Embark is delivering for free across every platform.
Welcome to Riven Tides
Riven Tides is an abandoned shoreline along the western coast of the Rust Belt — a coastal stretch that was abandoned twice. First during the original Exodus, then again by First Wave survivors who couldn't hold the line against ARC's relentless advance. What's left behind is a haunting playground: the once-luxurious Panorama Azzurro Resort, a creaking dockyard, half-buried Exodus buildings, and a stranded shipyard ripe for scavenging.
It's the most picturesque map ARC Raiders has had to date, and that beauty hides a lot of new loot. Embark has packed the coastline with hidden caches, themed reward sets, and the kind of vertical architecture that rewards confident traversal. Veterans of Buried City and Spaceport will recognise the studio's eye for sightlines, but the open dunes here force a different rhythm — sniper duels at long range, frantic close-quarters fights inside salt-rotten hotel rooms, and a sense of exposed dread the older maps never quite delivered.
The ARC Turbine Stalks the Coast
Veterans know that every new ARC unit changes how a Raid plays out, and the ARC Turbine is no exception. This drifting menace patrols Riven Tides with brutal defensive abilities and aggressive area denial, demanding both patience and coordination. Engaging it isn't optional — it'll come for you whether you wanted that fight or not — but bringing it down rewards you with rare drops and access to loot zones it was guarding.
Embark has been clear that the Turbine is meant to be the toughest ARC unit in the game's roster so far. Early playtests had teams routinely getting wiped solo, and the recommendation across the community is to either commit a full squad or sprint for distance the moment you see one drift in.
Beachcombing: A New Reason to Sweat the Sand
The patch also adds Beachcombing, a minor map condition exclusive to Riven Tides. When active, the abandoned shorelines and coastal dunes become hotspots for buried treasure. Pick up the new Dockmaster's Detector mid-session and sweep the sand to dig up hidden caches — a metal-detector minigame that turns dead stretches of beach into legitimate loot opportunities.
The Dockmaster's Detector itself is unlocked through a new Raider project: deploy cages along Riven Tides' buoys to catch birds for the Avian Alarm, a makeshift early-warning system. Completing the project rewards you with the detector, gel patches, the Bird House backpack attachment, the Fist In Air emote, and 250 Raider Tokens — a stack of utility plus enough cosmetics to make the grind feel worth it.
The Expedition System Gets Overhauled
The biggest mechanical change in Riven Tides is the long-requested rework of the expedition system. Progression is no longer tied to the value of the resources sitting in your stash — instead, it depends on the damage you deal in combat. The damage requirement is valid through May 11, and Embark has extended the expedition window to give players more breathing room.
That fundamentally changes the loop. Players no longer need to hoard rare materials just to keep their expeditions ticking; aggressive play and combat performance now drive your meta-progression. Combine that with the new Last Call feature and a fresh expedition window offering skill points, stash space, and cosmetics, and you've got the most generous progression season ARC Raiders has ever offered. The community response to the change has been overwhelmingly positive — the old stash-value system was the most-cited frustration in Embark's quarterly survey, and ripping it out is the kind of statement that builds trust.
The Last Resort Event and a Free Visual Upgrade
The Riven Tides update also brings the Last Resort event, running from April 28 through May 25. During the event, players can convert XP into Merits, collect ship models scattered across the map, and unlock exclusive outfits and Raider tokens. New cosmetic sets include the Solar Set, Corsaro Sey, Rachetta Set, Castaway Set, and Sandveil Set — heavily themed around the seaside ruin.
And in a surprise that even leakers didn't see coming: PS5 Pro players are getting PSSR 2 support as part of the patch, alongside what Embark is calling a free remaster — a visual pass touching textures, lighting, and effects across the entire game. The result, on Pro hardware, is genuinely striking. Sand kicks up with proper temporal stability, the lighting on the resort interiors finally feels seasonally appropriate, and weapon effects gain a layer of crispness that older maps inherit too.
Riven Tides isn't just a content drop. It's the strongest argument yet that ARC Raiders is going to be a long-haul live service — one Embark is willing to overhaul in public when the loop needs fixing. The 1.26.0 patch is rolling out platform by platform throughout the day, and there's never been a better moment to slip back into the Rust Belt.
