ARC Raiders’ fifth Expedition was scheduled to run from September 8 to September 29, 2026. Embark said it would be the last Expedition until early 2027, when the system is expected to return with major improvements. The older one-day delay often associated with this topic applied to the first Expedition in December 2025—not to the 2027 return.
What changed with the upcoming Expedition?
In its August 21, 2026 announcement, the ARC Raiders Team set the fifth Expedition’s departure window for September 8–29, 2026, then said Expeditions would pause until early 2027. The team described the fifth as the last run before that pause and promised major improvements when the system returns. It did not give an exact 2027 date or a definitive list of changes.
The announcement cited tight departure windows, the reward structure and accessibility for new players as problems that needed larger changes. In May 2026, Embark had already said it was working to make the Expedition Project more rewarding and less punishing. Those earlier goals do not confirm which features will ship when Expeditions return. Read the fifth Expedition announcement and Embark’s May 2026 update.
Why do some reports say the Expedition was delayed?
That wording refers to the first Expedition. In a notice dated December 6, 2025, the ARC Raiders Team announced a one-day delay, moving its departure window to December 17–22, 2025. It was a historical schedule change, not a newly announced delay to the fifth Expedition or to the early-2027 return. The original departure notice described the first run’s dates and rewards.
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How the Expedition Project works
The Expedition Project is an optional reset system, not a mandatory wipe. The official October 9, 2025 explainer said it unlocks at level 20; completing it makes a character reset available. Players choose whether to depart rather than having their character reset automatically.
The original explainer described a cycle of roughly eight weeks, with a finalization period in week eight. If a project was not ready, progress could carry into the next finalization window. That was the initial design outline, not a guarantee that every later Expedition would use the same cadence or rules. See the Expedition Project explainer.
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What players needed to know about the fifth run
- Signing up was separate from finishing the Caravan. The fifth-run notice said players had to sign up during the departure window; completing the Caravan alone did not enroll them.
- There was no Last Call. The announcement explicitly said the fifth Expedition would not have a Last Call feature.
- Quest resets were opt-in. The fifth run introduced optional quest resets, alongside a longer departure window.
- Some progress had pause-specific treatment. Consecutive buffs players had earned would persist during the pause. Partial Caravan progress would be replaced with Ermal Vouchers of equal value.
These details applied to the announced fifth run and its pause. They should not be assumed to describe the rules for the 2027 return.
Expedition rules and rewards have changed between runs
Earlier cycles show why players should check each event’s own requirements instead of carrying old thresholds forward. The December 2025 notice described skill-point rewards based on stash and coin value. For the third Expedition, an April 17, 2026 announcement instead set a damage challenge for five bonus skill points: 5,000 damage for one point, scaling to 100,000 for five. Catch-up skill points for that run remained tied to stash value. Those thresholds were specific to the third Expedition and do not establish the fifth run’s or 2027’s requirements. Read the third Expedition announcement.
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Embark’s May 2026 update also described an Expedition Vault that could carry up to five items across an Expedition. That was a development update, not confirmation that the Vault—or any particular May goal—will be part of the early-2027 return. Read the May update on ARC Raiders’ development plans.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is confirmed—and what remains unknown
The clearest confirmed timeline is the fifth run in September 2026, followed by a pause until early 2027. The ARC Raiders Team said it would share more details about the improvements in September, but the announcement does not establish an exact next Expedition date or a complete feature list. Until Embark publishes those specifics, the older eight-week outline, the third run’s damage challenge and the May Vault description should not be treated as the returning system’s confirmed schedule or rules.
When a new Expedition is announced, the details to compare are its departure and sign-up windows, whether Last Call is available, what resets or carries over, the challenge and reward thresholds, how temporary buffs differ from permanent account rewards, and what happens to unfinished Caravan progress.
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