Creators of Kerbal Space Program, DayZ, and a SpaceX engineer join forces to launch kittens into the atmosphere (virtually)

Say miaow and how are ya to Kitten Space Agency

Image credit:RocketWerkz / Rock Paper Shotgun

People who savour the sweet reek of Saturn V exhaust, rejoice. People who love cats, tremble. Felipe Falanghe, original developer of gurning spaceflight simulator Kerbal Space Program , has teamed up with Dean Hall , original creator of zombie MMO DayZ , to make a spiritual Kerbal successor - Kitten Space Agency.

As the name may suggest, it trades the little green men of KSP for a bunch of feline astronauts - a meme-ish setup that apparently has nothing to do with real-life space experiments on animals, and which goes hand-in-paw with a new in-house software engine. Also, Hall and Falanghe have hired a former SpaceX staffer to work on the physics.

Initially soft-announced on Reddit a few months ago - “soft-announced” being a euphemism here for “Hall challenged Kerbal publishers Take-Two to sue him” - the game is being made at RocketWerkz, the studio behind Stationeer and Icarus. They’ve been developing it for around a year now, and are about to release a pre-alpha build for informal playtesting.

The eyebrow-raising twist is that RocketWerkz are making and releasing Kitten Space Agency via new distribution and community-funding platform Ahwoo , which as of writing consists of a holding page. According to the press release, Ahwoo “allows players to download the latest version of the game for free and contribute directly to its ongoing development, something not possible through traditional digital storefronts”, a claim that is possibly true in some awkwardly technical sense they’ve yet to explain.

Harumph. I am suspicious of videogame projects that try to enlist players as explicit collaborators and co-financiers from the outset. We’ve been burned before. There’s a thin line between “shared mission” and asking people to donate their labour, and what happens if the community decline to chip in moneybucks sufficient for the game’s development? I will ask for more details. In the meantime: spaceships!

Image credit:RocketWerkz

Earlier this week, and prior to learning about AhWoo, I had a virtual sit-down with Stefan Moluf, the aforesaid SpaceX software engineer, who spent his approximately 11 years at the company tinkering with the brains of the Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft. He gave me a sense of how the new game will and won’t differ from Kerbal. Broadly, it sounds like it won’t.

This is an engineering sim with deceptively moe characters in which you build rockets out of capsules, engines, fuel tanks and so forth, then attempt to blast your kitbashed deathtrap into orbit. Assuming you successfully slip the surly bonds of your own ineptitude, you’ll then set off to explore other planets and moons. Completing objectives such as landing on these distant worlds will earn you new spaceship parts. Failing to complete objectives will presumably earn you lots of Reddit-worthy gifs of detonating kittens.

As for how KSA will deviate from KSP’s trajectory, “a lot of the things that we’re looking to change are just things that that game wasn’t able to achieve, given the circumstances of its development,” Moluf told me. This begins with a new in-house game engine, BRUTAL, which is better equipped to handle a solar system’s worth of physics-enabled bodies than the original game’s Unity.

Image credit:RocketWerkz

“We’re doing a significant proportion and maybe eventually all of the physics programming ourselves,” Moluf explained. “Right now, that’s just been me. And we’re doing that because traditional game engines, traditional physics systems, really want you to be in a confined play area - you know, approximately human scale. And the solar system is just way too big for that to work in many different dimensions - both in terms of the number of objects that can interact with each other from very distant places, to just the sheer scale of the space causing problems for computers, something called floating point error .

“This very big, expansive game was sort of shoehorned into an old game engine, and it caused huge problems for what Kerbal Space Program ultimately became,” he went on. “So there’s been a lot of rethinking of the game from first principles, so that it can thrive as a game of its own on the scale that we know it’s going to be.”

Given this sturdier framework, RocketWerkz hope to “push the game part a lot further than Kerbal Space Program”, though again, the two projects will be very similar. I asked Moluf for some more specific planned differences, inviting him to call upon his decade-and-change of experience programming actual rockets.

“KSP was pretty remarkable in capturing most of the basics,” he reflected. “If you took ‘intro to Aerospace engineering 101’, you’d get a lot of what Kerbal Space Program was doing. And I do think that kind of ‘Introduction to Rockets++’ is the right spot for the game to land in, you know, authenticity-wise. There’s definitely a lot of details that I, as someone who’s worked on this professionally, can look at KSP and say ’that’s not quite right - it should be like this’. There are interesting implications for doing it a little bit better.”

Image credit:RocketWerkz

Again talking up the new in-house engine, Moluf gave the example of how the original KSP restricted the full physics implementation to the craft in hand. “Physics sort of only existed when you were looking at a vehicle. So while you were in control of your rocket, things seemed to work as you might expect. You’d fire thrusters and move around and it could spin and rotate. As soon as you went to control another vehicle, the first one got put on something they called on-rails. It would actually stop rotation immediately. It couldn’t fire thrusters or manoeuvre in any way. It was just frozen in a box.”

In KSA, by contrast, the physics will apply “seamlessly” across your fleet, and your ships will be able to do things in your absence. You’ll also be able to switch between them without loading breaks. “So one of your rockets, you can say, I want you to point at the sun and charge your solar panels, then go control another one for a while and when you come back the first one’s been charging its batteries,” Moluf told me.

The new supporting technology also means that objects in space can “point at each other persistently, which is important for communication satellites,” he added. It’s not all Big Simulation Stuff, mind. The new game’s smaller flourishes include manoeuvring thruster plumes that genuinely resemble the emissions you see in footage of craft docking with the International Space Station. Apparently other space games have been getting them wrong. Moluf has worked through videos with one of the team’s artists to recreate them properly.

Again, the basic aim remains to do Kerbal again, but better and less rickety. Space industry alumni aside, RocketWerkz have enlisted prominent Kerbal Space Program modders JPLRepo, Blackrack, Linx and Daishi to guide the vessel home.

Image credit:RocketWerkz

I suspect all this will be quite enough for many returning Kerbal players, in light of the second game’s abysmal fortunes. Early access reviewer Steve Hogarty deemed Kerbal Space Program 2 " a catastrophic re-entry " back in February 2023, reserving his largest spoonful of scorn for the game’s technical issues. “There’s no sense of achievement when the odds you’re up against aren’t to do with mastering the complex physics of interplanetary space flight, but the game’s own half-finished code,” he wrote.

The game’s early access build still exists on Steam, but it’s unlikely to make it to Planet 1.0 - Take-Two belatedly confirmed the closure of developers Intercept Games in November 2024 , alongside the sale of Private Division. Moluf didn’t mention Kerbal Space Program 2 in our chat, beyond saying that he considered applying for a job on the team after leaving SpaceX in 2020, and is glad he didn’t.

Kitten Space Agency

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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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