Winter has officially arrived in Arc Raiders, and with it comes one of the most dangerous and rewarding events so far. The Flickering Flames event introduces freezing conditions, new hazards, and a full reward track tied to a winter festival in Speranza.
This guide explains how the Flickering Flames event works, how to survive the Cold Snap, and what rewards you can unlock before the event ends.
What Is the Flickering Flames Event?
Flickering Flames is a limited-time winter event in Arc Raiders that launched alongside the Cold Snap update. It combines environmental hazards, a communal collection objective, and a multi-level reward track.The event revolves around helping the people of Speranza survive winter by gathering Candleberries and earning Merits through normal Topside play.
Event Dates
- Start: December 16, 2025
- End: January 13, 2026
Once the event ends, the Flickering Flames reward track and Candleberry objectives will no longer be available.
Cold Snap Map Condition Explained
The biggest gameplay change during this event is the new Cold Snap major map condition. When Cold Snap is active:- Snow covers the entire Rust Belt
- Lakes freeze and become slippery
- Visibility is reduced by blizzards
- Raiders take damage over time when exposed to the cold
Staying outdoors for too long during Cold Snap is extremely dangerous. If you do not find shelter or heal, you will go down quickly.
Cold Snap Gameplay Effects
Cold Snap is not just visual. If you remain exposed for too long, your Raider will begin showing clear signs of frostbite.- Your Raider shivers and rubs their hands together
- Movement becomes less stable
- Snow visibly builds up on your character
- Health begins draining over time
To stop the damage, you must enter a properly insulated building. When you are safe, the snow on your Raider will begin to melt. Be careful, as not all structures provide enough warmth. If your character is still shivering, you are still taking damage.
Cold Snap maps also include snowball piles. You can pick up snowballs and throw them at other Raiders. They do not deal damage, but they add a bit of winter chaos to firefights.
How to Survive Cold Snap
- Move between buildings instead of crossing open areas
- Carry extra healing items before heading Topside
- Avoid getting pinned down outdoors during fights
- Use interiors to force close-range engagements
Cold Snap heavily shifts combat toward indoor and close-quarters fights, especially on large open maps like Spaceport.
The Flickering Flames Festival
In the Flickering Flames festival, the people of Speranza gather underground to celebrate warmth, light, and survival during winter.At the center of the celebration is the Candleberry Bush, a vital winter resource used to create wax, food, tea, decorations, and morale-boosting supplies.
Your role as a Raider is to gather these resources Topside and deliver them back to Speranza.
How Candleberries Work
During the event, you can find Candleberry Bushes across Topside locations while exploring the Rust Belt.Collected Candleberries are turned in to progress the Candleberry Banquet Project, a shared objective that rewards everyone taking part.
Candleberry Banquet Rewards
Contributing Candleberries unlocks:- Raider Tokens
- Weapons
- Rare utility items
- Cosmetics
- Merits
The banquet progresses through five stages, each revealing new scenes and granting rewards. The Merits earned also feed directly into your Flickering Flames reward track.
Where To Find Candleberries
Candleberries are an event-exclusive resource tied to the Cold Snap update. To fully complete the Candleberry Banquet Project, you will need a total of 260 Candleberries.You do not need to find all of them manually, as many are earned through event progression.
Ways To Get Candleberries
- Event Reward Track: Earn up to 180 Candleberries by leveling the Flickering Flames rewards
- Wild Bushes: Found on Cold Snap maps, usually drop 1–3 Candleberries
- Raider Caches: Often contain 3–5 Candleberries
- Nature Baskets: Rare spawns that yield the highest amount
Best Candleberry Farming Locations
- Hydroponic Dome Complex on Dam Battlegrounds
- Marano Park in Buried City
- The forest between Container Storage and East Plains Warehouse on Spaceport
Flickering Flames Reward Track Explained
The Flickering Flames event features a 25-level reward track progressed by earning Merit.- You earn 10 Merit for every 1,000 XP
- XP comes from looting, killing ARCs, and defeating Raiders
- You must complete five raids to unlock event participation
Rewards unlock every 600 Merit, with the final tier reached at 15,000 Merit.
For players short on time, this Merit grind can be handled for you. With our Flickering Flames event service, we efficiently farm XP and Merits during Cold Snap runs, allowing you to progress through the full reward track without spending hours in harsh winter conditions.
All Flickering Flames Event Rewards
| Reward | Type | Merit Required |
|---|---|---|
| Hi-Tech Hiker | Outfit | 600 |
| 10x Candleberries | Event Supply | 1200 |
| Scanner (Hi-Tech Hiker) | Outfit Variant | 1800 |
| 10x Candleberries | Event Supply | 2400 |
| Check Compass | Emote | 3000 |
| 10x Candleberries | Event Supply | 3600 |
| 50x Raider Tokens | Currency | 4200 |
| Blue Camo (Hi-Tech Hiker) | Outfit Color | 4800 |
| 10x Candleberries | Event Supply | 5400 |
| Field Phone (Hi-Tech Hiker) | Outfit Variant | 6000 |
| 10x Candleberries | Event Supply | 6600 |
| Sprayed Eyes Red | Face Style | 7200 |
| 50x Raider Tokens | Currency | 7800 |
| Orange (Hi-Tech Hiker) | Outfit Color | 8400 |
| 10x Candleberries | Event Supply | 9000 |
| Mask (Hi-Tech Hiker) | Outfit Variant | 9600 |
| 50x Raider Tokens | Currency | 10200 |
| Yellow Camo (Hi-Tech Hiker) | Outfit Color | 10800 |
| 10x Candleberries | Event Supply | 11400 |
| Headgear (Hi-Tech Hiker) | Outfit Variant | 12000 |
| 50x Raider Tokens | Currency | 12600 |
| White (Hi-Tech Hiker) | Outfit Color | 13200 |
| Goggles (Hi-Tech Hiker) | Outfit Variant | 13800 |
| 50x Raider Tokens | Currency | 14400 |
| Space Wrench | Raider Tool | 15000 |
Candleberry Banquet Project Guide
The Candleberry Banquet Project is a community-driven objective split into five Candlelight stages. Once you donate materials, they are permanently consumed, so only commit items you can spare.If you want to avoid hoarding materials or running repeated Cold Snap raids, we can also help complete the entire project for you by farming the required items and Candleberries efficiently on your behalf. Visit our Flickering Flame event boosting service page.
| Stage | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Candlelight 1/5 | 1x Empty Wine Bottle 25x Plastic Parts 5x Durable Cloth 20x Candleberries |
| Candlelight 2/5 | 3x Candle Holder 3x Light Bulb 1x Industrial Battery 50x Candleberries |
| Candlelight 3/5 | 1x Film Reels 5x Snap Blast Grenades 10x Duct Tape 55x Candleberries |
| Candlelight 4/5 | 2x Coffee Pots 10x Fireball Burners 2x Water Filters 65x Candleberries |
| Candlelight 5/5 | 7x Mushroom 2x Frying Pan 2x Music Album 70x Candleberries |
Final Project Rewards
- Snowglobe Backpack Charm
- Bettina III
- Extended Barrel
- Kinetic Converter
Gathering Candleberries Event Tracker
The final part of the Flickering Flames event is the Gathering Candleberries reward tracker. It contains 25 rewards and progresses only through earning Merits.Merits are awarded at the end of each match, with 100 XP equaling 1 Merit. Strong raid runs can easily earn thousands of XP, making this a passive progression system just by playing the game. Completing steps in the Flickering Flames Project also grants large Merit bonuses, further accelerating reward progression.
Why This Event Matters
Flickering Flames is more than a cosmetic event. Cold Snap fundamentally changes how Arc Raiders is played during winter.- Routes must be planned carefully
- Outdoor fights become high-risk
- Indoor engagements are more common
- Survival matters more than speed
It is one of the most impactful map modifiers introduced so far and adds real tension to every Topside run.
Final Tips for Flickering Flames
- Do not underestimate Cold Snap damage
- Prioritize Candleberries early
- Heal aggressively when outdoors
- Use winter conditions to control fights
The Flickering Flames event runs for a limited time, so make sure to take part before winter fades from the Rust Belt.
Stay warm, stay alive, and good luck out there, Raider.
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