Arc Raiders review

The art of extraction

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

A deliciously tense extraction shooter that’s surprisingly social and feels different every round.

• Developer: Embark Studios
• Publisher: Embark Studios
• Release: October 30th, 2025
• On: Windows
• From: Steam , Epic Games Store
• Price: £31/$40/€40
• Reviewed on: Intel Core Ultra 9 275HX, 32GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti (laptop), Windows 11

Ten hours into Arc Raiders , I felt betrayal’s sharp sting for the first time.

The round began with generosity. I met a fellow raider who had dropped me a rare shotgun as well as a damaged heat sink to upgrade my workbench. They asked nothing in return. It was one of many friendly encounters I’ve had roaming the surface of Arc Raiders’ hostile maps, but I also felt my heart rate rise: when you die you lose everything you’re carrying, so I knew I had to reach an extraction point quickly and quietly.

On the way, I met another player. We exchanged “don’t shoot” emotes followed by our actual voices on proximity chat, agreeing to cover each other until the exit. I even dropped him some bandages.

Fool.

As a set of pneumatic doors whirred open, a rolling, beeping robot – one of the titular ARC drones – exploded in our faces and in the confusion, before I realised what was happening, my companion turned on me and fired. A red flare erupted from my body, pinging against the ceiling and resting next to the smoking carcass of the dead robot. “Evil,” I said, although inside I admired his opportunism. “It’s just a game, man,” he said, although his voice was tinged with guilt.

In the crowded field of extraction shooters, Arc Raiders feels unique. It combines punchy combat and the inherent tension of the genre with surprising social interactions: fragile alliances made at gunpoint, hopeful pleas for help, bands of players gathered on roofs, playing musical instruments together. I’ve negotiated truces mid-gunfight and silently formed bonds with raiders as we fought flying ARC. I’ve met players from Norway, Austria, Newcastle, and Edinburgh, and now we raid together, terrorising ARC and players alike.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

In this world, humans have been forced underground by the robots that roam the surface. As a raider it’s your job to go “topside”, grab supplies, and return within 30 minutes via extraction points that dot Arc Raiders’ four maps, varying from a city buried in swirling sand to a dormant spaceport. Loot is everywhere, in lockers, drawers, lying on desks, in crates you prise open with a crowbar, and on the bodies of downed raiders. Everything is useful either in combat, as a crafting item, or as a source of cash to spend on better gear.

It’s been touted as an extraction shooter for beginners – a simpler, more colourful alternative to the militaristic Escape from Tarkov , and it succeeds in easing players into the genre. You can take unlimited free loadouts that give you basic weapons and healing items, which means you risk nothing. Loot is colour-coded by rarity so you know what to drop, and the chime of purple items remains exciting after 30 hours. You can mark items that you need for crafting recipes, missions are clearly explained, and locations are marked on a comprehensive map.

But welcoming does not mean easy, and even the simplest ARC can kill you. When that rolling Pop exploded it shredded my armor and two-thirds of my health bar. Pesky Wasps and armoured Hornets are easy to destroy on their own by shooting their thrusters, but two can overhelm you if you stray from cover. And if you see a floating Rocketeer or hear the demonic hum of its engines, run. The difficulty of the PvE is perfectly tuned, encouraging preparation and careful positioning, and the rewards of taking down the biggest enemies are worth the hassle.

ARC are drawn by noise, and everything you do is excruciatingly loud. Every time I crack open a crate or breach a door, the creak of metal reverberates in my bones, knowing that I’m broadcasting my location to anyone nearby. It is deliciously, painfully tense.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

I love the unpredictability of meeting other raiders: the awkward conversations, the emerging etiquette of specific voice lines, the uneasy agreements to put your weapon away, the slightly panicked shouts of “friendly, friendly” as you enter an extraction point, praying you don’t get sniped by a camper. As a solo player, you’re as likely to trade pleasantries as you are bullets, although some players will shoot on sight. Duos and trios are less friendly, although my squad once formed an unspoken alliance with another group to take down a Rocketeer.

Combat is its own reward: gunshots feel suitably heavy, bullets crack against walls and splinter shields with a blue fuzz of draining energy. Weapons feel makeshift and are difficult to control. The more loot you carry, the more sprinting and rolling drains a stamina bar that always seems to run on fumes in crucial moments. There are no damage numbers or hit markets, so you’re relying on blood spurts and changes in players’ behavior before to know when to push, firing until you see a flare (which, in turn, draws other raiders to the area).

The sparse UI grounds you in the world, adding to the tension. When you call an extract via an elevator or, in the buried city, an underground train, there’s no countdown timer. Just a booming voice promising that help is – all too slowly – on the way. You cower in a corner, wincing at the wailing sirens and flashing lights.

I have not once felt bored. Some rounds are non-stop firefights, others are slices of a horror game as you creep over metal metal grates and through dark corridors with a torch, dodging headcrab-like Ticks. Sometimes I do a full circle of the outside of the map, just to explore. Other times, I focus on my quests, going in with a single objective before inevitably being distracted by a firefight. Occasionally I take a free loadout and just go for kills. There’s a whole map – the scenic mountainside town of Blue Gate – that is still a mystery to me, and I can’t wait to learn its secrets.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Unfortunately, everything gets a bit fiddly after a round finishes and you’re turning in quests, crafting items, or organising your inventory.

You cannot, for instance, search for an individual item in your stash, and that gets more annoying the more loot you collect. You can break down items into their component parts for crafting, or sell them for cash, but some items labelled as “recyclable” turn out to be essential for upgrades in your workshop, which the game doesn’t tell you. I burned through all my rusted tools only to realise that I needed them for my weapons bench, and I spent several runs hunting them down all over again.

Most upgrades to your workshop – where you do most of your crafting – require multiple items, but you need to collect everything before you can deposit anything . For that weapons bench upgrade I needed rusted tools, mechanical components, and drivers from downed Wasps. As I hunted the tools, the other items sat useless in my stash, taking up space.

Quest progression feels uneven. The very early missions are solid introductions to the basics, but 20 hours in I was being asked to complete tasks I’d already done several times. I’d cracked open six Baron husks - giant, long-dead ARC corpses - before the game asked me to do it for a quest.

These niggling issues, however, are all forgotten when a round starts – moment-to-moment, Arc Raiders is just that good. I’d happily play rounds without an objective, simply basking in the chaos and variety.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

And then there’s the AI-generated elephant in the room.

Developers Embark uses generative AI for voice barks, such as when you ping a location or items, and it’s trained on consenting voice actors. Aside from some strange inflection and the occasional mispronunciation – laboratory reagents become laboratory regents – it isn’t jarring.

But it raises a broader point about the use of AI for voice acting in games, as explained eloquently by Edwin last week :

The AI generation of videogame voicework has been a focus in discussion of whether generative AI adoption will lead to job cuts and a general erosion of working opportunities, with big budget tools such as Microsoft’s Copilot often described as a way of magically increasing productivity without raising costs. In July last year, the US actors union SAG-AFTRA called a strike, demanding that videogame publishers agree to proper constraints on what companies can do with recordings, to protect the livelihoods of performers. The Finals [Embark’s previous game] has come under fire for its usage of text-to-speech, with Embark protesting back in 2023 that “making games without actors isn’t an end goal.” In my interview about Arc Raiders, I asked Grøndal for more specifics about Embark’s voice actor contracts - are there any limits on what the developers can do with that voice data? Grøndal was unable to go into specifics, partly because he didn’t have the information to hand, and partly for the usual confidentiality reasons […]

After some confusing statements, Embark has also clarified that Arc Raiders doesn’t include any gun models generated from Youtube videos, and that another project, to create animations for enemies, is purely research, and not designed to replace any developer.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Inevitably, those internal projects will become a reality. Whether it’s used in Arc Raiders, and whether that changes or hampers the work of developers, remains to be seen, but it could well change how I feel about a game where the presence of AI voices already makes me feel slightly icky about recommending it. It is worth keeping an eye on, as I’m sure RPS will be

After all, Arc Raiders wants to be one of your “forever” games: it already has a roadmap for the rest of the year that includes a new map as well as new Arc enemies, items, and quests.

Its long-term strength will rely on the quality of those updates. I’m not yet deep enough to know whether Arc Raiders will feel this compelling at hour 100 or whether, in two months’ time, I’ll still be dreaming about it.

For now, all I know is that its metallic hooks are in me, and I cannot stop playing.

Find out how we conduct our reviews by reading our review policy .

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.

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

Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.