ARC Raiders Flickering Flames Event: Requirements, Fastest Completion Route, and Every Reward

ARC Raiders just flipped the switch on Cold Snap, and the headline is a limited-time thing called the Flickering Flames Event. It is basically two tracks running at once: a community-style donation project and a big reward ladder you climb just by playing. It is live now through January 13, 2026, so there is time, but not that much time.

First, how to actually get in

There is a small hoop to jump through: play five matches. After you finish those, both parts of Flickering Flames unlock - the Candleberry Banquet project and the Gathering Candleberries reward track.

Candleberry Banquet: what to turn in and where to find it

This is framed like ARC Raiders Expedition projects: you donate items to a multi-stage community Project, you get rewards, and once you commit items, they are gone. The game cheekily wants so-called useless junk - empty bottles, old film reels, candle holders - and turns them into Merit, Raider Tokens, and practical raid resources. Merit from this also feeds the other half of the Event, the Gathering Candleberries track. Here is what each stage asks for, and where to scrounge it fast.

The stages and their turn-ins

Candlelight: 1 Empty Wine Bottle, 25 Plastic Parts, 5 Durable Cloth, 20 Candleberries.

Decorations: 3 Candle Holders, 3 Light Bulbs, 1 Industrial Battery, 50 Candleberries.

Presents: 1 Film Reels, 5 Snap Blast Grenades, 10 Duct Tape, 55 Candleberries.

Beverages: 2 Coffee Pots, 10 Fireball Burners, 2 Water Filters, 65 Candleberries.

Meals: 7 Mushroom, 2 Frying Pan, 2 Music Album, 70 Candleberries.

Where to farm the stuff without losing your mind

Most of the household loot - Coffee Pots, Film Reels, Candle Holders, Light Bulbs, Music Albums - turns up reliably on the Dam Battlegrounds map. Sweep Lockers, Apartments, Drawers, and Shelves across Residential, Industrial, and Commercial zones and you will fill the bag pretty quick.

Snap Blast Grenades, Plastic Parts, and Duct Tape are easy buys from Celeste, Apollo, or any Speranza vendor. If you have the mats, you can craft Grenades and Durable Cloth at Workbenches too.

Fireball Burners drop from the small rolling Fireball ARCs. Look in Technological or high-security Commercial areas and pop those little flamethrower Roombas for parts.

Candleberries are seasonal: they spawn when the Cold Snap map modifier is active, which can happen on any map except Stella Montis. Think of it as a winter swap - Lush Bloom is temporarily replaced, Wicker Baskets still spawn, and you get new Candleberry Bushes loaded with, well, Candleberries.

Turn everything in and you will snag a batch of goodies that includes the Snowglobe Backpack Charm, the Bettina III, an Extended Barrel, and a Kinetic Converter. That wraps the Project side.

Gathering Candleberries: the long reward track

This is the straightforward one. You earn Merit just by playing Raids: every 1,000 XP equals 10 Merit. Clear ARCs and Raiders, loot stuff, finish matches, repeat. Contributing to the Candleberry Banquet Project also pumps your Merit faster. There are 25 rewards total, unlocked at these Merit thresholds:

• 600 Merit - Hi-Tech Hiker Outfit
• 1200 Merit - 10x Candleberries
• 1800 Merit - Scanner, Hi-Tech Hiker Outfit variant
• 2400 Merit - 10x Candleberries
• 3000 Merit - 'Check Compass' emote
• 3600 Merit - 10x Candleberries
• 4200 Merit - 50x Raider Tokens
• 4800 Merit - Blue Camo, Hi-Tech Hiker Outfit color
• 5400 Merit - 10x Candleberries
• 6000 Merit - Field Phone, Hi-Tech Hiker Outfit variant
• 6600 Merit - 10x Candleberries
• 7200 Merit - 'Sprayed Eyes Red' face style
• 7800 Merit - 50x Raider Tokens
• 8400 Merit - Orange, Hi-Tech Hiker Outfit color
• 9000 Merit - 10x Candleberries
• 9600 Merit - Mask, Hi-Tech Hiker Outfit variant
• 10200 Merit - 50x Raider Tokens
• 10800 Merit - Yellow Camo, Hi-Tech Hiker Outfit color
• 11400 Merit - 10x Candleberries
• 12000 Merit - Headgear, Hi-Tech Hiker Outfit variant
• 12600 Merit - 50x Raider Tokens
• 13200 Merit - White, Hi-Tech Hiker Outfit color
• 13800 Merit - Goggles, Hi-Tech Hiker Outfit variant
• 14400 Merit - 50x Raider Tokens
• 15000 Merit - Space Wrench Raider Tool

Yes, the Event literally gives you Candleberries as rewards, and yes, you can immediately funnel those back into the Candleberry Banquet Project if you want to speed things along. Loop closed.

Bottom line: play five matches to unlock it, comb Dam Battlegrounds for junk, body-check some fiery bowling balls for Burners, watch for the Cold Snap modifier anywhere except Stella Montis, and chip away at the Merit track. The clock runs out January 13, 2026.