Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
PC Gamer
PC Gamer
Rory Norris

Everything that happens when you do an Expedition Project in Arc Raiders

Arc Raiders Expeditions: A raider reloading while looking up at a large, spider-like ARC robot that's about to attack them.

While Arc Raiders doesn't have traditional extraction shooter wipes like Escape from Tarkov, it's not ignoring those who like this kind of 'back to basics' gameplay loop. This is where the Expedition system comes in, letting you reset much of your progress roughly every eight weeks for extra benefits, similar to prestige mode in Call of Duty.

With such high stakes but great rewards on the line, it's important to know what you're getting into if you're contemplating sending your raider on an Expedition. That's especially true since Embark keeps tweaking the system.

Below, I'll go over how to go on an Expedition, everything you'll need to prepare, and what progress is kept and what's lost.

When is the next Expedition in Arc Raiders?

(Image credit: Embark)

The next Expedition Project in Arc Raiders runs from December 22, 2025, until March 1, 2026, giving you 69 days to complete the stages:

  • December 22: Caravan construction and supply phases available
  • February 25 - March 1: Finalisation phase opens to confirm whether you're going forward with the expedition
  • March 1: Completed caravans depart

The first Expedition Project in Arc Raiders began at launch on October 30, 2025, and departed on December 22, 2025.

Latest Arc Raiders Expedition material requirements

(Image credit: Embark)

To begin an Expedition, you need to reach level 20, then head to the 'raider' section of the main menu and select 'projects', where you'll see the Expedition Project option. Starting this begins the caravan construction process to send your raider beyond the Rust Belt.

From here, you can commit various materials towards the construction of your Expedition caravan. Keep in mind that once you've committed materials to the project, they can't be retrieved.

These materials change based on how many Expeditions you've completed.

You'll need the following materials to complete your second Expedition Project:

Second Expedition materials

Step

Materials Required

Foundation

150x Metal Parts

200x Plastic Parts

80x ARC Alloy

15x Steel Spring

Core Systems

35x Durable Cloth

25x Wires

20x Electrical Components

4x Cooling Coil

Framework

4x Lightbulb

30x Battery

10x Shredder Gyro

1x Exodus Module

Outfitting

5x Frequency Modulation Box

5x Advanced Electrical Components

3x Ion Sputter

3x Leaper Pulse Units

Loading

250,000 coins worth of Combat items

100,000 coins worth of Survival items

180,000 coins worth of Provisions

300,000 coins worth of materials

Now, that last step is a little confusing, as it's the first time you'll have really heard these terms in-game. So, here's what they mean:

  • Combat items include guns, grenades, ammo, and attachments
  • Survival items include shields, augments, medical items, and other tools
  • Provisions include Nature items, trinkets, keys, and other miscellaneous items
  • Materials means effectively any crafting resources and recyclables
(Image credit: Embark Studios)

Once that's done and the Expedition window opens, you simply need to head to the project, pictured above, to see what potential rewards you'll get for completing it are, including how many of the bonus skill points you'll get based on stash and coin value.

If you still want to do the Expedition, simply click "Sign up" on that screen before the window closes.

What happens when you send a raider on an Expedition in Arc Raiders?

Once you complete the necessary steps to embark on an Expedition, much of your progress will be reset, though you'll keep cosmetics and gain rewards and advantages that carry over to your next character until the following Expedition cycle. If you're a hardcore raider, these advantages can be increased by sending characters on up to three future Expeditions.

When you depart on an Expedition, you will lose:

  • Stash upgrade progress
  • All inventory items
  • Blueprints
  • Your player level and all acquired skill points
  • Coins
  • Raider den progress
  • Workshop upgrade progress
  • Quest progress

When you depart on an Expedition, you will keep:

  • Unlocked maps
  • Unlocked workshop stations
  • Codex entries
  • Raider Tokens
  • Cred
  • Raider Decks progress
  • Active leaderboards
  • Trials
  • Cosmetics
  • Personal event progress (like the Stella Montis event)
  • Bonus skill points earned from Expeditions
  • Bonus stash slots earned from Expeditions

Lastly, you'll gain the following permanent benefits by sending a raider on this current Expedition (scaling on whether it's your first or second Expedition):

  • An exclusive outfit (the first Expedition rewarded The Patchwork Raider outfit)
  • An exclusive Scrappy cosmetic (the first Expedition rewarded the Scrappy Janitor Cap)
  • Expeditions Indicator icon
  • Bonus skill points above the level cap (which stacks with previous expeditions, up to a total of 85 skill points)
  • +12/+24 Stash space

As well as these temporary benefits at the start of the new season, scaling on consecutive completed Expeditions:

  • 60%/70% repair buff
  • 5%/10% xp boost
  • 6%/12% more materials from Scrappy

Embark has changed the system somewhat overtime. The required stash value for the maximum rewards have been lowered to three million coins (600k per skill point). Plus, if you didn't manage to amass enough coins during the previous Expedition, you can now catch up with heavily discounted donation requirements. When departing, coins will contribute to the skill points of the current Expedition, before contributing to missing ones from the previous Expedition.

Arc Raiders Expeditions explained

(Image credit: Embark)

Expeditions is Arc Raiders' approach to server wipes, giving you an optional way to retire your raiders and 'prestige' your account, losing most progression in the process. Expeditions have five main stages before reaching the final departure window, each requiring you to deliver different items and resources to build a caravan and prep it for travel.

Only once you've completed these preparation steps can you officially send your raider on their merry way, never to be seen again.

Importantly, Expeditions run on a roughly eight-week schedule, so you'll have 60 days to gather resources to build your caravan and supply it, and then just a seven-day window to depart.

Missing a departure window means losing its buffs until the next Expedition cycle, though if your project isn't complete by the time the construction phase ends, your progress will be kept until the next finalisation window. So, plan your contributions and availability in advance to avoid wasting precious time or resources.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.