Max Caulfield is a terrible detective - I wish her all the best

Bad cop, bad cop

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Square Enix

If I am ever murdered, please do not ask Max Caulfield to investigate. I’ve already written our review for Life Is Strange: Double Exposure , in which I celebrated the touching moments of Max’s return to the series, and lamented the clunky plot that she finds herself in. In this adventure game, you’re looking into the killing of a close friend, shot by an unknown assailant. You hop between two dimensions to solve the case - one world in which your pal still lives and the other in which she’s dead. Unfortunately for the murder victim, you play a bona fide hot mess who could not perform a cross examination if she were standing in front of a crucifix with a magnifying glass.

Lots of spoilers for Double Exposure ahead - you’ve been warned.

A major theme of Life Is Strange is the inability to change the misfortunes of your life. Powers throughout the series are manifestations of trauma, a coping mechanism for all the stacking psychic damage that is smooshed upon protagonists like so much plot avocado on character toast.

Take Max. Her entire history is one of hurt. She witnesses a friend’s murder and is filled with regrets - she wants to alter the past and change the future. Daniel, the telekinetic child of Life Is Strange 2 , also saw his father shot dead - he wants control over objects sufficient to stop a bullet. Alex in Life Is Strange: True Colors grew up in foster care - she is a psychic lightning rod for other people’s fear, rage, and sorrow, while being reluctant to embrace those emotions in herself.

This power-analogising of humanity’s psychological hangups (the engine that gives Life Is Strange stories much of their weight) continues in Double Exposure. In a later episode, we find out that Safi (the murdered woman) has her own power: the ability to shapeshift and mimic others. Long story short, it seems to be the result of an image-obsessed mother pushing her daughter to be perfect in the wake of her father leaving.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Square Enix

Even though a lot of the storytelling in Double Exposure often confounds me, you can clearly see emotional introspection is what drives the game. These people are broken, but in that brokenness is beauty and resilience. They are kintsugi people. “What if I like the way my scars define me?” asks Max in a sardonic tone after seeing a self-help book on a bedside table. “What if they give me character?” She’s being snarky about it, as anyone cursed with nosebleeds and time travel might be. But in a way, she’s not wrong. You can’t undo a trauma, but you can choose to look at it as a scar that turns to gold.

All of this well-observed and psychologically literate characterisation is great. It also makes the ridiculous shit that characters do or say in Double Exposure mildly frustrating.

A piece of paper hangs out of a briefcase, and instead of just yanking it out the rest of the way, Max goes on a dimension-dipping prankathon to get the briefcase key. She tells people to go away instead of questioning them more fully on the weird things they saw. She routinely neglects to call or text her friends to fact check. I don’t know what is happening in her brain.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Square Enix

At one point, Max plots to expose a professor as a charlatan. He has plagiarised a student’s novel wholesale. She will out him as a fraud by using a projector to broadcast proof (a photo of the manuscripts side-by-side) at a public event. Together with Safi, she goes to great lengths to prep the projector, recruit fellow conspirators, and confront the man in person. All this instead of, say, posting said photos on the game’s equivalent of Twitter.

The implausible lack of communication that happens in the game is probably the most irritating. If you were given the ability to talk to the deceased in a murder case, you might sit them down for hours and go through everything in their personal and professional life to understand what’s going on. Max asks a single question about what enemies Safi might have, and then basically ignores her. In an investigation, your first instinct may be to go to the source. Max goes to every puddle of muddy water except the source.

Double Exposure constantly seeks to invest you in the reality of its world, yet there is barely any sense to the way Max behaves as a person. She is very often a flimsy piece of narrative fabric, stretched, bent, and folded into whatever shape the plot or gameplay demands. She constantly takes insensible actions, and jams herself into black and white decision-making before actually knowing anything hard or fast about the world around her.

It’s hard to know what went on at Deck Nine to result in such messiness, but judging by the studio’s recent history - much of it affecting its narrative department - it’s easy to imagine internal disagreements about the script and its direction throwing the entire story into some difficult pools of narrative goo. I don’t envy any writer who has to revive a beloved character in the face of increasing fan hostility never mind untold office toxicity and crunch.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Square Enix

Still, for all this character’s inconsistencies, I can’t bring myself to dislike the dorky twit. Double Exposure is largely about revisiting a trauma, being unable to escape from it, but perhaps able to stare it down. It’s a reminder that poor Max, for all her plot-necessitated puppetry, has been through some hideously dark shit. At one point, there is a surreal dream sequence that sees you travelling through motel rooms, identical save for the books on the side table. One book is called “Gutshot” - no prizes for guessing what that refers to (it’s not the excellent collection of short stories by Amelia Gray though). By the third or fourth motel room, dressers and lamps flatten into the walls, made two-dimensional by the weight of wanting to forget. A reminder of the years Max spent running from her past. Everything goes black and white. A desire to sleep, to numb out, overtakes everything.

This is what I meant in my review when I explained it was a sequel of “ambivalence”. Max is both a well-realised human dealing with terrible memories, and an awful finder-outer of facts. She is able to step into her fears and confront her worst horrors, yet unable to send a text saying: “yo, did you know someone called Maya?”. She can bumrush a cerebrally horrendous hurricane of the past, yet is unable to surreptitiously check more than 2 emails in any given stranger’s inbox at a time. She is an accident of wacky plot, and the result of some keen character writing. I really hope she gets the healing she deserves. Because if anyone else dies around her, I’m calling the actual police. And I hate those guys.

Life is Strange: Double Exposure

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

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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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