Dragon’s Dogma 2: Monster Culling quest walkthrough

How to clear each location of enemies in the Monster Culling quest

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom.

Stuck on the Monster Culling quest in Dragon’s Dogma 2? Monster Culling is the first main quest in Dragon’s Dogma 2 that tasks you with journeying to various different areas in any order you like, to complete the objectives you find there. It may take some time travelling to and fro, so it’s a good idea to know what to expect at each location, to save you having to make multiple trips.

In this guide, we’ll provide a full walkthrough of the Monster Culling quest, covering what needs doing at each of the three marked quest locations on your map - starting with the finnicky and sometimes-perilous Trevo Mine.

This highlight reel shows off all the incredible adventures awaiting the new Arisen of Dragon’s Dogma 2.Watch on YouTube

For our full walkthrough of the entire game or to find a different quest, visit our Dragon’s Dogma 2 walkthrough guide!

Monster Culling quest walkthrough

Monster Culling objectives:

• Reach Trevo Mine west of Vernworth.
• Clear out Trevo Mine and obtain the Greatsword and Archistaff.
• Receive and complete the “Vocation Frustration” side-quest in Vernworth.
• (Optional) Obtain the Wakestone Shards from Vermund Charnel House.
• Reach Harve Village and talk to Dylan.
• Clear the nearby cave of saurians and lead the guards inside back out.
• (Optional) Defeat the saurians overrunning the village in the “Scaly Invaders” side-quest.
• Head east of Vermund to the final quest marker.
• Defeat the goblins attacking the guards.
• Return to Captain Brant at night in the Stardrop Inn.

Here are our recommended routes from Vernworth to each of the Monster Culling locations. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Monster Culling is a three-part quest which tasks you with visiting various areas in the lands surrounding Vernworth, and, well, culling the monsters there. It doesn’t matter which order you take these objectives in, but we’d recommend starting with Trevo Mine to the west.

Exit through the west gate of Vernworth and follow the road to the quest marker on the map. Along the way you’ll see some goblins and perhaps skeletons if you chose to travel during the night, but otherwise it’s smooth sailing.

When you arrive at Trevo Mine, it’s filled with goblins of varying sizes. Clear them all out, and make sure you take the time to explore every nook and cranny, because there are two important chests in this place. One of them gives you a Greatsword , and the other gives you an Archistaff . Bring these back to the Vernworth Vocation Guild and you’ll unlock two new advanced vocations .

Here’s a full map of Trevo Mine with the important locations annotated, to help make the job of tracking them down much easier. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

To find the Greatsword, take the right-hand path in Trevo Mine when it splits off, and a short way in you’ll reach a room with a chest on the floor. Open the chest to get the Greatsword.

To find the Archistaff, you should backtrack after getting the Greatsword, and this time take the left path. Keep going until you reach the room that has the multiple holes in it on the map. From the very bottom of this room, you can head into a small alcove to the northeast where you’ll find the Archistaff.

To complete Trevo Mine’s part of the Monster Culling mission, you need to rescue the soldiers fighting there. They can be found by taking the eastern path from the Greatsword room, and following it to the end. Kill the goblins there, and then keep going forward to uncover a secondary exit to Trevo Mine once you’re done.

Make sure you find the Greatsword and Archistaff hidden in the chests in Trevo Mine - you can take them to the Vernworth Vocation Guild to unlock two more vocations. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Once Trevo Mine is dealt with, make the trek back to Vernworth and visit the Vernworth Vocation Guild . Speak to Klaus to receive the side-quest “Vocation Frustration”, then speak to him again and give him the Greatsword and Archistaff you picked up from Trevo Mine. Hey Presto! You’ve unlocked the Warrior and Sorcerer advanced vocations. Two quests for the price of one.

Before venturing west again to the next location ( Harve Village ), we’d recommend stopping by the Vermund Charnel House south of Vermund’s main square. In this place you’ll find three chests dotted about, each of which gives you a Wakestone Shard. With those 3 Shards you’ll gain a full Wakestone , which you might end up needing to use at Harve Village.

Proceed west again, but head past Trevo Mine and south towards Harve Village. At the end of the village, on the shore, you’ll meet a guard named Dylan , who tells you that the other soldiers are in the cave he’s standing beside. Enter the cave and clear out its groups of saurians (aim for their tails!). If you see a fallen guard, you can use that Wakestone you obtained to bring them back to life, granting you the Savior achievement in the process.

Dylan is waiting for you at the entrance of the cave in Harve Village. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

After you’ve rescued the guards inside, lead them back to Dylan outside the cave. A few steps back towards Harve Village will prompt a short side-quest called " Scaly Invaders “, where you fight yet more saurians. After that, return to Vernworth ready for the final section of this lengthy quest.

When ready, proceed to the north exit of Vernworth and head towards the final marker. The roads mostly consist of goblins still, but you should be wary of ogre or griffin sightings and avoid them unless you’re feeling brave.

The final quest marker is very easy - just batter another group of goblins like you’ve been doing this whole time, and you’re done. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

At the quest marker, all you need to do is defeat the small pack of goblins attacking the guards there. Much simpler than Trevo Mine!

When you’re done, return to Captain Brant at night in Vermund’s Stardrop Inn once more to get your 7,000g reward and a couple of new main quests: The Nameless Village , and The Stolen Throne .

Next quest:The Caged Magistrate

That wraps up this walkthrough on the Monster Culling quest in Dragon’s Dogma 2 . By now you should have an idea of whether your character and pawns are prepared for the dangers ahead, or if they’re feeling a bit underlevelled. To make yourself as powerful an Arisen as possible, check out our guides on the best builds for the Archer , Fighter , Mage , Magick Archer , Mystic Spearhand , Sorcerer , Thief , Trickster , Warrior , and Warfarer !

Dragon’s Dogma 2

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.

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.