ARC Raiders Next Week (Oct 26–Nov 1): Cauldron and Cultist Backpack Arrive, Bully Fragmenter Joins Nomad Trades

Embark's weekly radio brief is out, and this week has an autumn theme. In its Sunday post on the official ARC Raiders account, the studio previewed October 26 to November 1: Cassio is bringing in "autumnal gear", the Cauldron Backpack Attachment and the Cultist Backpack. Two ARC parts are also becoming tradeable. It's a busy stretch, with the Soul's Offering Raider Project starting Tuesday and the game's first anniversary on Friday.

Nomad offers: Cauldron, Cultist and a research book

Embark's pitch is to "brew up a seasonal stew" with the Cauldron and to "embrace the old ways of the Nomads" with the Cultist Backpack. The weekly graphic lists three Nomad offers:

• Cauldron (backpack attachment): priced at 50K in Epic/Legendary ARC cores, plus a firearm
• Exodus Technical Handbook (rare research item): 15K in ARC parts plus a firearm of any tier
• Cultist (backpack): 100K in Epic/Legendary ARC cores

The Cultist isn't brand new. The community wiki lists it as an unlock from the earlier Forgotten Relics event, so this week gives players who missed it another chance. The Exodus Technical Handbook is useful beyond looks. The wiki's Bully Fragmenter page lists it in the Research Station 3 upgrade.

Bully Fragmenter and Skulker Targeter join trades

Embark also says that "starting from next week's update", the Bully Fragmenter and Skulker Targeter are part of Nomadic trades. Both come from enemies that arrived with Frozen Trail. Last week's Trials sent players after the Bully for its Fragmenter. The wiki lists the Fragmenter as an Epic item that the Bully and ARC Couriers drop. You need six of them for Research Station 3 and five for the Anvil blueprint, so getting them through trades could save a lot of grinding.

This week's Trials

According to the same graphic, this week's Trials Season 6 challenges are:

• Pendola Pass: search ARC Husks
• Search backpacks
• Damage flying ARC with Medium ammo weapons
• Damage ARC using the Deadline
• Deal as much damage as possible with a Blaze Grenade

Soul's Offering is almost here

Embark is also building up to Tuesday's event. On Monday it posted a short piece of lore from a Speranza resident who remembers "The First Wave" as a child. The narrator mentions sunburned "gunslingers from Murteta" and ends: "this Soul's Offering, I think it's time. I'm going to go topside – and finally pay my respects." That fits the remembrance theme Embark set with the original teaser.

If you want some background before the event, Embark also shared episode 4 of The Evolution of ARC Raiders. In it, Danny O'Dwyer talks to the developers about the enemies added since launch, Embark's machine-learning tech, and how the ARC get their names.

What's next

• Oct 26–Nov 1: Cauldron, Exodus Technical Handbook and Cultist in Nomad offers; Bully Fragmenter and Skulker Targeter in trades
• Oct 27: the Soul's Offering Raider Project goes live
• Oct 28: Best of the Best 2026 voting closes
• Oct 30: ARC Raiders turns one
• November: Embark's PvE follow-up is due (what the devs have said so far)