Arc Raiders: Shrouded Sky Patch Notes – A Deep Dive

Attention, Raiders! The Shrouded Sky update brings significant changes to Arc Raiders, addressing weapon balance, responsiveness, and the ongoing fight against unfair play. Violent hurricanes are sweeping topside, demanding new strategies for combat in low visibility, powerful gales, and hurtling debris. Scouts have spotted two new ARC types in the Rust Belt, so proceed with caution, but remember that those who can read the weather will find opportunity in the chaos.

Weapon Rebalancing & Responsiveness

Update 1.13 initially included an optimization fix for weapons, which inadvertently lowered the fire rate of semi-automatic weapons. Update 1.13.1 attempted to revert this, but introduced a “shadow buff” impacting weapon input buffers. This allowed players to bypass skill requirements by spam-clicking, rather than timing shots to the weapon’s cadence.

The development team has since implemented more control over the weapon input buffering window, adjusting semi-automatic weapons to strike a balance between responsiveness and skill expression. Spam-clicking will now be more effective, but pacing shots will still yield better results. This aims to make weapons feel more responsive while retaining a degree of skill-based mastery.

Tiered Weapon Adjustments

Beyond responsiveness, the team is addressing the balance between low and high-tier weapons. Concerns have been raised that some lower-tier weapons outperform higher-tier options at a significantly reduced cost. The initial adjustments include:

• Stitcher & Kettle: Reduced Time-To-Kill (TTK).
• Aphelion & Jupiter: Increased maneuverability.
• Venator: Further nerfs to address its dominance in PvP encounters.

Developer Notes: Specific Weapon Changes

Stitcher: While effective in close quarters, the Stitcher’s fast TTK could lead to players being killed before reacting. Changes focus on reducing headshot damage and full-spray accuracy to bring headshot TTK closer to body shot TTK.

Kettle: The Kettle’s high damage was intended for medium-range engagements, but players were using it as an SMG in close quarters. Damage has been reduced to differentiate it from the Stitcher, while maintaining a high headshot multiplier to encourage precision.

Venator: Data shows the Venator remains a top performer in PvP, even after previous nerfs. A damage reduction is planned, with potential adjustments to ammo consumption and cost efficiency if necessary.

Jupiter: The Jupiter excels at headshots but is difficult to use at range. Zoom levels have been increased during ADS, and equip/unequip times reduced to facilitate quicker weapon swaps.

Aphelion: Previous balancing attempts were unsuccessful. Changes aim to make the Aphelion feel less bulky and more nimble, improving its viability in PvP.

Anti-Cheat Measures & Fair Play

Embark Studios is committed to maintaining a fair gaming environment. Cheat detection operates on multiple levels, from simple software detections to behavioral analysis and machine learning. Recent actions have been taken against exploits, and rules are being tightened with stricter consequences for infractions. Permanent bans will be issued for serious offenses, while others will receive temporary suspensions and a chance to correct their behavior. Family Sharing updates have also strengthened anti-cheat measures.

A systematic manual review of ban appeals is underway to ensure every case is handled carefully. The team acknowledges the volume of telemetry and is investing in precision enforcement tools.

Read more about our commitment to fair play: Embark User Terms

//Ossen and the ARC Raiders Team

Please note: Internet connection, Embark ID user account (+13), third-party platform account, and acceptance of the Embark Terms of Service and End User License Agreement are required to play. Age restrictions apply (13+). Raider Tokens are an in-game currency in ARC Raiders.

ARC RAIDERS © 2025 Embark Studios AB. ARC RAIDERS and EMBARK trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Embark Studios AB. NEXON trademark and logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of NXC Corporation. © 2025 Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. PlayStation, the PlayStation Family Mark, PS5 and the PS5 logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, the Xbox Sphere mark and Xbox Series X|S are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. © 2025 Valve Corporation. Steam and the Steam logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Valve Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. © 2025 Epic Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Epic, Epic Games, Epic Games Store, Unreal, Unreal Engine and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and elsewhere. NVIDIA, the NVIDIA logo and the GeForce Now logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of NVIDIA Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.