Arc Raiders Expeditions Explained – System, Rewards & 2027 Rework

Arc Raiders Expeditions Explained (Updated September 2026)

Expeditions are Arc Raiders’ optional progress-reset system — a prestige-style loop where you voluntarily wipe your Raider in exchange for permanent account rewards. They are not the normal raid loop, and they’re the game’s most debated feature right now: Embark has confirmed that Expedition 5 is the last one until early 2027, and the studio is deciding whether to overhaul or scrap the system entirely.

💡 Quick Answer

An Expedition = voluntarily reset your Raider to level 1 and clear your stash for permanent rewards (Skill Points, stash space, cosmetics).
You choose when to depart, inside a limited signup / departure window. It is never forced.
Protect up to 5 items in the Expedition Vault so they survive the wipe.
Expedition 5 is the last until early 2027 — see the update below.

What an Expedition Actually Is

Most guides confuse Expeditions with normal raids. They’re different. A normal raid is a single match — you deploy, loot, and extract. An Expedition is a season-style voluntary wipe: when you depart, your Raider is reset to level 1 and your stash is emptied, and in return you bank permanent, account-wide upgrades that carry across the reset.

Think of it as prestige in a shooter or a fresh “season” wipe in an extraction game — except here you decide whether and when to do it.

What You Lose vs Keep

You LOSE on departure	You KEEP (permanent)
Raider level (reset to 1)	Skill Points earned from the Expedition
Stash contents (emptied)	Increased Stash Space
Gear / tier progress on your current build	Expedition cosmetic rewards & toggles
—	Up to 5 items stored in the Expedition Vault

This is why players see posts like “I lost all my tier upgrades after three Expeditions” — that reset is the intended cost. The payoff is the permanent Skill Points and stash space you carry forward. The Expedition Vault (unlocked via Ermal, the Nomadic Envoy trader added in Patch 1.29.0 — Cassio replaced Ermal as the Nomadic Envoy in Update 2.0, and Store Update 2.2.0 removed the Expedition Vault tab) lets you preserve up to five prized items across the wipe, so a departure doesn’t have to mean losing your favourite gear.

How the Window Works

Each Expedition has a limited signup and departure window — you can only depart during that period, and there’s a catch-up / late-departure option if you join late.
As of Patch 1.45.0, departing no longer auto-resets your quests — you now choose whether to reset them when you leave.
Expedition 5 is the current window: it opened with Patch 1.45.0 on September 8 and closes September 29, 2026.

Update: Expedition 5 Is the Last Until 2027

This is the big one. In an August 2026 developer update, Embark confirmed the fifth Expedition will be the last one until early 2027, when the system is expected to return “with major improvements.” Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal was candid that the current design missed the mark — and went further, saying a full removal is on the table: “Maybe we’ll scrap the whole system altogether.”

The community complaints Embark is responding to:

Limited departure windows that lock players out if they can’t play during the window.
A reward structure many feel doesn’t justify wiping progress.
Accessibility problems for newer players trying to take part.

Frozen Trail (Update 2.0) launched on October 8 without a new Expedition, and its known issues note that the Expedition screen reachable via the Nomadic Envoys isn’t functional. Embark hasn’t detailed the reworked — or retired — system yet; we’ll update this page when it does. (Sources: Embark developer update; PC Gamer; Insider Gaming.)

Should You Do Expedition 5?

Yes, if you want the permanent Skill Points and stash space, and you’re comfortable rebuilding — and you want the final rewards of this era before the system changes in 2027.
No, if you’re mid-grind on gear you care about, or you’d rather hold your progress until the reworked system arrives. Nothing forces you to depart.
Either way, protect your best items first if the Expedition Vault is still available to you (Store Update 2.2.0 removed its tab). Note that Cred was removed in 2.0.