ARC Raiders Riven Tides: New Map, ARC Turbine and Season 4 Rewards

What Riven Tides changed

Riven Tides, also known as ARC Raiders Season 4 and patch 1.26.0, went live on April 28, 2026 and shifted several familiar systems at once. It brought a new map on the western coast of the Rust Belt and a big flying threat, the ARC Turbine, and the Expedition started counting damage dealt instead of stash value. Data is current as of 10/18/2026.

The essentials. The Expedition window was stretched to 13 days, Trials ran alongside it for the first time, and the limited-time Last Resort event paid out Merits until May 25. Patch 1.27.0 on May 5 tuned the Turbine's behavior and added new store bundles.

Below you will find the schedule, the map, the damage rules, the Trials rewards and what is still useful to a player today. The season is long over, but its idea of progress tied to combat rather than hoarded loot stayed in the game: the damage thresholds carried into the next Expedition. That makes it worth knowing for anyone returning.

Dates and schedule

The whole season fits into a handful of key dates. Looking back, they show how the update's pace was built.

Trials started the day after release and, this time, ran at the same time as the Expedition window. Trials had not run during an Expedition window before, so for the first two weeks you could advance both in the same raids.

Panorama Azzurro and the ARC Turbine

The new map sits on the western coast of the Rust Belt and is the first new location since November. Its centerpiece, Panorama Azzurro, is an abandoned seaside hotel.

Around the hotel you will find a swimming pool, a beachfront bar, docks and the Exodus Port. The enclosed hotel and the open coast play differently: indoors it is easier to hide, on the beach you are visible from far away. Any spot with loot draws other squads, so go in with an exit plan. Solo, stay closer to the edges of the map and pick a moment when the fighting quiets down. With a full squad of three, agree in advance who covers the entrance and who goes inside.

The headline enemy is the ARC Turbine. It is a flying ARC that floats in the sky above the map and defends itself against anyone who gets too close. Do not rush in: bring ranged weapons and a good ammo supply. Patch 1.27.0 fixed the Turbine's visibility and landing.

The practical takeaway for a squad: split the roles, with one player distracting and the others shooting, and pick an escape route in advance. Damage dealt to ARC counts toward the Expedition, so a Turbine fight is not wasted as long as you walk away from it.

Expedition: skill points for damage

In Expedition 3 (Riven Tides), skill points are awarded for damage dealt rather than stash value. Earned points go into the Skill Tree, so an active combat style pays off directly.

The thresholds are as follows.

• 1 skill point - 5,000 damage

• 2 skill points - 10,000 damage

• 3 skill points - 30,000 damage

• 4 skill points - 50,000 damage

• 5 skill points - 100,000 damage

Damage counts from both weapons and gadgets against any target, including other players and ARC. The practice range does not count, so you need real raids. That makes ordinary runs, where you fight regularly, the easiest way to build damage, rather than waiting for one lucky fight.

Players who skipped Expeditions 2 and 3 got a way to catch up. Each missing point costs 300,000 coins or the same amount in stash value, and it unlocks after you complete the damage challenge.

Later, Expedition 4 kept the damage thresholds but replaced skill points with Blueprints and Raider Tokens. So the skill point scheme belongs specifically to Riven Tides, and there is no need to carry it over to other windows.

Trials Season 4: more freedom in raids

The fourth Trials season began on April 29 and noticeably relaxed the rules. Objectives are no longer tied to specific map conditions, and major map conditions no longer grant double progress.

• Progress runs during the Expedition window, not after it.

• New objectives cover melee, gadgets, grenades and unique containers.

• Fairness rules were adjusted for squad size and the leaderboard.

• Time-based participation limits were removed.

In practice you can drop into a raid on your own route and tick off objectives as you go. The new map fits that rhythm: the hotel, harbor and beach each create a different kind of fight. Melee, grenade and gadget objectives are easy to clear during an ordinary raid alongside your other Quests.

Trials Season 4 rewards

The grand prize of the season is the Recon Outfit. The base version unlocks at the Tryhard I rank, while the Hotshot and Cantina Legend ranks add alternate colorways. Toggles for the variants appear as you progress.

The Daredevil rank gives the River Dance emote. The reward track also holds a backpack color, a charm and a weapon attachment, but those items are not pinned to specific ranks, so they open as your overall progress grows.

For cosmetic hunters the rhythm is simple. Clear objectives in ordinary raids and do not chase particular map conditions: they are no longer required, and ranks grow with your overall progress. Extra risk in a raid costs more than a cosmetic is worth.

What else the season brought

The new Beachcombing map condition adds loot buried in the sand. The Dockmaster's Detector helps find it, so the beach is now worth searching rather than just running across.

The Last Resort event ran from April 28 to May 25, 2026 and paid out Merits. Weapons got changes too. The Bettina got damage and fire rate adjustments, and the heavy ammo stack grew from 40 to 60.

Patch 1.27.0 on May 5 added the Corsaro Set and Mutton Chops bundle to the store, and fixed the Turbine. If you return to the game, check the current patch notes: some numbers may have changed since.

How to prepare for a coastal raid

If you are catching up on the season or returning to the game, start with a straightforward kit. For damage, pick a weapon that hits steadily at mid range and does not burn through your whole ammo supply. Heavy ammo now stacks to 60.

Here is what to do before your first drop.

• Unlock the right weapon blueprints in advance so you are not hunting for a recipe mid-raid.

• Form a squad of two or three and assign roles against the Turbine.

• Bring gadgets and grenades, since they also build damage and clear Trials objectives.

• Skip the practice range, because it does not count.

That way you get the most out of the coast even if the season is over. The map and mechanics remain, and the damage-for-progress approach will serve you in later Expedition windows too.