ARC Raiders Outpost and Research Station: How to Unlock It
The ARC Raiders Outpost added in Frozen Trail — how to unlock it through the Sheltered Retreat project, what the Research Station does, and what Embark has not confirmed.
Applies to: The ARC Raiders Outpost and Research Station added in the Frozen Trail 2.0 update, from Embark Studios and the community wiki, checked on October 15, 2026
The short answer
The Outpost is a second base added in the Frozen Trail 2.0 update. Embark Studios says you unlock it by completing the Sheltered Retreat project, whose first step asks for a photo of a farmland house around the Ruined Homestead on Blue Gate — so you need a Camera first. Once unlocked, the Outpost adds a Research Station that gates weapon amplification, plus furniture and workbench building. It cannot be walked around at launch; Embark describes it as a first step and has not published the full module list or costs, so treat anything beyond the unlock steps as unconfirmed.
On this page
At a glance
The Outpost is a second base added in the Frozen Trail 2.0 update on October 8, 2026. Embark Studios describes it as a first step toward reclaiming parts of the surface: a space you build out with modules, furnish, and use to run a Research Station that gates weapon amplification. You unlock it through a project called Sheltered Retreat. It cannot be walked around at launch.
What the Outpost is
Embark Studios frames the Outpost as an extension of your existing base rather than a replacement, and as a base you use from menus rather than explore on foot. Its published pieces are: modules you build to expand it, furniture and trinkets to decorate it, workbenches for crafting, and the Research Station, which is the one functional part the developer has detailed in public.
How to unlock it
The unlock runs through the Sheltered Retreat project. Embark Studios and the community wiki agree on the shape: the first stage is called "Research Topside Living Conditions" and asks you to photograph a farmland house around the Ruined Homestead on Blue Gate, which means you need a Camera first. The Camera is sold by a Trader, crafted at the Workbench, or found on the surface. Later stages move through gathering building materials and then distracting and destroying ARC machines so construction can proceed.
| Step | What it asks for |
|---|---|
| 1 · Research Topside Living Conditions | Photograph a farmland house around the Ruined Homestead (Blue Gate). Needs a Camera. |
| 2 · Gather Building Materials | Collect construction materials (community sources list planks, sheet metal, ARC alloy and electrical components). |
| 3 · Safeguard the Building Site | Distract and destroy ARC machines so work can continue. |
The Research Station
The Research Station is the Outpost's research bench. According to the community wiki, each Research Station level requires a matching Outpost level, and higher levels unlock more weapon customisation and modding — including, at the top, access to Amplified Weapons. In a September 2026 interview, Embark Studios said the bench lets Raiders research items and weapons directly, so a blueprint drop is no longer the only way to unlock them.
Weapon amplification
Weapon amplification adds a fifth quality level to certain guns. The community wiki describes it as requiring both the Gunsmith and the Research Station at a high level, as being irreversible once applied, and as a state where an amplified weapon you die carrying drops to sharply reduced durability. Embark Studios has named amplification as a Research Station feature; the exact requirements and behaviour above come from the community wiki and are labelled third-party.
What is not published
- The full module list and their costs. Embark Studios says modules exist but has not published the set.
- Whether the existing base's features move or stay. Several guides state the Outpost replaces your base; Embark Studios' own wording describes an extension, and the question was still open at launch.
- Walking around it in future. The developer has said it is considering walking inside the Outpost as the feature evolves; nothing is confirmed.
Sources and review scope
- Embark Studios — ARC Raiders news — the Frozen Trail 2.0 announcement and the Outpost as an update feature, checked on October 15, 2026.
- ARC Raiders Wiki — Outpost (community-run) — the unlock steps, the Research Station levels and the amplification behaviour. Labelled third-party.
- Embark Studios — ARC Raiders official site — confirms Frozen Trail arrives October 8, 2026 and added the Outpost.
Checked on October 15, 2026. Where Embark Studios has described a feature directly, it is quoted as official; where the steps and requirements come from the community wiki, they are labelled as such. The module list and costs are explicitly left as not published rather than filled in.
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