Arc Raiders Flickering Flames Event Guide: Rewards, Candleberries & Merit Explained

The Arc Raiders Flickering Flames event is the heart of the Cold Snap update, and if you’ve been dropping into raids lately, you’ve already felt the chill. Snowstorms, frostbite mechanics, new materials, and a full event reward track make this one of the most content rich seasonal events Arc Raiders has seen so far.

As someone who’s been grinding extraction shooters for years, I’ll say this straight up: Flickering Flames is generous, but only if you understand how Merit, Candleberries, and the community project actually work together. Play it wrong, and you waste time. Play it smart, and you’ll unlock everything without burning out.

If you’re short on time and want to stay competitive during the event, some players choose to use PVPBank to buy ARC Raiders coins early on to speed up progression, but you can absolutely complete Flickering Flames just by playing efficiently. This guide focuses on exactly that.

Let’s break it all down step by step.

What Is the Flickering Flames Event

The Flickering Flames event combines three systems:

• A Merit based reward track

• A community driven Candleberry Project

• New Cold Snap weather mechanics that affect gameplay

You progress simply by playing raids, earning XP, and contributing materials.

Flickering Flames Reward Track Explained

The reward track is straightforward but long. There are 25 reward tiers, and each tier unlocks every 600 Merit.

Veteran insight:
You do not need to grind nonstop. If you play consistently and donate to the project, you will finish the track naturally before the event ends.

Flickering Flames Rewards List (Key Milestones)

Instead of dumping all 25 tiers, here are the rewards that actually matter most.

Between these milestones, you’ll earn extra Candleberries and Raider Tokens, which feed directly into the event project.

The Candleberry Project Explained

The Candleberry Project is a community progression system. Every player donates materials, and once all five stages are completed globally, everyone receives the final rewards.

Here’s what each stage requires.

Candleberry Project Requirements

Important warning:
Once you donate materials, they are gone forever. Double check your stash before committing items you might need later.

Candleberry Project Final Rewards

Completing all five stages unlocks a powerful reward bundle for everyone.

You receive:

• Snowglobe backpack charm

• Bettina III weapon

• Extended Barrel attachment

• Kinetic Converter

This is why contributing matters, even if you already finished your reward track.

How to Find Candleberries Fast

You need 260 Candleberries to complete the full project on your own. Luckily, you don’t need to manually farm all of them.

Veteran tip:
Most players finish the project without realizing it because the reward track alone gives around 180 Candleberries.

Best Places to Farm Candleberries

From experience, these locations are consistently strong:

• Hydroponic Dome Complex on Dam Battlegrounds

• Marano Park in Buried City

• Forest area between Container Storage and East Plains Warehouse on Spaceport

Stick to these zones when Cold Snap is active.

How to Earn Merit Efficiently

Merit comes naturally, but some methods are faster and safer than others.

Veteran advice:
If your goal is efficiency, avoid unnecessary fights. Surviving and extracting with loot beats dying with kills every time.

Cold Snap Weather Mechanics

The snowstorms are not cosmetic. They will kill you if you ignore them.

What happens:

• Prolonged exposure drains health

• Your Raider shivers and freezes visually

• Some buildings do not provide warmth

How to survive:

• Move between enclosed buildings

• Watch your character animation

• If snow stops melting, you are still freezing

Snowballs exist too, but they are just for fun.

Final Thoughts

The Arc Raiders Flickering Flames event is one of the most well designed seasonal updates the game has had so far. It rewards consistent play, smart decision making, and teamwork across the community.

You do not need to no life the event. Play smart, donate wisely, and the rewards will come naturally. If you stay active during Cold Snap, you will finish both the reward track and the Candleberry Project without stress.