Arc Raiders Frozen Trail Reworks Skill Tree With New Abilities and Forced Build Choices

Arc Raiders is getting a major skill tree overhaul as part of the upcoming Frozen Trail update, with Embark Studios removing some existing abilities, adding new ones, and changing progression so players can no longer unlock everything.

The goal is to make character builds more distinct and give players stronger reasons to specialize instead of simply collecting every useful upgrade over time.

Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal explained that the current skill tree did not create enough meaningful differences between builds. Embark found that players could move through the tree without making many difficult decisions about which abilities they actually wanted.

Frozen Trail is intended to change that.

Players will have to choose between abilities

Under the revised system, some skills will be mutually exclusive.

Instead of eventually unlocking every option, players will need to choose between certain abilities and commit to specific parts of their build.

Embark believes this will make progression more interesting while supporting a wider range of playstyles.

Skill tree change	What it means
Existing skills removed	Some current abilities will disappear
New skills added	Players will receive more build options
Ability choices introduced	Certain upgrades cannot all be selected together
Full unlocks restricted	You will not be able to obtain everything
Respeccing supported	Builds can be changed and tested later

The general structure of the skill tree will remain familiar, but the decisions inside it are expected to become more important.

Grøndal said Embark wants players to discover new builds and experiment with different combinations rather than following one progression path that eventually leads to almost the same character.

Current skill tree offered limited specialization

The existing Arc Raiders progression system has been relatively simple.

Players can invest points into areas such as mobility, but many upgrades offer incremental improvements rather than creating completely different ways to approach encounters.

That can reduce the value of build decisions because there is less pressure to choose one strength at the expense of another.

The Frozen Trail rework is designed around tradeoffs.

A player focused on movement may need to give up another useful ability, while someone building around a different playstyle may end up with a noticeably different set of tools.

Embark has not yet revealed the full list of new skills, so it is unclear how dramatically individual builds will change in practice.

There are also no details yet on exactly which current abilities are being removed.

Respeccing should encourage experimentation

Although players will have fewer opportunities to unlock everything simultaneously, the system is not intended to permanently lock them into one build.

Grøndal confirmed that players will be able to change their selections and try different configurations.

That should make experimentation important.

If one build is not working for a particular map, activity or playstyle, players will have the option to revise it rather than being forced to start over.

This could become particularly useful if Frozen Trail introduces enemies and environmental challenges that reward different approaches.

Frozen Trail is shaping up to be a substantial update

The skill tree rework is only one part of Frozen Trail.

Embark has already revealed that the update will include additional content such as a new map, new ARC enemies, weapon upgrades and personal outposts that players can decorate.

The studio has also described the new content as a higher level challenge that could force experienced players to rethink familiar movement and combat habits.

That makes the revised progression system especially relevant.

If Frozen Trail places greater demands on positioning, movement and equipment choices, a more restrictive skill tree could give different builds clearer strengths and weaknesses.

Embark has not yet shown exactly how the new abilities work, so the biggest questions remain unanswered.

For now, the key change is clear. Arc Raiders players will no longer be expected to unlock everything eventually. Frozen Trail will ask them to make real choices, build around specific strengths, and change those choices when they want to explore a different playstyle.