Arc Raiders – Flickering Flames Event Guide & Rewards

Flickering Flames is a limited-time seasonal community event in Arc Raiders, introduced alongside the Cold Snap winter update. Running from December 16, 2025, to January 13, 2026, the event combines individual progression with a new project, rewarding players simply for playing, surviving harsh winter conditions, and contributing resources.

The core of the event revolves around earning Merits, collecting Candleberries, and donating materials to unlock cosmetic items, Raider Tokens, and the first-ever Raider tool skin.

1. Cold Snap Map Condition 

Cold Snap Event

Cold Snap is a large-scale seasonal map modifier that fundamentally changes how raids play during the Flickering Flames event. It introduces environmental pressure, visibility reduction, altered traversal, and higher risk–reward gameplay across multiple maps.

Cold Snap can appear on several raid locations and includes high loot value, and you will encounter it for Flickering Flames objectives.

• Daytime raids only
• Hatch Keys enabled, allowing safer extractions
• Double Trial Points, accelerating progression
• Boosted loot tables, increasing overall value per run
• Heavy snowstorms that significantly reduce visibility and cause Frostbite

2. Frostbite & Temperature Mechanics

Collecting Candleberries

The primary mechanic of Cold Snap is the Frostbite system, which requires players to manage exposure and positioning rather than relying solely on combat skills. When your Raider is exposed to the open environment:

• Body temperature steadily drops
• Frostbite begins to apply
• Health starts draining once freezing thresholds are reached

2.1 How to Check Frostbite

Cold Snap provides clear visual and animation-based feedback to warn players when Frostbite is actively affecting their Raider.

• Your Raider begins shivering, indicating rapid heat loss.
• The character rubs their hands together, showing worsening exposure.
• Snow visibly accumulates on the Raider’s body and gear.
• These combined signals mean Frostbite is active, and immediate action is required.

2.2 How to Avoid and Remove Frostbite

Cold Snap Event Gameplay

Surviving Cold Snap is less about combat and more about intelligent movement and positioning. Managing exposure, choosing safe routes, and understanding how warmth recovery works are essential to staying alive during Frostbite conditions.

• Move between safe zones: Whenever possible, travel through buildings, interiors, and covered areas. Use structures as temperature resets between outdoor movements.
• Limit outdoor exposure: Avoid long open-area crossings. Plan routes that chain cover locations together.
• Fully restore warmth: Enter a warm area and remain there until the temperature is completely restored. Partial warming will not stop Frostbite damage.
• Confirm Frostbite removal: Your Raider’s health will stop declining, signaling that Frostbite has ended. 

Staying indoors while already shivering does not instantly stop damage. You must fully warm up before Frostbite effects end.

3.  How the Flickering Flames Progression System Works

Flickering Flames event progression is split into two parallel systems that complement each other. Both systems reward Merits, cosmetics, and resources, and neither requires high-level play or consistent success.

A Merit is equivalent to 100 XP earned through raids and will be calculated to progress in the Gathering Candleberries rewards.

• Gathering Candleberries (individual progression)
• Flickering Flames Project (Project progressions by donating items)

4. What are Candleberries?

Candleberries are the central event material introduced with Cold Snap. They are used across both progression systems and are required to fully complete Flickering Flames.

4.1 Gathering Candleberry Event

Candleberries only appear when Cold Snap is active and cannot be stockpiled outside the event. To finish all event content:

• 260 total Candleberries are required
• 180 Candleberries are earned automatically through the Gathering Candleberries reward track
• Remaining Candleberries must be collected in raids or donated through the community project

5. How to Find Candleberries

Arc Raiders Cold Snap Extraction

Candleberries spawn naturally on Cold Snap maps and can be obtained through several different gameplay loops, allowing both combat-focused and exploration-focused players to farm them efficiently.

5.1 Candleberries from Natural World Spawns

During Cold Snap events, Candleberries naturally spawn in the environment and are the most consistent source for players who prefer exploration-based farming. These spawns are usually in bushes throughout the map and reward players who thoroughly search snowy terrain instead of rushing objectives.

• Appear as bushes with bright red berries in snowy environments
• Each bush yields 1–3 Candleberries
• Most commonly found along forest edges and open snowfields

5.2 Additional Sources for Candleberries

In addition to natural spawns, Candleberries can be acquired through several loot-based interactions that reward combat, exploration, and cache hunting. Food Baskets often provide higher yields and fit naturally into standard raid routes.

• Raider Caches during Cold Snap raids
• Frozen Raider Caches that require breaching
• Randomly spawned food baskets, which often contain higher quantities

5.3 Best Candleberry Farming Locations

Certain areas across Cold Snap–affected maps consistently offer higher Candleberry density due to spawn clustering, cache placement, and environmental layout. Targeting these locations allows players to gather Candleberries efficiently while minimizing unnecessary exposure to Frostbite.

• Hydroponic Dome Complex – Dam Battlegrounds
• Marano Park – Buried City
• Forest zone between Container Storage and East Plains Warehouse – Spaceport

6. What is the Flickering Flames Project?

The Flickering Flames Project is a donation-based progression system that is similar to the Expedition Project and focuses on contributing materials to a seasonal celebration.

The project consists of five pages, each representing a themed stage of the event. Completing pages unlocks rewards such as cosmetics, Raider Tokens, Merits, and consumables.

7. Flickering Flames Project Materials and Rewards

Flickering Flames Project Steps

Flickering Flames Project offers a variety of rewards through different Stages. Each material you donate towards the project will reward you with useful items like Merits, Raider Tokens, and more.

Below is the list of all the items, along with the rewards you can earn in Arc Raiders.

7.1 Flickering Flames Banquet Completion Reward

Flickering Flame Final Reward

After you’ve completed and donated all the materials in the Flickering Flames Project, you will receive another main bonus reward for completing the Banquet, along with some weapons and attachments.

•  Snowglobe Backpack Charm
• 1x Bettina 
• 1x Extended Weapon Barrel
• 1x Kinetic Converter Gold Stock

8. Gathering Candleberries Reward Tracker

Gathering Candleberries Reward Tracker

The Gathering Candleberries tracker is a 25-tier Merit-based reward track that serves as the primary individual progression path for Flickering Flames. This track contains cosmetics, Candleberries, Raider Tokens, emotes, color variants, and the first-ever Raider tool skin.

9. Tips & Tricks for Flickering Flames Event

Completing Flickering Flames does not require perfect raids, but smart decision-making can significantly reduce the grind.

• Prioritize high-XP objectives, elite ARC enemies, and weekly Trials
• Loot every container, structure, and cache you encounter
• Avoid unnecessary outdoor exposure during Cold Snap
• Plan routes through interiors to minimize Frostbite damage
• Candleberries contribute to both progression systems, making them highly valuable

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