Arc Raiders version 1.3.0 rolled out a substantial update in November 2025, bringing a mix of balance tweaks, fixes, and quality-of-life upgrades that respond directly to player feedback. 

One of the most noticeable changes targets the Venator pistol. Previously known for its extremely high fire rate, the weapon has been dialed back, with its fire rate bonus tiers lowered from 22/44/60% to 13/26/40%. Its weight was also raised from 2kg to 5kg to bring it more in line with the rest of the game's pistol category. According to the developers, the goal is to get players to think more carefully about each shot rather than leaning on overwhelming bursts of fire, while also correcting an earlier inconsistency in the weapon's design ARC Raiders Boosting.

Explosive items received attention as well, especially the Deadline mine. Its crafting and purchasing costs have gone up, a change driven largely by concerns that the mine was too efficient for how cheap it was to produce. In both competitive and co-op play, it had become a bit too common to see it spammed for easy kills or area denial. With the increased resource requirements, players now need to be more strategic about when to deploy it, which supports the broader direction of the patch—rewarding thoughtful play instead of pure brute force.

AI improvements form another major part of the update. Enemy units now handle varied terrain more naturally, reducing the awkward, jittery movements that could pull players out of the moment. Combat feels smoother and more readable as a result, with fewer unpredictable pathing issues. The update also includes fixes preventing ARCs from slipping out of the playable area, a problem that occasionally broke encounters or forced mission resets. AMD GPU users in particular should see fewer crashes thanks to revised driver recommendations implemented with this patch.

A lighter, more playful addition comes in the form of the updated Raider Den. Players can now decorate their base with a cheerful duck theme, giving the hub area a touch of humor amid the otherwise intense gameplay. It's a small detail, but it adds personality and makes downtime between missions feel more enjoyable. At the same time, blueprint drop rates for certain items—especially Aphelion weapon blueprints—have been bumped up, addressing long-standing requests for better access to rare gear.

Several specific weapons received targeted fixes meant to improve combat clarity and balance. The Aphelion's tracers no longer cause distracting flashes at long distances, which should make ranged fights easier on the eyes. Meanwhile, the Stitcher's displayed stats were updated so players can finally see accurate reload time scaling as they upgrade it. These kinds of small corrections go a long way toward making the game feel polished and fair.

On the technical side, version 1.3.0 cleans up a number of annoying bugs and exploits. Barricades can no longer be placed directly on top of players, and deployables can no longer shove players through walls—two issues that created both competitive problems and amusing but frustrating moments. Grenade trap behavior has been refined, and the Anti-Tick Field augment now works more reliably, giving defensive tools the dependability players expect in higher-tier content Raider Tokens buy.

Patch 1.3.0 sharpens Arc Raiders in several important ways. While the Venator pistol, Deadline mine, and a few other high-impact tools were toned down, the goal clearly isn't to weaken the game but to encourage smarter play. Add in fun touches like the duck-themed Raider Den and more accessible blueprints, and the update manages to balance refinement with charm.