Broken Roads review: this Fallout-style RPG is Vegemite and (some) magic

Dollarydoo or dollarydon’t?

Image credit:Drop Bear Bytes

• Developer: Drop Bear Bytes
• Publisher: Versus Evil, tinyBuild
• Release: Out now
• On: Windows
• From: Steam , GOG , Epic Games Store
• Price: TBC
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i5-8600K, 16GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 2070, Windows 10

Drop Bear Bytes, the studio behind post-apocalyptic RPG Broken Roads , are named after Australia’s deadliest creature. The Drop Bear might look like a normal koala, but they’re actually dangerous predators, fond of jumping from trees to maul unsuspecting chumps who forget to take adequate precautions, like urinating on themselves. Really, the story is a wind-up the aussies like to blag tourists with. If it looks like a koala, it’s just a koala. But it’s this sort of character, inspired by love for Australia’s unique landscape, culture and good-natured mick-taking, that forms the heart of the best bits in Broken Roads. I say ‘best bits’, but I should probably say ‘the only bits that I actually enjoyed’, unfortunately.

Bombs wiped out 80% of Australia’s population, and left the remaining nail-hard Nancys and tough Tobiases to fend for themselves in a world short of resources, but shockingly plentiful in both guns and pre-made Vegemite sarnies. You’ll pick one of four character classes - I went with ‘Jackaroo’ (cattle hand), because it was called ‘Jackaroo’ - before tackling a short tutorial section. You’ll then be thrust into some events , where you’ll meet the rest of your starting party and kick off the game proper.

Image credit:Drop Bear Bytes

This is primarily a dialogue-em-up, so reading is what you’ll be doing most. I’d say my notes were an even split between writing choices I liked and didn’t. Lines like “we’ve bought you more ex-food for our future food” instead of just “here’s the shit you wanted” reek of writerly over-tinkering (spoke the kettle, blackishly) but then an overmap encounter will tell you “you’ve been waylaid by right bastards and must defend yourself,” and it turns out those bastards are actually giant mutant ‘combat wombats’ and, hey, these are creative choices I can get behind. Basically every item in the game has a grin-worthy or otherwise useful description, too, and there’s a lot of them. It’s not all gags, either. There’s plenty of good prose to fill in the small details, working alongside the sometimes hauntingly good music to really sell the desolate setting.

Ok, here’s a very subjective complaint: Broken Roads bases a lot of its moral choice system and presentation on the standard Western philosophy canon. I don’t like it. I think it fundamentally misses what’s actually interesting about making choices in RPGs. From this singular choice-bean sprouts problems both ticklishly minor to choking vine major. First, minor: Loading screen quotes are all from Trivial Pursuit-tier philosophers. It’s very dry, often irrelevant, and feels at odds with the otherwise salty-earthy Aussiness found elsewhere. Why not use songs? It’d fit the tone better. I’m sure there’s a Phoebe Bridgers or Nick Cave line for basically any philosophical epithet you could want. Was Bertrand Russell really more cognisant of what makes us human than King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard? Did De Beauvoir truly say anything about femininity that Kylie Minogue did not also say, but catchier?

Image credit:Drop Bear Bytes

The much more damaging effect on my personal enjoyment is this: I reckon that many good quests from your Planescapes and New Vegasi took inspiration from classic moral philosophy anyway. Then developed and shone it through the lens of the writers’ personal experience and imagination and all that good stuff to, effectively, make some interesting well-disguised trolley problems and other quandaries. Labelling responses to tough calls with which morality they broadly correspond with just feels like presenting the quiet part of the dilemma loud, a dry WIP framework rather than a juiced out script. “I team up with others when they suit my purposes” was the ‘Machievallean’ response to one question. What Machiavellian worth their Florins talks like that? That is a textbook answer, literally .

But you look outside this stuff, and Broken Roads is brimming with character. I spent 20 minutes playing ‘find the little pewter Monopoly dog’ with an otherwise intimidatingly stoic woman who kept hiding it in other character’s hair and on their pillows. One time it was in the inventory of a vendor named ‘Honest Wade’ who’d wired his smoking pipe to his teeth permanently because he kept losing it. Sometimes the only responses to a question are either “yeah, nah” or “nah, yeah”. Everytime you level up, it plays a little jingle and the sound of a thirsty man cracking open a tinny and sipping it.

It’s not just this sort of part self-depreciating, part celebratory Australian humour, either. The game has some genuinely thoughtful themes spun out from Oz’s thorny history with colonialism (spoke the kettle, Britishly), and indigenous and working class cultures. It’s not short on worthwhile themes and vibes, but I think the academic textbook approach just gets in the way more than it intrigues or elucidates. Anyway, I realise this is me saying that one of the game’s major conceits and perhaps central standout feature among its peers does nothing for me. This may well have coloured my entire experience, causing me to overlook qualities that you, dear reader, might appreciate. So there’s my bias transparency for this one.

Image credit:Drop Bear Bytes

Ok, combat. Classic Fallout is the easiest comparison here. Partly because of the setting, but mostly because you sometimes go multiple turns with people just whiffing every attack. You already know what you’re getting here I reckon. Imagine some CRPG turn based combat with AP, cover, overwatch, free melee hits on broken contact, curatives, grenades, and the like. Now make it a little more boring. A little slower. Just a teensy bit more, and we’re on the same page.

The page contains a system where both friend and foe characters have less action points to spend the more wounded they get. You know how some tactics games steadily widen their action economy, resulting in absolutely, perfectly ridiculous turns that you actually need to pull off by that point in the game to stay in the arms race with equally tougher foes? Someone asked: “Can we do the opposite of this universally fun thing?” And someone else said: “Brilliant”. I like wounds and other debilitations when they create emergent mini-moments, this one just merges minutes, and it’s mboring.

Broken Roads throws a few more of its unique RP systems into the pot. There’s your usual bits like testing perception, science, and the like to interact with certain things. There’s also some inventive twists like the Punt system, which lets you tinker with certain outcomes. And despite what I said about the morality system, it does play into combat and conversation with some unique perks. There are also some less mundane skills you’ll unlock later, I won’t spoil them except to say that they almost make combat interesting. I should also say I really dug the way the overworld map fills in as you explore with a mix of major discoveries (new settlements) and minor ones (bloke with a traffic cone hat who thinks he’s a wizard).

If you’ve been following Broken Roads for a bit, you’re likely aware of the delays to fix performance . So how is it now? I’ve got bad and good news. The bad news is that I wrote down “to be honest, I am not convinced these roads were ever built to begin with,” when I played it last, and I can’t use that anymore. So, yeah, it’s much better. I did have a few freezes, but it autosaves often. Bugs were also scant, which is a commendable feat in this genre especially.

Image credit:Drop Bear Bytes

This might just be me, but do you ever find RPGs give you dialogue choices you find really funny and would like to pick, but you’re too worried about potentially causing chaos, breaking your roleplay or alienating people that might turn out to be allies later? I never felt that here. It was entertaining to be selfish, and the game accommodated it well, but the point is, I don’t play like that in RPGs that I’m invested in. Sure, this is partly because the game has a fine sense of chaotic humour about it, but it’s also because the game never really sold me on itself strongly enough to care.

Broken Roads isn’t bland. Fun writing and odd ideas prevent it from being so, but it does feel like a bland place to spend time. These roads aren’t broken, but they’re so serpentine that the game cannot help taking wrong turns and getting in its own way. If the setting and themes appeal to you enough to overlook the rest, then sure. Otherwise, save your dollarydoos.

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Broken Roads

PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC , Nintendo Switch

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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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