Do you know gun fu?

Show me

Image credit:Warner Bros

Do you not know gun fu? Briefly and baldly, it’s the cinematic practice of making a gunfight look like something out of a martial arts film, with participants using firearms in ways that are borderline unbelievable - punting themselves backward along the floor with the recoil from two pistols, like Chow Yun Fat in The Killer , or slide-walking down a bannister while firing, like Chow Yun Fat in Hardboiled .

The guy credited with inventing gun fu is Hong Kong action guru John Woo, who directed both the movies above. Woo’s gunfights are displays of ‘heroic bloodshed’ that make the average Wild Western duel look like a spelling bee. They can involve finesse, but they do not particularly emphasise calculation or method. Instead, Woo rejoices in scenes of slow-mo improvisation, blaring symbolism and sheer overkill. Chow Yun Fat waggles his index fingers and the set dressing turns into crimson fog and hunks of flying plaster.

After watching Chow Yun Fat blow gangsters away like snowmen, it’s amusing to think that gun fu has become some kind of ‘system’ in the hands of nerds and later film-makers. The 2002 movie Equilibrium consolidates it into a fictional martial art, “gun kata”, with Christian Bale striking various catwalk poses that notionally maximise his lethal potential, but mostly just make him look like he’s trying to dislodge a spider.

Image credit:Remedy

Gun fu has, perhaps inevitably, become ever more standardised for being incorporated into games and videogames, which need predictable rules to play by. The original Max Payne blends Hardboiled with The Matrix to produce a wonderful, corner-jumping noir shooter, in which gun fu is fuelled by adrenaline, which itself is replenished by killing. The steady refilling of Payne’s hourglass icon mechanises the movie director’s need to pace out the showpiece stunts and maintain a steady rain of bodies.

The creators of GURPS had a go at standardising gun fu still further in a dedicated tabletop rulebook , which proposes that gun fu is actually two centuries old. It offers up a lexicon of documented or hypothetical gun fu techniques, including ranged disarms, “shooting between raindrops”, and “crossbow fu”. There’s an entry for Max Payne, who appears here stripped of his pill-chugging tragic backstory and cleanly dissected as an Ultimate Shootist with Enhanced Time Sense, capable of Behind-the-Back Shots and Cinematic Knockback.

The gun fu mindset appears everywhere in modern videogames, to the extent that it’s no longer quite acknowledged. It’s the bread and butter of innumerable third-person punchbangers, from the recent, terrible yet strangely compelling Wanted: Dead , to the sublime Bayonetta , in which kicks become salvos when you hold the button. It’s not until recently, however, that I’ve started making hazy theoretical connections between gun fu and how videogames at large think about guns.

Image credit:PlatinumGames

A useful argument to make of guns in games is that they are not guns at all, even when they’re officially licensed from manufacturers in the course of efforts to win over another generation of young people . They are just magic ways of changing the state of distant objects. There’s a banal labour-saving dynamic to this: if a gun is your principle means of interacting with things, you can forgo any number of awkward intervening actions such as walking up to NPCs, making your avatar hit them, persuading them to surrender, asking them what they did on their holidays, etcetera.

Insisting that videogame guns are just an exercise in minimising complexity frees us up to think about guns as instruments of things beside bloodshed. If destruction is typically the outcome of pulling a controller trigger, this doesn’t have to be the case. In the ancient first-person Macintosh game Mazeworld , which I really need to review someday, you shoot balls of positive or negative energy at entities to scare them off or render them agreeable. To chase away any accusations of forced wholesomeness, I am not suggesting that we channel the Pyro’s hallucinations in Team Fortress 2 , and turn every shooter into Splatoon. I’m just saying that guns in games are generally more than guns.

It’s helpful to link in gun fu here, because gun fu is all about transcending the bare fact that a gun is a very efficient means of killing. Gun fu fighters do things with guns that look absolutely daft, and one consequence is that guns become ridiculous and playful. No life-loving shootist jumps off a table with two handfuls of volcanic Beretta, like Chow Yun Fat in The Killer. No reasonable marksman does a ballistic Morris dance in the middle of a group of riot officers, like Christian Bale in Equilibrium. The gun’s association with instant, clinical death is blasted apart along with the fraying scenery.

What’s more, gun fu can be an exercise in ‘minimising complexity’ in cinema as well. A closing deep-ish dive: last night I rewatched John Wick, the current acme of gun fu in western English language circles. I remember seeing it a few years ago and feeling sorely underwhelmed by the focus on close-quarters gunfire and grappling. Where were the roundhouse kicks and fist combos I’d come to expect from Keanu Reeves? Was it just too much for his hips, 15 years on from the Matrix?

Recently I learned that the movie’s choice of fighting techniques is partly a reflection of production constraints. Using pistols so obsessively at close quarters avoids certain routine difficulties in fight scene choreography, while angling around the bodily limits of the star. Basing a martial art on gun fu takedowns means you can avoid more athletic moves that require stunt doubles, which means you can spend less time cutting away to hide those stunt doubles from the viewer. It means you can do long takes without having to worry about the audience noticing that murderous chops to the skull aren’t actually connecting.

Image credit:Good Shepherd Entertainment

“The more you do punches and kicks, the more you gotta miss, because you gotta sell the hit, you gotta change the angle,” co-director Chad Stahelski told Forbes in 2017. “So okay, we’re gonna get rid of punches and kicks. We’re gonna do judo, jiu-jitsu, and tactical gun work, so we can hold all the shots, no cuts. So we developed a style and reverse-engineered from there.” The movie makes much more sense to me, in hindsight. Wick’s preference for finishing off adversaries with a bullet is both another show of ‘heroic bloodshed’, and a way of managing the budget. To summarise all this in videogame terms: John Wick turns the gun into a punch button.

Bayonetta

PS3 , Xbox 360 , Nintendo Wii U , PC , Nintendo Switch

John Wick Hex

PS4 , Xbox One , PC , Mac , Nintendo Switch

Max Payne

iOS , Nintendo GBA , PS2 , Xbox , PC

The Matrix: Path of Neo

PS2 , Xbox , 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.