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Arc Raiders rolled out update 1.15.0 on February 10, 2026, and you can feel the vibe change the second you drop in. The Shared Watch event (live until February 24) is basically Embark saying, "Quit farming each other for a bit and deal with the machines." You can still shoot another Raider, sure, but it won't move the event forward and it won't pay out Merits. That single tweak changes how people act. You'll see more pings, more quick team-ups, and more "you take left, I'll take right" moments. If you're the kind of player who likes planning runs around gear goals, it's also a good time to think about crafting routes and ARC Raiders BluePrint choices while the lobby mood is unusually cooperative.
Shared Watch and the Merit Grind

Merits are the whole engine of this event, and the best part is you don't have to be the hero every fight. If your squad finishes the job, you still get credit for assists and for the damage you've put in across matches. That means chip damage matters. Breaking armor matters. Even forcing a machine to reposition can matter, because it keeps your team alive long enough to cash in. People who normally play like lone wolves will probably hate it at first, then quietly adapt. Because the fastest Merit path isn't "win every duel," it's "stay in the fight and keep contributing." Expect more squads sticking around to help strangers finish a big target instead of sprinting off to the next loot room.
When PvP Still Happens

Let's be real: PvP doesn't vanish just because the event rewards ignore it. Some players will still shoot on sight out of habit, panic, or plain boredom. But now there's a cost. Every bullet you waste on a Raider is a bullet you're not dumping into ARC plating, and every noisy fight drags machines toward you anyway. The smart play becomes de-escalation. Back off, rotate, let the robots become the common problem again. You'll also notice more "silent agreements" in the field—two teams watching the same machine, both pretending they're not thinking about betrayal, because Merits are worth more than petty revenge this week.
Cold Snap Returns, Along With New Looks

Cold Snap is back in the outdoor zones, and it's the same old lesson: exposure kills you when you stop paying attention. You'll push one more building, take one more angle, and suddenly your health is ticking down like you've made a personal enemy of winter. Still, players keep running it because the loot value goes up in those conditions, and that risk feels earned. On top of that, the Vulpine and Slugger cosmetic sets are a nice morale boost—something fresh to wear while you're doing the cold-weather math of "Can I make it to cover before the next tick hits."
What This Patch Might Say About the Future

This update feels like a live test, not just a content drop. Embark's seeing what happens when cooperation is rewarded and player conflict is, for once, just wasted effort. If you've been wanting Arc Raiders to lean a bit more into PvE without losing its edge, Shared Watch is a pretty clean experiment. And if you're gearing up for the event rewards, there's nothing wrong with using trusted marketplaces to save time on your loadout planning—sites like U4GM are known for helping players pick up game currency and items so they can focus on runs instead of endless scavenging.

You don't need a spreadsheet to see what's running Black Ops 7 right now. Hop into a few matches and the EGRT-17 shows up again and again, melting people before they can even react, and if you're trying to keep up (or catch up) with ranked goals, stuff like CoD BO7 Boosting is on a lot of players' radar for a reason. The gun just feels like it skips the usual "pick two" trade-offs. It snaps like a fast AR, hits like a heavy one, and somehow still behaves when you're taking long lanes.
Why the EGRT-17 Feels Unfair

Most metas are annoying, but at least they have a tell. This one doesn't. The EGRT-17 plays clean up close, then turns around and deletes people at mid-to-long range with barely any effort. You'll notice it in those messy fights around doorways: the other guy misses a burst, you don't, and it's over. Even when you're getting shot first, the time-to-kill feels like it forgives bad peeks. That's why it's everywhere in sweaty lobbies. People aren't "testing" it anymore. They're leaning on it.
Attachments That Actually Make It Sing

If you're serious, don't waste slots. The Gunfighter Wildcard is basically mandatory, because the "good enough" build still loses to the full setup. Start with the Redwell Shade-X suppressor to stay quiet and keep the recoil from drifting. Then lock in the 17.9″ EAM Planar Barrel—bullet velocity matters more than folks admit, especially when you're challenging headies or crossing long sightlines. After that, the Bowen Sentry Foregrip plus the Frigate Control Stock is the boring part, but it's what keeps the EGRT-17 steady when you're holding the trigger a bit too long.
The Ricochet Trick and How to Play It

The weird sauce is the MFS Heated Echo Rounds fire mod. Ricochets up to three times sounds like a party trick until you're banking shots off a wall and tagging someone who thinks they're safe. Tight corridors, stairwells, those awkward "I know he's there" moments—this is where it pays off. Add the 3MW Motion Strike Laser and the gun stops feeling clunky. You can slide in, snap, and still have that cheeky angle pressure without giving your whole body to the fight.
Class Setup and Keeping the Pace

To round it out, build around staying alive long enough to take two or three fights in a row. A Scrambler can ruin their info game, and a Stim Shot lets you reset fast and keep pushing. Perk-wise, Ghost and Cold-Blooded cut down the constant UAV/thermal nonsense, and Fast Hands keeps everything from feeling sluggish when you're swapping, reloading, or getting caught mid-sprint. If you're the type who also buys game currency or grabs items to save time between grinds, U4GM fits naturally into that routine without turning the whole session into a chore.

Business Center Lobby

Step one is the Business Center lobby, and it's easier than people make it sound. Don't mash every keyboard. You want the reception desk specifically, and there's one terminal that'll let you pull the guest logs and upload them for Lance. Get in, interact, get out. If you hang around, you're basically inviting patrols—or another squad—to walk in while you're stuck in the animation.
Auditorium Notes

Next up, swing to the Auditorium for the lecture notes. It's usually a quick grab, but this is where players get sloppy because it feels "safe" after the lobby. It isn't. Keep your head up, listen for metal footsteps, and don't stand in the open staring at the screen. Hit the computer, confirm it counted, then move—looting can wait until the objective is locked in.
Medical Research Terminal

After that, push toward the Medical Research wing, often higher up and a bit more sterile-looking than the office areas. The terminal you need stands out—more lab gear than corporate PC—and it holds the prototype info Lance wants. Route planning matters here. If you can, clear one angle, grab the interact, and rotate immediately instead of backtracking the same hallway everyone camps.
Assembly Workshops and Getting Out
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Valentine's week in GTA Online isn't really about hearts and flowers. It's about looking at your businesses and asking, "What's actually worth my time right now?" If your Bunker's been gathering dust, this is the week to wake it up. With 2x GTA$ and RP on Bunker Research Missions, you're not just getting paid better—you're cutting down that painfully slow unlock grind, too. Run a few missions, keep supplies moving, and you'll feel the difference fast. And yeah, if you're chasing upgrades, it pairs nicely with the broader money mindset a lot of players have around GTA 5 Money when they're trying to build momentum instead of waiting forever.
Bunker Time Pays Off

Research has always been the "set it and forget it" part of the Bunker, until you realise you've been forgetting it for months. Double Research Progress changes the vibe completely. You can actually aim for specific unlocks and see the bar move in a way that doesn't feel like a joke. The best part is how it slots into a normal session: jump in, knock out the Research Missions, then go do something fun while the background work keeps ticking. If you've got friends, rotate jobs and keep it flowing; if you're solo, it's still one of the cleanest ways to turn time into real upgrades this week.
Quick Cash Without the Commitment

Not everyone wants to live underground with a clipboard and a forklift, and that's fair. Short Trips paying double is perfect for those "I've got 15 minutes" nights. They're quick, they don't demand a huge setup, and they're a nice change of pace from the usual grind loop. On top of that, the Community Race Series is also on 2x, and honestly, the player-made tracks can be way more interesting than the standard ones. Expect messy lines, weird jumps, and that one corner that sends half the lobby into a wall. You'll earn extra RP while you're at it, and it feels less like work.
Freebies, Discounts, and Crew Perks

There's also a simple weekly win: finish two Adversary Mode matches and Rockstar hands you GTA$100,000. No sweaty "must win" pressure—just complete the matches and you're good. Log in and you'll grab the Valentine's Onesie too, which is ridiculous in the best way. If you're thinking longer-term, the Meth Lab discounts are worth a look, especially if you've been meaning to turn spare cash into steady income. And if you play in a crew, 4x Associate and Bodyguard salaries is massive; it keeps people showing up, and it makes helping out feel worthwhile. Wrap the night with free nightclub champagne, then keep an eye on your balance and your options—whether you grind or you splurge, it's easier to plan when the week's paying out, and some players even weigh choices like GTA 5 Money for sale when they want to speed things up without living in the same mission playlist.