Updated 16 September 2026, 13:03
Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal said the team is considering scrapping Expeditions entirely, though no decision has been made about the system’s future. The fifth Expeditions period will end later in September 2026. The original announcement had planned for Expeditions to return in early 2027.
You shouldn’t expect concrete details about the future of Expeditions before the Frozen Trail update launches. The update will add new enemies, a new progression system, and the largest map yet. Embark Studios also invited you to share feedback when it announced the Expeditions pause.
Embark released Live Update 1.45.0 on 8 September 2026, and the most important thing in it isn’t new content but a deadline: Cred goes away on 8 October. Whatever you don’t spend by then expires without compensation. On top of that, the fifth Expedition has started, and the game’s interface shows a notice for it that isn’t in the official patch notes at all: after this Expedition, Expeditions pause for one cycle.
This article sums up what’s changing, what to do about it and by when. Everything is taken from the official patch notes and the game client as of 8 September 2026.
The key points in five bullets
- Cred ends on 8 October. You can spend it until then; after that, whatever is left on your account expires. There will be no compensation.
- Rewards you’ve already claimed stay with you. The currency is going away, not what you bought with it.
- The fifth Expedition is the last one for now. After it, Expeditions pause for one cycle so Embark can rework them based on player feedback.
- Leaving on an Expedition wipes eight things, from your stash to your Raider Den. Only what you put in the Expedition Vault carries over.
- Quests no longer reset automatically. When you leave, you choose whether to keep your progress or reset it.
Live Update 1.45.0 is the last Live Update before the big Frozen Trail update on 8 October. According to Embark, a smaller update is still coming.
The end of Cred: what exactly is going away and by when
Embark is removing Cred as a currency. The reason is that Frozen Trail brings a rework of Raider Decks and, with it, a new, broader reward system that the old currency doesn’t fit into.
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Cred can still be spent | until 8 October 2026 |
| Remaining balance expires | with the Frozen Trail update |
| New reward system | together with Frozen Trail |
Three things need to be kept apart, because they get mixed up in discussions:
1. The currency is going away, not the rewards. Everything you can claim from Raider Decks today will also be available in the new system. You don’t lose content, just tokens.
2. What you’ve claimed stays with you. Rewards you’ve already claimed by the time the update hits won’t disappear.
3. Leftover Cred isn’t refunded. It isn’t converted into another currency and you won’t get anything for it retroactively. Either you spend it or you lose it.
Where Cred comes from and where to spend it
The game itself describes Cred in its help text in one sentence: it’s used to claim rewards from Raider Decks and is earned by completing Feats, the tasks that refresh in your Deck and that you complete through regular play.
You can spend it in two places:
- In the Raider Deck on rewards you’ve unlocked but haven’t claimed yet. Do this first; it’s exactly what Cred was made for.
- At the trader Shani in Speranza. For Cred you can buy consumables and small items from her: binoculars, a Raider Hatch key, a sterilized bandage, fireworks and a combat augment.
Embark’s recommendation is clear: first claim the rewards from your Decks, then burn the rest at Shani. Definitely don’t wait until the last day. 8 October is also the day the big update lands, and that’s usually the worst moment for anything that needs working servers.
If you’ve played since the start, this affects you more than others
In mid-January the game introduced a cap of 800 Cred. If you played before that, you may have several times that amount on your account, easily over seven thousand. For an account like that, “spend the rest” isn’t a ten-minute task but a job for several evenings. The sooner you start, the better.
The fifth Expedition, and why it’s the last one for now
The fifth Expedition started together with the update. Its project is called A Triumphant Exit, and the game introduces it with a line about how, with your caravan built, you have one last chance to cement your legacy before you leave.
The final task is Deal Damage: deal damage with the last gear you have left. It has five tiers: 5,000, 10,000, 30,000, 50,000 and 100,000.
The crucial part, though, sits next to it in a gray box on the same screen, and you won’t find it in the official patch notes:
The upcoming Expedition will be the last to depart on the current schedule. After that, Expeditions will pause for one cycle so Embark can improve the experience based on player feedback.
There’s also a countdown to the close of the sign-up window. As of 8 September it showed just under 21 days, so the window closes around 29 September 2026.
Watch out for one thing that’s spreading online faster than the update itself: the game never says this is the last Expedition until 2027. It talks about a pause of one cycle. Longer claims are speculation for now, not official information.
What leaving on an Expedition wipes
When you sign up to depart, your Raider leaves Speranza and comes back as a new Raider with rewards for the completed Expedition. Before you confirm, the game lists what will be reset:
| What resets | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Stash Upgrade Progress | your stash upgrades are gone and you start at the base size |
| Inventory Items | everything you carry and everything in your stash |
| Blueprints | learned recipes |
| Coins | the in-game currency |
| Player Level | your character level |
| Skill Points | your skill points |
| Raider Den | the whole room, including whatever you displayed in it |
| Workshop | the workshop and its upgrades |
Below the list is a red bar saying that this step can’t be undone. It’s not a formality; it’s the only warning you get.
Expedition Vault: the only thing that survives the reset
There is one exception, and it’s worth knowing about before you press the button. The Expedition Vault is at the merchant Ermal among the Nomadic Envoys, and the game describes it precisely: whatever you store in it before departure will be available to your next Raider.
The Vault has a limited number of slots and each additional one costs: expanding it by one slot requires items worth 200,000. That’s not an amount you’ll scrape together the day before departure, so plan ahead.
In practice it means one thing: the list above applies to everything you don’t put in the Vault. Deciding what goes in there is the most important part of preparing for the Expedition.
New in 1.45.0: quests no longer reset on their own
Before 1.45.0, leaving on an Expedition also reset your quest progress. Now it’s a choice, and the game asks you about it in the first of two steps:
- Keep progress: quests stay completed; you just accept them again after you return.
- Reset quests: your next Raider goes through all the quests again and gets their rewards again, including blueprints.
The choice isn’t obvious. If you care about rewards, the reset pays off: you go through the same content and get its rewards again. If you just want to pick up where you left off after you return, keep your progress.
What else the update brought
Ascending the Mountain
The new Raider Project follows up on the mystery of phantom ARC signals that have Shani worried. The signals lead to a mountain range beyond the reach of the Tube system, so Apollo is building an experimental solution and looking for Raiders who understand schematics.
The project has four phases and a 28-day window. Over its course you hand in mechanical components and triggers, then wires, a voltage converter and a rocket motor, then parachutes and impact pads, and finally sensors, broken guidance systems and regulators. The reward is the Hot Air Balloon backpack charm.
One thing deserves emphasis: materials you hand in can’t be taken back. The game warns you about this with every confirmation.
Technical changes worth noting
- Unreal Engine 5.3 → 5.7. The biggest technical change in the update, tucked into the patch notes as a single line in the performance section.
- A new overload tier. When you go well over the weight limit, you can only walk; sprinting and jumping are disabled.
- Aphelion got reduced weapon sway, so it’s easier to aim.
- Reloading via quick item select can be set up separately from the wheel or turned off entirely.
- Community Rubber Ducks. Three community-designed ducks are in the game and every player received them by mail. You can display them in your Raider Den.
Known issues
Embark acknowledges PC crashes related to the Windows update KB5121003 and points to a temporary workaround. Players on Epic may lose keyboard input; disabling overlays or alt-tabbing out of the game and back helps. Crashes on Xbox Series S are also being worked on.
What to do now
- Claim your remaining Raider Deck rewards. That’s where Cred belongs first and foremost.
- Spend the rest of your Cred at Shani. Don’t leave it until 8 October.
- Decide whether to go on the Expedition. The window closes around 29 September and the next cycle is skipped.
- Fill your Expedition Vault before you confirm departure. Nothing else survives the reset.
- Make a deliberate choice on quests: a reset means earning the blueprints again.
- If you’re just starting out with Arc Raiders, read the beginner’s guide. The Expedition reset hurts less when you know what you’re protecting.
FAQ
No. Leftover Cred expires with the Frozen Trail update and isn’t converted into anything else.
No. The currency is going away, not the content. Claimed rewards stay with you, and everything you can get from Raider Decks today will also be available in the new system.
No. It’s voluntary and it means a full progress reset in exchange for rewards. The only difference from before is that there won’t be another chance any time soon, because a pause follows this Expedition.
Only what you store in the Expedition Vault. The game resets everything else: your stash, blueprints, level, skill points, Raider Den and workshop.
On 8 October 2026. It’s also the day Cred ends for good.
You’ll find more guides and news on Arc Raiders in the Arc Raiders article overview.