Flash Freeze on ARC Raiders forces players on Pendola Pass to find protection from the cold before the weather starts draining health. As the freeze approaches, Avalanche Shelters open across the map. They provide protection and contain loot, but rival Raiders are drawn to the same entrances. This guide explains how Flash Freeze works, what to do when the warning appears, how to use Avalanche Shelters safely, and which mistakes are most likely to turn a safe room into the site of your last firefight.
Flash FreezeFlash FreezeOn Pendola Pass, the cold is part of the map itself rather than something you can ignore unless a separate winter modifier appears on the raid-selection screen. Embark describes Flash Freeze as a sudden weather hazard that can sweep through the valley during a raid and force Raiders to seek cover before the cold begins taking its toll. Staying exposed eventually becomes a direct threat to your health, so weather has to be considered both while looting and during fights.The biggest practical change is that every trip into an exposed area needs an escape plan. A distant high-value loot location becomes much less attractive if reaching it means crossing a wide open valley with no obvious fallback route. We recommend learning short transitions between major interiors and nearby shelter entrances before committing to long runs across Pendola Pass. The mountains look great, but admiring them with a full backpack and disappearing health is a poor sightseeing strategy.Flash Freeze arrived with the Frozen Trail update.
What to do when a Flash Freeze is approaching
Flash FreezeFlash FreezeEmbark's description confirms that old civilian Avalanche Shelters open as a freeze approaches. Treat that warning as a signal to change your raid plan immediately. Stop optional looting, check your route, and decide where you are going before the cold starts costing health. Waiting until the damage begins is an avoidable way to lose both time and positioning.We recommend following this order:
Stop nonessential actions. One more container or an attempt to finish a retreating enemy can consume the time you need to reach protection.
Choose the nearest realistic route to shelter. Consider elevation, blocked access, doors, and enemies along the way rather than only straight-line distance.
Give your squad one clear destination. A specific meeting point is much more useful than three people shouting "get inside" while running in different directions.
Check the entrance before committing. The freeze is pushing other Raiders toward the same shelter, so an apparently safe doorway can already be occupied.
Confirm that your position actually protects you from the cold. Watch your health and status before switching attention to healing or loot.
Do not automatically apply every old winter-survival trick to Pendola Pass. A roof, rock overhang, or wrecked structure may look sheltered without necessarily being a guaranteed safe zone for this specific mechanic. Avalanche Shelters are explicitly designed to protect Raiders from the freeze. Other indoor or covered locations may also work, but verify the effect in the live raid and keep a fallback route available.The route to safety can also be complicated by the new ARC. Our Frozen Trail enemy guide explains how to deal with Bully, Skulker, Hydra, and the Frigate encounter. Learn their behavior before the storm forces you to make those decisions while sprinting toward the nearest shelter.
Where to find Avalanche Shelters
Flash FreezeFlash FreezeAvalanche Shelters are scattered across Pendola Pass and open as Flash Freeze approaches. Embark describes them as old civilian shelters designed to protect people from the harsh mountain conditions. The shelters also contain loot, which is one reason they become natural conflict points whenever the weather changes.At the time of this guide, we have not found a reliable complete set of coordinates or a verified shelter-by-shelter route tied to every major landmark on the map. We therefore will not invent a "bunker next to the station" or send you toward a door that has not been confirmed. For the first few raids, learning a small section of Pendola Pass thoroughly is more useful than trying to memorize an unverified master map.Pay attention to the shelter warning and to entrances that become accessible as the freeze approaches. When you find one, memorize it relative to a distinctive landmark rather than only its position on the map. If the game allows a useful squad marker, ping it. On your next run, learn the real path to the entrance because a shelter that appears close horizontally may sit on another elevation level and be awkward to reach under pressure.A closed entrance before Flash Freeze does not automatically mean you are missing a key. One confirmed feature of the mechanic is that Avalanche Shelters open as the freeze approaches. At the same time, that does not mean every sealed bunker or heavy door on Pendola Pass is an Avalanche Shelter. Identify the location through its actual behavior and context rather than exterior appearance alone.
How to wait out Flash Freeze inside a shelter
Your first priority after entering should be survival, not loot. Confirm that the cold is no longer affecting your current position, check your health, and listen for movement around the entrance. Do not stand in the doorway longer than necessary. It blocks teammates and makes you an easy target for anyone arriving a few seconds behind you.In a squad, divide attention. One Raider can heal or check a container while another watches the approach. Rotate those roles so everyone gets a chance to recover and prepare for the next movement. A shelter is protection from the weather, not a ceasefire zone. The same mechanic that sends your team inside is sending other Raiders to the same place.Do not start a firefight simply because another squad exists in the same shelter area. Evaluate positioning, escape options, and whether a fight will leave you exposed when the weather changes again. Sometimes holding the entrance is the right choice. Sometimes allowing another group to move on is better than turning the only nearby safe position into a prolonged close-range battle.If PvP around shelter entrances keeps going badly, review the weapons you are carrying. Our Weapon Amplification and PvP modification guide covers close-range, mobility, and ranged options. Choose upgrades that fit how you actually fight. An expensive weapon does not automatically make a cramped shelter doorway easier to hold.There is currently no verified universal number of seconds we can give you for when it is safe to leave. Do not reuse timings from older winter conditions and assume they apply to Flash Freeze. Watch the current environmental cues, your Raider's status, and what is happening outside. Before the whole squad rushes out, identify the next piece of cover and make sure the weather has actually improved.
What loot is inside Avalanche Shelters?
Flash FreezeFlash FreezeEmbark has confirmed that Avalanche Shelters contain loot. That makes them attractive both to players trying to survive the weather and to Raiders who see the storm as an opportunity to fight people carrying full backpacks. What has not been established is a universal guaranteed loot table, fixed blueprint reward, or published drop rate for every shelter.Treat shelter loot as an additional opportunity rather than a guaranteed rare payout for every Flash Freeze. The value of the shelter starts with the fact that it can keep you alive. Anything you find inside comes after that.Avoid two obvious mistakes: sprinting toward the noisiest shelter because you expect premium loot, and opening the first container before checking the room. Both leave your attention on inventory management at exactly the moment other players are being funneled toward the same entrance. Secure the position first, then loot. A valuable backpack only matters if the Raider carrying it gets out.
What to bring and which mistakes to avoid
For your first few attempts, use gear you can afford to lose and bring healing supplies. They are useful for recovering after an exposed transition or a fight near the shelter, but they should not be treated as a way to remain outside indefinitely while Flash Freeze is active. We have not found a confirmed special item that completely nullifies the new weather hazard. Route knowledge and moving early remain the most dependable preparation.The most common bad decisions are:
Searching for shelter only after health starts dropping. Know where you are likely to retreat before crossing open ground.
Assuming every roof or overhang is safe. Verify that your current position actually stops the cold effect.
Running straight into an entrance without checking it. Other Raiders are being pushed toward the same shelter.
Confusing weather protection with player protection. Avalanche Shelters are not safe zones from PvP.
Using timers from an older cold-weather condition. Flash Freeze needs its own verified timing data.
The safest way to learn Flash Freeze is to treat the first few Pendola Pass raids as reconnaissance. Memorize a few reliable interiors and Avalanche Shelter entrances, note how much warning you usually receive, and learn which routes remain practical when Bully, Skulker, Hydra, or rival Raiders block the obvious path. Once those basics are familiar, the freeze changes from a random disaster into another part of the map you can plan around.
