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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →To unlock the ARC Raiders Outpost added with Frozen Trail 2.0, you complete the project called Sheltered Retreat. Finishing it opens access to the Research Station, and the Outpost then expands as you install modules. The unlock is a short sequence of one photo, a set of crafting materials, and a combat safeguard. The upgrade side is less settled: the room-to-level mapping comes from a third-party tracker, so treat it as a guide to check in-game rather than a fixed schedule.
How to unlock the Outpost
Embark’s official Frozen Trail 2.0 update notes say the Outpost unlocks by completing a project and remind players to accept the quest and bring a camera. Dot Esports’ Outpost unlock walkthrough identifies that project as Sheltered Retreat. The steps below follow the walkthrough. Its quantities and farming suggestions are guide-reported, not official, and may change with future patches.
Step 1: Get a camera
The first objective requires the in-game camera. According to the walkthrough, you can buy one from Shani or obtain it through the Sizing Things Up quest. Accept Sheltered Retreat before you go out, because the first objective is part of that quest chain.
Step 2: Photograph the farmhouse
The first step, titled “Research Topside Living Conditions,” asks you to photograph a farmland house near Ruined Homestead on Blue Gate. The walkthrough says any farmland house in that area is accepted, so you do not need one specific building. The guide warns about ARC threats in the area, so plan a route before you start taking photos.
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Step 3: Gather the build materials
The walkthrough lists four build materials. It suggests where to find each one and notes two alternative routes for the first two items.
| Material | Quantity | Suggested source (walkthrough) | Alternative (walkthrough) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planks | 3 | Industrial POIs | Buy from Celeste for 3 Assorted Seeds each |
| Sheet Metal | 5 | Industrial POIs | Buy from Celeste for 3 Assorted Seeds each |
| ARC Alloy | 10 | ARC enemies | Not stated |
| Advanced Electrical Components | 3 | Electrical POIs | Not stated |
The Celeste price applies to the walkthrough’s reporting at the time of writing. Prices and vendor stock can change after a patch, so check the vendor directly before you spend seeds.
Step 4: Clear the safeguard objective
The final objective is a combat check. According to the walkthrough, you must deal 800 damage to flying ARC enemies and 300 damage to a Bully, which the guide places at Pendola Pass. The walkthrough recommends bringing anti-ARC equipment for this fight. That is the guide’s suggestion; it is not a tested loadout reported from play.
What the Outpost gives you
The official notes confirm two things. Unlocking the Outpost opens access to the Research Station, and the Outpost expands through modules. The same notes say Furniture Designs work like blueprints: you learn a design first, then use it to craft the furniture. Nothing in the official notes ties a specific module to a specific station level, which is why the room mapping below should be verified in your own game.
Upgrading the Research Station
Rooms and levels (tracker-reported)
The ARC Tracker Outpost database is a third-party game-data source. It lists five rooms in total: the base room and four modules. It maps each successive module installation to Research Station levels 1, 2, 3, and 4. It also lists Gunsmith at level 4, tied to installing the fourth module. The tracker does not give a full module-to-level breakdown for levels 1 through 3 in the material available here, so do not assume a particular room unlocks at a particular level without checking the station in game.
Furniture and research points (tracker-reported)
The same tracker, captured October 9, 2026, lists 100 furniture items. Of these, 53 designs are marked researchable and 47 are marked as found in raids. It also shows example point costs, but those costs depend on both the design and the Research Station level. Treat them as examples only. The tracker’s figures are not an official cost schedule, so no universal point cost applies, and this guide does not give a materials or points total for each station level.
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- Capture and Tame Dinosaurs: Discover over 100 different dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures on the island, finding ways to tame them into useful additions for your tribe's dyno herd
- Survive Above All: Hunger, thirst, basic safety, and protecting yourself from the weather are all part of the game
- Harvest, Hunt and Build: Cut down trees and turn them into a basic home, which you can quickly expand into a Jurassic estate. Hunt for meat, scavenge for plants (or start your own garden!)
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How research is meant to work
GamesRadar+ interviewed Embark executive producer Aleksander Grøndal about the system. In that interview coverage he described the intent behind it: “Instead of necessarily having to just chase RNG to get the blueprint you want, there is a system that is called research, where you can find items in the world that contain a number of research points, and using those, you can actually choose which research that you want to have, and that includes a number of blueprints as well,” Grøndal says. The GamesRadar+ report dates the interview to September 24, 2026, and the quote was given in pre-release context.
The quote explains the design goal. It does not provide a current list of research options, point prices, or upgrade costs, and it does not establish an upgrade order. If you want a priority order, decide based on the blueprints you need and the points each design costs in your game at that point.
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What to check in your own game
- Which module installations are available, and which station level each one reaches.
- The current research point cost of each design you want.
- Whether the walkthrough’s material quantities and vendor prices still match the quest.
Those three checks cover the parts of the progression that the sources here describe with the most uncertainty.
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