PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC title ARC Raiders has slotted itself firmly into a niche that was sorely lacking a standout game, bridging the gap between the more hardcore extraction shooters and making it appealing to the interested casual audience. However, players have been asking themselves since launch how developer Embark plans to address the controversial ‘wipe’ feature that most games of this ilk tend to implement – and the answer is right around the corner.

In games like Escape from Tarkov and Delta Force, developers implement a ‘wipe’ system to reset player progression back to zero. This prevents dedicated players from becoming too powerful, resetting everyone to a level playing field to keep things fair.

However, a forced wipe system in a more casual experience like ARC Raiders isn’t necessarily the answer, especially for players who like to dip their toe in once or twice a week rather than dedicate their lives to it. That’s why Embark is introducing a new voluntary wipe system in the form of Expeditions, and the first one is set to start next week.

Embark released a few more details about how the Expedition system will work in a blog post over the weekend. It explains that players will have a six day period to sign up for the optional Expedition starting on December 17, after which their character will be wiped for good on December 22.

This means that your character will be completely gone along with all their Stash items, Blueprints, Crafting Abilities and Skill Tree unlocks. Players will need to create a brand new character and start again almost from scratch.

So, why on earth should you send your character off on the Expedition?

This new gameplay mechanic is intended to give high-level players a chance to restart the grind from the beginning, experiencing the progression of ARC Raiders with a fresh start. There are also a few permanent unlocks that will be rewarded to players who embark upon the Expedition which will carry over to their new character. Those include:

• The Patchwork Raider outfit

• Scrappy Janitor Cap

• Expeditions Indicator icon

• Skill points (depending on Stash value)

• +12 Stash space

The number of skill points your new character starts with depends on how valuable your stash is on December 22. Every million Coins translates to one Skill Point up to a maximum of five.

Players will also receive a few temporary buffs to their account, including:

• 10% repair buff

• 5% xp boost

• 6% more materials from Scrappy

However, Embark emphases that these temporary buffs will only remain until the next Expedition sets out. Based on the timeline from launch to this first voluntary wipe, I’d expect to see another Expedition towards the end of February 2026.

It remains to be seen whether this wipe system strikes a chord with fans. Early reception appears to be mixed with one Reddit user commenting: “Maybe I’m too much of a casual player but this expedition stuff does not seem worth it. Maybe that’s exactly how it should be but the rewards feel pretty lame.”

Meanwhile, another player reckons that the Coin requirement per Skill Point is a little unbalanced in its current state, saying: “Doing 1 mil per point is ridiculous if you’re only telling players two weeks before. Should’ve been announced earlier or reduced for the first cycle”

Speaking on why the team has opted for this particular method, Embark writes: “The optional Expedition Project is our solution to some of the problems that inevitably arise with mandatory wipes – specifically, by respecting your time investment in the game. We want to offer you the choice:

“Not completed as much as you’d like? Keep on raiding, building, and growing. Ready for a new challenge and to grind once again? Depart on the Expedition, and receive buffs, rewards, and bragging rights.”

Players will need to be at least Level 20 to start the Expedition Project and will need to sign up before December 22 to get both the permanent and temporary rewards.