I spent a week using supermarket own-brand gaming peripherals, and suggest that you don’t

This seemed like a good idea eight days ago

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

What if the company that sold your cheese also sold your PC gaming hardware? This is not the murmuring of some poor sod on a nineteen-hour Dota 2 binge who’s started thinking that the crumbs in his keyboard resemble a viable snack, but a bold new reality, one I recently found myself staring down during a trip to Asda. The supermarket chain – third biggest in the UK by turnover and purveyors of ill-fitting clothes and surprisingly good doughnuts alike – has added light-up gaming mice , keyboards , and headsets to its mountain of own-brand wares.

Asda being what it is (Americans, if you’re unfamiliar, think Walmart with less gun violence), it’s all dirt cheap as well. £17 for a full-size keyboard. £16 for an FPS mouse. Overwhelmed with curiosity, I ended up taking home a complete starter set (keeb, different mouse, headset, and mousemat) for £45 , or about a third of the price of the Logitech G515 Lightspeed TKL that I’d shortly kick off my desk. Could this be a new frontier in affordable PC hardware, bringing tech to the masses in a way no specialist retailer ever could, or should supermarkets stick to cereal and meal deals? Surely the Asda Tech (real name) 4-in-1 Gaming Kit would have the answers.

Early impressions were pleasantly decent. The mousemat was only slightly more spacious than a postage stamp and the lightning storm decoration on the mouse looked like an infant had just scratched off the coating with the edge of a coin, but the latter also sported multiple thumb buttons and a tangle-resistant braided cable, while the keyboard had an almost refined simplicity to its design. Least impressive was the headset, the rattly plasticness of which stood out even in a box full of rattly plastic, though this too offered padded leatherette and an appealing lightness.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Worries began brewing, however, when I went to plug everything in. First off, the USB connectors on the mouse and keyboard were weirdly enormous, to the extent that I physically couldn’t fit them in adjacent ports on the rear I/O panel. The headset’s wiring solution, meanwhile, was a writhing mass of different plugs: separate 3.5mm mic and headphone jacks, pre-connected to a single 3.5mm combo jack, with yet another USB connector off to the side. This last one couldn’t actually carry audio, either – as far as I could tell, it existed solely to feed power to the thin lighting circles on the earcups.

Still, nothing exploded, melted, or otherwise disintegrated on first contact with a working PC, so that’s good going for peripherals that average out at £11.25 apiece. And once they went on their first real gaming duty, the keyboard in particular proved perfectly adequate. It’s a membrane/rubber dome deal, as you’d expect, but the keys were closer to bouncy than spongy, with a decisive pressing action that made mishits about as rare as on that fully mechanical G515.

The mouse, though? If Asda still did a Smart Price range, this would have been a Smart Price mouse. While not noticeably inaccurate, as a pointer of crosshairs or a selector of units, I only got a few rounds of Apex Legends in before fatigue crept in – likely a result of the relatively flat, loping left- and right-click buttons, which in my palm grip left the finger joints unsupported. As if sculpted by someone who’d seen a JPG of an ergonomic gaming mouse, but had never actually pushed one around.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Other than a satisfyingly solid click mechanism, it also had the structural integrity of the Mini Cheddars three aisles from where I found it. The thumb buttons felt like they’d either snap or ping off if I pressed too hard, and the matte-finish plastic developed smudgy, greasy marks within days. Also, the DPI switch revealed itself as a big fat fibber: despite the plus and minus symbols, it’s a single button rather than a rocker, and only cycles through the sensitivity options in ascending order. You lie, DPI switch. For shame.

The headset, despite the ropey build quality of its own, did at least reveal some bright spots. The microphone, somehow, was excellent – its voice recording as crisp and clean as my £89 Rode desktop mic, and an instantly audible improvement over the £140 HyperX Cloud Alpha Wireless that I usually wrap around the ol’ cueball. And while it hasn’t been as comfortable, I had no qualms at all with wearing the Asda set for a couple of hours at a time.

Just one problem: it sounded pants. Utter, frayed, unwashed Y-fronts. Beyond a passable amount of mid-frequency punch, the bass was weak and the trebles were muted, leaving what should have been big, impactful audioblasts – explosions, sword slashes, and the like – sounding damp and vague. The stereo effect, meanwhile, was inexplicable: noises made by something in the middle of the screen could sound as if they were coming from behind, and if that character/object/ordnance was just slightly to the left or right, the sound would swing way out to the edges. If you’re the competitive sort that likes to listen for offscreen enemy footsteps, you’d have as much luck pinpointing their positions with a drinking glass held up to your monitor.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

It won’t surprise anyone who’s used one of their self-service checkouts, but Asda Tech’s software utility wasn’t very good either. For one thing, it only let me customise the mouse – there were no rebinding or lighting controls for the keyboard – and even that wasn’t fully supported. The full, vaguely RGB-ish selection of colours and effects was only available for, presumably, that more Decepticon’s shoe-looking mouse Asda sell separately. This section was greyed out for my bundle mouse, so the lighting colour options amounted to twelve, which is just a tad less than the 16.7 million shades afforded by RGB. I could fine-tune the sensitivity settings for that untrustworthy DPI switch, rebind individual buttons, or even add macros, though these were ultimately very basic settings for any peripheral software, most of which don’t have a UI design that looked like it was knocked together over lunchtime.

The mousemat is a mousemat.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

I did make it to seven full days of using these peripherals, for work and play alike, so I can’t say that they don’t work . I know that’s faint praise bordering on the imperceptible, but before trying this kit, the only way I would’ve thought to get four gaming accessories for £45 would be to buy a pair of needle-proof gloves and fish them out of a skip.

But they’re not good. In fact they’re quite bad, with the exception of the keyboard, and even that only stands out by virtue of having nothing seriously wrong with it. Absolutely nothing here produces that spark of “Hey, this is quite neat actually” that genuinely plucky entry-level hardware, like Logitech’s G203 mouse or the SteelSeries Apex 3 keyboard, can ignite within moments. You’re under no obligation to spend your hard-earned cash on the sparkliest luxury kit possible, obviously, but when you’re going to have your hands on a mouse or your ears in a headset day in, day out, they need more going for them than just thumb buttons and an oddly effective mic.

And yet, the problem with supermarket-brand peripherals does seem limited to the execution, not the concept. If we believe games are for everyone, then by extension we must also believe in the gear for playing games must be accessible and affordable as well. That means cheap and cheerful hardware, easily available, and what’s easier than grabbing a new headset while you’re topping up the milk? I’d be perfectly happy if Asda (or Tesco or Sainsbury’s or whoever) simply redirected some of their grocery-flogging money into finding more quality-minded suppliers, because there’s nothing clearly wrong with the idea of own-brand peripherals. They just, uh, shouldn’t be these ones.

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.