All the Computex 2024 PC hardware announcements that are actually interesting

The Asus ROG Ally X! Nvidia Project G-Assist! Intel Battlemage, briefly!

Image credit:Computex

Taipei’s annual Computex event is always a big, circled, triple-underlined mark in the PC gaming hardware calendar. Whereas CES splits its focus across tech, cars, and the occasional overdesigned white good, Computex is all computing, all the time, making it a prime source of reveals and showcases for the hardware bits that make games happen.

Sadly, Computex 2024 is unlikely to go down as a classic, largely because this year’s show has been mesmerised by AI and the most tedious applications thereof: search, but different somehow! Run art-stealing generation tools faster! Oh, Computex, what have they done to you, and why do you have seven fingers on one hand?

Granted, AI is a broad field, and not everything about it is necessarily gross or creatively bankrupting. But it also doesn’t deserve to overshadow all the other useful, unexpected, and curiosity-piquing gaming tech that Computex has to offer, from new Steam Deck alternatives to resurrected CPU lineups and promising graphics card updates. Here are those highlights of the show so far…

Nvidia Project G-Assist puts game guides in your games, guys

Nvidia’s gaming AI pursuits range from the brilliant ( DLSS ) to the sinister ( robotic NPCs plying me with drink ). The latest, Project G -Assist, at least has the potential to land at the more benevolent end of that scale. It’s a combination of tools that, in short, can provide you with dynamically generated game guides and tips, based on text or speech prompts and delivered in-game via an overlay. G-Assist even promises to take into account what’s appearing/happening onscreen at a given moment – in Nvidia’s demo video, the player simply looks at a dinosaur in Ark: Survival Ascended , asks “How do I tame it?,” and receives a dino-specific answer.

G-Assist appears to have some technical knowledge too, as the same demo shows it offering some optimal quality settings or overclocking options for better game performance – so Ollie, Kiera, and Jeremy can take comfort in knowing that it might put me out of a job as well. That aside, I don’t feel nearly as icky about this as with a lot of other AI endeavours. The “Knowledge Database” from which responses are drawn supposedly come from each game’s developers, not unduly scraped from third-party creators, and there’s all kinds of convenience and accessibility benefits to having guides readily available in-game. The reliability of dynamically-generated answers remains suspect, though – see Google’s newly-launched AI helper suggesting we all eat more rocks .

No word yet on G-Assist’s availability, but you can probably expect to see it supported in both Ark and Cyberpunk 2077 , the two games featured in the demo.

The Asus ROG Ally X ups the battery, RAM, storage, and price

Image credit:Asus

Once leaked , now confirmed for a July 22nd release, the Asus ROG Ally X aims to target some of the original ROG Ally ’s weak points and serve up a refreshed gaming handheld that can more effectively butt heads with the Steam Deck OLED . Unlike Valve’s updated effort, the ROG Ally X leaves the display and APU unchanged, instead aiming to beef up the Ally’s previous spluttering stamina with a double-size 80Whr battery. Performance could still get a small boost via the upgraded RAM, which jumps from 16GB of LPDDR5 to 24GB of LPDDR5X, and the default SSD capacity has also (roughly) doubled, to 1TB. Unusually for a Deck-like handheld, this is also now a full-size M.2 2280 drive of the kind you might find in your desktop PC, which should make sourcing an upgrade easier.

But at what cost? Despite some other design improvements, like the replacement of Asus’ in-house GPU enclosure connector with a more universal Thunderbolt 4 port, the ROG Ally X is ultimately both thicker and heavier than the Ally. It’s also a bloomin’ load more expensive: £799 / $800, more than a top-spec Lenovo Legion Go and without that device’s 1440p screen, detachable controller funkiness, or integrated trackpad. Maybe the new battery can work wonders, but it’s going to be a big ask to tempt punters to the Ally X when they can pick up the original model from just £499 / $399. Or a 1TB Steam Deck OLED for £569 / $649.

Intel Battlemage lives, even if Lunar Lake CPUs are the stars of the show

Image credit:Intel

Intel’s keynote focused on Lunar Lake, the next generation of Core laptop CPUs. These do sound pretty swish – instead of being paired with the usual set of RAM sticks, all the system memory is built into the chip itself, like a mobile SoC design. This should make for some tasty efficiency gains, while graphics get a boost from Lunar Lake’s Xe2 GPU architecture.

Intriguingly, spokesman Tom Petersen announced that Xe2 would also form the basis of Battlemage, Intel’s next family of desktop graphics cards. One that’s seen such a long development, peppered with rumours of design and production trouble, that it’s often sounded like the follow-ups to Arc Alchemist’s GPUs might not ever come to fruition. Intel’s Computex show was indeed about Lunar Lake, first and foremost, but that’s a very encouraging sign that Battlemage cards are still in the works. Delayed or not, I’ll be looking out for these – Alchemist cards like the Arc A750 overcame wobbly launches to become genuinely viable GPUs for budget gaming PC builds, at a time when Nvidia and AMD had all but abandoned the entry-level market.

AMD reveals new Ryzen 9000 and Ryzen 5000 CPUs, and that’s not a typo

Image credit:AMD

AMD rarely pass up an opportunity to announce a new BESTEST MOST POWERFUL GAMING CPU EVER, and this time it was the Ryzen 9 9950X, the vanguard of its new, Zen 5 architecture-powered Ryzen 9000 series. Here are the models and specs confirmed during AMD’s Computex event; no pricing yet, but they’ll be out in July.

While I’m sure the Ryzen 9 9950X will find a home in plenty of top-spec rigs, personally I’ve got my eye on that Ryzen 7 9700X. Eight cores and only 200MHz behind the flagship chip, while eating up just 65W? Yum. However, AMD also had a more surprising reveal for those on limited upgrade budgets, in the form of the Ryzen 9 5900XT Ryzen 7 5800XT. Yes, new Ryzen 5000 chips, nearly four years on from the series’ first.

AMD haven’t just huffed too much silicon dust, mind – the idea is that since these fit the old AM4 socket, not the AM5 design used by the Ryzen 9000, they fill a niche for anyone who fancies more processing power but doesn’t want to gut their entire AM4 system by replacing the motherboard as well. Which is fair enough. Again, no pricing as of yet, but both 5000 chips will be out soon.

The Zotac Zone is the most Steam Deck-looking Steam Deck rival yet

Image credit:Zotac

At last, someone has made a Steam Deck-style portable PC that borrows one of its most underrated features: the dual trackpads. As such, the Zotac Zone closely resembles Valve’s device, even if it is an altogether different beast in most other respects.

Thanks to some sneaky show floor photography by OKestGamer , we can see that the Zone goes for a 7in OLED display, but its 1080p resolution and 120Hz refresh rate are respectively sharper and faster than the Steam Deck OLED’s 800p/90Hz panel. It also packs in Hall Effect joysticks, dual-stage triggers buttons, and an AMD Ryzen 7 8840U APU. While I haven’t used anything with this chip myself, we know from the existing laptops it powers that it can do at least 30fps in most AAA games. It also seems to run Windows 11, which is where those trackpads will come in especially handy – as the ROG Ally has shown, it’s not the kind of OS that plays particularly nicely with touchscreen and thumbstick controls alone.

Like the ROG Ally X, though, you might have to fork over some serious stacks for these specs. In lieu of any official confirmation, Spanish site Geeknetic reports that the Zotac Zone will launch in September at a cool $800, putting it well above the Deck OLED on pricing.

The MSI Claw 8 AI+ is a record-time replacement for the troubled original

Image credit:MSI

Remember the MSI Claw ? Just three months after this unusually Intel-based handheld PC launched to iffy reviews, MSI are seeking a do-over with the Claw 8 AI+. This swaps the Meteor Lake chip of the original model for one of Intel’s literally-just-announced Lunar Lake chips (see above), promising significant graphical performance upgrades by way of that Xe2 GPU. The 120Hz display is also growing from 7in to 8in, and to help with the added power strain, the battery is doing a ROG Ally X and swelling up to 80Whr.

Asa much as Intel han handhelds remain a novel concept, I’m not quite as “Ooh, gimme” about this than I am about the Ally X (or indeed the Zotac Zone), mainly because I fear these upgrades will come at the expense of something else the Claw needed: a price cut. Availability details remain TBC for now, so we’ll see. You could also say that unveiling a successor so soon after the original is a bit of a kick in the teeth to those who bought the first Claw, though since the Claw 8 AI+ exists at all… I’m guessing not many did?

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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