Cold Snap has rolled into ARC Raiders and it's the kind of update you feel in your hands, not just on the map. The snow and new lighting sell the season, sure, but the bigger shift is how the match pace changes when visibility dips and routes get risky. You'll find yourself planning runs around heat, cover, and timing instead of pure speed, and a lot of people are already adjusting their scav plans around ARC Raiders Items so they don't waste a good drop on a bad exit.

Cold Snap Conditions

The Cold Snap map condition isn't just "winter mode." It changes how you read space. Open ground feels louder, safer paths feel crowded, and you start second-guessing every long rotate. Add the Flickering Flames event and you're suddenly making choices under pressure: chase the glow for a payoff, or stay dark and survive. And yeah, the snowballs are in. They're funny for about ten seconds, then someone uses the chaos to push your angle and you remember you're here to extract.

Builds, Coins, and That New Ceiling

On paper, skill tree resets are a win. In practice, 2,000 coins per refunded point is brutal, and it forces real commitment. You can't casually "try a thing" anymore unless you're sitting on a pile of cash. The new credit cap also shuts down the old habit of stockpiling after your Raider Decks are done, which is healthy for the economy, but it's going to annoy the players who liked banking resources between patches. At least the calendar's got something nice: the free "Goalie" Raider Deck is lined up for December 26, and that's a rare bit of no-strings generosity.

Movement and Loot Routes Feel Different

Combat's also gotten a little less slippery. Sliding now costs stamina when you enter it, so the endless slide-spam in close fights finally has a downside. You'll notice it fast when you try to chain movement and your stamina's suddenly not there. The good news is the UI's helping more than it used to. Tracking specific project resources makes those "one more run" sessions less of a guessing game, and the Codex letting you replay unlocked cinematics is a solid touch for anyone who actually cares about the story bits.

New Hotspots and Meaner Enemies

Loot targets have moved, so old habits can burn you. The Aphelion Blueprint isn't a Matriarch grind anymore; it's tied to Stella Montis now, which changes where fights cluster. Pink Keycard Rooms finally feel worth the sweat, and even Electromagnetic Storms can pay out since lightning strikes may drop valuables, which is wild when it happens near your path. The real danger, though, is the buffed Shredder units. They close distance faster, handle terrain better, and punish hesitation, so gearing up smart and knowing when to disengage matters a lot more than flexing—especially if you're trying to stretch your kit with cheap Raiders weapons in the middle of a tougher season.