ARC Raiders Frozen Trail Reward Pass: Free vs Premium, Raider Tokens & Is It Worth It

Quick answer: The Frozen Trail Reward Pass is ARC Raiders' first proper battle pass, replacing Raider Decks when the Frozen Trail update drops on October 8, 2026. It has 60 levels split across a Free track (new base outfits, cosmetics, weapons, gadgets and up to 200 Raider Tokens) and a Premium track (cosmetics only — toggles, modifications, colorways, legendary weapon stencils, hairstyles and up to 1,150 Raider Tokens). The Premium Pass costs 1,150 Raider Tokens, so finishing it earns that cost back. Crucially, the Premium track gives zero gameplay items — every weapon and gadget sits on the Free track, so no one is buying power. This guide breaks down both tracks, the Legacy Pass, the Collector Set, and whether Premium is worth it.

ARC Raiders is doing the thing every live-service game eventually does: adding a battle pass. But Embark has built it to dodge the usual outrage, and the details matter if you want to spend your time — and your Raider Tokens — efficiently in Frozen Trail's first season. Here's everything confirmed by the official announcement, ranked by what you actually need to know.

What Is the ARC Raiders Reward Pass?

The Reward Pass is a progression track where you complete Feats — in-game challenges — to climb the 60 levels and unlock rewards tied to the Frozen Trail update: outfits, cosmetic items, gadgets, weapons, items, and Raider Tokens (the game's premium currency). You progress the pass by playing and completing Feats; you spend Raider Tokens separately, on the Premium Pass itself or on store cosmetics. (The Collector Set is bought with real money, not tokens — more on that below.) Embark describes the system, in its official Reward Pass announcement, as "a natural evolution of Raider Decks, with some added benefits."

The key structural change: Reward Passes are tied to the update they release with. Instead of the old Raider Deck loop — where saved-up Cred let many players blow through a new deck instantly and feel nothing — the pass is designed to keep the journey engaging for a full season. Embark was blunt about why the old system broke:

"Players accumulated Cred at a rate that became difficult to keep up with. When a new Raider Deck released, many players were able to finish them right away thanks to the Cred they'd saved up. This made the rewards feel much less… rewarding." — ARC Raiders Team, official Reward Pass announcement

That's the whole reason Cred is being retired on October 8 and Raider Tokens are taking over as the pass currency.

What Does Each Track Include? Free vs Premium

The headline pass is the Frozen Trail Reward Pass — 60 levels, two tracks. Here's exactly what each one gives you.

Feature	Free Pass	Premium Pass
Levels	60	60
Cost	Free (own the base game)	1,150 Raider Tokens
Base outfits	✅ All new base outfits	—
Weapons & gadgets	✅ Yes	❌ None
Cosmetic items	✅ Yes	✅ Premium toggles, mods, colorways
Legendary weapon stencils	—	✅ Exclusive
Hairstyles	—	✅ Exclusive
Raider Tokens	Up to 200	Up to 1,150

The single most important line: the Premium Pass does not contain any items that benefit gameplay — no weapons, no gadgets. Those all live on the Free track, which every base-game owner gets. Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal put it plainly in a developer preview reported by GamesRadar+:

"The premium path of the reward pass, that is purely cosmetics and things that make you look different." — Aleksander Grøndal, ARC Raiders executive producer

So if you never spend a cent, you still get the new guns, gadgets, base outfits and 200 Raider Tokens. Premium is a vanity tier.

Can Premium Fund the Next Pass? The Self-Funding Loop

Here's the part that makes the Premium Pass unusually fair. The Premium Pass costs 1,150 Raider Tokens and awards up to 1,150 Raider Tokens on completion — the official announcement spells it out: completing Premium means "earning back the currency it takes to obtain it." If you buy Premium once, finish all 60 levels, and don't spend those earned tokens on store cosmetics, you bank enough to buy the next season's Premium Pass.

That's the self-funding model players know from other live-service games, and it's the fairest version of a paid pass: in principle your first 1,150 tokens is the only money that ever leaves your wallet. Two important caveats, though. First, it only holds if future passes keep the same 1,150-token price and 1,150-token payout — Embark hasn't promised that pricing never changes. Second, it only works if you complete the full pass each season and resist spending tokens on store skins between passes. Miss the completion, splurge in the store, or see the price shift, and you'll be paying real money again.

The Legacy Reward Pass

Frozen Trail launches with a second, free pass called the Legacy Reward Pass. It folds all the cosmetic rewards and Raider Tokens from the old Raider Decks into a single Free Pass.

• If you already earned old Raider Deck rewards, they stay unlocked — you keep what you had.
• Progressing the Legacy Pass earns all the rewards you couldn't get your hands on under the old Raider Deck system.

In short, nobody loses their old unlocks, and returning players get a second track to clean up anything they missed. It's a smart, goodwill move alongside the monetization change.

Frozen Trail Collector Set DLC

If you want to bundle cosmetics and Premium access in a single real-money purchase, the Frozen Trail Collector Set DLC (listed on Steam; releases October 8 alongside the update) includes:

• The Renzo cosmetic set
• The Dragon's Breath weapon stencil
• The Bob hairstyle
• 2,400 Raider Tokens
• An exclusive Retro Sofa furniture recipe for your Raider Outpost
• The only way to get the blueprint for the new Banjo musical instrument
• Access to the Frozen Trail Premium Reward Pass (so you don't pay the 1,150 tokens separately)

The 2,400 tokens are the headline number here — more than double the 1,150-token Premium Pass price — plus the exclusive Banjo blueprint and Retro Sofa you can't get any other way. Embark hasn't published the Collector Set's real-money price yet, so whether it's genuinely better value than buying Premium and some tokens separately depends on that figure. But if you already know you want the Outpost cosmetics, the Banjo and Premium access, bundling them is the convenient one-purchase route.

Should You Buy the Premium Pass?

Here's the honest decision tree:

• You expect to actually complete all 60 levels this season → Buy Premium once. Completing the pass earns the 1,150 tokens back, making it effectively self-funding (as long as pricing holds), and you get the exclusive stencils and hairstyles. Best long-term value — but only if you finish it; Embark hasn't said how much playtime 60 levels takes, so be honest about whether you'll grind it out.
• You only want the new weapons, gadgets and gameplay content → Skip Premium entirely. It's cosmetics-only; the Free track has every gameplay item.
• You want the Outpost cosmetics, the Banjo, and Premium access in one buy → Get the Collector Set DLC — a real-money purchase that bundles 2,400 Raider Tokens, the exclusives and Premium access (price not yet announced, so weigh it once Embark lists it).
• You're a lapsed player returning for Frozen Trail → Just play the Free + Legacy passes first; see if the season hooks you before spending.

Because none of the paid content touches gameplay, there's no pressure to buy to stay competitive. That's the point of how Embark structured it.

Prep for Launch: Spend Cred, Stock Materials

Two time-sensitive things before October 8:

• Cred is being retired. Per the official Reward Pass announcement, Raider Tokens replace Cred when Frozen Trail lands, so any Cred you're sitting on becomes worthless. Spend it before launch — see our Cred expiry guide for the best things to buy with it first.
• Stock crafting materials and a loadout so you can hit Pendola Pass and the new Frigate zone — and grind Feats — the moment the pass goes live. The faster you clear levels, the faster you bank those self-funding tokens.

Short on materials or blueprints to grind the new pass fast? Skip the farm and jump straight into Frozen Trail's Feats with a ready stash:

• ARC Raiders Materials — all rarities, instant delivery, trusted
• ARC Raiders Blueprints — 80+ blueprints, unlock rare weapons, fast & secure
• All ARC Raiders services — carries, leveling and more

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the ARC Raiders Reward Pass release? The Frozen Trail Reward Pass launches with the Frozen Trail update on October 8, 2026. It replaces the Raider Deck system on the same day.

How much does the Premium Pass cost? The Frozen Trail Premium Pass costs 1,150 Raider Tokens. Because the Premium track awards up to 1,150 Raider Tokens across its 60 levels, completing it earns the currency back — so after your first purchase it can fund future passes if you don't spend the tokens elsewhere and the price stays the same.

Does the Premium Pass give a gameplay advantage? No. The Premium track is cosmetics only — toggles, modifications, colorways, legendary weapon stencils and hairstyles. All weapons, gadgets and gameplay items are on the Free track that every base-game owner receives. There is no pay-to-win.

What are Raider Tokens? Raider Tokens are ARC Raiders' premium currency, used to buy the Premium Pass and store cosmetics. They're replacing the old Cred currency, which expires on October 8. You earn up to 200 from the Free Pass and up to 1,150 from the Premium Pass. (The Collector Set is a separate real-money DLC that includes 2,400 tokens — you don't buy the set with tokens.)

Do I lose my old Raider Deck rewards? No. The new Legacy Reward Pass keeps everything you already unlocked, and lets you progress to earn the old Raider Deck rewards you missed — as a free track.

Does the Reward Pass expire? Embark has not confirmed an exact expiry window for the Frozen Trail Pass. Passes are tied to the update they release with, so plan to complete it during the Frozen Trail season rather than banking on indefinite access — the official announcement did not commit to a hard end date, so finish it while the season is live to be safe.