Epic boss Tim Sweeney is right to call genAI a political topic - it’s a mechanism of class war

The latest from the wastelands of the Arc Raiders text-to-voice debate

Image credit:IGN / Embark Studios

Yesterday the handsome daredevils at Eurogamer, and in particular that arch-instigator of Discourse, Rick “also freelances for RPS” Lane, published a review of extraction shooter Arc Raiders in which they gave it 2 stars out of 5. I realise none of you treehouse regulars speak Eurogamish, so for clarity, I am not talking about massive hydrogen reactions in outer space. This is what they call a “scoring system”, whereby videogames are transformed into numbers and symbols that are made to fight each other for our entertainment. Some say this is the Real Videogame.

In this case, Rick has deducted some stars from the skies of Arc Raiders partly in light of the game’s usage of generative AI technology for certain bits of voice-acting . He argues that this both erodes the livelihoods of actual voice actors and is weirdly ironic and self-sabotaging - Arc Raiders is, after all, a game in which bots have taken over the surface world, and much of its atmosphere results from the correspondingly infrequent sound of another human voice. His criticisms have, amongst other things, made Epic CEO Tim Sweeney grumpy. Posting on MechaHitler.com , the billionaire wilderness conservationist and original Unreal Engineer commented that “political opinions should go into op eds folks.”

Another user asked: “is the dislike of ai, in the context of the current harm vs potential gains political?” To which Sweeney responded : “This technology increases human productivity in some areas by integer multiples, and views on whether this is a net good and should be rewarded, or bad and should be fought against, are speculative and generally distributed along political lines.” He added: “Since the author states the pessimistic case, I’ll put the optimistic one here. Game developers compete to build the best games in order to attract gamers. When tech increases productivity, competition leads to building better games rather than employing fewer people.”

Sweeney offered no sources for these claims about “building better games rather than employing fewer people”, which is a shame, because there are integer multiples of evidence that generative AI introduction is a strong pretext for laying people off.

Microsoft, for example, are among the biggest champions of all-purpose generative AI “companion” software that will allow humans to Do More Stuff in every walk of life. The same Microsoft recently dismissed thousands of workers in a time of record profits, a “seeming incongruity” their CEO later defended by expounding on the importance of realigning for worldwide generative AI adoption. “Shit’s discordant, you know?” he concluded, not in so many words. Microsoft is a four trillion dollar company, thanks in large part to recent investor fever over generative AI technology. If they’re cutting staff, who amongst the throng of genAI-adopting games publishers will resist the temptation?

A couple of years back, Sweeney opportunistically pitched the Epic Games Store as a platform for games with AI-generated materials, cashing in on Valve’s initial ambivalence about the usage of tools like ChatGPT. All told, we may perhaps be inclined to look suspiciously upon his pronouncements about whether it’s fitting to criticise generative AI in reviews. We may also be inclined to doubt Epic’s sense that genAI will produce a brighter tomorrow, after the company shat the bed by overinvesting in the metaverse.

Another obvious point is that Sweeney is here deploying “political” in an attempt to separate the assessment of art from the circumstances of its creation, which is a helpful distinction to make when the creators of the art are being gradually impoverished and excluded. The thing is, though, he absolutely isn’t wrong to call the conversation around generative AI political. I’m far from the first to have said it , and others have said it far better , but it’s important to reiterate that the biggest budget generative AI tools are a mechanism of class war.

It’s executives and their shareholders attempting to grow company profits, dividends and their own compensation by introducing a new form of automation that not only justifies cost-cutting, but operates by lessening the economic value of the human-authored works that are used for ‘AI training’, while fracturing worker solidarity by encouraging them to collaborate with genAI “copilots” rather than each other.

The anthropomorphic element of genAI, the on-going conflation of these stochastic parrots with autonomous beings, is a wedge driven between people and their actual coworkers. I think it’s another way of enforcing ‘self-reliance’ and the creed of individual success, with an indentured genAI servant at your elbow to help you lift yourself by your own bootstraps, and ultimately, I think it’s workers who will be blamed by many company heads if the adoption of genAI fails to deliver the much-hyped returns.

There are, in fairness, a wide range of generative AI tools , including many I’m sure were created out of genuine curiosity for what the technology might allow, building on the existing intrigue of procedural generation. I don’t think you’re automatically a scab for using generative AI. A tool is only as bad as the purpose it serves. You could argue that the text-to-speech functionality in Arc Raiders is relatively innocuous, inasmuch as it’s based on recordings supplied under contract by actors rather than scraped without permission, though the counter is that generated voice barks are the thin end of the wedge - they will make it more acceptable to use other tools, like the system for generating guns from videos Embark are researching internally.

Still, all the arguments I have read for the blockbuster “companion” AIs - the likes of ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Grok - boil down to the promise of being able to Do More, whatever you’re doing, with fewer people and in less time. That these promises of enhanced productivity are often very obviously ludicrous isn’t much consolation, given the astronomical quantities of money being thrown at normalising them, with many cloying efforts to persuade staff below C-level that this is all for their own good - even as their numbers dwindle.

ARC Raiders

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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