The new ARC Raiders update, Headwinds, is live, and it has brought many new and exciting things to the game. Most notable is the new queue, but it seems players have their gazes set on things of the rubbery kind: Rubber Ducks.
The Headwinds update for ARC Raiders is only the first of many patches to come in 2026, and it’s already making a buzz among the community. However, what exactly is buzzing isn’t the new queue or map condition. No, it’s the Rubber Duck, or, to be more exact, Rubber Ducks. What was before just a random trash item you could find around the game’s maps and then place in your room in Speranza has now snowballed into a Pokémon-esque collection of various Ducks, each with their own rarity and value.
Players are running around topside trying their best to catch them all, because no room in Speranza would ever be complete without having some ultra diamond rare “Familiar Duck” hanging around.
Some are already calling this the “biggest W since launch,” and I genuinely am starting to see the appeal. ARC Raiders‘ loot is its core mechanic. It’s what motivates you to emerge from the depths and scour the topside world for resources and weapons. With these Ducks, there’s an extra reason to go around looking for stuff, as if a new form of quest had been added into the game.
It’s as community-oriented as a patch can be, showing Embark Studios’ formula of catering to the player (the casual, not the pro). Shooting ARCs and gunning down every person you see is fun and all, but sometimes a man just wants to squeeze a rubber duck. A diamond-plated, rare, expensive rubber ducky.
Oh, and if you want to find them all and can’t be bothered with searching everywhere, we’ve got you covered.
