ARC Raiders Patch Notes 1.33.0: Forgotten Relics
TL;DR
ARC Raiders patch 1.33.0 "Forgotten Relics" landed on 2026-06-16, the first Live Update since Nomadic Envoys 1.29.0. The short version for anyone optimizing a loadout: no weapon, augment, or shield stats moved. We confirmed that across three sources. Your tier lists, the DPS calculator, and the loadout optimizer are all still accurate. This is a content and event drop, not a balance pass.
The one loadout-adjacent change worth knowing: the item:rocketeer now drops Launcher Ammo instead of Heavy Ammo, which feeds the item:rascal a bit better in PvE.
No combat meta shift
We will say it plainly because it is the whole reason you searched: 1.33.0 does not rebalance any weapon, augment, or shield. The mid-June community consensus carries straight over from the post-Nomadic-Envoys snapshot. item:bettina holds S after its earlier buffs. item:anvil, item:renegade, and item:bobcat stay top of the PvP pile. The item:dolabra legendary shotgun is still a brute up close. Nothing here forces a re-roll of your kit. For the full ordering, the weapon tier list is unchanged by this patch.
There is one bug correction that touches gunplay without changing a stat. The patch fixed odd aiming-down-sights behavior that was hurting accuracy on some weapons. No per-weapon numbers were published, so treat it as a fix that makes your existing shots land the way they should, not a buff to bake into the math.
Forgotten Relics event
The headline content is the Forgotten Relics event, built around Merits. You earn Merits two ways: from XP as you play, and by recovering scattered relics from containers like lockers, drawers, and crates. Relic value scales with rarity, so a higher-tier relic is worth chasing. The catch that matters for an extraction game: you have to extract successfully to bank your Merits. Get knocked before the exit and the run does not count. If extraction timing is new to you, the extraction mechanics guide covers when to commit.
Merit tiers pay out gameplay items, weapons, and Raider Tokens, plus the Saltwalker Outfit as the cosmetic anchor.
Converging Paths community project
Running alongside the event is Converging Paths, a community project live from 2026-06-16 through 2026-07-27. It ties into the Nomadic Envoys storyline and runs in stages: secure nomad passage, gather supplies, then recover relics, all tracked through a Display Case. Clear it and the final rewards include a Red-Black variant of the Saltwalker Outfit, a Sextant backpack charm, and Raider Tokens, bringing the total earnable this season to 300 Raider Tokens.
If you want the cosmetics, the Reaver Set Bundle is also up for purchase this patch.
The Rocketeer loot change
Here is the only thing in 1.33.0 that nudges a build decision. The Rocketeer now drops Launcher Ammo instead of Heavy Ammo. This is a loot-table edit, not a weapon change, so no damage value moves. The practical effect: if you run the Rascal grenade launcher in PvE, killing Rocketeers now tops up the ammo you actually need. The Rascal weapon guide walks the full loadout if you want to lean into it. If you were farming Rocketeers as a Heavy Ammo source, that supply line is gone. Adjust your farm route, not your stats.
ARC enemy fixes
Two enemy fixes are pathing and behavior, not stat tuning. The item:queen and item:matriarch can now plant their feet on more varied terrain and stand on moving surfaces, which cleans up the awkward floating and sliding you may have seen. The item:firefly no longer occasionally drops an incendiary grenade without being destroyed first, so the trade you make when you down one is now honest.
Anti-cheat and quality of life
The anti-cheat side got two real improvements. Loot Compensation automatically returns your lost gear if you are knocked out by an identified cheater, with no report required and a new inbox notification confirming it. An Action Notice now lands in your inbox when a player you reported gets banned, so you actually see the outcome.
On the convenience front, the gamepad gets dedicated inputs for Sell, Recycle, Repair, Salvage, and Drop, which trims a lot of menu wrestling. One change to note for economy: Free Loadout is disabled for the Night Raid and Close Scrutiny map conditions during a three-week test. That affects how those conditions pay out, not the viability of any loadout you build.
Bug fixes
A handful of fixes clean up the rough edges:
| Fix | What it resolves |
|---|---|
| Map collision | Players no longer fall through the map when stepping on Fireballs and Pop parts |
| Barricade Kits | Knocked-out players no longer block a Barricade Kit from expanding after deployment |
| Vendor display | Ermal's offers now show stack sizes correctly, such as Raider Tokens x25 |
| Extraction audio | Announcements now play correctly when you call for extraction |
Bottom line
Patch 1.33.0 is an event you should run and a balance pass that never happened. Chase Merits and Converging Paths for the Saltwalker cosmetics and the 300 Raider Tokens, swap any Rascal farm over to Rocketeers, and leave the rest of your kit exactly where it was. The numbers you trust did not move.
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