Avowed: Best Marius companion build

Here are the best abilities for Marius, your Ranger dwarf companion in Avowed

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Obsidian

Wondering what the best build is for Marius, your second companion in Avowed? Marius is the self-proclaimed ‘best tracker in the Living Lands,’ and you’ll run into him the midst of a bar fight. Crack some skulls together and Marius will gladly accompany you on the remainder of your quest, questioning your decisions with standard dwarven gruffness whenever he can. I’ll be honest - Marius wins no points in the originality department when it comes to personality, as he sort of feels like the epitome of your typical outdoorsy dwarf in just about every other RPG .

That said, his abilities are useful, especially if you have no ranged attacks or Ranger techniques at your disposal. In this guide, we’ll list the best companion build for Marius to ensure that he can support you from afar with bow attacks and nature tactics.

Avowed: Best Marius companion build

Each companion in Avowed has four main abilities, and each ability has a speciality that you can invest a point into. Marius’ best build is as follows:

• Binding Roots (Constricting Roots)
• Heart Seeker (Sharpshooter)
• Shadow Step (Assassinate)
• Wounding Shots (Impeding Shots)

This list does not include Hunter’s Sense , another one of Marius’ abilities, since it’s always on your in-game radial menu. Hunter’s Sense lets Marius scan the environment for enemies, loot, and collectible plants. It’s not an essential skill by any means, but it can be useful for picking up stuff, since the number one rule of getting by in the Living Lands (according to our Avowed Beginner’s Guide ) is to loot everything.

You can’t see Marius in this screenshot, as he’s off somewhere firing arrows - but he just laid down Binding Roots to entangle these lizard enemies. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Obsidian

Binding Roots (Constricting Roots)

Binding Roots (8 second duration, 20 second cooldown) is very similar to Tanglefoot, an ability on the Ranger’s skill tree. Both abilities entrap enemies in place with vines and are highly useful for stopping mobile foes from ganging up on you. Binding Roots doesn’t inflict Poison damage, however, and focuses more on AoE, stunning, and bleeding enemies.

Constricting Roots , the stun option, is my choice here, because it ties in very nicely with Marius’ Shadow Step ability, which we’ll describe below. But if you don’t care about ability synergy, all three specialities are solid - Grasping Roots is good for trapping a small mob in an area of effect, while the bleed accumulation from Thorny Roots really does add up over time.

Heart Seeker (Sharpshooter)

Heart Seeker (60 second cooldown) makes Marius shoot an arrow that always hits its mark and goes through all obstacles on its flightpath. I honestly don’t pay attention to whether or not my companions are missing too much in Avowed, so it’s easier to just think of this as a deadlier-than-normal arrow strike.

With that logic in mind, Sharpshooter , which increases the damage dealt by Heart Seeker to enemies that are below 50% health, was the specialty I went with. This turns Heart Seeker into a ‘finish off that low health bastard’ skill that’s very handy for demolishing bosses. Twinned Shot, which makes Heart Seeker hit the next closest enemy after striking its original target, would be my second choice.

Shadow Step (Assassinate)

Shadow Step (60 second cooldown) is more of a skill I associate with rogues, but if you read our best Ranger abilities guide , you’ll know that Rangers in Avowed are basically rogue/ranger hybrids. Anyway, this skill makes Marius poof in a smoke cloud and then reappear next to a foe, slashing them up to three times with his knife.

Take Assassinate for this one, as it instantly kills most sunned enemies and works wonderfully with Constricting Roots. Throw down the roots to stun the bad guys, then call Marius in to do some nasty wetwork. It’s all in a day’s job for the best tracker in the Living Lands!

Wounding Shots (Impeding Shots)

Wounding Shots is a passive skill that gives Marius’ attacks the ability to deal bleed accumulation. Bleed is always a nice way to whittle down opponents in Avowed, especially if you’re exploring a new region with underleveled gear and come into baddies with purple health bars, representing the fact that they’re significantly more difficult than your current capabilities.

Impeding Shots is my preference here, which adds slow on top of that bleed accumulation. The other options, Exposing Shots and Maiming Shots, reduce enemy damage reduction and enemy damage respectively, and aren’t bad. But we’ve focused thus far on entangling enemies, finishing off low health mooks, and assassinating stunned foes. Why not add slow to the mix to ensure that your dwarven friend is really laying down the status effects?

Marius may have the personality of a boulder, but as you can see, he’s a decent guy to have out there in the wilds. Now go take a peek at our other companion guides for Kai , Yatzli , and Giatta . If you’re more interested in your personal build rather than companions, check out our best abilities guides for the Wizard , Ranger , and Fighter . All newbies setting out in the Living Lands should also read our Avowed beginner’s guide and our guide on all Avowed Treasure Maps . For the fashion-inclined adventurer, perhaps our guide on how to transmogrify will also be of interest.

Avowed

Xbox Series X/S , PC

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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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