Granblue Fantasy: Relink review: a slick JRPG wedded to the rule of cool

You know what’s cool? Sky pirates and massive spells and that

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Cy Games

• Developer: Cygames
• Publisher: Cygames
• Release: Out now
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: £50/€60/$60
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i5-11340F, 16GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 3060, Windows 11

Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a JRPG that is ticking off many of the action RPG tropes. It would be in danger of becoming workmanlike, such are the number of things you can tick off on your fingers like a plumber ordering parts: boss fights against improbably huge glowing monsters, an evil god, catboys, numbers popping off enemies, women who appreciate the combat applications of a thigh-high split skirt, anachronistic sunglasses, horned giants carrying halberds of the same approximate size as a caravan.

In practice, though, you sort of can’t be mad at Granblue Fantasy: Relink. It’s built around a layered combat system that seems impenetrable if you don’t take some time to understand it. But really, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is just a game so committed to the rule of cool that the entire setting is physically impossible, and every battle is a disorientating Panic! At The Firework Factory that flirts with being a photosensitivity nightmare. I’m not selling it as such, but it’s actually charming.

Astute readers may remember that I had trouble reviewing this game, but since the retail launch it’s been much more stable for me. Stable enough that I have been able to join the crew of the Grandcypher for a standard, save-the-chosen-one-save-the-world sort of adventure. In this case the world is the Sky Realm, where instead of continents there are just loads of small islands with different biomes, floating in an endless sky. Oh, the tweets Neil deGrasse Tyson would thread. The chosen one is a magical young woman called Lyria who can control a big dragon, and with whom the main character - the captain of the Grandcypher, in my case a girl called Horace - is life-bonded.

The life-bond thing happened in Granblue Fantasy the mobile game, to which Relink is a direct sequel - although Relink doesn’t bother retreading this ground. The important thing is that Lyria has been kidnapped by an evil yet sexy lady called Lillith (aren’t they all), who is using Lyria to awaken a… some sort of realm-traversal bird made of stone… I forget the details. The important thing is that, taking along three of your crew, you explore islands and get into big scraps in between extremely dramatic cut scenes.

The scraps are the main thing. You start at a bucolic floating city, and fly in your steampunk airship to a nearby beautiful, often elemental-themed island (snow island, lava island, collapsing goblin mine island, and so on). These islands are semi-open maps where you can find optional treasure chests but are basically funnelled in one direction. The eventually comforting rhythm is that you’ll fight some increasingly difficult waves of mobs and mini-bosses until you get to the area’s main boss, which is usually some species of fiery wyvern or, most memorably, a huge Shadow Of The Colossus-style mech.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Cy Games

You can play as any of your crew in the fights, a varied roster that includes gun-wielding swashbucklers, serious paladins and alluring magicians. It’s in combat you discover the Relink of the title refers not only to rescuing Lyria but also how you fight. When an enemy’s stun gauge fills up, you can perform a link attack with whoever else is attacking it - a sort of special double-up. You also have Skybound Arts (SBA), which are each character’s extra special attacks (i.e. if they have a sword they will hit the enemy with the sword a lot). To trigger these you need to max out your SBA meter, which fills as you perform your smaller, run-of-the-mill special abilities, like heals, buffs, debuffs, AOE attacks, that sort of thing. If the other characters have filled their SBA meter too, then you can trigger a Chain Attack, each character on the board dusting off an SBA before you all work together to do a super hyper mega final attack called, like, Void Bastard or similar.

But that’s not all! There’s also your Link Level. Performing link attacks, SBAs or resurrecting downed pals contribute to your Link Level, and when that gets to 100% you can trigger Link Time - which means your enemy goes into super slow-mo and you can swish about dealing extra damage. It’s a lot to handle, and combined with some rare boss fights where it’s suggested you split up, the combat is easier to manage if you’re playing in co-op with actual people. Unfortunately, and despite Relink selling a cool million copies, I found the matchmaking extremely variable, so I’d suggest having a group of friends earmarked as “the people I play Relink with”. But if you don’t have any, then the combat isn’t un manageable. Or rather, the combat is so frantic, as magic and colour explodes everywhere like an over-the-top Jackson Pollock, that single player doesn’t feel much less chaotic.

There are other things to engage with that make things easier, too. The sensible player should check and upgrade their Masteries, a sort of pared-back version of a Final Fantasy Sphere grid, where you can spend points to win prizes (increases to attack and defence stats, and new special abilities). Adventuring around nets you rare crafting materials, which can be exchanged to forge and improve weapons, and sigils, which are magical items that can be attached to characters for passive buffs, and can and should be switched up depending on the biome you’re going to. On the occasion that you run into a boss you can’t best, you can return to town to farm XP in quests from the XP Farming Quest Booth, which basically replays previous levels you’ve beaten, and provides XP and crafting rewards. It’s well worth putting the time in to understand all this, because it makes the combat less confusing and more rewarding, but the game introduces many of its core concepts through quick tooltips rather than learn-by-doing action tutorials. This is to its detriment.

This is Rolan. He will sometimes bemoan that the enemies working for Lillith must pay the ultimate price. As you can see, that morality works out great for him. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Cy Games

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Cy Games

Still, you can probably make a decent fist of the first few hours of Relink without understanding anything. It’ll just take you a lot longer to finish, though there are also accessibility and assist options to automate some or all of the more complicated aspects of the combat. There are some larger problems with a couple of the fundamentals, in any case. The combat lock is unhelpful to the point that it’s easier to not have it on if there are multiple enemies to deal with, and, despite the nice animations, all the attacks feel weightless, rendering your giant sword more of a cosplay replica with a safety tag popped on it by a man in a high vis vest who definitely doesn’t understand what you’re dressed as.

Maybe it’s because they get so huge that the relative size of any one attack loses all meaning. In one boss fight I generated almost a million damage with a special attack, the damage indicator itself used as storytelling for drama. But the bosses are such massive spectacles that you sort of don’t mind, and elsewhere the game is slick and streamlined to remove any friction in playing. When you complete a sidequest (kill X number of wolves) you can automatically warp to the quest giver to turn it in. If you’ve returned to town to XP farm, you can immediately warp back to the last checkpoint of the main story.

Granblue Fantasy: Relink has absolutely no pretensions about it, isn’t saying anything, and is quite dedicated to it’s fantasy. Good guys are good, bad guys are bad, and a hot witch who explodes roses everywhere in battle is cool. So are attacks the size of a planet, and monsters with hands on strings flying everywhere, and pirate captains who are also dudes with big cow horns. Unless all of that doesn’t sound at all cool to you - in which case, best avoid this game, if I were you.

This review is based on a retail build of the game, provided by publishers Cygames, Inc.

Find out how we conduct our reviews by reading our review policy .

Granblue Fantasy: Relink

PS4 , PS5 , 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.

The Electronic Wireless Show S3 Episode 4: Steam Next Fest recommendations and general indie game enthusiasm

We didn’t think there was much news happening this week and then loads did

Image credit:The Bworg

Here at the Electronic Wireless Show podcast we like indie games (inasmuch as “indie” can ever really be a helpful term; as the “good” doctor Peterson would no doubt say, what do words even mean? It’s bloody complicated!) and thus are using the news that Day Of The Devs is a non-profit (what does non-profit even mean? What does profit mean? It’s bloody complicated!) as a flimsy excuse to talk about indie games. Plus: Steam Next Fest kicks off next week, and there were indie game demos a-plenty, so we talk about some favourites of those, too. Plus: we’ve been playing JRPGs! And I was wrong, it’s episode 4. Please ignore every time I say it’s episode 5. I told you my notes aren’t to be trusted.

You can listen above, or on on Spotify , iTunes , Stitcher , or Pocket Casts . You can find the RSS feed here , and you can discuss the episode on our Discord channel , which has a dedicated room for podcast chat.

Music is by Jack de Quidt.

Links We record on a - wait we recorded this morning this time, things should broadly be as you remember them.

This week we’ve been playing Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth , Granblue Fantasy: Relink , and The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle-earth 2 , for some reason.

Recommendations this week are for the YouTube channel RambleLime , Tank Tested and Tank Tested Two , and the book From Malin Head To Mizen Head .

Granblue Fantasy: Relink

PS4 , PS5 , PC

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Video Game

The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king

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.