The latest Arc Raiders patch, version 1.11.0, has officially arrived, introducing significant balancing changes to the Kettle and the Trigger Nade. Developer Embark Studios moved to adjust these items after acknowledging that the Trigger Nade, in particular, “currently dominates PVP encounters.”
Detailed in the official patch notes, the Kettle’s fire rate has been scaled back from 600 to 450. Embark noted that the original speed was primarily reachable by players using third-party macros, which created an inherently unfair competitive environment. While design lead Virgil Watkins recently mentioned that some players had managed to hit that cap manually, the adjustment aims to level the playing field for the broader community.
Regarding the Trigger Nade adjustments, Embark stated: “The Trigger Nade currently dominates PVP encounters, as players frequently choose it over all other available grenades. This nerf is designed to reduce its effectiveness as an ‘air-burst’ projectile while preserving its utility as a reliable sticky bomb.”
To facilitate this change, the developers rebalanced the damage falloff, concentrating lethality at the center of the explosion while significantly reducing damage at the edges. Furthermore, the fuse delay has been increased from 0.7 seconds to 1.5 seconds. This extension gives opposing players more time to react and makes it much more difficult to time mid-air detonations successfully.
The update also brings atmospheric changes to the Stella Montis Night Raid. Lighting has been dimmed in several areas to make flashlights and audio cues more essential to survival. Additionally, a bug involving key cards has been resolved, fixing an exploit that allowed players to retain room keys after they were used.
Finally, players can now claim the Gilded Pickaxe Raider Tool, a commemorative golden hammer released to celebrate Arc Raiders surpassing the 10-million-player milestone. Anyone who logs in before January 13 at 11:59 PM CET (2:59 PM PST / 5:59 PM EST) will be eligible for the reward. If you haven’t participated in the current season yet, there are only a few hours remaining to secure this exclusive item.
