Arc Raiders Shrouded Sky: Every Quest, Cache Location, and Map Condition
Last updated: May 23, 2026. The Shrouded Sky update was the biggest patch in Arc Raiders' live-service life when it dropped on February 24, 2026, and three months later its quests, enemies, and map condition are still some of the most-searched topics in the game. This guide consolidates everything Shrouded Sky added (patch 1.17.0), every quest walkthrough, and how the Riven Tides follow-up (1.26.0, April 28) builds on the same systems.
Shrouded Sky at a Glance
- Patch number: 1.17.0
- Release date: February 24, 2026
- Headline addition: Hurricane Map Condition
- New enemies: Two new ARC types
- Seasonal project: Weather Monitoring System
- Map update: Dam Battlegrounds revamp
- New quests: Stable Housing, Keeping an Eye Out
- System additions: Free Raider Deck, Expedition Window, Facial Hair Customization
The Hurricane Map Condition
Shrouded Sky's signature mechanic is the Hurricane: a dynamic map condition that periodically rolls across maps, dramatically reducing visibility, increasing wind effects (audibly and on projectiles), and changing the rhythm of ARC patrols. The Hurricane is not pure window-dressing; it materially changes raid pacing:
- Visibility loss favors close-range engagements. Snipers and long-range loadouts struggle while shotguns and SMGs spike in value.
- Ambient sound masks footsteps, making stealth approaches harder to detect but also hiding your own approach.
- ARC behavior changes: certain patrol routes shift, and the new Hurricane-spawning ARC enemies are most active during the condition.
- Loot opportunities: Hurricane Caches spawn during the condition with weighted loot tables favoring rarer items.
Hurricane Cache Locations
"Arc raiders hurricane cache locations" is one of the highest-search queries of the entire 2026 patch cycle. Caches spawn at fixed environmental anchors that the storm system "pins":
- Coastal anchor points on coastal maps. Look for the lighthouse, pier, and sea-wall positions.
- Elevated wind-exposed positions on inland maps: ridgelines, communication towers, exposed rooftops.
- Bridge crossings: caches often appear under or beside major bridges where wind tunnels naturally form in the level geometry.
The exact spawn list rotates per Hurricane event; the anchor categories above are stable. Track active Hurricane events through the map UI's weather overlay.
The Two New ARC Enemies
Shrouded Sky introduced two ARC types specifically built around the Hurricane condition:
The High Gain Antenna ARC
A long-range sentinel ARC that detects Raiders through the Hurricane's visual obscurance via its high-gain antenna array. It will alert other ARCs in a wide radius, turning a stealth approach into a swarm fight if not silenced quickly. Approach from a flank, get under the antenna's detection arc, and disable before engagement.
The Comet Igniter ARC
An aggressive close-range ARC that thrives in Hurricane conditions where its mobility advantage is amplified. Spawns frequently during Hurricane events near energy infrastructure (the same locations the Weather Monitoring System targets). Use cover; ranged kiting is the safest tactic.
The Weather Monitoring System (Seasonal Player Project)
Shrouded Sky's seasonal project is the Weather Monitoring System. Raiders collaboratively build out a network of weather stations across maps; completing the project unlocks community-wide rewards and improves access to Hurricane-related loot.
Project mechanics:
- Players deploy weather sensors at designated coordinates.
- Each sensor contributes to a global meter.
- Milestones unlock at fixed percentages with cosmetic and gameplay rewards.
- The project runs through the Shrouded Sky season; once concluded, its rewards become unobtainable.
Quest 1: Keeping an Eye Out
One of the two new headline quests. Available on the Blue Gate map.
Objective
Locate the collapsed highway at the southern edge of the Barren Clearing point of interest. Investigate the area and complete the observation sequence.
Walkthrough
- Deploy into Blue Gate.
- Head south to the Barren Clearing POI.
- The collapsed highway is on the POI's southern edge. Look for the broken overpass section.
- Approach the observation point (marked once you're in range).
- Defend the position from the ARC wave that triggers on activation.
- Extract via the standard map exits.
Tips: this quest can be done solo with care. The triggered wave is moderate but not overwhelming. The collapsed highway provides natural cover; use the overpass debris as your defensive line.
Quest 2: Stable Housing
The second new headline quest. Available on the Stella Montis map.
Objective
Reach the security bridge on Stella Montis. Recover valuable contents from a locked safe and deliver them to Tien Wen at the extraction point.
Walkthrough
- Deploy into Stella Montis with at least one breaching tool.
- Navigate to the security bridge area in the central map zone.
- Locate the locked safe within the security station.
- Use a breaching tool or correct keycard to open the safe.
- Pick up the contents (a quest-specific item).
- Carry the item to extraction. You cannot quick-stash it; the item must remain in your active inventory.
- Deliver to Tien Wen via the standard extraction.
Tips: the security bridge is a known contested zone. Bring at least one teammate or prepare for PvP. The quest item slot is significant; pack accordingly.
The Other Trending Shrouded Sky Quests
Several other quests entered the Shrouded Sky rotation and remain heavily searched:
- Dust on the Wires: a delivery quest involving the power infrastructure on the Dam Battlegrounds map. Recover a wire bundle and route it to the substation.
- A Rising Tide: a coastal exploration quest that pairs naturally with the Hurricane condition. Marks several beach locations for investigation.
- Worth Your Salt: a salt-flats traversal quest. Brutal in Hurricane conditions due to limited visibility.
- A Dead End: a deep-map exploration quest with a fixed PvE encounter at the terminus.
- Clamoring for Attention: a noise-bait quest that intentionally attracts ARC patrols. High-risk, high-reward.
- Waking the Grid: a power-system reactivation quest tied to the new Weather Monitoring infrastructure.
- Outstanding Balance: an economy-focused quest involving caches and currency drops.
- Battening Down: a defensive quest where you fortify a position against ARC waves.
Dam Battlegrounds Map Update
Shrouded Sky's Dam Battlegrounds rework is one of the most significant map changes in Arc Raiders to date. The dam itself has new traversal routes, the surrounding industrial infrastructure has expanded, and several quest endpoints pin to specific dam locations.
What changed on Dam Battlegrounds:
- Extended approach paths reducing the prior "two-corridor" choke-point feel.
- New interior building with multi-floor combat verticality.
- Additional cache spawns inside the dam's interior maintenance corridors.
- Reworked lighting that interacts with the Hurricane condition.
Free Raider Deck, Expedition Window, Facial Hair
Three quality-of-life additions:
- Free Raider Deck: a starter deck for new raiders, lowering the entry friction for fresh accounts.
- Expedition Window: a UI improvement showing active expeditions, their objectives, and time-to-extraction estimates.
- Facial Hair Customization: cosmetic-only but heavily requested. Beards, mustaches, stubble, full customization in the character editor.
Balance Changes That Stuck
The Shrouded Sky patch shipped several balance tweaks that are still active months later:
- Hatch deploy warning: a ready-up confirmation when entering a map with no active Raider Hatches.
- Feat rerolls: three free rerolls per day. PvP Feats removed and replaced with updated alternatives.
- Zipline placement: ziplines can no longer be placed on carryable objects.
- Trap placement: mines, traps, and remote flares cannot be placed on other deployables. This closed a popular grief tactic.
What Came After Shrouded Sky
Shrouded Sky was followed by Flashpoint (early April 2026), then by the major Riven Tides update (1.26.0, April 28, 2026). Riven Tides added:
- The Riven Tides map: an abandoned shoreline featuring the Exodus port and the Panorama Azzurro hotel.
- The ARC Turbine boss: a calm-drifting boss-tier ARC with brutal defensive abilities. The most demanding solo fight in the game.
- The Beachcombing Map Condition: using the Dockmaster's Detector to sweep buried loot.
- Weapon economy overhaul: increased weapon attrition balanced by a new repair-on-upgrade system.
- The Avian Alarm project: deploy bird cages at coastline buoys; rewards include the Bird House backpack and 250 Raider Tokens.
- Bettina buff, Trigger 'Nade and Photoelectric Cloak nerfs, plus 40+ bug fixes.
Riven Tides is the current live state of the game. Shrouded Sky's quests, enemies, and Hurricane condition all remain active; Riven Tides layered new content on top rather than replacing it.
For Returning Raiders
If you stopped playing before February 2026, the easiest re-entry path:
- Log in. Claim any season-ended rewards still in your queue.
- Run a single Easy difficulty raid to refresh your feel for the new Hurricane behavior.
- Pick up Stable Housing and Keeping an Eye Out from the quest board. They're the cleanest re-onboarding pair.
- Once comfortable, head to Riven Tides for the current live content.
For New Raiders
Arc Raiders is an extraction shooter where every match is a high-stakes raid for gear that you can lose permanently. If you're starting fresh in May 2026:
- Claim the Free Raider Deck.
- Run the tutorial raids on Easy.
- Do not engage other Raiders in your first 10 hours. Run, hide, extract.
- Save the Shrouded Sky and Riven Tides quests until you have stable gear.
- The community is large; party up via the in-game LFG system.
Watching the Patch Cycle
Embark Studios has been shipping major patches roughly every 6-8 weeks since launch. After Riven Tides (April 28), the next major content update is expected late June or early July 2026. The seasonal project structure suggests another large beat tied to the changing seasons in-game.
Bookmark the official news feeds:
- arcraiders.com/news
- The official Arc Raiders Discord (linked from the news page) is where dev-team confirmations land first.
This guide will update as new patches release.