The first time Cold Snap rolled in, I thought it was bugged. No shots fired, no drones on me, and I'm still watching my HP melt. Once you realise it's a rules change, not a random punishment, it clicks. You've basically got a short "outside allowance" before Frostbite starts, and if you're trying to make money or stock up on ARC Raiders Coins, you can't afford to learn that lesson the hard way while you're loaded with loot.

What Frostbite is really doing.

Frostbite isn't a big dramatic hit. It's a steady drain that doesn't care about shields or armour. You'll notice the warnings first: your view hazes up, the edges ice over, your Raider starts doing that rough breathing thing. That's the game nudging you to stop being stubborn. If you keep pushing through open ground, you're choosing to pay health every second. And if a fight starts while you're already ticking down, you're suddenly playing from behind.

Cover resets the problem, so route matters.

The good news is the fix is simple: get under something. It doesn't have to be a cosy house. A busted loading bay, a roof overhang, a walkway with a ceiling—if it counts as cover, it works. Step in, step out, and the status clears. That's why Cold Snap runs feel like hopscotch. You're not "rotating," you're chaining roofs. You start looking at the map differently, too. Big open fields become traps, while ugly industrial clutter turns into a safe highway if you keep your head up and plan two shelters ahead.

Healing choices get expensive fast.

People try to brute-force it with meds. Regular bandages can keep you from dropping, but they're not a real answer if you're travelling far. Stronger heals can outpace the damage, sure, but you'll burn through your stash and your profits. The smarter play is to treat healing as a backup, not the plan. If you've got a regen-style augment, use it like a budget tool: take the cold hit, break line of sight under cover, let the free healing do its thing, then move. It's slower, but it keeps you in the raid longer.

The "panic button" nobody likes admitting they use.

If you're stranded with nothing but open ground, there's a grim option: fire. Getting burned can wipe Frostbite and buy you a reset, but it's a trade, and it can chew up your protection in the process. Sometimes it's worth it when your bag's stacked and you've misread the route. Most of the time, patience wins. Don't sprint for a shiny drop just because it's there; duck into cover, re-check your path, and keep enough resources so you can still extract with cheap ARC Raiders Coins on your mind instead of a death screen.