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This guide covers the four things you need to understand before your first run: the maps, the Runner Shells, the weapons, and how progression actually works — including what you keep and what you lose.

For the first two seasons of Trials, a lot of Arc Raiders players simply didn't bother. The competitive mode was there, the ranking system worked as advertised, and Embark Studios clearly put thought into the structure — but the rewards at the end of the grind never quite justified the effort.

April's Riven Tides update is the biggest drop on the roadmap by a wide margin — and if the concept art and community speculation are anything to go by, it might change how Arc Raiders is played entirely.

Marathon launches with three maps: Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost. A fourth zone — Cryo Archive — arrives during Season 1. Each map plays differently, has different extraction dynamics, and rewards different Runner Shells. Knowing all three is the difference between a profitable season and a frustrating one.

The game is built around one core loop: drop in, loot, extract. Easy to describe, hard to do when three other squads have the same idea. But once these fundamentals click, Marathon becomes a genuinely thrilling experience.

This guide covers everything you need to know about how the system works, what changes between Expeditions, and whether wiping is actually worth your time. All information is based on the live game as of March 2026, including Expedition 1 and Expedition 2 outcomes.

This guide covers every type of contract in Marathon, breaks down all six factions and what they actually want from you, and gives you practical tips for completing objectives efficiently without throwing your run away.

Marathon launches with four distinct zones, each built around a different kind of threat and pacing. Three are surface maps you can access from day one. The fourth — Cryo Archive — is an endgame location tied to Season 1. Before you drop into any of them, here's everything you need to know.

This guide breaks down all seven Runner Shells — their abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and best team synergies — so you know exactly what you're getting into before your first run on March 5.

On top of the balance work, the patch adds the Hurricane map condition, two new ARC enemy types, free daily Feat rerolls, and a catch-up system for missed Expedition Skill Points. There's a lot to unpack — so this breakdown focuses only on what actually affects how you play.

Patch 1.17.0 brings a full Hurricane map condition, two new ARC machines actively hunting Raiders on the surface, a free Raider Deck, weapon balance changes, and a new community project that runs through the end of March.

This list covers Version 1.0, February 2026. Rankings are based on endgame content performance, specifically Algorithmic Memories mode, flexibility across team types, and long-term investment value.