How Deep Rock Galactic Season 5 drills back down to basics

Mine craft

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Coffee Stain Publishing

Dwarven co-op caper Deep Rock Galactic has spent years raising the stakes. Where its offworld mining concern once dealt merely with steep drops and irate bugs, it’s since had to face down the robotic army of a rival mineral corp and an omnicidal alien plague . If the subsequent question is “It used to be about the rocks , y’know?” then DRG’s imminent Season 5 update , Drilling Deeper, is the answer.

While matching previous seasons in scope, and even serving as a tie-in to the upcoming roguelike spinoff Deep Rock Galactic: Rogue Core , Season 5 is also a refocusing of sorts. Those newer threats are put on pause, in favour of a renewed emphasis on the deadly spelunking and freeform digging that had previously established DRG as one of the most unique shooters around. It’s why the new mission type, Deep Scan, is all about venturing further into the crunchy crust of Hoxxes IV than ever before – even if it means hitching a ride on a wildly unsafe “Drillevator” to get there.

Season 5 will also bring the usual side gubbins, including a free battle pass, cosmetics to fill it, and some new weapon overclocks, but having played a round of Deep Scan, I can say that the biggest cut of Drilling Deeper is also the choicest. Accompanied into the darkness by Ghost Ship Games’ lead game designer Mike Akopyan and marketing manager Aaron Hathaway, our task was to gather Morkite Seeds from a geode hidden deep underground. So deep, in fact, that to pinpoint it we’d first need to locate and scan a trio of buried crystals, only after which we could haul our tiny arses down to the triangulated geode.

In parts, this was classic Deep Rock: scoot through a cave to an objective, plant some cartoonishly oversized mechanism on it, and wait for a bar to fill up while space insects tried to nibble our beards. Yet there were plenty of new cogs in the machine, including the cave itself, the result of a new proc-gen design that turned the usually spacious sand biome into a discombobulating ants’ nest of twisty tunnels. I’m not too ashamed to admit I got lost numerous times, though five seasons in, the injection of a little navigational uncertainty isn’t the worst thing in the world.

This is usually the most you’ll see of a Glyphid Stalker: an outline, next to a dwarf about to be relieved of his shields. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Coffee Stain Publishing

Since Hoxxes IV is an ugly planet – a bug planet – the local fauna have been evolving too. The Vartok Scalebramble proved short on extermination thrills, mainly just sitting on cave ceilings waiting for us to shoot its weak points off, but the Glyphid Stalker made for a much more formidable opponent. It’s a cloaked ambush predator, like Helldivers 2 ’s Stalkers, except much better camouflaged, only giving off the slightest shimmer that’s easy to miss in DRG’s hectic fights. As such, they nailed me, repeatedly, delivering the added punishment of a shield-sapping EMP effect that opened me up for their weaker brethren to munch on.

They’re devious little bastards, though the Stalkers aren’t the grossest of Season 5’s foes. Those would be the Core Spawn Crawlers, an uncomfortably humanoid mix of man, bug, and mineral that swarmed us during an attempt at the new Core Stone event. Like Korlok Tyrant-Weeds, Core Stones are randomly occurring, optional side-targets that yield valuable resources at the cost of starting a potentially ammo-draining battle; in this case, against a gang of slinking rockpeople rather than a sentient plant. They’re quick and tough, and while they ultimately couldn’t stop us breaking through the Core Stone monolith to grab the goodies within, the fact that they so barely resemble any other creature in DRG did leave me both unsettled and curious.

Creepy crawlers indeed. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Coffee Stain Publishing

This, it turned out, was the point. Season 5’s links to Rogue Core are more subtle than overt (there’s no, say, post-game cutscene where an eyepatched Mission Control tells your dwarf he’s putting a team together), but hints are dropped that you might be drilling too deep for your own good. The Core Spawn Crawlers, who Akopyan tells me will also appear in the spinoff, simply represent the first sign that the company might soon have a self-inflicted mess on its hands – one that will need cleaning up in Rogue Core.

Back in the anthill cave, though, we still had a Morkite geode to find, which was soon revealed after the third successful crystal excavation. It was too far down to reach by conventional means, but that’s where the Drillevator came in: a circular platform that could bore us the last few hundred metres in style, if not in comfort.

What followed was DRG’s version of every slow-moving funicular defence setpiece you’ve ever played in an FPS, as a horde of rattled Glyphids swarmed out of the freshly drilled rock and onto our claustrophobic metal ring. Familiar, perhaps, but I loved it. The constantly moving platform and lack of escape routes made the descent feel dramatic and desperate, much more so than the static action sequences that the game usually trades in. Especially when the drill jams on a particularly stubborn rock layer, forcing one dwarf’s gun to go quiet to fix it. I play DRG pretty much weekly, and this was the first time in months that I felt on the verge of drowning in a mandible sea – deep enough in the depths that my body would never be found, buried in a perfectly circular grave next to two game developers.

Watch the skies while on the Drillevator. Or, at least, the higher-up dirt. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Coffee Stain Publishing

Survive we did, though, and our reward was a surprisingly soft landing inside the promised geode. A few moments of seed collection and gawking at the (strangely beautiful) crystal cavern later, it was time to extract using another work-related expense: souped-up jet boots that could propel us all the way back up the Drillevator hole. This, too, was fun as heck, and after a battle that intentionally nullified our team’s movement abilities, gaining the power of flight felt like the perfect climactic turnabout.

Basically, I now want to go on many, many more Deep Scans. It’s just a merry, flowing, mining-focused mission type of the sort DRG hasn’t gained since 2020; I know Season 1 added Industrial Sabotage missions, but those focus on the fighting the robots, and are thus not good. Besides, even if we’re on the verge of digging up something truly horrific, a pivot back towards rockbreaking does make a lot of sense. I mean, look at these bearded lads. They’re not master hacking technicians or virology experts. They’re miners. They mine .

Cluster rockets make short work of Mactera swarms. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Coffee Stain Publishing

I suppose they shoot as well, as Season 5 has a few promising overclocks for that vocation. Judging by the ones I saw in the preview, I’d say the Gunner class is the luckiest recipient, gaining overclocks that turn his missile launcher into an arcing grenade rifle or a lobber of rock-shattering cluster bombs. Scouts beware the splash damage, though he gets some interesting toys of his own, including an M1000 rifle overclock that marks targets for additional follow-up damage. I was personally hoping for more ‘movement aid’ overclocks, in line with the one that lets Scouts shotgun-jump, though Akopyan tells me these are “a little tricky” to keep balanced in light of how essential that shotty upgrade can feel. Ah well – at least Season 5’s new weapon mods keep the fine tradition of making drastic changes to gun behaviour, and not just adding or subtracting to stats.

As a whole, Season 5 isn’t quite as concerned with reworking the fundamentals. Indeed, in many ways it’s returning to them, after successive high-concept detours from the core mining concept. Even so, it does look like another quality update, working in the Rogue Core link without turning into an advert and adding plenty of new things to see, do, and thwack with a pickaxe. It’s out officially on June 13th, with an Experimental Branch release on June 4th.

Deep Rock Galactic

PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , 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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