Every ARC Raiders Map Condition Explained: What Changes, What Drops and Which to Play
Every hour, each map in ARC Raiders can switch to a different condition. Some only add more fruit or ducks. Others lock the map down, call in a boss or fill locked rooms with better loot. Knowing which is which is the cheapest edge in the game: the same raid can be worth twice as much an hour later
How map conditions work
- Conditions rotate on the hour, and each one stays for one hour. Every map has its own list of conditions it can roll
- Minor conditions add an event or more of one kind of loot. Some trials can only be done during them
- Major conditions change how the map plays: the weather, the ARC, locked areas or the length of the raid
- ARC Operations are the biggest of the majors: Close Scrutiny and the ARC Frigate
- Some conditions make the raid longer: 40 minutes during Hidden Bunker and Locked Gate, 35 during the Frigate. A normal raid is 30
The live schedule at the top of our ARC Raiders store page shows what is on every map right now and what comes next in your region
Major conditions
| Condition | Maps | What changes | Play it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night Raid | Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, Stella Montis, Pendola Pass | Better loot, more keys, more containers and more ARC | Locked rooms and ARC parts |
| Electromagnetic Storm | Dam Battlegrounds, The Blue Gate | Lightning strikes that stun and hurt Raiders and ARC | Free ARC kills and Fossilized Lightning |
| Hurricane | Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City | Wind, low visibility, shield damage outside, more ARC | First Wave Caches |
| Hidden Bunker | Spaceport | The Outskirts Bunker opens after four antennas are switched on. 40 minute raid | Bunker terminals |
| Locked Gate | The Blue Gate | Four security codes open the tunnels under the gate. 40 minute raid | The tunnels |
| Close Scrutiny | Buried City | Surveyors guarded by Vaporizers call down ARC Assessors | Assessor Matrices |
| ARC Frigate | Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, The Blue Gate, Pendola Pass | A Frigate to board. No loot rooms, no Raider Hatches, less ground loot. 35 minute raid | Frigate Cargo and Amplification Modules |
| Cold Snap | Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, The Blue Gate | Winter weather and frostbite in the open | Candleberries. Seasonal, so not in the rotation now |
Night Raid
The best all-round condition. Loot rarity goes up, more containers spawn, keys show up more often and locked rooms pay out more. ARC drop their rare parts more often too, like Advanced ARC Powercells, Bastion Cells, Bombardier Cells and Leaper Pulse Units. The price is more ARC everywhere, especially near the good loot
Electromagnetic Storm
Lightning hits the map all raid. A blue glow on the ground marks where the next bolt lands, so step away from it. Jumping won't help. A strike can destroy small ARC outright and freezes big ones: a stunned Bastion can be walked up to and climbed, and a Rocketeer falls out of the sky. Look for Fossilized Lightning where bolts land: a root-like item with an orange glow that recycles into Explosive Compound. Crashed Probes and Couriers are more common too
Hurricane
Wind cuts your vision and hearing, debris chips your shield while you are outside and running into the wind drains stamina. Running with it makes you faster, and it pushes thrown items. The reason to go: the wind uncovers First Wave Caches, which beat normal Raider Caches. Listen for a digital ticking near piles of debris
Hidden Bunker
Spaceport only. Four rooftop antennas near the middle of the map have to be switched on, and each needs two interactions: the first sounds an alarm and brings Wasps and Hornets, the second marks it done for the whole lobby. Then the bunker west of the Departure Building opens. Inside are eight terminals. Stay by one until its download finishes and the light turns green. Two Bastions and a Bombardier guard the entrances
Locked Gate
The Blue Gate only. Find four security codes in the Code Printers at Raider's Refuge, Pilgrim's Peak, Reinforced Reception and the Ancient Fort, then enter them in the Gate Control Room to open the tunnels at the Checkpoint. Every code spot is ringed with buried mines, and two Rocketeers guard Pilgrim's Peak
Close Scrutiny
Surveyors, guarded by Vaporizers, search the map and call down ARC Assessors. An Assessor's pylons extend one by one. Breach a pylon while its platform is out to reach the loot, including Assessor Matrices. Starting a breach brings a swarm of flying ARC, and a pylon left alone for five minutes launches back into the sky. Pop a Smoke Grenade before you breach, and keep a Lure Grenade for the getaway
ARC Frigate
The hardest condition in the game. The Frigate shows up a minute or two into the raid, loot rooms are shut and Raider Hatches don't work. Boarding it and taking out its power cores takes a team. Our Frigate guide has the full run
Minor conditions
| Condition | Maps | What changes | Play it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matriarch | Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, The Blue Gate | The Matriarch boss and the ARC she calls in | Matriarch Reactor |
| Harvester | Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, The Blue Gate | A Harvester puzzle with the Queen on guard | Jupiter and Equalizer blueprints |
| Lush Blooms | Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, The Blue Gate, Riven Tides | More nature loot and Wicker Baskets | Fruit, plants and food |
| Husk Graveyard | Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, The Blue Gate, Riven Tides | Many more Wasp, Rocketeer and Courier husks. Some shock you when breached | ARC parts without a fight |
| Uncovered Caches | Varies | More Raider Caches with better loot. They explode if left out too long | Fast cache loot |
| Prospecting Probes | Varies | Many more ARC Probes, often guarded by Wasps | Probe loot |
| Bird City | Buried City | Nests in the rooftop chimneys, extra Ziplines, many more ARC drones | Trinkets and the condition-only ducks |
| Beachcombing | Riven Tides | Valuables buried on the north side. Dig them up with a Dockmaster's Detector | Weapon Cases, suitcases, ship models |
| Launch Tower Loot | Spaceport | Extra loot on top of the Launch Tower. Power the generator at the base of the ziplines with a fuel cell to get up | Top of the tower |
| Redirection | Pendola Pass | Emperor Beacons go live. Deploy one to pull a Harvester Payload to you | Harvester Payloads |
Uncovered Caches and Prospecting Probes did not show up in the schedule when we checked in late October 2026, so expect them back with a later rotation
Which condition to play for what
| You want | Play |
|---|---|
| Blueprints and rare loot | Night Raid, Hurricane, Hidden Bunker or Locked Gate |
| ARC parts for projects | Night Raid, Husk Graveyard or Electromagnetic Storm |
| Legendary blueprints | Harvester (Jupiter and Equalizer) |
| Boss Reactors | Matriarch or Harvester |
| Food and nature items | Lush Blooms |
| Trinkets to sell | Bird City or Beachcombing |
| The hardest content in the game | ARC Frigate |
Frequently asked questions
How often do map conditions change?
Every hour, on the hour. Each condition lasts one hour, and every map rolls its own
What is the best map condition for loot?
Night Raid for all-round loot and locked rooms, Hurricane for First Wave Caches, and the Harvester for Legendary blueprints
Which conditions make the raid longer?
Hidden Bunker and Locked Gate run 40 minutes and the ARC Frigate runs 35. A normal raid is 30
Can lightning kill ARC in the Electromagnetic Storm?
Yes. A strike can destroy small ARC outright and stuns big ones. A blue glow on the ground shows where the next bolt lands
Where can I see the condition schedule?
At the top of our ARC Raiders store page, by region, with what is on now and what comes next
Can a PRO play a condition with me?
Yes. Our map runs let you pick the condition, and the PRO queues the map with you while it is live
Sources: the ARC Raiders Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0), Embark Studios news and patch notes
