Cold Snap runs feel like the game's daring you to waste time. Candleberries are the perfect example: if the map isn't flagged with the Cold Snap condition, you can sprint every bush line on Topside and you'll still come up with nothing. So before you even queue in, set your expectations and your route, and if you're the type who likes planning upgrades around what you pick up, it's worth keeping ARC Raiders BluePrint in mind while you're deciding whether this drop is a farm run or a fight run.

Start With Blue Gate, Not Hope.

Blue Gate is where Candleberries actually feel farmable, mostly because the spawns lean into Nature loot areas. The spot I keep circling back to is Trapper's Glade, but don't tunnel-vision the center of it. Sweep the edges. The bushes along the outer treeline and the map boundary tend to hide the plants better, and squads often skip them because they're chasing crates. A simple loop works: begin around Barren Clearing, push into the Barren Forest stretch, then drift west and south of Trapper's Glade while checking every tall, slightly bare-looking bush near small trees. If you're tempted to try Olive Grove, I wouldn't bother; I've had it feel like a dead zone for this spawn set.

What You're Actually Looking For.

A lot of players miss Candleberries because they're scanning like it's normal loot. Don't. You want bushes that look a bit lanky, not the dense, pretty ones. The fruit is bright red, which helps, but only if you're not sprinting past greenery with your head down. Slow for two seconds, angle your camera low, and peek the base of the bush where it meets the snow. You'll usually spot the red clusters faster that way. And yeah, it sounds obvious, but Cold Snap lighting can mess with contrast—turning your run into a blur if you're rushing.

Spaceport Is Riskier, So Play It Smarter.

Spaceport doesn't give you the same comfy Nature lanes, so treating it like Blue Gate will just burn time. The open outskirts rarely pay off, at least in my runs. If you want a real chance, you've got to work the central points of interest, even though that's where everyone else wants to be. One repeatable check is the southwest side of the Departure building; I've seen a bush tucked right up against the structure that can spawn berries. The upside is you can dip inside to warm up and reset your push. The downside is obvious: you're not alone, and you'll probably have to fight for the right to even check the spot.

They're Shared Loot, So Speed Beats Perfection.

Candleberries aren't "yours" just because you found the right biome; they're global, first-come, first-served. You'll know someone beat you there when the bush looks picked clean and you get nothing for your trouble. That's why a clean route matters more than a thorough one: hit your best pockets early, then rotate before you're trailing behind another squad's footsteps, and if you're trying to stock up without turning every run into a war, it helps to plan crafts around what you can reliably snag, including the odd cheap BluePrint when you're mapping out what's worth carrying out.