The next Arc Raiders Expedition wipe will be easier to max out than the first, but you'll get a bonus for hitting both

Are you ready for the second Arc Raiders Expedition? Embark Studios has given us nearly a full month’s warning ahead of the extraction shooter’s second optional wipe. With the departure date set for Sunday March 1, there are just over three weeks before it takes place, and it will be quite a bit easier to reach the maximum reward tier in response to player feedback. Those who already reset their account once can do so again, and with stacking buffs up for grabs, the multiplayer game is heavily encouraging you to take up the offer.

Expeditions act as a soft reset; rather than demanding all players take part in each Arc Raiders wipe and risking alienating those with less time to grind, Embark has instead come up with a system that lets you opt in to losing all of your character progression in return for some tasty benefits. If you’ve been putting in the hours and have plenty to show for it, you’ll get even bigger payouts for this second Expedition, while those who missed the first round will be able to pick up the rewards from that outing.

“We’ve heard your feedback about the required stash value for maximum rewards being too high,” Embark writes. This time, rather than needing a million coins per skill point up to a cap of five, the price comes in at just 600,000. That means a combined stash value of three million coins will get you the full suite of five points. Remember that by choosing to wipe you’ll lose your characters levels, skills, items, workshop, and crafting capabilities.

If you took part in the first Expedition but weren’t able to max out your rewards, a catch-up system will let you snag your missing skill points at an even lower price of 300,000 coins each. Embark notes that your collected cash will contribute to the new Expedition first, so you’ll need to fill that up before you can start taking advantage of this. It adds that rewards and requirements might change in the future, and that “bonus skill points won’t be available indefinitely for those that continue to depart.”

As for the rest of the rewards, first-time extractors get the same prize as December’s departers: a Patchwork cosmetic outfit, some Scrappy fashion, a special Expedition Indicator icon, and 12 extra stash spaces. All of that is permanent, meaning you won’t lose it regardless of whether you take part in future wipes or not. If it’s your second time around, your outfit and icon will be evolved to reflect that, and you’ll gain an extra 12 stash slots for a total of 24.

Then there are the buffs. First-timers get a 5% XP boost, 6% more Scrappy materials, and a 60% increase to repair value. If you’re already benefiting from those thanks to December’s extraction, however, you’ve got a choice to make. Wiping again will increase those to 10% XP, 12% Scrappy materials, and 70% bonus repair value. Refuse this expedition in order to keep your current loadout, however, and your existing buffs will be reset.

The second Arc Raiders Expedition window opens on Wednesday February 25, with the departure taking place on Sunday March 1. You’ll need to have signed up to send your character off into the sunset before the bus leaves the station, so start thinking about your decision now.