Arc Raiders' Frozen Trail Update Adds Weapon Amplification

Ever felt like your go-to gun in Arc Raiders could use a little something extra? Well, the upcoming Frozen Trail update is about to give you a whole new way to trick out your arsenal.

Launching October 8, Frozen Trail brings a new endgame crafting system called "weapon amplification." It's tied to a research bench in your expanded raider outpost, and it lets you add unique functions and attachments to 15 different weapons. Want a Renegade rifle with a scope? Done. A Burletta pistol that's fully automatic? Sure. A Rattler rifle that spits incendiary rounds? Absolutely.

According to Embark, the goal is to let you lean into either PvP or PvE with your upgrade choices – especially since there's no dedicated PvE mode. In a new reveal video, a developer explains that an amplified weapon is like a fifth quality level, but instead of raw stats, it opens a branching path of modules that change how the weapon behaves.

At a recent virtual preview event, executive producer Aleksander Grøndal addressed whether this will shorten PvP fights by lowering time-to-kill. He says amplified weapons aren't meant to be demonstrably stronger, and Embark has been careful not to buff top-performing weapons. Instead, the aim is to make more weapons viable and give you more loadout options.

"I expect PvP to be more varied in terms of what's a valuable item or weapon to use," Grøndal says. "What we see in PvP is that it's dominated by a certain group of weapons... A lot of the weapon amplification that we're doing isn't necessarily to make the top end of those weapons perform even better... Rather, give you other weapons that can perform well, and give you other choices to have in PvP."

He also notes that the system forces choices: certain weapons can go one direction or another, typically trading PvP effectiveness for anti-Arc utility. So expect more variety in playstyles, not just raw power creep.

One big unknown is the resource grind. My understanding is that certain items in the world are worth research points, which you spend at the research bench to unlock weapon options. My hope is that it won't be so costly that it feels like a chore. If the economy is right, it could add a lot of life and a fun endgame pursuit to Arc Raiders. At the very least, it should be fun to craft, save, and finally unleash the good stuff for special Arc fights or events.

What do you think? Will you be grinding for amplified weapons, or are you happy with your current loadout?