ARC Raiders Cold Snap Guide: How To Survive Frostbite

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A winter storm has hit the world of ARC Raiders, covering four out of five maps in snow and frost. The latest December update introduces a new “Cold Snap” map condition, which adds a frostbite mechanic that can harm your character’s health.

The Cold Snap event is happening on the Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, and Blue Gate maps. Stella Montis is unique because it takes place entirely indoors, meaning the weather doesn’t impact gameplay there. In ARC Raiders, frostbite works simply: being outside in the cold will cause you to freeze. We’ve tested the Cold Snap thoroughly to understand how it affects players and how to best survive it.

How Frostbite Works On The Cold Snap Map Condition

Frostbite builds up when you’re outside, but it doesn’t immediately damage you. You have about two minutes before it starts to affect your health, slowly reducing it over time. If you start with full health, frostbite will defeat you in roughly a minute and fifteen seconds, meaning you could potentially survive outside for just under three and a half minutes.

Coming inside will start to reverse the effects of frostbite, but it won’t disappear instantly. It takes roughly 30 seconds to a minute inside to fully recover – there’s no way to check your progress except for a visual effect on the screen, so it’s hard to know exactly when you’re safe again. Briefly stepping inside offers some protection, but you’ll start taking damage from the cold faster if you don’t wait the full recovery time.

Generally, it’s simple to stay safe from the cold in ARC Raiders – just go inside a building. However, there are a few quirks. Surprisingly, most roofs designed to be covered areas count as being “inside”, even if they’re over open spaces like parking lots or small structures. But don’t assume anything overhead will protect you – things like concrete pipes won’t necessarily block the frostbite.

Okay, so not everything that looks like a roof actually counts as cover. I learned that the hard way on Spaceport! There are these big, round tanks all around the launch tower, and they’ve got these alcoves over them. But those alcove ‘roofs’ won’t save you from getting shot – they don’t count as proper cover, apparently.

We also discovered a safe spot at the base of the launch tower – leaning against the wall under the catwalks protects you from frostbite. But, if you move just a few steps closer to the edge of the trench, you’ll start to feel the effects of frostbite, even though you’re still sheltered by the catwalks.

How To Survive Cold Snap’s Frostbite

The best strategy in Cold Snap is to stay indoors as much as you can. While you can monitor how quickly frostbite builds up and learn your limits, the danger from other players makes it much safer to limit your time outside.

If you start to suffer from frostbite, healing items can reduce the damage, but won’t eliminate it entirely. For example, Vita Spray can restore your health faster than the frostbite is causing damage, but you’ll need to use more than usual to keep up. Regular bandages won’t work as well as normal, but they might give you a little extra time to reach shelter.

To stay alive on Cold Snap maps, pay close attention to your character. They’ll shiver when getting frostbite, and if your weapons are away, they’ll visibly huddle their hands. Listen for sounds too – your character makes noises when entering or leaving the cold. The most helpful sound is a sigh of relief when you find shelter, even in unexpected places.

The biggest challenge with the Cold Snap map condition in ARC Raiders is that it restricts where you can safely position yourself. You can’t wait in exposed areas or have long-range fights because you’ll quickly freeze. While close-range weapons are helpful, once you learn to control the frostbite, the cold itself won’t be a huge danger.

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2025-12-17 02:40