ARC Raiders Trials are five rotating weekly challenges that reward blueprints, weapons and other gear when you earn points in a single raid and extract successfully. Your highest saved score in each challenge also contributes to a ranked leaderboard. In Frozen Trials, Season 6, the three-star target is 3,000 points per challenge, and the season runs from October 8, 2026, to January 12, 2027.
If you want weekly rewards, start by earning three stars on manageable tasks. If you want a higher rank, repeat the tasks that you can score well above the three-star threshold. These are two different goals, and confusing them wastes a lot of raids.
ARC Raiders Trials: Key Takeaways
- Trials unlock at Raider level 15 and normally present five objectives in a weekly rotation.
- Each run is scored independently. Only your best successfully extracted run per challenge is saved for the week; scores from several raids do not add together for one challenge.
- One, two and three stars now require 1,000 / 2,000 / 3,000 points. The old 2,500 and 4,000-point targets are outdated.
- Major Map Conditions no longer double Trials progress. Choose an event for access to the required activity, not a nonexistent 2x score bonus.
- Weekly leaderboard groups usually contain 100 Raiders at the same rank. Rank-promotion cutoffs vary by tier; low scores can result in demotion.
- Frozen Trials adds challenges involving the Stiletto, Rascal, Skulker and Bully technology, and the Pendola Pass map.
Frozen Trials Season 6: Dates, New Challenges and Maestro Rewards
Season 6 began with the Frozen Trail update. Embark’s Frozen Trials announcement confirms its dates and the new objective themes.
| Season 6 detail | Confirmed information |
|---|---|
| Start | October 8, 2026 |
| Scheduled end | January 12, 2027 |
| Main seasonal outfit | Maestro Outfit, including Yellow and Red color unlocks at Hotshot and Cantina Legend |
| Other announced cosmetics | Sheriff Badge backpack charm, Infrared Transmitter backpack attachment, Pumped Dance emote, Pop Helmet Scrappy outfit |
| New objective themes | Skulker Targeter, Bully Fragmenter, Pendola Pass scavenging and the new weapons |
| Weekly rewards | Gear and blueprint reward opportunities from completing the rotating challenges |
The Maestro set is a seasonal rank reward, not an automatic prize for completing a single three-star Trial. Exact cosmetic unlocks depend on your final season placement. Plan separate goals for your weekly loot and for your end-of-season rank.
How Weekly Trials Work in ARC Raiders
- Reach level 15 and open the Trials menu to see the five active tasks and their scoring rules.
- Choose a task. Some can be completed on many maps, while others specify a weapon, gadget, enemy or location.
- Enter a raid, complete the qualifying action and watch the score in your Trials or Logbook view.
- Extract successfully. Progress from an unsuccessful run is lost, even if you had reached the star threshold before dying.
- Your highest extracted score for that task is kept. Repeat it only if you need a better result; a weaker later run does not erase your saved high score.
A single raid can advance more than one Trial if the actions overlap, but do not assume that progress from separate raids stacks into a larger score. For a particular challenge, the score you are trying to improve comes from one extracted raid.
When Do ARC Raiders Trials Reset?
The objectives and leaderboards rotate weekly. For this guide’s October 25, 2026 snapshot, the active tasks run October 20–26, with the next set beginning October 27. Older guides that say the rotation always resets on Monday are not reliable for this current schedule. Use the countdown displayed in the game for your own region and account, because future rotations can change.
Trials Are Not the Same as Reward Pass Feats
Frozen Trail also changed Feats, which award Reward Points toward your active Reward Pass and its weekly milestones. Those Easy, Medium and Hard Feats are not the same as the five ranked Trials challenges. A Feat completion does not automatically give you Trials leaderboard points, and Trials stars are not Reward Pass levels.
Trials Points, Three-Star Rewards and Best Scores
| Milestone | Score in one extracted raid | Weekly reward pool | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 star | 1,000 points | Uncommon item or blueprint | First reward threshold |
| 2 stars | 2,000 points | Rare item or blueprint | Second reward threshold |
| 3 stars | 3,000 points | Epic item or blueprint | Highest weekly star milestone |
Rewards are drawn from the applicable pools; three stars do not guarantee a particular Epic blueprint. Each challenge’s milestone rewards can be earned once during its weekly rotation. You may still push well past 3,000 points afterward, because the leaderboard compares the combined best scores across all five tasks.
For example, a completed task at 3,100 points has already earned its three-star milestone, but a competing Raider might finish the same task at 9,000. If your aim is rank promotion, reaching three stars is the starting point, not the final target.
Plan Your Next Three-Star Trial
A three-star result requires one strong raid and a successful extraction. If your time is limited, compare the available Trials options before committing to another week of repeated attempts.
Frozen Trials This Week: October 20–26, 2026
These are the five challenges listed for Season 6, Week 3. They are a dated example of the kinds of tasks the system now uses; they will not remain current after the next rotation. Confirm the objective wording in-game before setting up a run.
| Weekly Trial | Where / what to bring | Practical approach |
|---|---|---|
| Destroy Ticks, Pops and Fireballs using a Stiletto | Stiletto; eligible ARC targets on available maps | Pick a route with many small ARC enemies; confirm that the qualifying Stiletto attack is used for the elimination. |
| Search kitchen cabinets | Kitchen cabinets across eligible maps | Prioritize residential interiors with multiple cabinets, then extract before another team crosses your route. |
| Damage ARC enemies using a Rascal | Rascal weapon and sufficient ammunition | Deal controlled damage to ARC targets; bring enough ammo and an escape plan rather than chasing unrelated PvP. |
| Deal damage using a Bully Fragmenter | Bully Fragmenter gadget | Secure the required ARC technology first, then look for safe opportunities to use it against eligible targets. |
| Open containers in Old Town | Old Town area, Pendola Pass | Mark the route and your Ballistic Gondola exit before committing to a long looting run. |
The early Frozen Trials rotation also featured the Skulker Targeter, the Bantam, Skulker eliminations and frozen Raider Caches. These examples show why a general-purpose damage build is not enough for every week.
How to Get Three Stars Reliably
1. Select One Easy-to-Repeat Objective First
If you only have time for a few runs, begin with a task that has predictable targets. Searching cabinets or containers is usually easier to route than collecting a rare ARC gadget and trying to land enough damage with it. Check the objective wording carefully; opening any random storage box will not progress a location-specific task.
2. Bring Only the Gear Needed for the Score
Use the requested weapon when a Trial names one. A high-damage gun will not complete a Stiletto or Rascal task if the action does not meet the objective’s requirements. Pack enough ammunition or tool charges for a 3,000-point attempt, then balance the rest of the slots between healing, mobility and extraction utility.
3. Plan the Exit Before You Start Farming
Route backward from a usable extraction point and the task’s main cluster of targets. On Pendola Pass, account for the Ballistic Gondola journey instead of assuming a standard hatch or elevator will be nearby. A shorter route with a successful extraction is better than a longer run that loses its score.
4. Check the Counter Before Taking Another Risk
Once you cross 3,000, decide whether you want only the reward or a better leaderboard score. If it is your first three-star clear, leaving is often sensible. If you are pushing for a division promotion, you might stay, but do so knowing the next encounter could invalidate that attempt.
5. Improve the Weakest of Your Five Scores
Before repeating a task you already completed well, compare your five saved scores. It is often easier to add several thousand points to a neglected challenge than to squeeze a tiny improvement from your strongest one. This is an especially useful tactic near the end of a weekly rotation.
Best Maps, Loadouts and Routes by Trial Type
| Objective type | What matters most | Route and loadout decision | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open / search containers | Eligible container category and named area | Map a compact cluster in the specified district; use spare capacity for movement and healing. | Looting containers outside the required area |
| Kill smaller ARC units | Repeatable spawns and eligible finishing blows | Pick a route with Ticks, Pops or Fireballs and use the weapon specified by the Trial. | Getting qualifying kills with a different gun |
| Deal damage with a named weapon | Ammo supply and time on a target | Bring the correct gun, hold cover and focus on ARC targets you can hit reliably. | Running out of required ammo mid-raid |
| Use a special ARC item | Access to the device, then a qualifying target | Decide where you can obtain the tool before choosing the damage location. | Planning damage before finding the tool |
| Named-map scavenging | Correct POI and extraction method | Scout the map-specific zone and exit; on Pendola Pass, include Gondola travel. | Following a generic all-map farming loop |
Need the item before you can run a weapon-specific objective? Check the ARC Raiders Crafting and Blueprint Farming Guide for a DIY acquisition path, or compare the specific recipes in our complete blueprint catalog. For the map portion, use the seven-map extraction guide rather than relying on a fixed route from an older season.
Bring the Equipment the Trial Actually Needs
A weapon-specific or gadget challenge is hard to score without its required item. Match your loadout to the objective before starting the raid.
ARC Raiders Trials Ranks: All 14 Tiers and How Promotion Works
When you register a score, you join competition against Raiders near your existing rank. For most tiers this means a division of around 100 players. The weekly leaderboard adds together your best saved score for each of the five Trials, and your final position determines promotion, staying at the same rank or demotion. The exact cutoffs become less forgiving higher up.
| Rank group | Sub-ranks | What changes as you climb |
|---|---|---|
| Rookie | I, II, III | Broad promotion bands make regular three-star participation a useful starting goal. |
| Tryhard | I, II, III | You need a stronger combined score; low placements can lead to demotion. |
| Wildcard | I, II, III | Top promotion brackets narrow; a gap in one task hurts your weekly total. |
| Daredevil | I, II, III | Promotion generally requires very high placement, and bottom brackets can move down. |
| Hotshot | Single rank | The elite leaderboard level feeding into Cantina Legend. |
| Cantina Legend | Single rank | Community-tracked top 1,000 Hotshot players, not the old claim of only 100 worldwide. |
That is 14 ranks total: twelve numbered tiers plus Hotshot and Cantina Legend. Do not apply the same promotion rule at every level. Community rank data lists a double promotion for roughly the top 30% at Rookie, but higher tiers have narrower bands and can demote low finishers. Always inspect the promotion markers shown in your actual Trials division before choosing a points target.
Three Stars Versus a High Division Rank
For rewards, three stars in all five objectives is a clear and achievable checklist. For promotion, you are competing against people who may score far beyond 3,000 in those same tasks. Check how many leaderboard places separate you from the next promotion band and improve the objective with the most room for growth.
What Happens if You Skip a Week?
Not posting any score is different from having a weak run. Current community trackers indicate that weeks without Trials participation can result in automatic rank demotion. If you care about seasonal cosmetics, open the Trials screen at least once during the week to see the live requirements rather than assuming your rank will be frozen.
Weekly Rewards Versus Season 6 Cosmetics
Trials have two reward tracks. Weekly milestones give equipment and blueprint opportunities when you extract with enough score. Seasonal rewards are cosmetic unlocks based on your final rank when Frozen Trials ends on January 12, 2027.
- Weekly milestones: 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 points in each Trial. These are not the same as leaderboard promotion cutoffs.
- Seasonal highlight: Maestro Outfit, with announced color unlocks at Hotshot and Cantina Legend.
- Additional Season 6 cosmetics: Sheriff Badge, Infrared Transmitter, Pumped Dance and Scrappy Pop Helmet, awarded according to final placement.
Collecting weekly loot remains worthwhile even if you have no plans to reach the elite ranks. Likewise, a player aiming at the Maestro colors may need to continue score pushing long after all five three-star milestones are complete.
Solo or Squad: Which Is Better for Trials?
Solo gives you control over the route, timing and decision to extract. It works particularly well for searching containers, gathering resources and testing a simple weapon-specific route. You are responsible for all combat and revives, though, so taking a risky fight for a small score improvement can undo a good run.
A duo or trio can help with scouting, keeping ARC enemies occupied and securing the extraction area. Assign tasks beforehand: for a weapon-specific Trial, ensure the Raider who needs the score actually performs the qualifying damage or kill. Do not rely on the source guide’s old claim that every point is always split equally among four squad members. ARC Raiders squads are smaller, and individual challenge-credit rules depend on the objective.
Whichever mode you use, check the in-game counter during the raid. It is the only dependable way to confirm that the action you just performed was credited.
Do Night Raids and Map Conditions Give Double Trials Points?
No. Embark explicitly removed the automatic double Trials progress from Major Map Conditions with the Season 4 changes in April 2026. Night Raid, Electromagnetic Storm and other conditions can still change enemy behavior, visibility, the map route or access to a specific activity, but there is no general 2x Trials score multiplier to plan around.
That also means the old advice to play exclusively during a particular UTC nighttime window is wrong. Map Condition schedules have changed, and the current objective should determine your map choice. Only look for a special condition when the task itself or its target requires it.
Common Trials Mistakes That Cost Weekly Score
- Leaving with no extraction: a high mid-raid counter does not save the score if the run ends in death.
- Stacking small raids: five 600-point raids do not equal one three-star 3,000-point result.
- Using an old 4,000-point guide: the October 2026 three-star threshold is 3,000.
- Waiting for 2x Night Raid points: the general condition multiplier was removed months earlier.
- Following the wrong map objective: Old Town containers and general residential containers are not interchangeable.
- Ignoring the division: three stars can secure rewards without necessarily being enough to move up a rank.
- Assuming a service lists the current week: review the live challenge options before choosing a Trials completion or rank service.
Choose a Rank Goal You Can Actually Reach
Three stars earn weekly loot, but leaderboard promotion takes higher combined scores. Make a realistic decision based on the time left in the current rotation.
ARC Raiders Trials FAQ
At what level do you unlock Trials?
Trials unlock at level 15. Open the Trials menu to check the five active tasks after reaching that level.
How many points do you need for three stars in 2026?
As of Frozen Trials Season 6, the three-star threshold is 3,000 points on an individual challenge in one extracted raid. One and two stars require 1,000 and 2,000.
Do you need to extract to keep Trials points?
Yes. The score from the raid is recorded after a successful extraction. An unsuccessful run does not replace a better score you already banked earlier in the week.
Can you earn all three-star rewards in one week?
You can reach three stars on each of the five weekly objectives if you complete the qualifying actions and extract. The awarded items and blueprints still depend on the reward pool, so specific items are not guaranteed.
Do Trials points add up across separate raids?
No. The Trials leaderboard saves your single best extracted score per challenge. Your five separate best challenge scores are then added together for ranking.
Do Night Raids still give double Trials points?
No. Embark removed the generic 2x bonus for Major Map Conditions in Season 4. Choose a Night Raid only if the actual objective or route makes it worthwhile.
How many players are in a Trials division?
For most ranks, divisions contain 100 Raiders at the same rank. Cantina Legend uses an elite leaderboard; current community data places its cutoff at the top 1,000 Hotshot players.
What are the Frozen Trials Season 6 rewards?
The Maestro Outfit is the headline reward, with Yellow and Red colors tied to Hotshot and Cantina Legend. Other announced cosmetics include Sheriff Badge, Infrared Transmitter, Pumped Dance and Scrappy Pop Helmet.
When does Frozen Trials end?
Embark has announced January 12, 2027 as the scheduled end date for Season 6.
How often do ARC Raiders Trials change?
The tasks rotate weekly. For the October 20–26, 2026 cycle, the next rotation begins October 27. Check the current in-game Trials timer rather than relying on an older guide’s weekday.
Final Checklist for Your Next Trials Run
- Check the current five Trials and their item, target and map requirements.
- Pick the simplest task for your loadout and mark an extraction before dropping in.
- Secure 3,000 points in one run and extract to bank the three-star reward.
- Review your other four challenges before repeating a task with an already strong score.
- If you want a higher rank, compare your weekly total with the division promotion cutoff.
Frozen Trials rewards players who understand the difference between completing a challenge and competing for rank. Build around the week’s actual objectives, secure each extracted result, then decide whether the extra leaderboard points justify another run.
Updated October 25, 2026 for Frozen Trail 2.2 and Frozen Trials Season 6. Weekly task examples are dated October 20–26, 2026. Primary reference: Embark’s Season 6 announcement; scores and rank distribution cross-checked against contemporary community Trials trackers.
