ARC Raiders: "I Extracted with 2.8 Million"—Rubber Duck Duplication Glitch Sparks Gold Rush
Mountains of rubber ducks, overflowing inventories, and millions of credits changing hands—ARC Raiders is in the grip of a bizarrely lucrative new craze, all thanks to a duplication glitch that’s set the community ablaze.
Despite a strong launch in late 2025, ARC Raiders is still weathering some technical storms. Between DDoS attacks locking players out and exploits uncovered by the community, Embark Studios’ devs have their hands full. The latest discovery? A duplication bug that lets players spawn mountains of identical items and amass fortunes in just a few runs.
Image credit: Embark Studios
The unexpected return of the duplication glitch
While an earlier exploit that let players copy weapons and ammo was patched out in the January 20 update, signs point to a new duplication glitch making the rounds. On Reddit, X, and YouTube, screenshots show raiders with absolutely bonkers inventories—packed with stacks of the same item.
The most jaw-dropping cases involve Tempest blueprints, some of the rarest loot in the game. Some players reportedly have up to 17 copies at once. But it’s the rubber ducks that have truly captured everyone’s attention. Once just beloved collectibles, ducks have taken on a whole new meaning with the new Bird City event introduced in the Headwinds update. This special Buried City map condition spawns multicolored ducks with unique patterns, including the coveted Familiar Ducks. These are especially prized because:
- They can be sold for up to 7,000 credits each
- They stack in piles of 15 per slot
- They can turn a single run into an instant jackpot
The result? Some players are exploiting the glitch to haul out hundreds of ducks in a single run.
The glitch also works on ducks.
— Rooster (@TheRooster) January 30, 2026
People are making MILLIONS with it.@ARCRaidersGame you’ve gotta fix it. https://t.co/yZp3AFBBcD pic.twitter.com/2byspWRFoo
A 2.8 million credit extraction
Stories are flooding social media, giving this whole saga the feel of an urban legend for extraction shooter fans. The wildest tale comes from a player who struck it rich in the Buried City Metro—without even understanding how.
“A raider burst into flames right in front of me, collapsed without a word, and left behind a literal mountain of Familiar Ducks,” he recalls, still stunned. “I extracted with 2.8 million credits. I still have no idea what happened!”
A raider caught on fire in Buried City Metro, went down without saying a word, and left behind a mountain of Familiar Ducks. I extracted with $2.8M. Still confused.
by u/endgame2937 in ArcRaiders
Other raiders are reporting equally surreal scenes: lifeless bodies found in the tunnels, stripped of weapons, gear, or resources… but with inventories filled exclusively with stacks of 15 ducks. No signs of combat, no PvP scuffles—just mysterious corpses and their improbable loot.
Some players are even joking about a “Duck Santa” leaving these treasures scattered across Buried City. The truth is probably less magical: these raiders may have fallen victim to their own greed, possibly auto-banned by Embark… or simply crushed under the weight of their digital avarice.
A fix on the horizon
For now, the exact mechanics behind this new exploit remain a mystery. The community is buzzing with competing theories:
- The mobile hotspot trick: connecting your console or PC through a phone’s data, a method that worked before the last patch
- The lobby swap technique: leaving and rejoining a session instantly to trick the server into duplicating items
Embark hasn’t made an official statement about this new wave of duplication yet. But this isn’t their first rodeo with cheaters. The raider corpses loaded with ducks might be Embark’s way of quietly purging exploiters. That spontaneous combustion in Buried City Metro? It could be the studio’s dramatic way of cleaning house.
One thing’s for sure: with millions in fraudulent credits flooding the system, a fix is only a matter of time. Until then, rubber ducks have never been more valuable in the post-apocalyptic world of ARC Raiders!
ARC Raiders, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
