Can you guess which Australian TV sci-fi of the early 2000s inspired Citizen Sleeper 2?

Through a wormhole, darkly

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Fellow Traveller

No, it’s not Silversun . Sit down, Brian . Let somebody else have a go at answering. Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is a sci-fi RPG with plenty of dice and a heavy nod towards tabletop role-playing. The first Citizen Sleeper saw your bio-robotic protagonist landing on a donut-shaped space station where they learned to make a new life for themselves among interstellar farmers and ramen-serving rapscallions. In the sequel, a demo of which I’ve played [smug face], the hook is a little different. This time you’re being pursued across a bunch of backwater truck stops, colonies, depots, and derelicts. All the while your misfit crew will clash and commingle. You still haven’t got it, have you? Ugh. I suppose I’ll let the game’s designer tell you then.

“I absolutely love Farscape,” says Gareth Damian Martin, the game’s designer and head of studio Jump Over The Age. “I think the fun thing about Farscape is all the characters are on the run from something, and the only reason they’re all on the ship together is because they were all prisoners on the same prison ship. And I really like that as a hook.”

Farscape was a fun-loving, off-kilter space show featuring a cast of criminal aliens and a single human with the familiar noughties penchant for pop culture references. Citizen Sleeper 2 does not aim for all those notes, judging by my brief playthrough of an early part of the game, but the setup is similar.

“I’ve always wanted to make one of these crew-and-ship games,” says Martin. “I spent years desperately waiting for ones to come out that I might enjoy, and none of them really hit the spot.

“I like it in Farscape where, occasionally, there’ll be an episode where they’re really on-the-run… and then there’ll be an episode where it’s like, oh, there’s no threat right now…”

Martin does cite other references as inspiration of course. Deep Space 9, William Gibson, even Tintin gets a shout-out (“I always loved the way that Tintin would just sometimes get knocked out…”). But it’s the ragtag recklessness of Farscape that seems to be flavouring the RPG sequel.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Fellow Traveller

“I’m always a big fan of this regular-person-forced-into-desperate-circumstances type story, and improvisation, and trying to make things work,” says the developer. “I’m not a big fan of stories about powerful heroes.”

It’s worth saying, however, that the quietly caring tone of the first game’s writing remains intact. I certainly didn’t see anything as capital-K Kooky as Ben Browder arguing about pizza with a wrinkly man in a sadomasochism suit (even as an enjoyer of Farscape, this is a relief). My adventures in the demo saw my character arriving at a rough space station of mechanics and dockworkers. Much of it was taken up with the tutorialising needed to get used to the game’s dice-assigning decision making, which is mostly similar to the first game.

Each day you roll a handful of dice and float around the station or ship you’re docked to, dragging your dice into little boxes to take actions. Eat food at the canteen to restore some energy. Gamble with the losers at the docking bay. Schmooze with the spacewelders to see if you can get a lead on some ship parts you desperately need. The higher the dice you insert, the better chance you have to be successful. It’s simple, clean, yet gets more complex as you progress. As a storytelling device, it also presents some challenges.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Fellow Traveller

“When you make games you have to accept that you are inherently quantifying absolutely everything,” says Martin, “because a game is just a load of numbers. And so even if the player can’t see those numbers, they definitely exist.

“It’s fun to push and pull at that, and have the player… maybe sometimes feel uncomfortable, if they’re telling their favourite character what to do. I love the idea of that kind of narrative gameplay infecting the mechanical gameplay.”

Martin is specifically talking about the “contracts” you’ll be doing, often as part of a team. This is a new feature for the sequel, and it’s where that “merry band of misfits” flavour comes to the fore. When heading out to a contract, you can choose extra crew members to accompany you, and they’ll get their own dice added to your pool. But they will also take “stress” damage at any failed rolls. I didn’t get to see what happens, in terms of dialogue, when the stress gets too much for anyone. But I did get into a dramatic disagreement with a hacker-historian called Juni who I took on a mission to retrieve an old data core. Juni was nice. Pity I had to abandon her on a derelict ship… I’m sure she’s fine.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Fellow Traveller

Citizen Sleeper was always at its best when it leaned heavily into these troubled relationships, so I’m glad to see more options in the sequel for both kindness and desperate acts of skulduggery. Martin might look to daft Jim Henson extraterrestrials for some inspiration, but it is clear the game also wants to wade into the dark lake of big questions that sci-fi and cyberpunk traditionally enjoy dunking their readers into.

“I think the central hinge of the Citizen Sleeper universe is the question of: is it depressing that, despite all of life and the connections we can have with people, ultimately our lives are dictated by forces outside our control, that can destroy us at any moment? Or is it incredibly beautiful that, in spite of these structures, we can create connections and meaning that can never really be taken away from us?”

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Fellow Traveller

“Both” is the implied answer offered by this sometimes-sorrowful, sometimes-hopeful universe. The sequel is set in a region of space called the Starward Belt (fans of the first game might recognise the name of the region, and a few familiar characters who have escaped towards it…). But in the distant regions adjacent to this, there are rumbles of a war, of pain and injustice. It’s one way in which Martin hopes to use sci-fi as a mother-of-pearl mirror to our own world, a parallel for those of us looking on from afar as war continues in Ukraine and Palestine. But this is not the only way in which Martin hopes to reflect troubles they have felt in the present day.

“I think one thing that I am exploring more is how people treat you as a Sleeper,” says Martin. “I think the level of hostility I felt growing towards non-binary, or people who don’t present conventionally in the UK, is quite shocking.

“I think that’s something that’s happening in Citizen Sleeper a lot more. There’s more characters who, when they look at you in a certain way, it reminds you that you’re a Sleeper and what that means, and what your position is.”

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Fellow Traveller

Martin, who is non-binary too, says they don’t always want to hide the issue beneath layers and layers of subtext either. One of the characters of the first game (I won’t spoil who) returns in this instalment, having put aside all gender markers. Yet Martin also simply wanted to bring this person back out of a natural desire to pick up a story that was intentionally left hanging.

“I leave myself a lot of loose ends constantly when I’m writing. And then I decide which ones I’m going to pick up… In Citizen Sleeper 1 there’s a lot of characters who do go off to the Starward Belt, and so for me it was just obvious that if I’m going to go to that place, it’s really fun to pick back up those loose ends and see where they go.

“Sometimes I’ll write half a story, and then I’ll just leave a loose end there and I’ll come back and finish it later in development… it feels like part of the process of making Citizen Sleeper is just weaving these stories together. That happens much more naturally if it’s all loose ends.”

I’m up for that. So long as we’re not left too wanting. Citizen Sleeper 2 is not even out yet, but considering how quickly Martin committed to more stories in this universe following the first game (it was barely out a year before the sequel was confirmed) I can’t help but ask if there are plans to round it off as a trilogy. However, it sounds like the developer might take a longer break this time.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Fellow Traveller

“I certainly wouldn’t immediately go onto working on Citizen Sleeper 3,” says Martin. “DLC will be about whether or not I feel that there’s a space for it, how much stuff I get in the game that I want. But I think for me there’s also definitely a moment coming up very soon where I will be ready to be, like, let’s make the Citizen Sleeper tabletop game…”

When Farscape concluded as a TV series in 2003 it had some loose ends of its own. The producers had to scramble to put together a 2-episode miniseries that would explain how certain characters might survive being disintegrated into thousands of tiny pieces . But they did it. I don’t know how the Sleeper saga will end some day, but I’m confident my dice-rolling and decision-making will make a similarly neat bow of absolutely finished business. No unresolved tensions here. No, sir. What’s that you ask? Juni? Uh. She’s, yeah, probably out there. Somewhere.

I’m sure she’s over it.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

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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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