Arc Raiders update Frozen Trail adds a lower-rarity grappling hook that lets players swing between ledges and attach to the ballistic gondola extraction method. Last week, I spent a few hours with Frozen Trail for a preview, and the update is right around the corner.
Frozen Trail is Arc Raiders' biggest ever update, and it pairs that new movement tool with a snowy map, new enemies, weapons, and gadgets. Players can manually aim at a ledge, throw the hook, and climb the rope up or down to adjust height instead of taking a fixed route.
Frozen Trail and Snaphook
The new grappling hook sits below the Snaphook in rarity. Arc Raiders has had the Snaphook since launch, so Frozen Trail adds a second option rather than replacing the original item. The result is a more accessible traversal tool that fits into fights and extraction paths without asking players to find a legendary-tier item first.
The update also adds Pendola Pass, where points of interest change loot zones from round to round. That setup gives repeated runs a different shape, especially for players planning routes around movement and extraction rather than staying in one lane.
Emperor and the Frigate
Frozen Trail goes beyond movement. It adds the weapon amplification system, which modifies how certain weapons work and buffs them, along with a tether launcher that can stop players or enemies in their tracks and a yank grenade that can pull a Hornet crashing to the ground.
The most headline-grabbing additions, Emperor and the Frigate, were not accessible during the preview session. That left the hands-on session centered on traversal and combat tools instead of the update's endgame encounters, so the clearest change for players is the new freedom to move, engage, and extract in more ways than before.
Frozen Trail is the kind of update that changes how a run is played, not just what is on the map. Players who rely on mobility routes or extraction timing will feel the new hook first, and the rest of the update is built around that same push toward faster, more flexible encounters.
