Arc Raiders Flashpoint Update Guide Close Scrutiny, New Weapons & Everything New

Flashpoint 1.22.0 released on March 31, 2026 and immediately shifted the patch conversation away from simple balance notes. The update centers on a new ARC Operation, a new flying ARC enemy, two new weapon chases, one new deployable, and several progression systems that reward repeat raiding rather than one-off clears.

The short version: normal loot is less reliable inside Close Scrutiny, but the upside is much higher. If you can survive the Assessor fight, you unlock the best weapon chase in the patch, the core materials for Dolabra, and one of the clearest new endgame farm loops Arc Raiders has had in months.

Close Scrutiny is a new ARC Operation map condition. Standard loot is reduced, the Assessor becomes the center of the raid, and the whole encounter is built around a risk-versus-loot decision: breach containers for top-tier rewards, or avoid the red beam and let someone else trigger the chaos.

Confirmed maps are Dam, Buried City, Spaceport, and Blue Gate. The Assessor lands, fans out on its legs, exposes three breachable containers, and calls down reinforcements once the breach starts.

The headline loot is the Dolabra blueprint, plus Assessor Matrix drops and other high-end ARC materials. For the full encounter flow, open the dedicated Close Scrutiny guide.

The Vaporizer is a flying ARC enemy, not a weapon. It patrols the Assessor area, drains shields quickly, applies burn pressure, and makes cover unreliable by splashing lasers across geometry and igniting the ground around you.

The key trick is the shield cycle. Bait the shield with ordinary gunfire or grenades, then hit the ventral thrusters once the protection drops. That is why Dolabra, Hullcracker, and Aphelion have become such strong recommendations.

Vaporizer kills matter because they drop Vaporizer Regulators, which are required for Dolabra crafting and High-Gain Antenna progression. More details live on the Vaporizer guide.

Flashpoint gives Scrappy a progression loop: feed him the right items and he starts bringing back more valuable categories of loot. Fruits, mushrooms, agave, crafted fruit mixes, and even pet-themed comfort items all feed into the system.

Community reports say sustained feeding can eventually push Scrappy into high-end returns, including epic and legendary drops. The exact cooldown and thresholds are still unclear, but the system is already worth engaging with if you play often.

For datamined pool weights, every food’s loot table, and farming routes, see the Scrappy Feeding Boost guide.

The visible Flashpoint cosmetic headline is the Wasp Hunter Set. It is the outfit most tightly associated with the patch art and store refresh.

The revised Flashpoint brief also points to Brigade, Vanguard, and Nascosto as April follow-up cosmetics. Treat those as upcoming store rotation callouts rather than gameplay unlocks.