Last updated on April 28, 2026
If you’ve been hibernating in Speranza, it’s time to wake up. The ARC Riders Riven Tide Update (1.26.0) has officially landed and it’s much more than just a new map. We’re looking at a foundational shift in how weapons work, massive balancing passes on gadgets and a long list of environmental fixes.
Following the 2026 roadmap, Team Embark is pushing ARC Raiders into a more tactical, high-stakes direction. Here is every single detail you need to know.
New territory
The star of the show is the Riven Tides map, a coastal zone that introduces the Beachcombing condition.
- Buried treasure: This isn’t just flavor text. You can now search for loot buried in the sand, but it requires specific tools.
- The ARC turbine: A new enemy type has joined the fray. Early reports suggest it’s a mobility disruptor, so watch your positioning.
- Expedition window: The “Triumphant Exit” event (April 17) and the subsequent “Reclaim the Coast” (April 27) have paved the way for this expansion.
Weapon economy shift
Embark is tackling “weapon accumulation” head-on. They noticed friendly players had too many guns, while PvP players were constantly broke.
- Repair on upgrade: You no longer need to waste resources repairing a gun before upgrading it. Upgrading now repairs 25% of max durability automatically.
- World loot changes: Weapon spawns in the outskirts are now rare and more damaged (average durability dropped from 50 to 30). If you want the “good stuff” (60+ durability), you’ll have to hit the locked rooms.
- Durability loss per shot: High-tier gear now lasts longer. While Common weapons take a +75% durability hit per shot, Epic (-5%) and Legendary (-10%) weapons actually degrade slower than before.
- PvP mercy: If you get knocked out, your weapon durability loss is halved (from -30% to -15%).
Combat & gadget balancing
- The Bettina Buff: It has been redesigned to feel like its rarity. Damage is up (14 to 16) and armor damage is up by 33%. To balance this, the fire rate was slowed down, but dispersion (bloom) is 40% better, making it a beast for controlled bursts.
The Trigger ‘Nade & cloak nerf:
- Trigger ‘Nade: You can no longer spam-detonate. New delays (1s after throw, 1.3s after trigger) prevent the “double-detonation” exploit.
- Photoelectric Cloak: Weight increased (1 to 3) and power consumption skyrocketed from 2.5/s to 10/s. You can still hide, but not for long.
Other item changes:
- Vaporizer Regulator: Stack size increased to 3.
- Heavy Ammo: Stack size increased from 40 to 60.
- New items: Added the Powered Descender (Epic), Crash Mat (Uncommon), White Flag (Common) and the Dockmaster’s Detector.
ARC & gameplay tweaks
- Beginner friendly: Team Jade realized the Dam Battlegrounds and Buried City were getting too sweaty. They’ve removed Comets and heavily reduced Firefly presence in these zones to keep the difficulty fair for newer Raiders.
- Loot distribution: On Stella Montis, Exodus recyclables are now spread more evenly across containers.
- ARC intelligence: Enemies now react to breaching sounds and Vaporizers have been added to more maps. Fixed an issue where the Bastion was “too accurate” when switching targets.
Massive bug fixes & QoL
- Movement: Crouch speed is now capped when using items, and “heavy landings” should no longer trigger at random times.
- Visuals: Bullet holes now properly follow moving objects. The Surge Coil tooltip finally shows its real range.
- Ziplines: Fixed the “death trap” bug where entering a zipline from above could slam you into the ground.
- Emotes: You can finally emote while running!
- Technical: Upgraded Intel XeSS to 3.0.0 and added noise suppression for voice chat.
Events & trials Season 4
The Last Resort Event is your chance to earn merits by collecting ship models (Wind Sprite, Twilight Compass, Velocity, etc.). Meanwhile, Trials Season 4 introduces the Solare and Rachetta sets, alongside the Tactical Mk.3 (Smoke) Augment. Note: The devs are aware that Combat Augments (especially Flanking) are underperforming and a balancing pass is coming.
Known issues
Before you drop in, be aware:
- The “On the Radar” Quest is currently broken on Riven Tides.
- Shredders might float to the ceiling in the Hidden Bunker.
- The Leaper can jump through the new Turbine.
- The Rachetta outfit is missing some color details
The update is a massive 1.26.0 patch that essentially resets the playing field. Whether you’re digging for treasure on the beach or trying out the newly buffed Bettina, the coast of Riven Tides is anything but safe. Good luck out there, Raiders!
If you want to read the full patch, you can find it here!
I write for Need4Games, mostly keeping track of what’s coming next. I cover showcases and release updates, put together quick lists when you just want the highlights, and I’ll post Steam deal roundups when the sales get wild. I play a lot of games, so I tend to look at games through that lens. No overthinking, just: what it is, why it’s interesting, and if it’s actually worth your time. I also stream now and then on Twitch.
