Patch 1.7.0 doesn't feel like a cute winter paint job—it changes your whole rhythm the moment you spawn. I went into Dam Battlegrounds expecting the usual routes, then the whiteout hit and I was basically guessing where the next piece of cover even was. You can still win fights, sure, but you can't just sprint across open ground and pray. If you're trying to keep your kit stocked and your runs efficient, a lot of players have been talking about topping up ARC Raiders Coins so they can tweak loadouts without wasting nights farming, and honestly I get why the timing matters right now.

Cold Isn't Cosmetic

The chill is the real threat, not the snowflakes. Stay outside too long and you'll feel the pressure fast—health starts bleeding and suddenly every doorway looks like a lifeline. You end up playing this little heat-management mini-game: cut through interiors, pause by warm spots, and keep an eye out for those red Candleberries when you need a quick save. And the map fights back in quieter ways too. Frozen water is slick, so that "easy" flank by the riverbed can turn into you sliding right into someone's sights. You don't forget it after it happens once.

Tracks, Sound, And Getting Hunted

Footprints are the biggest mind game. You'll catch yourself staring at the ground like a detective, then you realize you're leaving a neat little trail for somebody else. I followed prints near Blue Gate and it felt almost unfair—like I'd been handed a free push. But it cuts both ways. People are slowing down, holding angles longer, and listening harder because sightlines are trash in the storm. If you're used to playing loud and quick, you'll have to unlearn that. Take one extra second. Check your back. Don't assume you're alone just because you can't see anyone.

Why You Still Queue The Snow

The risk would be annoying if there wasn't a payoff, but the 2x Trials score multiplier is doing a lot of heavy lifting. If you care about climbing, you're basically forced into the icy rotation, and it's kind of addictive once you accept the danger. One raid you're crawling through Buried City ruins, the next you're getting shoved around by wind at the Spaceport. Loadouts shift with it. Thermal options feel less "nice to have" and more like basic survival, and you'll notice people building for endurance instead of pure damage.

Store Rotations And Console Quality-Of-Life

Cosmetics are part of the fun, and this drop actually hits. Alpino's great when everything's washed out, and Red Ryder is goofy in a way that still works. The Tuesday store rotation helps too—you don't feel locked into one week of the same stuff. The ADS toggle on console is a bigger deal than it sounds; aiming feels quicker, less wrestling with the sticks. And the Skill Tree reset is a quiet blessing. If you made a messy build early on, you can fix it now and move on, and if you'd rather skip the grind and just get back to raiding, plenty of folks point to the ARC Raiders Battle pass as a faster way to keep up while the snow's still shaping the meta.