Arc Raiders Shrouded Sky Patch Notes — arc raiders shrouded sky patch notes: Shrouded Sky 1.17.0 details hurricanes and weapon fixes
arc raiders shrouded sky patch notes for Shrouded Sky 1. 17. 0 outline violent topside hurricanes and a broad set of weapon fixes and balance moves. The update matters because weather-driven low-visibility combat and newly spotted ARC threats in the Rust Belt change how players will approach engagements.
Arc Raiders Shrouded Sky Patch Notes: hurricane conditions, debris, and two new ARC types in the Rust Belt
The notes describe violent hurricanes sweeping topside, creating low-visibility combat conditions with powerful gales and hurtling debris. Scouts have spotted two new ARC types in the Rust Belt, and the update text advises caution while the storm runs its course. The developer also notes that players who know how to read the weather will find opportunity in the chaos.
1. 13 and 1. 13. 1 weapon changes led to a "shadow buff" and input-buffer issues
The patch notes trace the problem back to an optimization fix shipped in 1. 13 that had the unforeseen consequence of lowering the total fire-rate of semi-automatic weapons. In 1. 13. 1 that fix was reverted, but the team says something else made it into the update that shouldn't have. Many players reported a "shadow buff" to weapons; an investigation found that 1. 13. 1 had inadvertently impacted the weapon input buffers.
Input timing, spam-clicking, and new buffering controls on a gun-by-gun basis
Previously, players had to time their inputs to a weapon's intended cadence to reach its full potential. After the 1. 13. 1 change, players could instead spam-click the button and effectively bypass the skill requirement to learn weapon cadence. Developers say they want to keep some skill expression while addressing responsiveness, so they added more levers to control the weapon input buffering window on a gun-to-gun basis and adjusted semi-automatic weapons accordingly.
Responsiveness trade-offs: spam-clicking still quicker, but paced firing rewarded
The notes state that weapons should now still be more responsive to fire when spam-clicking, but players who choose to pace their shots will see better results. The developer framed this as a middle ground between the earlier unresponsive feel and the unintended bypass that allowed weaker input discipline to perform equally well.
Tier balance moves: Stitcher, Kettle, Aphelion, Jupiter and another look at the Venator
The team is looking into the balance between low-tier and high-tier weapons after many players expressed concerns that some low-tier weapons outperform higher-tier weapons at significantly reduced cost. To shift that balance while preserving a degree of flexibility, the notes say the developers are starting by reducing the overall time-to-kill (TTK) of the Stitcher and Kettle, and increasing the maneuverability of the Aphelion and Jupiter. They are also taking a second stab at the Venator, which still seems to be dominating a lot of PvP encounters.
Dev notes on the Stitcher and Kettle changes and an unclear Venator follow-up
The developer note on the Stitcher describes it as a close-quarter weapon that rewards thoughtful positioning, but its fast TTK can lead to ambushes where a player is killed before they have much time to react. High headshot damage is cited as a large contributor; the TTK is often fine when aimed at the center of mass, but when close enough to land the majority of shots in the head the TTK numbers are much faster than other weapons. The planned changes aim to bring that headshot TTK closer to the body-shot TTK by reducing the full-spray accuracy of the weapon and by reducing the headshot multiplier.
The Kettle is described as being in a weird place: its high damage output was intended for medium-range, deliberate pacing, but many players bring it into close quarters and effectively turn it into an SMG. The developers want to distinguish the Kettle more from the Stitcher while acknowledging players enjoy its versatility. They plan to reduce the Kettle's base damage to bring its TTK more in line, while keeping a high headshot multiplier to encourage going for headshots.
The notes reference past adjustments to the Venator, noting the last nerfs to the Venator occurred in 1. 3. 0 and that the team has "kept an eye on our data to"—the sentence is incomplete and unclear in the provided context.
