Black Myth: Wukong is a pleasantly surprising Soulslike, even if it’s given me an enemy for life

This monkey means business

Image credit:Game Science

You may or may not have seen Black Myth: Wukong impressions floating around as of late. Some claim it’s not a Soulslike , or is merely Soulslike-adjacent. Some say it’s a “boss rush” with a world that lets it down. Having spent 90 minutes with it myself, I’d like to add my ferocious take to the pile: you play monke = is good. But no seriously, I think no matter if it’s a bit Soulsy or not, my key takeaway is one of relief. There’s a lot more substance to back up the style than I thought there would be, alongside it feeling a lot more compact than the behemoth I envisioned in my head. All good signs for the complete package, which strikes me as living up to the crushing pressure of its number one Steam Wishlist spot.

Black Myth: Wukong certainly felt like a Soulslike to me. I say this, because it had the hallmarks of a game that was a bit like Souls, in that you control a Journey To The West-inspired monkey god Wukong who’s armed with a staff and a penchant for bashing heads. It led me through some stunning forest sections, where I fought frogmen and crowmen and seven bosses all in a somewhat Soulsy way. I anticipated enemy tells, sipped on my Gourd (Estus) to replenish lost health, and periodically cursed my stamina bar. Any glinty loot or mushrooms, I could cash in at Shrines to craft potions or better gear, and they’d also act as rest and teleport spots.

Image credit:Game Science

Black Myth: Wukong isn’t just a Souls clone, though. If anything, my time with the first chapter did indeed feel a bit like a boss rush, and when I asked developers Game Science whether they’d class the game as such a thing, they gave a resounding no.

“So yes, we indeed have a lot of bosses. What you just played is the chapter one of this game. And when we designed this chapter, we wanted the players to be able to ease into the game and get used to the battles”, they said. “However, this is not final, and we are keeping on making improvements and adjustments based on the feedback we get from you guys, and we will make the cadence better in the future. The purpose of this chapter is that we want the players to experience different types of bosses at the very beginning.”

Maybe you expected the map to meet Elden Ring levels of sprawl, all open and twisty with heaps of adventure, too. That… also won’t be the case. Game Science explained how team restrictions meant they had to focus on what was important. “We are a team of only 140 people and this is our first console-only game. And what we believe is what we’re good at, we’ll do more of that. So with our capacity, it’s not possible for us to do an open world game.”

Starting from 2021, Game Science said they visited “over 100 locations” in China for “3D environment scanning”. And my goodness does it seem to pay off, with beautifully rendered details like swaying grass, dappled shade, and the patina on serene Buddha statues, sat above strands of incense. |Image credit:Game Science

And it was evident in the demo, where dirt paths steered me through relatively linear flora, where I’d occasionally bump up against invisible force fields if I tried to hop on enticing logs or assume gaps led to secret areas. Exploration reminded me a teensy bit of Nioh , in the maps being set out as levels or sections where one path might lead to a chest, while the other clearly acts as a bridge to the next set piece. But I liked the way the maps weren’t quite as restrictive as Nioh , which often feels like you’re funnelled through a Tough Mudder where the mud’s blood and the monkey bars are coated in caltrops.

Wukong’s forests, with their bamboo groves and undulating tracks, felt laid out in a way you’d expect from a real life walk, lending its relative linearity a strange sort of authenticity. A sense that you were exploring carefully selected portions of a space, where the wider world was at once there and just beyond reach at the same time - again, I think some of the best video game worlds are those you can’t explore . Honestly, the demo’s compact spaces were a relief, as they kept me motoring towards an endlessly exciting sequence of boss fights.

Fights are Soulsy in Wukong, there’s no denying that, but it would be reductive to call it a clone or a pretender. If anything, I’d say battles against the toughest enemies called me out as a nonbeliever, as someone who watched the promo material and thought, “No way is this actually real, I bet it’ll play like shite”. Nah, Wukong is wonderful to control! No snagging, no hitching, all responsive and deft in how your thumb’s presses (sorry, I didn’t test mouse and keyboard) translate to dashes and side steps. Attack combos are both effortlessly cool and equally easy to manipulate with mixtures of light and strong hits, while enemy attack patterns were thoughtfully designed and rarely, if ever, hit you with some unfair nonsense.

So yes, the fundamentals of scrapping were rock solid. But I particularly enjoyed exploring the finer details of the different stances, which are unlockable once you’ve collected enough of Wukong’s equivalent of Souls. One of these is the Pillar stance, which lets you hop onto your staff when performing a powerful attack; or, if you hold down the trigger, you’ll sit atop it for longer and charge up Focus. Charge up enough Focus with any stance, by the way, and you’ll earn yourself a powerful combo breaker move that does extra damage. So, if you’re in the Pillar stance, letting go of the trigger in full Focus mode lets you flip the pole down with the most satisfying of grand thwacks.

Another magic spell let me freeze an enemy briefly, giving me breathing room to wail on them for a few seconds or retreat and regroup. I appreciated how it refreshed during long fights, so I could save it for a clutch moment later down the line. Wukong’s generous like that. |Image credit:Game Science

Most importantly of all, though, sitting atop your pole lets you rise above any sweeps or slices that threaten the kneecaps. One serpentine lad who I fought in a big lake caused me a bit of trouble in my default stance, but I found instant success once I switched over to Pillar and finished him off with lots of bruising attacks from on high. I loved how cheeky it felt, sitting atop my staff, watching the idiot go for a swipe that met air before crashing down on his skull. God, if I had a ciggy, I would’ve puffed it up there and blown the smoke in his face for a laugh.

To me, Wukong feels a smidge more forgiving than Souls because it’s both more generous and, seemingly, more free-spirited. Where Souls might give you a Dragon’s ability or a sword from a fallen boss, they’re never quite what you’d expect: your head turns into a dragon’s for all of three seconds, maybe, or the sword gives you a rather underwhelming special move that you definitely don’t have the stats to make the most out of anyway. After I beat a master twin blader in Wukong (the first boss of the demo), I got a magic spell that just fully let me transform into him for ages. I had his moveset and everything! I could do all his spins and set people on fire and to top it all off, it would act like a second lease on life if my monkey’s health was looking a bit ragged.

Having felled a slithery Lucius Malfoy, I could also craft a new Willow staff out of his bones, to match a serpentine set that gave me bonuses when fighting or moving in water (I think resistance to poison was included in that, too). While it’s hard to say based off a small slice of the demo, I don’t think the gear game will fall into Nioh or Diablo levels of complexity. To me, it seemed a bit like your typical Assassin’s Creed Odyssey or God Of War fare, with the rarity rainbow applying to item borders and easy-to-read stat boosts that don’t overwhelm.

Image credit:Game Science

Image credit:Game Science

Plentiful tools aren’t the only things that carry Wukong’s fights, though. The battles themselves are wracked with tension and fireworks. I fought everything from a gigantic wandering Buddha with force powers, to a wild wolf that would scramble along rooftops and lash out as it fell over, to an arrogant wizard who’d summon snakes to do his bidding. Despite many of these fights being back-to-back, I never got fatigued or bored by them, as each presented themselves as 1) fun puzzles to overcome and 2) at times, a bit of cinema.

In particular, one secret optional boss named Loong - who I’m told was part of a “lengthy sidequest” - wasn’t only an example of said cinema, but absolutely nails. They’d swirl and twist and lunge through the air at you, while some big jars on its scaly back would hum with electricity and sometimes dispel it onto the battlefield with a tremendous crackle. I managed to get Loong down to around three-quarters health, but it was one of those fights where you needed to lock in without so much as a blip in your concentration. After a final attempt on his life, my hands and my voice were shaking with adrenaline as I announced to the PR I needed a wee break. I remember looking at myself in the mirror having just washed my hands and thinking to myself, “Loong, I will be seeing you again.”

Questions remain over how the game evolves over time, and whether areas become more open-ended or the bosses become less frequent. There were small glimpses in my demo, like one time where I bumped into a fella who upgraded my Gourd’s potency and a friendly monkey who would sell me upgrades to my Gourd’s brew, granting it extra effects. But these were basic chats with vendors, so who knows how you’ll get sidequests or how they’ll function. Trust me, I’ll be there when the game launches on August 20th. Loong and I have unfinished business, after all.

I’m fully aware of the sexism allegations levelled at Game Science by IGN , but the company refused to address these during the preview event.

Black Myth: Wukong

PS5 , 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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