Select Language:
During the holiday season, a winter storm has hit ARC Raiders, covering four out of its five maps with snow and ice. The December update introduces a new weather condition called Cold Snap, which adds a frostbite mechanic that can harm your health.
Cold Snap appears on Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, and Blue Gate. Stella Montis remains indoors, so it isn’t affected by the weather. Frostbite in ARC Raiders is pretty simple: spend too long outside, and you’ll freeze. We tested how it works and how you can survive Cold Snap.
How Frostbite Works During Cold Snap
Frostbite is an ongoing status effect. If you go outside, frostbite starts to build up, but it doesn’t immediately drain your health. You have exactly two minutes outside before frostbite begins hurting you. Once it hits, your health gradually decreases. From full health, it takes about a minute and 15 seconds for frostbite to kill you, so theoretically, you can be outside for almost three and a quarter minutes before you get wiped out.
If you go inside, the frostbite buildup slows down. It takes between 30 seconds and a minute to fully clear your frostbite. There’s no indicator showing exactly when your frostbite is gone; instead, you only see a screen effect. Standing indoors a bit will help you reset your frostbite timer, but you’ll start taking damage again faster if you wait too long to go inside.
Note: You can spawn into a raid outside during Cold Snap, which means frostbite will begin right away.
Inside vs. Outside
Usually, it’s easy to tell if you’re inside or outside—being inside a building protects you from frostbite. However, some structures, like roofs over parking lots or small buildings, count as indoors. Other objects overhead, like concrete tubes, might not provide protection. For example, on Spaceport, the roofs of certain alcoves don’t stop frostbite. Also, standing against a wall under a tower protects you, but moving a few steps away can start frostbite buildup even if you’re still under cover.
How to Survive Cold Snap
The best strategy is to stay inside as much as you can. If you get caught outside, you can use healing items to slow frostbite damage, but they won’t stop it completely. Vita Spray, for instance, can outpace frostbite and restore your health, but you’ll need more of it since frostbite damage is ongoing. Lesser bandages are less effective but can buy you some time to reach safety.
Your character shows signs of frostbite, like shivering or holding their hands uncomfortably when weapons are holstered. You’ll also hear sounds when stepping into and out of cold areas. An important cue is a sigh of relief when you step back indoors. Sometimes, you might find a hidden spot that offers protection even if it doesn’t look like it should.
The main limitation Cold Snap imposes is on your positioning. You can’t hang around outside waiting or have long stand-offs with enemies because you’ll freeze to death. It’s smarter to carry weapons suited for close combat. Once you learn how to manage frostbite buildup, Cold Snap probably won’t be too much of a threat on its own.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
