Asus ROG Ally X review: the best Windows handheld, if you can afford it

Where the Steam Deck OLED sought efficiency, the ROG Ally X powers up

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Asus ROG Ally X specs: CPU/GPU: AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU RAM: 24GB LPDDR5X Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD Display: 7in, 1920x1080, 120Hz IPS Ports: 2x USB-C, 1x 3.5mm, 1x microSD Dimensions: 280x111x37mm Weight: 678g Price: £799 / $800

“Again, but better” has become the maxim of post- Steam Deck portable PCs. Or, to be more specific, post- Steam Deck OLED ones. Now that Valve have shown it’s possible to quickly turn around an upgraded handheld without enraging owners of the original, Lenovo have hinted at a new Legion Go , MSI have revealed an improved Claw , and Asus have released this here ROG Ally X. A ROG Ally , again – but better? Yes, it is, in almost every way except the speed at which it’ll plunge you into financial destitution.

There’ll be time later to moan about the £799 / $800 asking price, I’m sure, though in fairness it does pay for a heap of enhancements. Including some that address the original ROG Ally’s most acute pain points: the battery size is doubled, the thumbsticks feel more solid and grippy, and the microSD card slot no longer sits directly above an internal hotspot, thus sparing the ROG Ally X its predecessor’s embarrassing overheating issues.

The APU goes unchanged – it’s the same AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme you get in the higher-end ROG Ally models – but RAM gets a boost from 16GB of LPDDR5 to 24GB of LPDDR5X, and the standard SSD capacity has jumped from 512GB to 1TB. It’s a physically bigger (and faster) drive, too, being of the same M.2 2280 form factor that you probably have in your desktop PC, rather than the dinkier, slower 2230 drives that most handheld PCs use. I approve the addition of a second USB-C slot, too, replacing the old ROG XG Mobile docking port that hardly anyone could use with a universal connector that everyone can.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

While some of these hardware tweaks could be blamed for the ROG Ally X’s newfound chunkiness – it’s both visibly thicker and noticeably heavier than the ROG Ally – they also produce a handheld that’s ultimately nicer to use. Those thumbsticks could have been pulled off a luxury gamepad, unlike the plasticky originals, and the less cramped interior – aided by the addition of a third exhaust vent on the top edge – seems to helps the ROG Ally X run cooler and quieter. The enlarged outer shell also allows for bigger shoulder buttons, which I found far less prone to trapping my bratwurst fingers on top of the triggers. True, it is heftier in the hand, but hardly any more so than a Steam Deck.

The switch from a 40WHr battery to an 80WHr one also pays dividends to battery life. As in, literally doubling it. Grand Theft Auto V could wear out a fully-charged ROG Ally in just 1h 36m, but on the same settings (and the default Performance power profile), the ROG Ally X kept going for 3h 12m – exactly 100% more. Forza Horizon 5 came extremely close to matching the feat, with its full-to-empty uptime rising from 1h 29m to 2h 55m.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

In my book, this is the ROG Ally X’s greatest triumph, not least because the Steam Deck OLED finally has a true rival on endurance. A portable device without good battery life is in conflict with its own nature, and for all that talk about thumbstick texture and cooling vents, nothing makes a device like this feel more convenient than drastically extending its lifespan. On these grounds, the ROG Ally X is instantly more appealing than the fast-burning original.

A more surprising, though hardly less welcome improvement is that of actual game performance. Turns out that RAM upgrade does some serious work, with the ROG Ally X repeatedly producing framerate gains of 10% or more over the original (and further widening its lower-resolution lead over the Steam Deck).

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

On top of your games lasting longer and running better, the ROG Ally X makes them load a little faster as well. That new 1TB SSD, besides being more capacious and easily to find replacements for, beats both the Steam Deck and the first ROG Ally on speed: it loaded a Shadow of the Tomb Raider save in 13.4s, besting the ROG Ally’s 14.6s and the Deck’s 15.9s, and its 7.7s time to boot up Aperture Desk Job edged out their respective 8.1s and 10.8s times to boot.

Even the screen is better, and I don’t even recall this being an advertised improvement. It’s still a 7in, 1920x1080, 120Hz LCD panel – that much is unchanged – but I measured its peak brightness at 532cd/m2, so it’s a touch more luminous than the original’s 501cd/m2 display. It also covers a few more colours in the RGB gamut, covering 97.1% to the first ROG Ally’s 93.6%, and sports a marginally superior contrast ratio of 1311:1 to 1239:1. The catch here is that the Steam Deck OLED smokes both Asus models, with its unbeatably deep blacks and 984cd/m2 peak brightness – the latter also enabling HDR support in certain games. Still, it’s another tick in the ROG Ally Upgrades column.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Whether these refinements justify the demand for seven hundred and ninety-nine of your English pounds, well, that’s another matter. You couldn’t expect Asus to make the changes they have and then knock the ROG Ally X down to a pittance, but it is a full £200 more than the ROG Ally, the same amount over the Lenovo Legion Go, and £230 more than a top-of-the-line, 1TB Steam Deck OLED. I’ve ran the numbers and can confirm that these are all very, very big ones, especially knowing that – again – the ROG Ally X is more of a redesign than a generational do-over. Looking at the changes individually, the only one that’s truly transformative is the battery life lengthening, and that’s a benefit that the Steam Deck OLED has been providing for ages. And at least that comes with a case.

The ROG Ally X does have the Deck family beat on game compatibility, its Windows 11 OS being completely devoid of the anti-cheat and launcher disharmony that SteamOS can still suffer from. It lets you freely play your Game Pass games too, something that’s only possible on the Steam Deck if you resort to always-online cloud streaming.

Yet Windows still has problems of its own when deployed on a handheld like this, from the general discomfort of navigating a fully desktop-styled OS with thumbsticks and a touchscreen to the repeated appearance of bugs. For all SteamOS’s shortcomings, it’s polished to a sheen and feels fundamentally better-suited to handheld use. On several occasions with the ROG Ally X, I’ve seen games flipped into tiny windows without prompting, or launchers simply fail to launch anything. Also, it’s not a bug, but I’m starting to question the value of the ROG Ally X’s integrated fingerprint reader when Windows 11 almost always asks for a PIN to sign in.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

The Steam Deck OLED’s contrasting ease of use, and more sensible pricing, thus make it the better of these rejigged portables. Though as spenny as it is, the ROG Ally X is at least the finest of the Windows handhelds specifically. It’s obviously several steps up from the original, and on balance, its battery, performance, and build quality upgrades outweigh the uniqueness and flexibility of the Legion Go. I would like to have a full-on, arms-flailing tantrum on the desk of whoever decided it should cost the better part of a grand, but I guess you can’t have everything.

This review is based on a retail unit provided by Asus.

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

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.