The Expedition is the most misunderstood system in ARC Raiders — half the playerbase thinks it's a raid you queue into, the other half is terrified it'll wipe their account. It's neither. The Expedition is ARC Raiders' prestige reset: a voluntary, solo Project where you build a Caravan, send your Raider off "beyond the Rust Belt" for good, and start fresh on a new Raider who inherits permanent perks. This guide breaks down exactly how it works, what resets versus what you keep, every reward, and whether you should actually depart — cross-checked against the ARC Raiders Wiki and Embark's own numbers.
Quick answer (TLDR): The Expedition is a recurring, opt-in prestige reset that unlocks at Raider level 20. Each cycle lasts roughly two months (~57 days): a long Caravan preparation phase, then a short Expedition Window to depart — the next Window opens July 7, 2026 (arcraiders.wiki). When you depart, your level, skills, inventory, blueprints and stash progress reset, but unlocked maps, Coins, Cred, the Workshop, cosmetics and your earned Expedition bonuses carry over. Rewards include temporary buffs (up to +30% repair, +15% XP, +18% Scrappy materials) that stack across three on-time departures, +12 permanent stash slots, and up to 5 bonus Skill Points from an optional damage challenge. It's 100% voluntary — if you never click Depart, nothing resets. Worth it for engaged players chasing the permanent stash slots and skill points; skippable if you're still learning the maps.
What is an Expedition in ARC Raiders?
An Expedition is a Project — a long-term goal you opt into from your menu — not a game mode or a map. The ARC Raiders Wiki defines it cleanly:
"An Expedition is a recurring Project that offers players the opportunity to reset the progress of their Raider in exchange for permanent and temporary rewards. Anything inherent to Raider progress is reset, such as level, skills, and inventory. Account-level progress such as cosmetics, achievements, and anything involving real money is preserved." — ARC Raiders Wiki
In-game, the framing is thematic: you "construct a caravan to send your Raider off on an Expedition beyond the Rust Belt." Your current Raider carries everything they own into the unknown and doesn't come back — but the next Raider you create gains an edge that lasts until the following Expedition departs. It's Embark's version of prestige: trade your current progress for permanent account-level upgrades.
The single most important thing to understand: the Expedition is entirely voluntary. The Project is permanently unlocked once a Raider reaches level 20, but unlocking it changes nothing. You only reset if you choose to sign up and depart during the Window. Ignore it forever and you'll never lose a thing.
How does the Expedition work?
Each Expedition runs as a single cycle of approximately two months, split into two phases (arcraiders.wiki):
- Preparation phase (the bulk of the cycle): you build and supply your Caravan by contributing goods and equipment across six contribution stages. Contributions can be made at any time — even between Windows — and progress carries over across cycles, so an unfinished Caravan isn't wasted.
- The Expedition Window (the final week or two): eligible players sign up, optionally complete a challenge for bonus Skill Points, and depart.
The departure flow inside the Window is five steps: Complete the Caravan → Sign up → (optional) Complete the Challenge → (optional) Catch up on missed Skill Points → Depart. A key gotcha: completing the Caravan does not automatically sign you up — you have to sign up separately once the Window opens. When the Window closes, all signed-up Raiders depart automatically and a new Raider is created.
Timing for this cycle: the current Expedition's Window opens July 7, 2026 (closing date unannounced), per the wiki. That means as of late June 2026 you're squarely in the preparation phase — the ideal time to be stockpiling materials for your Caravan rather than scrambling at the deadline.
Hard rule: materials you commit to the Caravan are non-refundable. Don't dump rare parts in early "to feel productive" — plan your contributions around what each stage actually needs.
What do you lose (and keep) when you depart?
This is the question that scares people off, so here's the exact breakdown straight from the in-game progression table (arcraiders.wiki):
| What is RESET | What is KEPT |
|---|---|
| Stash Upgrade progress | Unlocked Maps |
| Inventory items | Codex entries |
| Blueprints | Coins, Cred & Raider Tokens |
| Player Level | Merits |
| Skill Points | Raider Den |
| Raider Decks progress | Workshop |
| Active Leaderboards | Cosmetics |
| Trials & Quests | Personal Event progress |
| Bonus Skill Points earned from Expeditions | |
| Bonus Stash Slots earned from Expeditions |
The headline: your character progression resets, but your money and your account don't. You keep all your Coins, Cred and Raider Tokens, every map you've unlocked, your Workshop, and — crucially — the permanent Expedition bonuses (extra stash slots and skill points) you've banked. What stings most is losing your blueprints, stash upgrades, and current gear/inventory, so the smart move is to spend down before you depart: blow your Coins on what you want, and don't depart sitting on a stash full of items you're about to vaporize.
What rewards do you get from an Expedition?
Departing pays out in two buckets: temporary buffs for your next Raider, and permanent unlocks for your account.
Temporary buffs apply to your new Raider and stack up to three times for consecutive on-time departures — but you lose the entire stack the moment you miss a Window (arcraiders.wiki):
| Buff | Per completion | Max (3 stacks) |
|---|---|---|
| Repair buff | +10% | +30% |
| XP boost | +5% | +15% |
| Scrappy materials | +6% | +18% |
Permanent rewards persist no matter what, and depend on which Expedition (in order) you complete. Expedition 1, for example, grants the Patchwork Raider outfit, a Scrappy Janitor Cap, +12 permanent stash slots, and up to 5 Skill Points. The stash slots are the real prize — they compound every cycle, which is the entire long-term reason to keep running Expeditions.
Those 5 bonus Skill Points come from the Expedition's optional challenge, which is currently damage-based. The thresholds are steep:
| Skill Points | Damage required |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5,000 |
| 2 | 10,000 |
| 3 | 30,000 |
| 4 | 50,000 |
| 5 | 100,000 |
Embark put that top tier in perspective directly:
"To put this into perspective, 100,000 damage is approximately equivalent to destroying 20 Bastions. We have tested these thresholds internally, and found that in a single, very good round, 8,000 – 10,000 damage was an achievable number." — Embark (arcraiders.wiki)
In other words, the full 5 points is a grind across many raids — and if you missed Skill Points on earlier Expeditions, the Catch-up option lets veterans recover up to 5 more per cycle. Chasing that damage means a lot of ammo, repairs and gear churn, which is exactly the loop we shortcut:
Skip the prep grind, stock your Caravan faster:
- ARC Raiders Materials — from $0.02 — every rarity, instant delivery, fill your Caravan stages without farming.
- ARC Raiders Blueprints — from $0.99 — 60+ blueprints, re-unlock rare weapons fast after a reset.
- All ARC Raiders services — everything topside, without the RNG.
Is the ARC Raiders Expedition worth doing?
For an engaged player who's past level 20 and comfortable on the maps — yes. The permanent +12 stash slots per Expedition compound forever, the temporary buffs (especially +18% Scrappy materials and +15% XP) accelerate your next Raider, and the cosmetics are exclusive. If you're going to keep playing ARC Raiders long-term, every Window you skip is permanent stash space and skill points you'll never get back.
For a newer player still under level 20 or still learning extractions — skip it. There's no penalty for ignoring the Project, and you don't want to reset your maps progress and blueprints while you're still building muscle memory. Get comfortable, hit a healthy level, unlock the maps you care about, then start treating Expeditions as a recurring milestone.
The deciding factor is commitment: the buffs only pay off if you depart consecutively (a missed Window wipes the stack), so don't start the cycle unless you'll see it through. Spend your Coins and clear your stash before you depart, chase as much of the damage challenge as your skill allows, and bank those stash slots.
If you'd rather skip the post-reset rebuild entirely, our ARC Raiders services get your materials, blueprints and gear back fast — pair this with our how to get materials fast guide for the free-but-grindy route, our how to get blueprints fast guide for re-unlocking weapons, and our Scrappy feeding guide to make the most of that +18% materials buff.
FAQ
Do you lose everything in an ARC Raiders Expedition? No. You lose Raider-level progress — your level, Skill Points, inventory, blueprints, stash upgrades, Raider Decks, and active Trials/Quests. You keep your Coins, Cred, Raider Tokens, unlocked maps, Codex, Workshop, Raider Den, cosmetics, and all the permanent stash slots and Skill Points you've earned from Expeditions. Your account and your money are safe — only your current Raider resets.
What happens if I build the Caravan but don't depart? Nothing resets. Building and supplying the Caravan is just preparation — and progress carries over between cycles. You only reset if you sign up during the Expedition Window and depart. Completing the Caravan alone does not sign you up.
When does the next Expedition Window open? The upcoming Expedition Window is scheduled to open July 7, 2026, with the closing date unannounced (arcraiders.wiki). The Window is the final week or two of the cycle — until it opens, you're in the preparation phase and should be stockpiling for your Caravan.
Are Expedition rewards permanent? Some are. Permanent rewards — exclusive outfits, headwear, +12 stash slots, and up to 5 Skill Points per Expedition — persist forever. The temporary buffs (repair, XP, Scrappy materials) only last until the next Expedition departs and stack up to three times, but are lost the moment you miss a Window.
How do I get the 5 bonus Skill Points? By completing the Expedition's optional challenge during the Window. It's currently damage-based, paying 1 point at 5,000 damage up to 5 points at 100,000 damage — which Embark says is roughly equivalent to destroying 20 Bastions. Veterans can also use Catch-up to recover up to 5 Skill Points missed from earlier Expeditions.
Is the Expedition mandatory or can I ignore it? Completely optional. The Project unlocks at level 20 but does nothing unless you choose to depart. There's no penalty for never running one — it's a long-term prestige system, not a forced wipe.
Should new players do an Expedition? Not yet. If you're under level 20 or still learning the maps and extractions, skip it — you don't want to reset your blueprints and maps progress while you're still learning. Get established first, then treat Expeditions as a recurring goal once you're committed to the long game.
