ARC Raiders Frozen Trail Guide: How to Unlock the Outpost, Research Station, and Any Blueprint

Summary

The Frozen Trail update, which Embark is calling the 2.0 update, introduces one of the biggest progression systems the game has seen: the Outpost and its Research Station. This guide covers everything you need to unlock it, upgrade it, and use it to research any blueprint in the game. Along the way, you'll also want to keep an eye on your ARC Raiders Coins, since they can help you pick up materials and gear while you work toward completing the Sheltered Retreat project.

What Is the Outpost?

The Outpost is a new customizable base area above ground that replaces the old lobby backdrop. But it's not just cosmetic—it unlocks two critical mechanics:

Research Station: Allows you to research any blueprint in the game

Weapon Amplification: Modifying and upgrading weapons

You do not receive the Outpost automatically after installing Frozen Trail. You must first reach Level 18 and complete the three-stage Sheltered Retreat Project.

Step 1: Unlock the Outpost (Sheltered Retreat Project)

The Sheltered Retreat Project consists of three sequential stages. You can view later stages in advance, so check the requirements early and save your materials.

Stage 1: Research Topside Living Conditions

Objective: Photograph a farmland house near Ruined Homestead on the Blue Gate map.

How to complete:

Accept the Sheltered Retreat Project before entering a raid

Make sure you have a Camera in your loadout (buy from Shani, craft at Workbench, or find Topside)

Select Blue Gate and travel toward Ruined Homestead (southern part of the map, near Ancient Fort)

Equip your Camera and frame any farmland house in the area

Take the photograph—the objective will recognize the qualifying house

Tip: You don't need to fight every ARC around Ruined Homestead. Approach from a quieter side, take the photo, and extract if you're done.

Reward: Camera Blueprint

Stage 2: Gather Building Materials

Objective: Deliver the following materials to the project:

Best way to prepare:

Planks and Sheet Metal are new items found anywhere on the map, but the easiest method is buying them from Celeste using seeds

Keep ARC Alloy instead of recycling it immediately

Save Advanced Electrical Components—they are the more important requirement

Reward: Red Light Stick Blueprint

Stage 3: Safeguard the Building Site

Objective: Deal damage to flying ARC enemies and the new ARC Bully.

Tips:

Flying ARCs are easiest to farm in Pendola Pass or Spaceport

For the Bully, carry Wolfpacks or use Trigger Nades

Make sure your skill tree build supports this combat objective

Reward: Decorative Chair, 15 Planks, 5 Durable Cloth, and Outpost progression

Note: After completing Stage 1, the orange notification dot in the Outposts tab may not appear even though you've finished the objective. Check the tab manually—Embark has listed this as a known issue.

Step 2: Install the Research Station

Once the Outpost is unlocked, the entire main lobby changes and you get an additional Workshop slot. Here you can install the Research Bench.

Materials required for Research Station: Planks, battered paperback, and mini pump (as shown in the video).

You can find these materials by looting raider-style containers. Good locations include the Observatory, Railyard, or Supermarket on Pendola Pass. The video notes you can find new crafting items like the Cable Stripper, which is needed for the new Grappling Hook.

Step 3: Understand Research Points

Research Points are the currency used to research blueprints, designs, and weapon amplification. You don't find them directly—you acquire them by looting specific items and extracting with them.

How to Acquire Research Points

Go to the Research Station and click "Acquire Research Points." You'll see a list of items that convert into points:

The high-tier items come from the Frig (the new map condition), but you can also loot anything in the game to earn smaller amounts of research points. The video notes that you can "just loot anything in the game or go for these high-tier frig things" to eventually research any blueprint.

Step 4: Research Any Blueprint

Once you have Research Points, the system is straightforward:

Go to the Research Station in your Outpost

Select Blueprint Crafting

Browse the list of blueprints you haven't unlocked

Spend Research Points to learn any blueprint in the game

The video describes this as "crazy" because it fundamentally changes how you acquire blueprints. Instead of hoping for random drops, you can work toward any specific blueprint you want.

Other Research Station Functions

The Research Station has three main tabs:

Weapon Amplification requires you to max out the Outpost to access it. This opens fifth-quality weapon paths.

Step 5: Upgrade the Outpost

You can expand your Outpost with different room modules to increase space and upgrade the Research Station.

Room Options

Upgrading the Outpost enhances both the size of your base and the capability of the Research Station.

Step 6: Furniture Designs

The Outpost isn't just functional—it's customizable. The Frozen Trail update added 100 Furniture Designs.

Furniture Designs work like blueprints—you find them in the world, learn them, then craft the corresponding furniture. If you'd rather skip some of the grind, you can Buy ARC Raiders Coins, and for a reliable option, MMOEXP is worth checking out for secure delivery and competitive prices.

Quick Reference: Outpost Unlock Checklist

Key Takeaways

The Outpost is the biggest progression addition in Frozen Trail—it's not just cosmetic

Research Points let you learn any blueprint—this fundamentally changes how you acquire gear

Start saving materials early—check the Sheltered Retreat project stages before completing Stage 1

Furniture Designs are found like blueprints—73 can be looted Topside

Weapon Amplification requires maxed Outpost—plan your room upgrades accordingly

The video's reaction says it best: "Blueprint crafting. This is crazy. So, I can learn any blueprint I want in the game."