Best Perks in The Outer Worlds 2

The 10 best Perks to customise your Commander

Image credit:Obsidian

Wondering what the best Perks are in The Outer Worlds 2? There’s a tonne of choice available for character customisation in The Outer Worlds 2 , and chief among these are a wide variety of Perks which will dictate the growth of your Commander’s abilities. From granting extra movement buffs to making your shots more effective at taking down the mechs of the Protectorate, there’s options aplenty - but some Perks are definitely more useful than others!

If you’re facing decision paralysis when it comes to selecting the right benefits to help lead your squad across the stars, this guide lists our picks for the 10 best Perks in The Outer Worlds 2.

10 Best Perks in The Outer Worlds 2

Here’s an extra tip from Jeremy…

Be aware that when you unlock a Perk, that choice is permanent. That’s right - The Outer Worlds 2 lacks a respec option!

The Outer Worlds 2 has over 90 Perks, and you gain Perk Points whenever you level up. I’ve narrowed this huge amount of Perks down to the top 10, which were chosen based on how useful they are for a wide variety of builds.

The list below is arranged in order from the most usable to the slightly more niche, and I’ve listed the Skill Prerequisite for each Perk when appropriate, as well as potential follow-up Perks that you may want to take.

1. Commando

More slots for bigger and better weapons! I need them! |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Obsidian

• Prerequisite: Melee 1 or Guns 1
• Description : Commando gives you an additional weapon equipment slot.

This in my opinion is a no-brainer choice, unless you’re content to rely on your starting two weapon slots for the entirety of the game. I personally have a Pistol, Shotgun, and Staff equipped at the moment, so Commando was a must for me.

2. Trophy Hunter

Trophy Hunter will let you get a better crit against this really pissed off employee. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Obsidian

• Prerequisite: N/A
• Description : Trophy Hunter grants +5% Critical Hit Chance with all weapons against all enemies. This increases to +15% against certain strong enemies - notably bosses who aren’t heavily damaged.

An all-around good pick for upping your DPS, Trophy Hunter’s another no-brainer choice. I can’t think of a good reason to not take this one, unless you’re working with a build that’s focused around avoiding combat whenever possible.

3. Crabble Rancher

Depending on which guns you prefer, Crabble Rancher is a top-tier Perk. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Obsidian

• Prerequisite: Guns 2
• Description : Crabble Rancher makes Marksman Rifles, Pistols, and Shotguns deal +10% Ranged Damage and also gives them a +20% Critical Chance.

I rely on Marksman Rifles, Pistols, and Shotguns more than anything else in The Outer Worlds 2, so I like this Perk. Your mileage may vary if you prefer SMGs, Assault Rifles, or Sniper Rifles - in which case you should swap this one for the Sharpshooter or Serendipitious Slayer Perks, which confer similar benefits. There are a lot of good gun-related Perks at your disposal, so pick and choose depending on which firearm you like the most.

4. Deep Drums

This cannon needs more ammo so it can splatter things all along this beautiful backdrop! |Image credit:Obsidian Entertainment

• Prerequisite: Guns 3
• Description : Deep Drums makes Machine Guns, Assault Rifles, and Special weapons reload automatically, and gives all weapons +50% Magazine size.

I’m admittedly a sloppy run-and-gun sort of player who shoots all over the place, so if you’re handier with ammo conservation or a melee expert, this Perk may not be as vital to you. But that amplification to Magazine size is a fine option either way.

5. Pharm-thusiast

Primers help keep your creaky flesh suit from falling apart - best to have more usages of them! |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Obsidian

• Prerequisite: Medical 2
• Description : Pharm-thusiast gives you an extra Primer slot, letting you use the effects of multiple Primers in your Medical Inhaler at once. You’ll also receive -25% Toxicity from your Medical Inhaler.

Pharm-thusiast simply results in better healing and superior survivability. If you’re taking this Perk, know that it’s a prerequisite for the excellent Inhaler Overload , which gives you an extra Inhaler charge as well as +20% Damage, +3 Armor Rating, +10% Evasion Chance, and +50% Movement Speed.

6. Grenadier

See this cool slide as a grenade goes off in the distance? You can do that too with Grenadier. |Image credit:Obsidian

• Prerequisite: Explosives 2
• Description : Grenadier gives you an additional throwable equipment slot and amplifies your Explosives damage by +10%.

I love me a grenade or two in The Outer Worlds 2, especially for doing boss or AoE damage, and if you also like offing enemies from afar with big booms, follow this up with the Pitch/Tossball Winger Perk, which does +20% Explosives damage, 50 physical damage on a direct hit with a grenade or mine, and staggers enemies.

7. Through The Keyhole

It’s a big world out there with so many boxes to crack open and loot! |Image credit:Obsidian

• Prerequisite: Lockpick 2
• Description : Through The Keyhole lets you see the contents of locked containers before lockpicking them. Plus, you’ll get +50% increased weapon range with guns.

This isn’t the flashiest Perk, but considering that The Outer Worlds 2 is a game where you’ve got to loot everything that’s not nailed down , seeing what’s inside the nearest chest certainly comes in handy. And amplified weapon range is always nice to have as a bonus.

8. Manual Reset

Hacking this big guy makes infiltrating this facility a whole lot easier. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Obsidian

• Prerequisite: Hack 1
• Description : Manual Reset lets you hack into automechanical adversaries, forcing them to restart and temporarily disabling them for 20 seconds. It also lets you do +10% damage against automechanicals.

Manual Reset is especially handy in The Outer Worlds 2’s early game, where there are an awful lot of superpowered mechs trying to gun your weak self down. Those who like hacking can continue this trajectory by investing in Plug Puller , which requires Hack 20 but makes all hacked mechs permanently disabled instead of temporarily disabled.

9. Tit For Tat

I shall now proceed to cut off this enemy’s head and heal myself at the same time. Excellent. |Image credit:Obsidian

• Prerequisite: Melee 10, requires 7 or more total Perks purchased
• Description : Tit for Tat lets you heal for 25% of damage dealt by any melee weapon.

It takes a while to unlock this Perk, but I find it worthwhile since The Outer Worlds 2 is primarily a gun-heavy game with the chances of you dying when you get in close very high. If you enjoy running in to bust skulls with a rod or baton (and aren’t playing on one of the easier difficulty settings or fully reliant on your Companions healing you), Tit For Tat will help keep you alive nicely.

10. Negotiator

I kind of want to smooth talk this guy to death. |Image credit:Obsidian / Rock Paper Shotgun

• Prerequisite: Speech 9, Leadership 9
• Description : Negotiator is an impressive social Perk, giving you +75% Reputation with all Factions and -20% Companion Ability Charge Time.

As long as a Faction doesn’t dislike you - meaning you hopefully haven’t been killing their NPCs with reckless abandon - taking this Perk puts you in Exalted status, giving you access to cheaper gear, Faction-specific questlines, and all other goodies that come from making friends with everyone. It’s tricky to unlock this Perk, as Speech and Leadership are two of the quieter Skills that not all players will want to invest in. But if you crave a roleplay-heavy approach and prefer talking your way through situations, Negotiator can’t be beaten.

That finishes our selection of the 10 best Perks in The Outer Worlds 2. For more on surviving in the early hours of your quest to save Arcadia, be sure to check out our beginner’s guide for The Outer Worlds 2 - and keep an eye on Rock Paper Shotgun in the coming days as we proceed to dive deeper into Obsidian’s latest space-faring RPG.

The Outer Worlds 2

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.