It’s a worryingly perfect time to revive Assassin’s Creed’s old social stealth multiplayer

I had not thought death had undone so many

Image credit:Ubisoft

In a post last week about Steam’s unhelpfully vague generative AI disclosure policies , Nic touched on “that most insidious side-effect of GenAI”, the culture of paranoia it has bred among players who find themselves peering at every remotely uncanny piece of video game art, hunting for signs of machine-learning metastasis. Given the lack of transparency about the latest genAI tools, these AI-watchers often do their communities a real service, but there’s the risk of art that is merely generic or worse, simply unusual being flagged as generated. The problem goes well beyond games, of course: I’ve been accused myself of faking whole articles because I’ve done counter-intuitive things with the framing that read a little like the output from a text scrambler.

I’ve been trying to think of an experience that captures this hypervigilance, and I guess it could be Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood’s old social stealth multiplayer mode, in which players hunt and kill each other on maps populated by their computer-controlled clones.

Image credit:Ubisoft

I don’t think Brotherhood’s multiplayer was ever brilliant, but I always found it fascinating, because at its best, it was an exercise in learning to act like an NPC and thus, a form of critical thinking about the intricacies of NPC design. Here’s an example of how a round of Brotherhood Free-For-All might go: I’m strolling through the marketplace with three of my clones - just four ordinary courtesans on a tour of the city, with absolutely no dark intent.

The crowds around us consist of identical blacksmiths, harlequins, barbers, footpads, knights and other courtesans, all wearing the same expression of surly bovine passivity. While my demeanour may appear similarly glacial, I am actually a frenzy of calculation. I am trying to do a number of things as we move. Here’s an incomplete list:

1. Walk at the same speed as my robot companions as they follow what I imagine to be invisible, branching patrol paths from one side of the market to the other

2. Look for places along those hypothetical paths where I can convincingly break formation and amble down a side alley, should any approaching “NPC” give me the willies

3. Stay in the middle of the group, using the others as cover

4. Avoid looking like I’m using the others as cover, by haphazardly straying to the flanks or taking the lead where my “path-finding” appears to call for it

5. Navigate close to tactical terrain fixtures such as closeable doors and rope lifts, in case I need to flee

6. Again, avoid looking like I’m doing this

7. Try my very best not to walk into anyone or anything and have to change direction suddenly, because it’s during such moments that signs of human hesitation or panic are hardest to suppress

8. Try to stay roughly in the middle of the road, because that’s where an NPC would walk, right? Hugging a wall to stave off attack from that side is what a person would do

9. Hug the walls, because staying roughly in the middle of the road is what a person who is trying to act like an NPC would do

10. Look for any opportunity to interrupt the line of sight from anybody else

11. Look out, belatedly, for the clones of my target, whose portrait glowers in the top right corner

12. As and when I see an NPC who could be my target, try to figure out how I can kill them unobserved by anybody I suspect to be human

13. Watch all passers-by constantly for signs that they are doing 1-12

Image credit:Ubisoft

In practice, a lot of Brotherhood multiplayer wasn’t nearly that tense or underhand. You had approximately the same parkour moveset as in single player, and when behind on points, spooked or simply bored, it was always hard to resist legging it up a wall or stabbing at random. The mood was also spoiled a little by the Animus interface, which (on regular settings, anyway) made its own inventory of the throng and nudged you towards the rival killers skulking amid their doppelgangers. I imagine Ubisoft added these HUD features in response to playtester confusion, but I’d much have preferred the experience with no Animus interference at all.

In general, it always felt like Ubisoft had no idea how to convert these social stealth mechanics into an online offering as compulsive as, say, Call Of Duty. Brotherhood and similar modes in later Assassin’s Creed games came with perks, streaks and other Modern Warfarisms that just felt, again, like white noise. Indie social deduction games like Brotherhood’s contemporary SpyParty were less encumbered by such triple-Aggravations.

Still, Brotherhood’s old multiplayer mode will always have a hold on my imagination. Brendy also used to be a fan: his face lit up like a Christmas tree when I mentioned it in this morning’s meeting. Graham, meanwhile, drew wistful comparisons with Ubisoft’s later Watch Dogs , in which you could pose as a citizen of another player’s world. It’s a tradition of multiplayer subterfuge Ubisoft have lost, I think, as they’ve joined the game-as-a-service goldrush and transformed Assassin’s Creed specifically into more of an open world RPG.

Did they ever consider bringing back Brotherhood’s social stealth modes for Assassin’s Creed Shadows ? I doubt it, but it would certainly channel the prevailing mood about generative AI. Back at release in 2010, Brotherhood’s PvP offering spoke to worries about internet anonymity and especially, social media’s abundance of catfishers and sockpuppets. Nowadays, we have Among Us to help us vent and enjoy those anxieties. Instead, Brotherhood’s old PvP has come to feel like an eerily precocious staging ground for concerns and, perhaps, superstitions about undisclosed machine learning and AI hallucinations.

Its crowds of duplicates could easily be ChatGPT spawn running amok. Its premise of Templar killers honing their skills in a simulation made up of rich historical imagery reads like a prophecy for how today’s AI generators are “trained” on existing art and literature - often against the wishes of the original creators and, perhaps, in breach of their copyright.

With the good ship Live Service looking rather leaky, Ubisoft are currently trying to get in on the generative AI ‘boom’. They’ve come up with a “Ghostwriter” tool for features such as barks, and some prototype “NEOs” aka, “Newly Evolving NPCs”, which use InWorld technology to cobble together voiced responses to players on the fly.

InWorld’s AI tools rely on “information provided by users, website traffic, and potentially external sources like recruiters or educational institutions” - or so I am told by Google’s new AI Overview search tool, which saves me the labour of actually visiting their site. Imagine a Brotherhood-style multiplayer mode filled with Newly Evolving NPCs. Maybe they could flip the premise on its head, and have hundreds of humans stealthily scour the streets for a handful of generated assassins. Maybe this article, with its helpful tips on how humans think when they’re trying not to look like humans, will end up teaching those Newly Evolving NPCs how to slit our throats.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC

Assassin’s Creed Shadows

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC , Mac , Nintendo Switch 2

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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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