Players who’ve been roaming the Rust Belt for weeks now will probably know the routine by heart, but there’s a small twist creeping in as the first Expedition gets closer. The game’s gearing up for that big reset moment, yet it doesn’t follow the usual brutal wipe formula you see in other shooters. Instead, you get to choose whether to start over or hang on to everything you’ve earned, which feels a lot more flexible. While planning for that reset, though, you might’ve hit the same annoying snag many of us did: the game just won’t tell you the total value of your stash. And when you’re juggling hundreds of items, that gets old fast. That’s why a lot of players have started talking about using an ARC Raiders BluePrint grind strategy alongside a neat trick discovered online that helps you see your stash value without wasting half an hour clicking through menus.
How Players Found a Workaround
The trick itself is pretty simple, and honestly, the kind of thing you’d expect gamers to figure out sooner or later. If you bump your PC’s clock forward a few days, usually to mid-December, the game thinks the Expedition window is already open. You can then hop into the Expedition tab and check your stash value instantly. You can’t actually press the departure button, since the server isn’t fooled, but you do get the one number you actually need. Anyone who’s tried adding up item values manually knows how much time this saves. It’s not perfect, but it works, and right now that’s enough for most people.
Why That Number Matters So Much
The stash value isn’t just a vanity metric. Embark explained how the reward system works, and it’s a bit steeper than some expected. You earn an extra skill point for every one million coins worth of items you bring into the reset, up to a max of five. So hitting that five‑million mark has become a goal for a lot of players. It gives you a head start the moment the new season begins, and for anyone planning to take the Expedition plunge, those points could shape the entire early-game experience. With the Cold Snap update on the horizon, bringing new quests and weather conditions, every little boost matters.
Why This Approach to Wipes Feels Different
What’s interesting is how the optional reset changes the mood around the whole feature. Instead of dreading a full wipe, people can treat it like a fresh challenge if they want it, or just keep playing as usual if they’ve been busy. There’s far less pressure than in games where resets happen whether you’re ready or not. And with new map conditions like Snowfall coming soon, a lot of players seem more willing to experiment and see how a reset shapes their next run, especially if they’ve stocked up on enough loot and even grabbed a few cheap BluePrint options to prepare for the climb back up.
