The Cold Snap Event turns Arc Raiders into a harsher survival experience where the environment is a constant threat. Snowfall blankets Speranza, visibility drops across all major maps, and frostbite steadily drains health whenever you stay outdoors too long. This event is not about flashy mechanics. It is about learning how to move safely, when to fight, and when to retreat before the cold finishes the job.
Cold Snap applies to Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, and The Blue Gate, changing how every raid plays out. Players who ignore the weather will struggle. Those who adapt can use the conditions to control fights and progress efficiently.
What Makes Cold Snap Different From Standard Raids?
Unlike standard raids, Cold Snap introduces persistent environmental pressure. Snowfall is not just visual. It affects combat, movement, and survival decisions from the moment you deploy.
The biggest change is frostbite. Staying outdoors for extended periods causes continuous health loss. This damage ignores armor, meaning even high-tier gear will not protect you. Short movements between buildings are safe, but lingering in open areas is dangerous.
Visibility is also reduced. Long-range fights become less reliable, while audio awareness becomes more important. Footprints left in the snow reveal recent movement paths, making positioning and routing more important than raw aim.
Arc Raiders Ultimate Cold Snap Event Guide
Cold Snap Environmental Hazards
These hazards work together. Frostbite pressures you to move quickly, while snow makes enemy detection harder. Planning routes before engagements becomes essential.
How Shelter and Warmth Work
Indoor areas completely stop frostbite damage and allow you to stabilize your health. Buildings, enclosed structures, and underground spaces act as safe zones during Cold Snap.
These areas also attract players. Shelters often turn into choke points where multiple squads converge. Expect close-range fights near entrances and interiors.
Shelter time should be used deliberately. Heal, reload, organize loot, and decide your next move before stepping back outside. Treat warmth as a limited resource, not a break from gameplay.
Arc Raiders Ultimate Cold Snap Event Guide
Surviving Frostbite Strategies
Loadout Adaptations: Pack significantly more healing items than usual. Medkits, Bandages, and any health restoration gear become survival necessities rather than combat supplements. Consider dropping some ammunition to make room for extra medical supplies.
Movement Planning: Chart routes between indoor locations before engaging. Memorize building entrances on each map and plan extraction paths that minimize outdoor exposure time.
Team Coordination: Designate one squad member as the "warmth monitor" who tracks everyone's health status and calls for shelter breaks. Communication becomes critical when visibility drops and frostbite threatens.
Tip
Use the warming period inside buildings to plan your next moves. The forced downtime actually creates strategic planning opportunities.
Flickering Flames Event
Cold Snap is tied to the Flickering Flames seasonal event, which features 25 reward tiers. Progression is based on Merit, earned automatically through XP.
You gain 10 Merit for every 1,000 XP earned in raids. Any XP source counts, which means you do not need to change your playstyle completely to progress.
Here's how to earn XP during Cold Snap:
Defeating large ARC enemies such as Bastions and Rocketeers
Completing Field Depot deliveries
Securing Security Breach locations
Extracting successfully with valuable loot
You must complete five total rounds to unlock event progression. Extraction success is not required for those rounds.
Arc Raiders Ultimate Cold Snap Event Guide
Candleberry Banquet Community Event
Alongside Flickering Flames, Cold Snap introduces the Candleberry Banquet, a five-stage community project. Candleberries spawn outdoors, creating a risk versus reward decision since gathering them increases frostbite exposure.
Candleberries can be processed into:
Wax for long-lasting light sources
Juice consumables
Warming tea that helps counter cold effects
Stews and soups used for survival crafting
Each completed stage unlocks cosmetic rewards, Raider Tokens, and bonus Merit. Because Candleberry collection overlaps with normal raids, it is best done while pursuing XP rather than as a separate grind.
Goalie Raider Deck: Hockey-Themed Rewards
Starting December 26, the Goalie Raider Deck becomes permanently available to all players. This hockey-inspired battle pass contains unique cosmetics and functional items earned through the Creds system via daily Feats.
The flagship reward features a hockey-inspired Raider outfit available in multiple color variants, plus a hockey stick Raider tool that serves both cosmetic and functional purposes. Unlike time-limited battle passes in other games, this deck remains accessible indefinitely.
Info
The permanent availability means you can progress at your own pace without FOMO pressure. Focus on Cold Snap survival first, then tackle deck progression.
Map Considerations During Cold Snap
Each map reacts differently to winter conditions.
Dam Battlegrounds has large open areas with limited shelter. Route planning and extra healing are critical.
Buried City offers more indoor spaces but creates intense choke points and close-quarters combat.
Spaceport and The Blue Gate balance exposure and shelter, rewarding players who manage timing between buildings.
Across all maps, frozen lakes should be crossed carefully. Ice cracking can expose your position or create sudden falls during combat.
Cold Snap transforms Arc Raiders into a true survival experience where environmental awareness matters as much as combat skills. Master the frostbite mechanics, optimize your event farming, and adapt your tactics to winter warfare. The frozen wasteland of Speranza awaits - stay warm, stay alive, and claim those exclusive winter rewards.
For additional Arc Raiders coverage, see our complete guide to All Blueprint Locations and a full breakdown of Expedition requirements.