AMD’s FSR Redstone upgrades are a match for DLSS, even if they slay a sacred cow to do it

A test drive of these Radeon RX 9000-exclusive performance tools

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Today, AMD are prodding the launch button for FSR Redstone: a suite of upscaling, frame generation, and ray tracing upgrades that, just maybe, might stop Nvidia DLSS 4 ’s campaign of strutting across the canteen and slapping FSR’s lunch tray over in front of all the other graphics card technologies.

To achieve this, FSR has become the monster it fights. Gone are the technologically simplified, GPU-agnostic measures employed by previous FSR versions ; Redstone deals exclusively in more sophisticated machine-learning tools that specifically require the latest Radeon graphics hardware to function. The RX 9000 series , to be precise, just like how new DLSS editions always demand the newest, most AI-embracing Nvidia RTX cards. This lack of support for older Radeons is a major strategic shift, but AMD insist that the image quality and stability improvements will be worth it.

To find out, I got hold of a preview driver for Redstone and bunged a Radeon RX 9070 XT into the RPS test rig. And, with apologies to anyone who bought an RX 7900 XTX: AMD might have a point.

AMD FSR Upscaling: the FPS boost formerly known as FSR 4

We’ve actually seen before one of Redstone’s constituent parts before. ‘AMD FSR Upscaling,’ as it’s now known, is just FSR 4 – the AI-assisted upscaler that launched alongside the RX 9000 series months ago – by another name. I tried a few game benchmarks – Cyberpunk 2077 , Blops 7 , and F1 25 – to see if the new Redstone driver would unlock any visual or performance improvements, but its inclusion as a rebranding exercise was confirmed by a trio of unchanged results. And, later, by AMD confirming the lack of Redstone upscaling changes via email.

Still, we’ve never really looked at FSR 4 on RPS, so now seems like a good chance. Again, like DLSS, this upscaler is based on an AI model that’s strapped to a chair and forced to watch moving images until it learns how to reconstruct low-rez game frames into much sharper pictures. Compared to the dumber temporal upscaling of FSR 3, the new(ish) FSR Upscaling is noticeably sharper, especially when upscaling to a less pixel-rich monitor resolution like 1080p. More impressively, it’s barely distinguishable from DLSS 4, an upscaler that’s benefited from nearly a decade of RTX machine learning refinement – and got an even crisper Transformer model at the start of 2025.

In motion, I still think DLSS 4 edges it, being marginally better at keeping fuzziness away from small, fast-moving details like hair. But looking for differences like this is properly anal, magnifying glass-against-the-screen stuff, and FSR Upscaling or FSR 4 or whatever you want to call it deserves an approving nod for looking this good on what is, essentially, its first try.

FSR Frame Generation: a finer class of fake frames

Redstone also adds some AI smarts to FSR’s frame generation, and while the upscaling component is a welcome but not wholly fresh addition to RX 9000 GPUs, this new frame gen represents a honking great upgrade. Just, not always in places you might think.

First, a quick reminder on how frame generation works. Using the image data from frames that your PC renders normally, FSR or DLSS can create new frames, then slot them in-between the rendered ones for overall higher FPS and – usually – smoother motion. It’s not as much of a no-brainer as good upscaling, as frame generation increases input lag, can introduce artifacts, and may even make motion look worse if it isn’t implemented well, but everyone who’s seen both Nvidia’s and AMD’s attempts would surely agree that DLSS has been the better choice by miles.

After Redstone, though, FSR frame gen is far more competitive. Swapping FSR 3/3.1’s software-based generation for hardware-based machine learning appears to help make sure those fake frames are delivered in a cleaner, more consistent manner, smoothing out the old version’s occasional jitteriness and massively improving image quality. I saw a lot less ghosting in Cyberpunk 2077, and F1 25, which exhibited phantom wheels and scraggly shadows using FSR 3, was cleaned up nicely with the Redstone version. Which, confusingly, is just called ‘FSR Frame Generation.’

FSR 3 frame generation (pre-Redstone)

It is slower than FSR 3 frame gen, but not to a bothersome extent: with F1 25 running at 1440p, on the Ultra High preset and Quality-level FSR upscaling enabled, a 288fps average on the older version dropped to the 243fps with the Redstone upgrade. 45fps looks like a lot but when you’re this far above 200fps, the frames come so fast that the difference is practically imperceptible, and since most gaming monitors top out at 165Hz refresh rates, you’d need a mighty expensive setup to even get all those frames on-screen. Blops 7’s results were more within the realm of us mortals, but still, maxed-out 1440p dropping from 143fps to 139fps is a negligible drawback of the new system.

That said, nu-FSR Frame Generation still suffers from the same problems as DLSS’s. There are sometimes imperfections present on individual frames, like the tear-like effect on the red and white curb in the corner of the F1 25 shot below. And while these are easy to miss in motion, AMD hasn’t found an answer for the accompanying rise in input latency, which can be felt even with their latest Radeon Anti-Lag 2 trying to keep everything responsive.

FSR 3 frame generation (pre-Redstone)

Quality-wise, mind, FSR has again caught up with DLSS. Nvidia would obviously point to the choice of 2x, 3x, or 4x multipliers that DLSS 4’s Multi-Frame Generation (MFG) allows for, while FSR sticks to a DLSS 3-style 2x system, but saturating yourself with AI frames has never been that appealing. Partly because 3x and 4x dial up input lag even more, and partly because, like F1 25 going the speed of an actual F1 car, there’s only so many frames you can generate in a second before your monitor’s refresh rate runs out of bandwidth for them. Redstone sticks to making improvements where it counts.

Ray Regeneration: a graphics upgrade for graphics upgrades

In yet another case of DLSS parity-pushing, FSR now has its own version of Ray Reconstruction . Both technologies are a kind of ray tracing rendering trick, whereby machine learning (yes, more of it) is employed to figure out how to present computationally expensive RT and path tracing effects without so many of the visual artifacts, chiefly static-like image noise, that they otherwise risk introducing.

In practice, the improvements DLSS Ray Reconstruction makes are small, but they do exist, and they rarely come with a meaningful performance cost. That’s if it isn’t actively speeding up framerates, like Cyberpunk 2077’s RR implementation does.

First impressions of FSR Ray Regeneration are limited, because it’s currently only supported in one game: Blops 7, which also happens to limit its traced rays to reflections, not lighting or shadows. All the same, it’s an encouraging glimpse, with Ray Regeneration effectively denoising reflective surfaces for clearer, sharper effects:

The performance cost was a fat sack of nothin’, too. At 1440p with Extreme settings, FSR upscaling on Quality mode, and those ray-traced reflections enabled, the RX 9070 XT averaged 81fps before barely dropping to 79fps with Ray Regeneration added. Likewise, enabling Redstone’s new frame generation had it running at 144fps before Ray Regeneration and 139fps after. Not exactly the kinds of drops that would have you planning a new PC build.

Radiance Caching: no, wait, nevermind

Sliiiiight issue with testing Radiance Caching: it isn’t out for any games yet, and won’t be until 2026.

I’m willing to be intrigued by it, at least. It “speeds up ray traced lighting” by predicting where the light rays in a scene are going to bounce, saving on GPU load and potentially reducing the performance tax that ray and path tracing effects extract. Again, it’s based around a machine learning model, one that that’s been trained to learn how light behaves as well as how to quickly pocket and refer to lighting simulation data from a ’neural radiance cache.’ Hence why it can supposedly act so quickly, and why it can, hopefully, produce accurate shadows and illumination without making wildly incorrect guesses. Hopefully.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/EA

Even without this final piece, FSR Redstone is a refreshingly assertive statement from AMD. Nvidia have been showing their necks to the Radeon business, bringing out two successive generations of graphics cards marked by high prices and weak performance gains, and yet AMD have never gone for the jugular. There’s a sense that this is changing: Redstone has identified that the real reason to buy GeForce is the superiority of DLSS, and simply by copying Nvidia’s homework, has cut that advantage down to a sliver.

To be weapons-grade pernickety, and in an article with this many screenshot comparisons as this, I may as well, DLSS upscaling specifically remains very, very, very slightly better-looking to my eyes. But generally, FSR no longer feels like the losing choice – the tech toolkit you have to put up with because you couldn’t or wouldn’t pay a GeForce premium. That’s a great development in itself, and with any luck, it might even convince Nvidia to up their game for the RTX 60 series.

On balance, I also think it’s worth the loss of cross-GPU compatibility that previous FSR versions enjoyed. Keeping new features available for owners of older games is always a noble endeavour, but ultimately, the point of these features has always been to make games look nicer or run faster – and hardware-based tools, as DLSS and now FSR Redstone have proved, are clearly the best way to go about it. AMD could still have it both ways by making future FSR upgrades compatible with the RX 9000 series, but just as the GTX 1060 had to be left behind when DLSS and ray tracing first came along, there does need to be a transition point for truly new tech. For FSR, that just happens to be here.

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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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