- What to know
- ARC Raiders crafting changes in 1.17.0
- High-tier weapon recipes now demand rare ARC components
- Healing economy tightened with Tick Pod requirement
- ARC Parts sell value reduced to favor crafting
- Crafting impact summary table
- Tips to adjust your crafting strategy after 1.17.0
- What these changes mean for the overall meta
What to know
- Several high-tier items now require rare ARC components like Drivers and Tick Pods.
- ARC Parts sell for less, pushing you toward crafting instead of flipping for credits.
- Energy Clips are now unlocked by default at the Workbench.
- Powerful gear like Wolfpack and Trailblazer demands higher PvE engagement.
The 1.17.0 “Shrouded Sky” update for ARC Raiders, released on February 24, 2026, introduced meaningful crafting adjustments that reshape progression and economy balance. If you rely on high-tier weapons or healing utilities, you’ll immediately feel the shift. Below is a complete breakdown of what changed, how recipes differ from before, and what that means for your runs.
ARC Raiders crafting changes in 1.17.0
| Item / Component | Pre-1.17.0 | Post-1.17.0 | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Standard explosive recipe | Requires Comet Igniter | Higher material specificity |
| Trailblazer | Standard explosive recipe | Requires Firefly Burner | Resource dependency shift |
| Wolfpack | No Driver required | Requires Rocketeer Driver | Rare bottleneck added |
| Vita Spray | Standard materials | Requires Tick Pod | Healing cost increased |
| Showstopper | Advanced Electrical Components | Electrical Components + Hornet Driver | Driver dependency added |
| ARC Parts (sell value) | Higher | Reduced | Craft > sell economy |
| Energy Clip | Unlock required | Default Workbench access | Easier energy builds |
High-tier weapon recipes now demand rare ARC components
The biggest crafting shift in 1.17.0 is the increased reliance on Driver components and specialized ARC drops.
Confirmed updated recipe: Deadline
The Deadline crafting recipe now requires the following:
| Category | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | 1x Comet Igniter |
| 3x Explosive Compound | |
| 2x ARC Circuitry | |
| Crafting Station | Explosives Station 3 |
| Blueprint | Deadline Blueprint required |
| Result | 1x Deadline |
Compared to previous builds, this version increases reliance on ARC Circuitry while keeping Explosive Compound as a core ingredient. The addition of Comet Igniter reinforces Deadline as a higher-investment explosive weapon.
If you plan to craft Deadline consistently, prioritize farming mechanical ARC enemies and industrial zones that drop circuitry-based components.
Confirmed updated recipe: Trailblazer
Trailblazer now follows a different material logic focused on fuel and ignition systems:
| Category | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Ingredients | 1x Synthesized Fuel |
| 2x Crude Explosives | |
| 1x Firefly Burner | |
| Crafting Station | Explosives Station 3 |
| Blueprint | Trailblazer Blueprint required |
| Result | 1x Trailblazer |
The shift toward Synthesized Fuel and Firefly Burner makes this recipe more dependent on refined crafting chains rather than pure explosive drops. This means you must either craft intermediate materials or farm enemies that drop fuel-related components.
Trailblazer now feels more specialized and less mass-producible compared to earlier versions.
Wolfpack now requires a Rocketeer Driver
Before the update, Wolfpack grenades did not require a Rocketeer Driver. Now, crafting a single Wolfpack consumes one.
Rocketeer Drivers drop from higher-tier ARC Rocketeer units, making them relatively rare. While the refined explosive cost was slightly reduced to compensate, the addition of a Driver makes this a clear net increase in crafting difficulty.
You’ll likely feel this most if you rely on explosive loadouts in PvP or high-pressure PvE scenarios. Expect fewer grenade-heavy builds unless you deliberately farm Rocketeer-type enemies.
Showstopper recipe restructured
The Showstopper no longer uses Advanced Electrical Components. Instead, it now requires:
- Standard Electrical Components
- One Hornet Driver
Although some base components are cheaper, the Hornet Driver adds a rare requirement. The overall crafting value was slightly decreased to reflect the restructuring, but accessibility depends heavily on your ability to source Drivers consistently.
Healing economy tightened with Tick Pod requirement
Vita Spray now requires a Tick Pod
Vita Spray used to rely on more common crafting materials. After 1.17.0, each craft requires a Tick Pod.
Tick Pods are not as common as basic scrap components, which raises the effective cost of sustaining healing supplies. If you’re accustomed to running multiple Vita Sprays per raid, you’ll now need to:
- Farm specific ARC units that drop Tick Pods.
- Be more selective about healing usage mid-run.
This subtly shifts the survival meta toward smarter positioning and reduced face-tanking rather than brute-force sustain.
ARC Parts sell value reduced to favor crafting
ARC Parts previously held strong liquidation value at traders. With 1.17.0, their sell price has been reduced.
This discourages pure credit farming through part liquidation and instead encourages you to reinvest those materials into weapon and utility crafting. Since multiple high-tier items now require additional ARC Parts, their lowered sell value reinforces their new crafting importance.
One quality-of-life improvement stands out: Energy Clips are now available by default in the Workbench crafting menu.
Previously, players had to unlock the ability to craft them. With this restriction removed, energy weapon users can maintain ammo flow much earlier in progression.
This increases accessibility for energy-based builds and lowers early-to-mid-game friction.
Crafting impact summary table
| Item | New Ingredient | Rarity Level | Crafting Difficulty Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Additional ARC Part | Moderate | Increased |
| Trailblazer | Additional ARC Part | Moderate | Increased |
| Wolfpack | Rocketeer Driver | High | Significantly Increased |
| Vita Spray | Tick Pod | Moderate | Increased |
| Showstopper | Hornet Driver | High | Moderately Increased |
| Energy Clip | None (Unlocked) | N/A | Decreased |
Tips to adjust your crafting strategy after 1.17.0
- Shift your farming routes toward high-tier ARC enemies that drop Drivers and Tick Pods. Standard scrap runs will no longer sustain high-end crafting.
- Prioritize ARC Parts for weapon builds rather than selling them. Their reduced trader value makes liquidation inefficient.
- Plan explosive loadouts carefully. Each Wolfpack now consumes a Rocketeer Driver, so treat grenades as premium tools rather than default equipment.
- Craft Vita Sprays more selectively. Since Tick Pods are required, use healing deliberately and consider alternative sustain strategies.
- Take advantage of early Energy Clip access if you run energy weapons. Ammo sustain is now easier to maintain without unlock gating.
What these changes mean for the overall meta
Crafting in ARC Raiders now demands deliberate farming, smarter resource allocation, and fewer “spam” builds. With Drivers and Tick Pods embedded into key recipes, every high-tier craft carries real weight. If you adjust early, you’ll stay ahead of the new economy curve.
Update 1.17.0 clearly pushes crafting toward higher commitment and risk-based farming. Rare ARC components are now integrated into more recipes, tying powerful gear directly to dangerous encounters.
At the same time, accessibility improvements like default Energy Clip crafting prevent the update from feeling purely restrictive. The design direction emphasizes engagement with ARC enemies rather than passive economy cycling.
If you adapt your farming routes and treat Drivers and Tick Pods as core progression materials, the new system becomes manageable—and more strategic.
