Embark heard your feedback, so finishing Arc Raiders' second Expedition will be cheaper by the millions

For many who played so much Arc Raiders that the only thing left to do was wipe their progress and start over, that last Expedition didn't quite hit the mark. "Honestly, it wasn't worth it" argued our own Sean Martin upon completion. The requirements were a grind and the rewards only so-so.

So, Embark is doing things a little differently for its second Expedition project that departs on March 1.

"Starting off, we want to get one announcement out of the way right off the bat: we’ve heard your feedback about the required Stash value for maximum rewards being too high, and have decided to lower the requirement to three million Coins (600k per Skill Point)," Embark wrote in blog post published today. "The reward will still be five skill points for reaching the three million stash value."

That's a big discount from the five million Coins that were needed to get the full skill point bonuses in the first Expedition—or a million coins per point. Yowza, now I understand the hate.

To make amends with folks who tried and failed to complete the Expedition last time, Embark is also introducing a "catchup mechanic" that will allow players to earn last season's five skill points on the cheap:

"For this Expedition, you will need to gather 300k Stash value per Skill Point missing from the first Expedition. When departing, Coins will contribute to the Skill Points of the second Expedition, before contributing to missing Skill Points from the first one."

That translates to another 1.5 million Coins, if I carried the one correctly. Altogether, first-time Expeditioners could reset with a full 10 extra skill points for 4.5 million Coins. Embark noted that this deal might be a one time thing.

"Skill points won't be available indefinitely for those that continue to depart."

As for rewards, expect an escalation of what you got from the last Expedition, including some new color options for the Patchwork outfit.

Permanent

• The Patchwork outfit (evolved)
• Scrappy cosmetics
• The Expedition Indicator icon (upgraded for each expedition completed)
• 12→24 Stash spaces
• +0-5 Skill Points (+ catch up on missed Skill Points from the first Expedition, so 85 total is possible for those embarking on their second Expedition)

Consecutive

• 5%→10% XP boost
• 6%→12% Scrappy materials boost
• 60%→70% Repair value increase

Sign-ups for the second Expedition begin February 25 with departure taking place on March 1.