Grand strategy game Terra Invicta is an alien invasion sim so vast and slow the aliens seem lost within it

Out in 1.0 now

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The second alien fleet appears on the edge of our solar system around two hours into my first game of Terra Invicta , which leaves early access today, but I don’t have time to fret about them because I’m busy jockeying with the Protectorate for the keys to Mozambique. The Protectorate are a secret org who believe human beings are incapable of defeating the game’s extra-terrestrial creatures. As such, they feel we must aspire to become the very finest doormats, appeasing the invader in return for continued existence as a subordinate species.

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They are Saruman sucking up to Sauron in The Lord Of The Rings, basically. Which makes me Gandalf (I’m playing the Resistance). My pressing goals include rustling up some fancy nuclear starships to kick Johnny Vulcan’s face in. They shall not pass! (I will stop mixing my sci-fantasy analogies now, before I give you a migraine.) Before I can build a defence fleet, however, I need a space station in Earth’s orbit, with solar panels and a shipyard. Before I can build all that I need various resources and technologies, including a rocket programme. To get those things, I need to be secretly in charge of various countries - preferably rich/stable, well-armed countries with high GDP and scientific research output.

There are countries like those up in the old colonial core of Europe, to say nothing of the States or China. But the “control points” of those larger economies are borderline impossible to infiltrate and hijack with my current resources and councilors – aka, secret agents. In any case, a bunch of rival shadow groups have already gotten their spectral fingers all over France, Spain and the UK. So here I am in East Africa, attempting to build some momentum by rolling up poorer nations with fewer institutional defences against coercion. The trouble is, that bunch of spineless Neville Chamberlains have gotten the same idea. Tell me, “friend” – when did Protectorate Commissioner Kiran Banerjee abandon reason for madness? (Last one, promise.)

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There are many thousands of words of criticism to write about Terra Invicta’s geopolitical simulation, which models and tabulates present-day Earth, then spins the clock forward to encompass a growing extra-terrestrial presence and the human colonisation of our solar system. It’s a work of Paradoxical bustle and intricate speculative world-building that is both wonderful and rather grim in its unblinking orbital perspective. As with all maps, the game’s top-down portrayal of terran life is itself an ideological apparatus that will be interesting to unravel. The starting version of Earth depicts the current war in Ukraine - I still haven’t rolled the timeline past the present day, but I imagine the sim will be updated to match the situation there – while also immediately letting you pull the camera out to resource-heavy comets following their documented orbits.

It’s a universe that thrives, boils and dies regardless of your input, shaped by the conflict between NPC factions and the more scripted interventions of the aliens, steadily sending fleets from the void. You unpause the clock and all the nested lines and colours come to life: the Earth turns in a teem of nocturnal light pollution; notifications for things like forest fires or research breakthroughs fill the lefthand feed; pop-up events such as global changes of public opinion shift the ground beneath your feet. The outer reaches appear lonely, yet also, pre-conquered, with landing sites and “interface orbits” already designated for visiting spacecraft.

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While it’s real-time with pause, Terra Invicta currently plays more like a turn-based simulation. There are regular assignment phases in which you give your councilors missions; I’ve mostly spent the time between those phases meddling tentatively with the investment priorities of the nations under my control, and worrying that there’s something else I should be doing.

While I don’t currently find Terra Invicta as overwhelming as, say, Europa Universalis V, it’s an enormity of a grand strategy game that proceeds at glacial pace and absolutely buries you in tables, icons and figures. There are some robust, context-sensitive tutorials, plus a series of narrative objectives on your first run, but they are sturdy grippable rocks infrequently raised from a roaring river.

Here is one way to simplify things for yourself, to start with: this is Risk but you’ve spilled your maths homework all over it. The key thing is to get councilors into the most available countries and take over control points, so that you can get them cranking out Boost and other materials for your overarching goals.

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There are obvious broad things you need to do to maintain your parasitic underground empire: direct each nation’s investment so that they’re prosperous, content and secure against either military attack or subversion. Your agents need to be cultivated, too. They’re upgradeable characters with dozens of stats and traits - including a loyalty value that doesn’t necessarily reflect how loyal they are - who can be placed on the boards of corporations to modify their capabilities. Much to ponder! But again, keep thinking of this as Risk, until you understand the rest of it.

A few simpler logics apply: nations are easier to flip when you already own their neighbours. Aside from trying to turn East Africa into a Resistance enclave, I’ve been guzzling up all the states below Kazakhstan. I need Kazakhstan because it already has a Cosmodrome – a hangover from the days of the Soviet Union – but it’s much easier to hack than Russia or China. I need the surrounding nations, including Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, to act as a meat shield if any other orgs try to steal my prize.

Am I enjoying Terra Invicta? I think so, which seems strange given that I’ve spent a lot of my eight hours to date helplessly watching the simulation do its stuff. I’m very interested to see how things evolve and buckle as more and more aliens arrive, and I’m looking forward to the space combat aspect, which sees you puzzling over different engine technologies and combat minutiae such as the link between armour coverage and fuel expenditure. I dare say there might be a full review at the end of this playthrough - as long as I can keep the Protectorate out of Mozambique.

Terra Invicta

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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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Badge-farming might be behind some big Steam Next Fest demo player numbers

Min-maxers one, Terra Nil

Here are our top 10 recommendations for games coming to PC in June.Watch on YouTube

Looking at SteamDB , the Terra Nil demo peaked at 96,520 concurrent players around 6pm BST on June 14th, climbing from 10,260 at 4pm BST. It then very rapidly dropped back down to 11,675 by 9pm that day. Until very early last Saturday morning, when numbers rose again to 23,637 at midnight, player counts didn’t rise higher than 8,737 on June 15th at 8pm BST. Player counts peaked again at 30,042 at 10am BST on Saturday, and then fell more steadily over the past few days to hover around 11,000. It’s a big wobbly line that goes up quickly and back down just as quick, basically.

What’s happening here? Is it weird, or just an immediate flurry of interest after Steam Next Fest began last week? Carless rightly points out that Valve incentivised this Next Fest by offering badges, which levelled up higher the more demos any individual account holder played during the week. Badge XP maxed out after 10 demos but some people were playing hundreds of demos, even more than a thousand in some cases . Players were using third-party apps such as Archi’s Steam Farm to level their Next Fest badge automatically without having the games installed, or even the Steam client open.

Carless expands on the badge-farming explanation using the example of another demo from Next Fest beginning with Terra: Pavonis Interactive’s alien conspiracy 4X Terra Invicta . Stats show that 489,000 individual account holders played Terra Invicta’s demo, but around 250,000 of those did so for less than ten minutes. That seems more than a little odd. Carless advises devs not to be too chuffed if their game’s demo saw a lot more interest than they would’ve expected, putting it down to Valve’s gamification of Steam and the resulting shenanigans by some players to make numbers go up.

Sometimes it’s difficult to see the wood for the trees.

This might mean that fewer people than appeared played Terra Nil’s demo over the course of Next Fest, but I had a fun time with it nonetheless. It does seem to be generating a fair bit of buzz among denizens of Twitter too, and I don’t think the badge-farming hypothesis can explain that away. I see the sharp increase in concurrent players last Tuesday as probable badge-farming, but the second peak over the weekend followed by a shallower tail-off seems more like legit interest in the demo. We’ll have to see whether the game goes down as well when it’s eventually released.

Speaking of which, Terra Nil doesn’t have a release date yet. You can still play the demo on Steam for yourself, if you’re environmentally minded.

Terra Invicta

Video Game

Terra Nil

PC

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