How to close an Oblivion Gate in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Here’s how to quickly close an Oblivion Gate by claiming the Sigil Stone

Image credit:Bethesda

Wondering how to close an Oblivion Gate in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered? The fourth Elder Scrolls adventure gets its name from the many gates to the Planes of Oblivion that pop up across Cyrodiil throughout your adventure. These portals take your character on a trip to a terrible realm filled with fire and all manner of hellish beasts, and as you progress through the main quest, more and more random gates emerge throughout the landscape.

You can remove all Oblivion Gates by completing the game’s main quest, but that obviously takes a long while. In the meantime, there are a few general guidelines you can follow to quickly shut down gates, and these tips work for both the original Oblivion and Oblivion Remastered! In this guide, we’ll explain how to close Oblivion Gates and explain which ones are actually mandatory to beat the game.

How to close an Oblivion Gate

In order to close an Oblivion Gate, you need to enter it and obtain the Sigil Stone , the orb-like artifact that powers the gate. Obtaining a stone gives you one Fame point, and you can also use them to enchant any unenchanted non-quest item in your inventory.

Grab a Sigil Stone, and the tower (and the gate) will fall. |Image credit:Bethesda

The layout of the terrain behind each Oblivion Gate is randomly generated, making an exact walkthrough impossible. Nevertheless, there are a few guidelines you can follow to clear a gate as quickly as possible:

• After entering an Oblivion Gate, always move upwards towards the Sigillum Sanguis. The Sigillum Sanguis is the uppermost room of the main tower that exists within each gate. Even if you find yourself temporarily lost, keep taking ramps and upper pathways towards the largest tower you can see. You’ll usually pass through one to three hallways before making it to the top.
• Fire and Shock Daedra enemies abound. If you have resistances to Fire and Shock damage, including potions, spells, or enchanted items, use them. Fireballs will go zig-zagging your way within the towers as you climb to the Sigillum Sanguis, and if you want to deliver a nasty attack to any enemies in your way, try using Frost damage. Alchemy, Sneak, and Illusion are all excellent skills to proritise for a successful tower speedrun.
• If you get chased or overwhelmed by foes, ignore them and grab the Sigil Stone as quickly as possible. As soon as you pick up the stone, the gate will speedily shut down and you’ll be sent back to whatever spot in Cyrodiil you were meandering around before entering the gate.
• Invisibility and Chameleon are your friends. If you have these spells from the Illusion school, you can efficiently sneak past all enemies in a gate without them noticing you. A common strategy in the original Oblivion game to speedrun gates was to combine enchantments until you obtained 100% Chameleon, letting you be completely unseen. This still works in the remake.
• Alchemy-orientated characters may want to kill Daedra and loot ingredients within a gate. While deliberately exploring each gate and killing enemies may become tedious after the fifth time, it’s worth slowing down if one of your major skills is Alchemy. Ingredients that can only be looted in the Planes of Oblivion include Bloodgrass, Clannfear Claws, Daedra Heart, Daedra Silk, Daedra Venin, Daedroth Teeth, Fire Salts, Frost Salts, Harrada, Scamp Skin, Spiddal Stick, and Void Salts.

Mandatory Oblivion Gates

Many towers await you on your quest, but only a few need to be cleared in order to complete the game. |Image credit:Bethesda

It’s worth noting that the vast majority of gates you encounter in Oblivion are of the random variety. In fact, only three Oblivion Gates are mandatory to complete the game’s main quest. The rest are all optional, and there is no penalty to not completing them. The three mandatory gates are as follows:

Kvatch Gate : This gate appears outside of Kvatch as soon as your character finishes the tutorial and leaves the sewers.

Bruma Gate : This gate appears east of Bruma after starting the main quest Bruma Gate.

Bruma Great Gate : This gate opens southeast of Bruma, upon starting the main quest Defense of Bruma.

Using console commands to close an Oblivion Gate

The PC version of Oblivion has a console input interface that lets you enter commands to alter gameplay. If you’re tired of faffing around with gates, or find yourself stuck in one that you just can’t be bothered to complete, press the tilde (~) key to open up the console and type in one of the the following commands:

This command closes a specific gate that you’ve clicked on. It’s best to activate this command while in Cyrodiil and not in the gate itself; doing so while within the gate will force you to leave via obtaining the Sigil Stone or typing in the command below.

This command closes the gate you’ve entered through, and returns you to Cyrodiil.

Closing an Oblivion Gate with a console command does not give you a Sigil Stone or any of the other rewards you’d acquire by completing a gate normally.

That’s a wrap on our deep dive on how to close Oblivion Gates in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered - may these hellish portals plague you a little less on your quest! For more intel on Oblivion, check out our guides on the best birthsign , the best race and the best pre-determined classes in Oblivion. May your trek across the expansive, remastered world of Cyrodiil be fruitful!

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

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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