Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess review: a totally fine take on tower defence

I prefer Bloons

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

• Developer: Capcom
• Publisher: Capcom
• Release: July 19th 2024
• On: Windows
• From: Steam , Game Pass
• Price: £40/€50/$50
• Reviewed on: Windows 11

Capcom’s turned back the clock with Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess , bringing to us an action RPG tower defence hybrid that’s very 2000s and very welcome in this age of open world, live service-ness. And for some, it’ll deliver what’s needed: a fairly good time. A time marked by a loop that does hack ’n slash, management, and a dash of base repairs to an average degree. For me, though, and possibly many others, I simply don’t think this mix ever truly captures what makes even the simplest of tower defence games so captivating.

Kunitsu’s set on Mt. Kafuku, a big mountain that’s been ravaged by dribbly demons. They emerged at night over the course of however many days or weeks or months and toppled the lovely Kafuku community, who clearly hadn’t put up enough sandbags. All those lovely lakes and quiet villages? Covered in gloop mate, sorry. But! There is hope, though, as the maiden of the mountain Yoshiro has the mystical powers and the dance moves to dispel the darkness and rid the mountain of gloop once and for all. And that’s where you, a lad called Soh, must guide Yoshiro safely through the cleansing process with the powers of swordsmanship and people management.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

The cleansing process naturally leads you through a set of progressively difficult areas of the mountain, each split into two missions: the first is a tower defence hybrid I’ll get into in just a jiffy, while the second is a self-contained boss fight. There’s no straying from the path you’re given, so if you get stuck on a level you’ll need to find a way to beat it by using your tactical nous. Although I never had an issue with this, as the game’s relatively straightforward and gives you enough resources to level up Soh and his minions to keep up with the dribblies.

Tower defence style missions have an equally simple setup, often plopping Yoshiro on one end of the map, before tasking you with leading her safely to the Torii gate at the other end so she can dispel it. There are, of course, a couple of catches. The gates spill demons at night and Yoshiro moves at tumbleweed pace, so you can’t just hold her hand and walk her over to each gate while it’s light out. Instead, you’ll use up special orbs to carve out a path for her to follow in her own time, and that almost always means you’ll be waiting multiple day/night cycles for her to complete her pissing pilgrimage.

As Yoshiro shimmies over to the gate, you’ll spend your day portions - timed by a setting sun icon in the bottom left - gathering resources and setting up defences ready for nighttime onslaughts. This involves: running about searching for groaning, demonic stalks to cleanse as a main source of orbs; earning rations to heal you and your allies by bashing wild animals affected by the evil gunk; repairing structures like barricades to slow demon marches; and most importantly, freeing people from the gloop and using your orbs to transform them into minions.

Then it’s a case of seeing where the enemies might come from (marked by the purple gates on your minimap) and placing your minions in the spots where you think they’ll defend Yoshiro best. And as you’d expect, each of these minions fits a certain archetype. Archers deal with flying enemies best but are weak up close, while large Sumo lads are great at soaking up attention but are reliant on others to dish out the damage. There’s definitely satisfaction in finding good combos or positioning them on environmental buffers (perches for archers to get increased range, for example) so they do their jobs a bit better than normal, although their “normal” is pretty underwhelming.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

And that’s because of your role as Soh. In 90% of situations you’re required to get amongst it with your pals and harvest the orbs dropped by felled baddies. You can hack, slash, and with later upgrades, fire arrows and perform finishing moves to largely obliterate even the nastiest dribblers. Some might find it satisfying to contribute to the defence, and I certainly find my elevated strength in comparison to my pals fulfilled a power fantasy. But compulsory participation robs the game of the true joy of tower defence games, I reckon.

What is that joy? The joy of being a manager sat in a drone floating above the map, plopping some folks down and watching idly as they rinse the hordes. The joy, ultimately, of not really doing anything at all. With Kunitsu, you play a micromanager who constantly cleans up after a workforce who’s designed to do their job suboptimally. Rather than find it exciting to back up my pals, I honestly find it a bit exhausting.

Survive the night and it’ll transition to day, auto-burning any demons left on the map. And it’s here where you’ll spend all the orbs you’ve collected on either pushing Yoshiro further towards the endpoint, or - if that endpoint transitions into a second, more difficult gate chase - building up an entirely new set of defences and minions. If it ever launches me into a second gate chase, I’ll admit that a little part of my soul adopts the foetal position and rocks back and forth. Mainly because the day routine - orb collection, minion recruitment etc. - followed by the night portion further reinforces a repetitive loop that I simply can’t be bothered with.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Occasionally the missions switch it up entirely, which is good! One time you’ve got several boats to defend as you float across a lake, while another time you’ve got some drums to bash, sending out area-of-effect spells with your beats. Ironically, though, the most fun I ever had was when the game transformed me into a spirit, who could only collect orbs and deposit them at Yoshiro - and who needed freeing from a demonic headcrab. The game finally let me command more minions and elevated them into a position of authority, pinning the responsibility on their performance rather than mine.

Boss fights let you unlock new types of pal, with the boss fights themselves against menacing demons with wonderfully horrible designs, like flailing centipedes and tormented buddhas who use prayer beads like knuckle dusters. Early fights are a bit repetitive, but that repetitiveness is shaken off later on for smart (if occasionally infuriating) scenarios that force you to split focus between boss-hitting and Yoshiro-aiding.

While it’s grand unlocking new minions, like shamans who heal or spear-wielders who sweep or ascetics who summon zones that slow enemies, I can’t help but feel they’re all a bit… eh. Enemy variety does force you into using different archetypes, and map layouts may change too, so you can’t go without experimentation. Yet their upgrades are a bit uninspiring (more health, more damage, a couple of better moves), which makes your investments feel more like you’ve poured your hard-earned cash into a Souls stat-sheet than I’d like.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom

Complete an area - by both completing their associated tower defence and boss missions - and you’ll be able to revisit these cleansed areas as bases that you’ll need to repair. These act purely as currency-generators, granting you Musubi (used for upgrading your minions or Soh), orbs, and charms (which grant you special-ish abilities and stat boosts), should you successfully restore them to their former glory. While initially satisfying, these repair jobs aren’t a patch on DIY SOS and quickly become a mindless exercise. You assign villagers to repair spots, which take however many missions days to complete. Sometimes you ask villagers to pick up wood scattered around these bases before having them repair a more expensive, but more rewarding project. Then you return to these bases after each mission, collect your doodads, and rinse and repeat.

What do you get when you finally repair a base? No interactions with the villagers, no little “Cheers mate” from Yoshiro, nothing but a little more currency. At least Nick Knowles got to chat with the builders and families after doing up their houses.

I do think it’s great that Capcom have released a weird, sometimes wonderful tower defence/ action RPG hybrid with such strong early-millennium vibes. And I think some will find its micromanagement more compelling than I did, with base repairs and the gradual power climb forming an easy way to spend an evening with an average-to-good video game. And yet, I also think many will find its take on tower defence only half-delivers. It might be full of distinct elements that often work together, be they base-building or hack ’n’ slashing, but as a whole, it falls into a repetitive rhythm that struggles to capture the joys and thrills of much simpler tower defence games.

This review is based on a review build of the game provided by the developer.

Find out how we conduct our reviews by reading our review policy .

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess

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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