The second Arc Raiders Expedition window will open February 25 and run through March 1, and developer Embark has finally announced what players need to prepare to get maximum rewards. The short version is 3 million coins, down from 5 million in the first Expedition.
"Starting off, we want to get one announcement out of the way right off the bat: we’ve heard your feedback about the required Stash value for maximum rewards being too high, and have decided to lower the requirement to 3 million Coins (600k per Skill Point)," the studio says in a blog post. "The reward will still be 5 Skill Points for reaching the 3 million Stash value."
You have just under a month to complete the Expedition project and save up enough money, but there is an important asterisk on that news. If you didn't earn all five potential skill points from the first Expedition, you can buy your way into additional skill points from this coming Expedition by amassing an additional 300,000 coins per skill point. This seems to be Embark's make-good on that daunting 5 million requirement.
In other words, 3 million coins will get you five more skill points at a baseline. If you save up to 1.5 million additional coins, you could earn a full 10 skill points from this Expedition via the catch-up mechanic.
"85 total is possible for those embarking on their second Expedition," Embark clarifies. The wording is a bit vague, but in the Arc Raiders Discord, a community manager confirmed that "only people who departed on the 1st Expedition are able to do the skill point catch-up."
Even if you were only missing a few points from the last Expedition, you're still getting a 70% discount here – down from 1 million coins a pop – which is mighty nice.
Embark says this is not indicative of future Expeditions. Rewards and requirements may change again, and "skill points won’t be available indefinitely for those that continue to depart," the devs affirm.
The other Expedition rewards, including stash space, XP boost, Scrappy material boost, and repair value boost, are unchanged. Whether this is your first or second Expedition, you'll get 12 more stash slots, 5% more XP, 6% more Scrappy materials, and 10% more repair value (additive percentage points).
The exclusive Expedition outfit, Patchwork, is also evolving with more customization options. New Scrappy cosmetics will be granted for the second Expedition, and the Expedition Indicator will be upgraded for "each Expedition completed".
Embark also shared some important clarification regarding players who finished the first Expedition but do not complete the second one. Stash space, skill points, and cosmetics are permanent, but the boosts for XP, Scrappy materials, and repairs "will be reset for those who decide not to depart again."
