The Arc Raiders Last Resort event launched alongside the Riven Tides update on April 28, 2026, and it's one of the more generous free reward tracks Embark Studios has put out. Twenty-one rewards, no premium currency required, and a full month to earn them. The catch? You need to grind Merits, and the fastest path involves hunting down rare Ship Models scattered across the new Riven Tides map.
How does the Last Resort event work?
The Last Resort event runs on Merits, the same seasonal currency used in previous Arc Raiders events like the Shared Watch event. Every match you play converts your earned XP directly into Merits at the end of a successful extraction. According to Insider Gaming, the conversion rate is straightforward: 100 XP equals 1 Merit.
That means your normal playstyle works fine for progression. Run missions, fight ARC threats, loot containers, extract safely. You don't need to chase specific objectives or play on a particular map to earn Merits through standard XP conversion.
Last Resort reward track overview
What are Ship Models and how do you find them?
Ship Models are the fast-track option for Merit farming. These are rare physical items hidden throughout the world that carry bonus Merit values tied to their rarity. According to IGN's guide, the primary way to find them on the Riven Tides map is by using the Dockmaster's Detector, an item that functions like a metal detector you can use on the beach to dig up loot.
Beyond beach digging, Ship Models can also appear as random loot drops inside containers, on tables, or lying on the ground across the map. There are five distinct Ship Models, each with a different rarity tier:
- Wind Sprite (Common)
- Twilight Compass (Uncommon)
- Velocity (Rare)
- Sirena Dorata (Epic)
- Leviathan's Crown (Legendary)
Higher rarity models award significantly more Merits per find, so prioritize the Dockmaster's Detector if you want to accelerate your track completion.
Dockmaster's Detector in use
All Last Resort event rewards
The reward track spans three pages with a total of 21 items. You need 3,150 Merits to unlock everything. Here's the full breakdown, sourced from Beebom and Insider Gaming:
The Junior Outfit is the centerpiece of this track, with color variants (Beige, Copper Blue, Rogue Lemon, Cyan Skull, Cobalt) and individual pieces (Pauldrons, Kneepads, Headgear, Mask) spread across all three pages. Raider Tokens show up four times total: three drops of 50 tokens and one drop of 100 tokens at the 2,850 Merit mark.
When does the Last Resort event end?
The event runs from April 28, 2026 through May 25, 2026, giving you roughly four weeks to earn 3,150 Merits. Note that IGN lists the end time as May 26 at 9:00am UTC, while Beebom cites May 25. Plan around May 25 to be safe and avoid missing the cutoff.
There's a separate deadline to keep in mind: Arc Raiders Expedition 3 closes on May 11, 2026. According to Beebom, Expedition 3 offers permanent rewards including skill points and stash space upgrades. Those are harder to replace than cosmetics, so knock out Expedition 3 objectives first before shifting your full attention to Last Resort.
At 100 XP per Merit and a 3,150 Merit target, you need roughly 315,000 XP total from standard play. Spreading that across four weeks is very manageable with daily sessions, but finding even a few high-rarity Ship Models will cut that grind down meaningfully.
Should you prioritize Last Resort over other content?
The Last Resort event runs alongside the Avian Alarm project, which also offers free rewards but requires collecting specific materials rather than just earning XP. Both are worth pursuing simultaneously since their progression systems don't compete directly.
For players focused on long-term character development, Expedition 3 takes priority given its permanent upgrades. For players who want the full Junior Outfit cosmetic set and some extra Raider Tokens, Last Resort is a low-friction grind that rewards consistent play rather than specific task completion.
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