Elden Ring Shadow Of The Erdtree hollows out everything you loved about Elden Ring, and it’s brilliant

Three hours with Elden Ring’s upcoming expansion reveal a jarful of horrible secrets

Image credit:Bandai Namco

If you’re SPOILER sensitive, please do not read this article. Just don’t do it. I’ll be talking about a bunch of stuff that’s SPOILERY . But I’ll obviously try and not be too spoilery for those who’ve decided to keep reading this, and hence, probably aren’t as SPOILER sensitive. Right, onwards.

Life In Jars is this YouTuber I’ve followed for a while. He makes videos that might involve, say, scooping up some puddle water, leaving it in a sealed jar for a while, then coming back to it a few months later. He’ll report on the results, which are often tremendous. Look at the LIFE in that jar! The little wriggly lads just wriggling around. The blobs whose job is to float and squidge indiscriminately. A lovely bit of fauna sloshing about there, like a forest dwelling for those who implement the five-second rule. It’s a reminder that bog water is rather beautiful, actually.

Having spent three hours with Elden Ring expansion Shadow Of The Erdtree ’s opening area, I can’t help but think of Life In Jars. What resides in the shadowy dome of the Big Tree is horrendous! Miserable! The forgotten creatures and their crumbling homes are grim. But oh my word, the shadows have spawned a beautiful disasterpiece. Just, errr, those other jars? The fun guys with the scoopy arms and little legs ? Yeah. I have bad news.

Image credit:Bandai Namco

The preview began in Mohg ’s throne room (I recommend reading our how to start the DLC guide if you need a refresher on who this is and why it’s important), staring at a cracked cocoon and a withered arm. A quick word from Leda , an armoured lady who I’m sure said something like, " Cocoon , cocoon, COCOON, COCOON", as I then proceeded to touch it.

A quick fade to black and a wander up some steps and blam: the bit from the first Erdtree promo art. Black earth and auburn grass. Spectral gravestones. A fog that extended across a vast plain, drawing your eye upwards towards jagged spires, a bridge, a colossal wickered man with his head aflame. Below, the landscape sank downwards to leaning altars and lakes sandwiched between great columns of earth. The Erdtree rose above it all, weeping a golden sap and wearing a veil of darkness that billowed into the clouds.

In the Land Of Shadow you’ll encounter some very important new things: Crosses, Scadutree Fragments, and Revered Spirit Ashes. Crosses are said to be “the steps of Miquella” and Maggot Face in the header image wants you to find as many as you can, handing you inspectable maps with their locations. They seem to act as beacons to draw you places and seemingly, to find Scadutree Fragments. These fragments are optional consumables at Graces (like shards to increase your flask potency) that buff your stats. Revered Spirit Ashes are essentially the same as the Fragments, but just buff your summonable pals. |Image credit:Bandai Namco

Immediately, this first DLC area presented itself as grittier than anything in the base game. Sure, Caelid was a land blighted by scarlet rot and Crumbling Farum Azula was a bunch of ruins whipped up into a frenzied tornado, but the light still gave them some semblance of life. In the Graveyard Plains, everything has been scorched by shadow and left to decay. Honestly, stepping into the plains is what I’d imagine it’s like to be shrunk, then sent to fight some bug kingdom hidden under a big rock in a garden.

There were certainly bugs in store, but before I got to them I explored an opening carved into the rock, ignoring the two obvious tracks that led to: 1) a menacing fortress and 2) a menacing castle. I thought it might take me to a small cavern, maybe a mine. No, it was a ghostly dungeon home to jars big and small. Jars collecting dust in corners. Hundreds of discarded jars forming a claustrophobic maze. Jars hanging off chains, presenting themselves as a treacherous platforming challenge. Downwards and downwards I went, only to be met by what can only be described as flayed humans whose backs were enormous tumours shaped like hearts. They’d sprint at me, sometimes wearing jars or producing fleshy tendrils to swipe me from afar. It quickly dawned on me that these were pot people. Like, proto-pot people. A small cavern had led me into a factory of body horror.

Later, I turned my attention to Belurat, a tower settlement that lay under the veil of the leaky Erdtree. It was then that the horrible bugs came, as I creaked open a beautiful metal door adorned with hundreds of figures and was instantly attacked by scuttling scorpions. Belurat is one of From’s forgotten relics of a long-gone civilisation, a big temple adorned with various iconography of worshippers and the beast they revere. Incense burners float on stagnant water and if you stand on its rooftops, many of the towers rising out of the mist resemble the dome-shaped monuments of Buddhist stupas. I snaked up a staircase flanked by kneeling child figures of brilliant brass who held candles in the palms of their hands and thought, “I can’t predict anything here”.

Image credit:Bandai Namco

Image credit:Bandai Namco

Having fought off mummified creatures who sprouted insectoid wings, lanky shades with cleavers, and spinny lads who danced with circular saws, I reached my first major fog door. Someone’s Bristolian nan called me a “strumpet” from the shadows as they then roused a slumbering, horned beast that looked like an evil version of those mythical Chinese lions (was this the beast these people revered?). And like a skilled lion dancer, the nan puppeteered the beast so it twisted and whirled through the air, making it both a spectacle and a nightmare to read its attacks. I won’t spoil much more, but I will say that it was very much in its, ahem, element.

I managed to defeat the beast after some emotional toil and with the help of some bear claws, an Erdtree-exclusive strength weapon that lets you mimic the attacks of a raging ball of fluff. Go two-handed and it’s glorious, launching you into the fray with downward strikes and a flurry of swipes that bleed into one another. But just be wary of hitting that attack button too rapidly, as overeager strikes can lock you into a string of animations you won’t be able to break free from.

After my fight with the lion, I scoured more of the Graveyard Plains, finding myself lost in a mine where lava flowed and stone sentries guarded precious crafting materials. At one point I lowered an enormous pipe that let me cross a pool of lava, which then led to a massive anvil. Inside the anvil? A new colossal warhammer that was basically like carrying said anvil on a big stick.

Thinking I should investigate the foggy depths of the plains, I walked straight into a slumbering skeletal ghost dragon in a lake and proceeded to club it to death with my big hammer. Following this, I realised that my time with the preview was running out. There were plenty more ridges and pathways I could see but couldn’t quite figure out how to get to, so I made a beeline for the menacing castle I mentioned earlier - Castle Ensis.

Now, the route to Castle Ensis is typical of Elden Ring: a grand drawbridge where you stare down the barrel of a guy on a massive ballista. Cross the bridge unscathed and you’ll encounter Messmer’s legion, who have set up tents on either side, all ripe for looting if you can survive the towering black knights standing guard. Being on the clock, I decided to sprint past instead and see as much of the castle as possible. The castle itself felt very different to Belurat, like Stormveil going through an emo phase - dense with alternate routes and dark passageways.

Strength was mainly me for the demo, as I adopted the Edders Build: A honking great hammer and a honking greatsword (both Erdtree-exclusive, too). I also tried out some Dexterity-based fists that turned me into a martial artist, capable of stunlocking enemies with spinny kicks and quick strikes. They were great for mobs but lacked bite for boss fights. |Image credit:Bandai Namco

Having rushed to the level’s conclusion, I met a non-story boss (doesn’t have a cutscene, still a nightmare) whose name I forgot to jot down - the key thing to know is that she’s a knight who wields a sword of arcane and a sword of flame and who’s incredibly lithe and twirly. For a mini-boss of sorts, she was absolute nails and a stern test for dodgers: parrying her was very tricky, and she’d shrug off successful parries sharpish. I managed to beat her eventually, namely by shattering her poise with successive hammerblows like some gravity hammer-wielding brute who didn’t care much for ballet.

It’s too early to say for sure, but I do think there’s a little of Dark Souls 2’s almost level-based world design to Shadow Of The Erdtree: I felt like I bounced between a number of unpredictable, contained universes. Especially towards the end of my travelogue, where I went from Belurat’s South Asian influence, to a traditional murky castle, to themes of lava and dragons. Dark Souls 2 has a similar spirit, with little in the way of cohesion between areas and a need to carve out colour from the gloom. The Land Of Shadow is more cohesive but similarly playful in how it joins together concepts, while also surprising returning players with new themes and new weirdos, not least those horrible, horrible proto-jars.

Oh, and that Eurogamer interview Miyazaki gave about the Lands Of Shadow being “larger even than Limgrave in the base game”?. In my preview I wasn’t allowed past certain bounds, but I am dead certain Miyazaki’s vastly underselling Shadow Of The Erdtree’s size. I think we’re in for a large one but, crucially, one that probably doesn’t play it as safe as you might think. Much like those pots of abberrant bogwater I mentioned in the intro, it’s a spawning ground for a whole new species of Elden Ring.

Elden Ring

PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , 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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