Arc Raiders wipe system explained: Back to the start?

The world’s favourite (?) extraction shooter has slid and juked and rolled into gamers’ hearts. It is now regularly among the top five most-played games on Steam, and is a keeper on consoles. But, as sure as the “hey raider, don’t shoot”, PvP moment, the wipe windows will come. Yes, it’s time to talk about the Arc Raiders wipe system. 

We’re going to cover all of the information you need on what happens to your loot, your skills, and answer the question of whether Arc Raiders progression wipes in detail (in short: it does, if you want). So, will you choose to keep on or to reset, losing progress, in favour of starting anew with some benefits?

The wipe system in Arc Raiders is voluntary. Just to quote Embark on its intentions, which may change, “currently we do not intend to do mandatory wipes”. That’s a decision made because Arc Raiders wants its own mechanic. More on that in a little bit, but you’ll find the first hint of reset information in-game in your Raider screen. It’s called ‘Projects’.

Arc Raiders will offer a series of Projects, the first being the Expedition Project. In the lore of the game, this requires your Raider (level 20 or above) to commit stash resources to build out and stock a caravan. This caravan will carry them on an expedition beyond the game’s Rust Belt region. By leaving, a Raider will lose progression in several areas. 

So, Projects are the main mechanism of ongoing resets, and Arc Raiders’ voluntary wipes are just that: voluntary; there is no mandatory requirement to reset. If you do want to, these Projects have finalisation windows every 60 days. The initial Arc Raiders roadmap showed the first finalisation window before a departure day.

So if you did complete the Expedition Project and your Raider went on a nice vacation beyond the Rust Belt, what would you gain and lose? Arc Raiders’ reset mechanics are sort of covered in the game: Select ‘About Expeditions’ in the Projects screen to see additional information. For clarity, here’s what will be lost and what will be kept after a reset.

Essentially, then, the ‘wipe’ mechanic includes an Arc Raiders character reset, along with level, skill points, quests, coins, loot, blueprints, stash size, and workshop. Yet the game doesn’t take everything, and it promises rewards and advantages that carry over to your next Raider. Furthermore, it’s said these can be increased by committing to future Expeditions. 

The rewards are mentioned in-game, too: increased XP gain, extra Scrappy materials, increased weapon repairs, and more stash space. Plus, you can get bonus skill points based on the value of the items in your stash before departure. This means that Arc Raiders’ wipe rewards will boost your next Raider after reset. A kind of ‘prestige’ approach, if you will. 

Is it worth doing? That’s up to you, but again, it’s not mandatory. What you will need to note is the Arc Raiders wipe schedule. If you miss an Expedition departure window, you’ll have to wait another 60 days until the next one. Or, of course, you could not reset at all and continue your hunt for top-tier loot as if nothing happened. 

With the Arc Raiders wipe explained, it’s time to consider the pros of this approach. Certainly, giving players the option to reset reinforces the flexibility that is at the core of Arc Raiders. Solo or party, shoot or sneak, loot or quest, reset or not. Not everyone will want to reset, and Embark feels it shouldn’t make them.

This will definitely please more ‘casual’ gamers or those short on time. After all, if you’re not a grinder, content creator, or someone with the time to invest, why would you reset when things are just getting good? Equally, for reset Raiders, rewards can help you get back on the horse, while non-reset Raiders can play at their own pace. 

Are there cons to this approach? Not if you think choice is the most important thing. Mandatory wipes certainly have benefits (resetting servers to a clean slate, resetting a central economy, and putting all players back to the same situation). Yet, if you didn’t make level 20 to unlock the Expedition Project, a mandatory wipe would be frustrating. 

No, the only real con this writer can think of to a voluntary approach is weak Arc Raiders wipe rewards ultra-levelling. Generally, voluntary resets don’t happen because there’s no clear approach that works. If Embark can offer value to those resetting, that’s great. Could it get to a point where reset Raiders can instantly unlock the entire skill tree with rewards? Maybe.

But there we have it. The great Arc Raiders progression reset is coming, and then again in another 60 days. That is, if you want to do it. Arc Raiders’ voluntary wipe system is a novel approach because trying things is something Embark is keen on. It may well work out for them, too, like so much about the game seems to have done so far. 

From this Raider’s perspective, it’s just great to see an option being given. In a game that thrives on bending and blending genre stereotypes, flexibility, and accessibility are critical. If you want to reset your Raider, go for it. If you don’t like the rewards, don’t do it next time. Or just ignore the expedition, keep looting and zapping those clankers at your own pace.