Dynasty Warriors: Origins review: a glorious, melodramatic and convincing illusion of tactical warfare

Romance of the me kingdoms

Image credit:Koei Tecmo/Rock Paper Shotgun

• Developer: Koei Tecmo
• Publisher: Koei Tecmo
• Release: January 17th 2025
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: £65/€80/$70
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i5-12600K, 32GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti, Windows 10

Dynasty Warriors: Origins . Finally, a game brave enough to ask: “what if everything cool that went down in Romance Of The Three Kingdoms was thanks to you, a magical, beautiful boy that no-one’s ever heard of?”.

It’s a great premise, honestly. The slate wiped clean, what if you got to be mates with everyone from all sides in this grand ensemble tale of warring states? A battle might take eight minutes. The three consecutive bonding cutscenes before the next might take ten. Origins is just as much about fighting thousands at a time as it is about eating lunch with Zhang Fei or discussing the meaning of heroism with Zhou Yu. There’s a parallel story about your character and his role in a magical order of destiny godlings I didn’t find the least bit interesting, but the rest is thrilling because Romance is already thrilling. The parts that Origins bogs down with its wordier take on already wordy source material are enlivened again by anime vibrance, hijinks, and melodrama.

Each time you knock out one thousand men in battle (the ‘K.O count’ conceit remains, your sharp sword the size of a horse’s hind leg supposedly cleaving through abdomens with as much lasting damage as an Acme anvil) a companion will declare you “a true warrior of the Three Kingdoms”. It’s an energy that persists throughout. The tempests of change bring with them flaming arrows to fell emperors and fracture borders, but everyone still has all the time in the world to gas you up at any opportunity. You’re so courageous, bro. I’m not sure whether to value compassion or strength or tactics but you get it, bro.

I love it. Soft series reboots like Origins usually identify the core of something’s identity then work to strip back the cruft. ‘Musou’ translates from Japanese to something like “peerless” or “the only one”. Origins is actually most successful when it plays with this idea, but it also never holds back in letting you know how special you are. Here’s a letter that made me laugh:

Image credit:Koei Tecmo/Rock Paper Shotgun

You get a lot of letters. They help lend personality to the unnamed thousands fighting alongside you. You didn’t know you’d actually saved a conscripted farmer’s life while you were getting knocked off a ladder and chasing down some dude called “Brave General” as he pushed aside his men to get away from your whirling twin axes, but you did. The letters often contain gifts, too. I don’t know how that farmer managed to afford this magic defense amulet, but I’m grateful.

Battles are about cadence. Abridged fighting game parry-and-combo rhythms. Rock opera swells and lulls. The hanging note threatening a crushing enemy tactic in two minutes if you can’t meet an objective in time. Defeat the character signalling for the charge. Defeat enough archers to prevent a volley. The minor victory of a captured camp cementing your hold on the western flank. The bitter final exhalation of a favourite general of tertiary importance, resigned to retreat because you were too tied up shadowing mission-critical Liu Bei.

You learn to make sacrifices. I’ve spent time shooting breeze with these brave generals so it always hurts by proxy in a “I don’t truly care but I think my character might” sort of way. Zhang Fei did buy me a very large beef bowl, so I suppose I owe him. Unless it’s Han Dang. He’s a Sun family general, all male pattern baldness and comically low self-esteem. He means everything to me.

You will never get a failure condition related to Han Dang, and maybe that’s why I made my own. I would mount my horse and pelt it from one side of the map to the other if I got a whiff this man was about to retreat. You’ll get notified: Han Dang is facing tough fight. His health bar turns yellow to signal danger but gets restored if you gallop up to his side in time. It makes for two or three brilliant “I was wondering when you might show up” movie moments in each battle. Sometimes I’d enter promising I’d make sure none of my generals had to retreat, only to later be forced to accept that even the most magical, beautiful boy that ever lived can’t be everywhere.

Image credit:Koei Tecmo/Rock Paper Shotgun

Can’t be everywhere, and can’t do everything. And so the musou, army-of-one concept is perhaps examined, maybe refuted, definitely played with. I’m not confident enough to say the Dynasty Warriors formula was getting stale, but that’s only because it might’ve gotten less so since I last stopped playing Dynasty Warriors games (they were getting stale). I won a few battles by rushing in to cut the head off the snake, but only a few. It’s usually a terrible idea. As you take more camps, kill more officers, and carve out space for your side to advance, you’ll lower your foe’s morale and courage. Motivated armies mean stronger, more aggressive characters and deadlier retinues with more frequent tactical maneuvers. Plus there’s also just a much higher chance the rest of your army will get crushed if you’re off playing hero. ‘Tactics’ is pushing it, but it’s definitely about being part of something bigger than yourself.

I take time to appreciate the sweeping draw distance. Thumping, muddy horse hooves. Fire arrows screaming defiantly in the rain. I pause to take stock. Do I have time for a solo base run to push our lines forward? Does someone need help? I go to unpause, but it takes me a moment. When you pause, all the channels but lead and rhythm guitar are silenced. I am convinced nobody has shredded this hard since records began. The electric pickup was not invented in the 1900’s - it fell from the sky above Hebei during the Yellow Turban Rebellion and buried itself in the dirt between arrow hails. The music is exquisite: diegetic in the sense that only its furious, virtuosic energy actually having echoed across these battlefields would explain how regular people could fight this much like gods.

Image credit:Koei Tecmo/Rock Paper Shotgun

Although, as I said, fighting like a god is discouraged. The line between victory and failure in the later missions is too tight to waste time, and so rampaging through gaggles of infantry to get that K.O count as high as possible becomes a wasteful luxury. Instead, you’ll hop from one general to another, hoping the crowds catch enough stray swings to build up your musou meter. I’m both disappointed and appreciative. The hallowed Dynasty Warriors fuckabout sesh rampage is my strongest association with the series, but I can guess this was also a major source of the fatigue Origins wants to avoid.

So instead you have moments of collaboration. Protecting a fellow general so they can unleash their own tactic. Maybe it results in a huge enemy morale drop, debuffing enemy leaders and letting you sprint from one to the next taking each out with a few decisive strikes. You’ll gather your own retinue as you complete side missions on the gorgeous overworld map, letting you use your own tactics: an arrow volley, or setting a defensive formation in a choke point. You’ll feel it when they aren’t available, when you’ve pushed too deep and left your companions behind.

There are nine weapons in all, gathered from battles or vendors. Most of them feel distinct, but there’s a few that just add a new twist to familiar light-strong attack strings. The chakram’s were a favourite. You can throw a wheel in the air only to have it come spinning down on someone’s head a few moments later. You can spend the interim spinning and catching airborne chakrams, powering them up if you time it correctly. Then there’s the staff that has an infinite spin combo. When I discovered it, I decided it was the best day of my life. Sometimes, it really is just about knocking out a thousand men.

The game took me around 30 hours to finish, but there’s some consequential choices in the final third that lead to what is - as far as I can tell - one of three hugely different last acts. |Image credit:Koei Tecmo/Rock Paper Shotgun

There’s no co-op, but “fun with mates” is always a cop out anyway. Dynasty Warriors Origins is great fun without mates, and you’ll make enough in the game anyway. You’ll often get to pick a companion, switching to them for a few short, absurdly powerful minutes once or twice a battle. The scarcity helps reinforce their legend. Getting to play for hours as Guan Yu is sort of like walking in on him on the toilet after only knowing him from that statue .

Han Dang is not available as a companion, so I never found out what it was like to walk over one thousand knocked-out men in his shoes. Later, I spoke to him as part of an optional bonding scene. He told me how happy and content he was to just support his companions from the background. I feel the same, although I still wish he’d got to experience more lone heroism. I was always excited for him when he’d take down an enemy general without my help. It was a real source of tension throughout. I want to see Han Dang blossom, but things are tough enough out there that I know he’ll need a bit of babysitting along the way. And just like that, I’m excited about the stories happening in one small corner of a huge map in a single battle in a sprawling, non-linear campaign. And just like that, I’m excited about Dynasty Warriors again.

This review is based on a review code provided by the publisher.

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Dynasty Warriors: Origins

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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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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