Arc Raiders has turned off free loadouts for the Night Raid and Close Scrutiny map conditions in a live, time-limited experiment that begins today and will run for three weeks.
The developers say the temporary restriction — applied to only those two conditions — is intended to raise the barrier to entry so players must commit to a riskier loadout when better loot is on the line. The change is scheduled to run for three weeks and will be evaluated by the team before any broader rollout.
Practically, players who normally select free loadouts on Night Raid and Close Scrutiny will now have to bring equipment that can be lost on extraction; the studio framed the move as an effort to restore a clearer link between in-match performance and loot outcomes in higher-reward scenarios.
The change arrives alongside the Forgotten Relics event, which runs from June 16 through July 27. Progress in the event is measured with Merits: XP earned while playing on any map is automatically converted into Merits, and those Merits unlock gameplay items, weapons and Raider Tokens.
Players can also earn additional Merits by extracting with relics discovered in the world and in containers such as lockers, drawers and crates. Each relic carries a different Merit value depending on rarity, and event progression rewards include the Saltwalker Outfit and its toggles. The Converging Paths project within the event awards a Red-Black color variant of the Saltwalker Outfit, a Sextant backpack charm and Raider Tokens; the total earnable this season is 300 Raider Tokens.
On the anti-cheat and enforcement front, the developers are expanding Denuvo Anti-Cheat to more players and said they are taking strict measures against item duplication. A new inbox message will now notify players when action has been taken against someone they reported, a small procedural change meant to increase transparency around enforcement.
Free loadouts have been a persistent point of contention in Arc Raiders: they allow players to avoid risking valuable equipment while still chasing rewards, a dynamic critics say weakens the game’s loot economy. By removing that safety net in two high-value conditions, the developers are testing whether forcing genuine risk will rebalance extraction incentives and reduce loot avoidance.
What happens next is straightforward and decisive: the studio will monitor match data and player feedback over the three-week window and then decide whether to extend the restriction. If the test shows reduced loot avoidance and healthier in-match economics, expect the developer to expand the free-loadout limitation to additional map conditions; if not, the restriction will likely be rolled back. The three-week trial, coinciding with the Forgotten Relics schedule, is the laboratory the studio has chosen to settle that question.
