Rare 'Locked Gate' Event in Arc Raiders: Unraveling the Mystery and Anticipating Its Return

12/10/2025

Arc Raiders, a popular extraction shooter, recently featured a fleeting and highly exclusive in-game event known as 'Locked Gate' on the Blue Gate map. This rare occurrence, active for merely an hour on November 13th, challenged players to retrieve four distinct keycards to unlock a clandestine tunnel. Despite its intriguing premise, a significant bug caused the tunnel to be devoid of rewards, leading to the event's swift deactivation. The gaming community now eagerly awaits its potential reintroduction, particularly with the impending Cold Snap update.

The 'Locked Gate' event introduced a compelling narrative element, with in-game lore hinting at a 'clandestine group' activating an emergency shutdown protocol, requiring players to 'uncover whatever they're hiding.' Unlike other recurring events such as 'Lush Blooms' or 'Harvester,' which focus on resource gathering or boss battles, 'Locked Gate' presented a specific objective, making it a distinct and memorable experience. The challenge of collecting four keycards across different map locations, especially in a PvP-enabled environment, added a layer of strategic complexity that players rarely encounter in Arc Raiders.

Footage captured by various YouTubers, including Gamers Heroes and KpShamino, showcased the arduous task of gathering the keys from Raider's Refuge, Reinforced Reception, Pilgrim's Peak, and Ancient Fort. These videos also confirmed the unfortunate bug where the supposedly loot-filled tunnel was empty. Player reports on platforms like Twitter and Reddit quickly highlighted this issue, prompting Embark Studios to disable the event for a necessary patch. The lack of frequent updates for Arc Raiders has led to speculation within the community regarding the delay in the event's return, with some suggesting the fix is more complex than anticipated, or that Embark Studios is holding it for a major update.

The upcoming Cold Snap update, scheduled for December 17th, will introduce a snowy map condition and has fueled hopes for the 'Locked Gate' event's reappearance. Players who managed to successfully complete the event before its removal, despite the lack of rewards, are now seen as possessing a 'badge of honor.' There is a general sentiment that an exclusive cosmetic reward for these pioneering players would be a fitting acknowledgment of their rare accomplishment, should Embark Studios be able to identify them. The anticipation for its return underscores the event's unique appeal and the desire for more objective-driven challenges within the game.

The brief but impactful 'Locked Gate' event in Arc Raiders captured the imagination of players with its unique objectives and narrative hooks. Despite its premature removal due to a critical bug, the community's enthusiasm for its return remains high. The potential reintroduction of this event, possibly alongside the Cold Snap update, promises to offer a more rewarding and engaging experience for all Arc Raiders enthusiasts. Its initial short run, combined with the bug, has only amplified its mystique, turning it into a legendary moment in the game's history.