Monster Hunter Wilds review
Some light seasoning
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Capcom
- Developer: Capcom
- Publisher: Capcom
- Release: Feb 28th, 2025
- On: Windows
- From: Steam
- Price: £60/$70/€70
- Reviewed on: Intel Core-i7-11700F, 16GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, Windows 10
Much has been made of the simulation in Monster Hunter Wilds during the beta-filled run-up to its release. The ecosystem is teeming with beetles, fish and geckos. Seasons change. Carnivores go out hunting herbivores, and the herbivores wander around in a way that would make Sam Neill sit down in shock and exclaim that they really do move in herds. But those impressive details haven’t had much impact on how I play this beast-whacking action game, or any effect on how my brain operates in the midst of a thoughtless crafting splurge. Pare back the vigorwasps and rockslides and sizzling steaks and what you find is a loot-the-loop straight out of an MMO, complemented with chunky combat that remains satisfying to those with the acquired taste for it and overwrought to those who crave simplicity.
For many, it’s exactly what you’d expect and want of Monster Hunter. But if the buzz of bashing beasts for stat-bumps quickly wanes for you, the final hours of its 20-25 hour campaign will pass with diminishing interest. When Monster Hunter Wilds finally lets go of your hand and says “okay, go do your own thing!” I felt like handing in my notice to the guild. I’ve seen enough of this monster to know that it’s beautiful, swole, and not for me.
You play as an expedition leader heading out into the “Forbidden Lands”. There’s talk of a giant and fearsome beast terrorising this uncharted region (isn’t there always?) and you’re going to map the place, make contact with local tribes, and design snakeskin shoes out of all the native wildlife. If you’ve never played a Monster Hunter game, you’re in for a long and patchy tutorial of a story mode, not to mention lots of googling things like “best ammo for killing monkey” or “how to dismiss annoying cat”.
Turn on “Felyne language” in the options menu if you don’t want to hear your cat pal’s annoying voice lines |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Capcom
In short, it is a loot-likers action game of steadily killing your way up a ladder of better helmets and fiercer greatswords, while learning the weaknesses and attack patterns of giant foes who roam forest floors and icy caverns. Monster Hunter games can feel like playthings of preparation, resolve, and reward. They can also be a festival of grind.
Wilds is no different, and is especially similar to Monster Hunter: World , with a few eye-catching changes. There are returning beasts like the Rathalos (classic hard-headed dragon), the Yian Kut-Ku (frilly idiot), and the Congalala (large farting baboon). But also new wretches like the horrendously drippy oil octopus Nu Udra, who likes to let loose with all tentacles at once, and a fleshy-mouthed sandworm called the Balahara , which can turn dunes into quicksand that swallows you up.
If there’s something I can’t fault, it’s that bestiary. The animals are varied, violent, and hideous in all the right ways. As in previous instalments, they sometimes encounter each other while roaming and get into a fight - ten times more fun to watch than to interrupt. Seeing an Ajarakan (spicy lava gorilla) get hobbled by the aforementioned giant cephalopod made of crude oil is as delightful as whomping the simian geezer yourself.
But that commitment to animality is a given with these games. The new bits and bobs are what matters. The world has become seamless, and the different zones (desert plains, lush rainforest, frigid caverns, etc) now lead directly to one another sans loading screens. Each zone has two major seasons that dictate the type and frequency of animals, alongside an “inclemency” period. These are hazardous sandstorms or downpours during which lightning might strike the ground at random, and will provide you a chance to catch ’n’ kill certain beasts who only show up in these rough-weather moments.
Hardware talk: I played with an Nvidia 3060 on a mix of medium and high settings - this saw some hangs and low frame rates, especially in forested areas with lots of water. Later I played on a machine with a 3080 Ti and everything was smooth. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Capcom
When it comes to weapons, the developers haven’t added anything new. Which doesn’t bother me - there are still more weapons to learn than time to learn them. I stuck with the trusty bow for ranged murder, and dipped into mashy-slashy twin blades once in a while (I also vaulted into the air with the insect glaive during a beta, as a treat). There is, again, a satisfaction to learning the exact way each weapon is intended to be used. But combat is not without its esoterica.
Every Monster Hunter I play sees me relearning the necessary clutter of radial dials and shortcut combos to survive a tail swipe. I’ve never considered fighting in these games “fluid”. Instead they lean into a kind of panicked mid-fight item management that sees you slash a few times, back off, sharpen your weapon, slash a few times, roll away, take a potion, slash a few times, call your bird pal, change slinger ammo, eat a piece of beef, slug a forest pepsi, attack again…
That fighty bitey rhythm is here much the same as ever. You’re wearing something down over a protracted and often scrappy brawl. The mishmash of controls plays into that, your finger on the shortcut bumper acting as a mental backpack you’ve got to continually open and root around within, looking among twenty possible options for the one barrel or trap or piece of bait you need. It feels like rummaging through your mum’s messy purse for the single pound coin she needs for the toll booth that is swiftly approaching.
Having your fingers full of fight or flight feels appropriate, but it also sometimes annoys me purely from a hands-on-buttons perspective. I often like combat to be graceful and streamlined in games, and I hold the radial menu itself to be a crutch that too many shooters and action adventures rely on because they’re afraid to meaningfully limit the player’s choices in the field. Wilds is similarly afraid to pigeonhole you. There are 14 different weapons . There are 25 slots in your item bag. There are a-number-I-do-not-know of gizmos to use mid-battle. Piercing pods, barrel bombs, shock traps, ghillie suits, throwing knives, poison clouds… It wants you to be a versatile and adaptable hunter, and as usual this comes at the expense of having a clean and uncomplicated control scheme. Who needs elegance of interface when you have 16 types of bowgun ammo to cycle through?
That complexity and variety can make it intimidating. I’m not exactly a newcomer, having dossed about in Monster Hunter: World and briefly toyed with its expansion, Iceborne. But even with that background Wilds is hefty with unexplained elements. Or else things are explained only at a glance, relevant tutorials are put off until hours into the game, or sometimes buried in the help menus. Your galumphing for guides will continue apace. “Why arrows infinite but gun ammo not?” you type into Bing, sweating. “How to blow bubbles good”, you hammer into Ask Jeeves, feverish for aid.
Wilds isn’t a forthcoming game, and I don’t necessarily fault the developers for this. It’s tough to build an on-ramp for a game this granular without slowing down the missions greatly. But I don’t think the solution is to deliver essential bits of knowledge via small text boxes in the urgent heat of battle - you can’t exactly ask the Doshaguma (grizzly mole rat) for a second to read the tool tips. Again, if this is your first foray into hunterising monstrosities, you can either view Wilds’ unintuitive first steps as evidence of richness and intricacy, or as a confusing clutter of combat ideas thrown into a single action game. One of these opinions will reward you with 60 hours of dopamine, the other will reward you with 60 hours of your life back.
These forest dwellers are known as “Wudwuds”. Essentially shitake Ewoks. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Capcom
This timesinkiness is intentional, of course. It encourages you to be an efficiency hound, crafting the perfect set of fire-resistant armour for a particularly spicy beast. The most upgradified stamina-boosting talisman, the fullest purse of cooling drinks. If you’re still having trouble you can set off the handy SOS flare to call on co-op randos who’ll help you bully whatever borkosaurus you have in sight. Pre-release I only had a rare couple of encounters with other folk, so I can’t say how significantly that co-op cuts down the grind. Judging by previous games, it’ll shorten things while also making fights more flailing and chaotic.
In any case, battles can also be approached with reckless brute force. Just make sure your weapon’s damage number is big enough, and hit the right bits of wing, tail, and buttock. For all its talk of prep and strategy, I have found much of Wilds doable without engaging with elemental min-maxing or specific weaponry (although you do eventually run up against an icy difficulty spike or two). This makes it both approachable to new players but also a blunter game than many fans often boast of the series.
If the bristlesome combat hasn’t changed dramatically, then navigating the world has. The biggest change in real terms is the Seikret, a dinosaur you ride around like an extinct motorbike with a beak. It helpfully lets you carry two weapons on a hunt - one on your back and one holstered on your saddle, which you can retrieve just by whistling for the battlebirb to come pick you up. You can also shoot arrows and slingshot ammo while galloping about, or dip into your feathery friend’s backup bag of potions and traps. All appropriately hunty behaviour.
You can customise your feathery non-horse, changing its colours, saddle, and trinkets. You may NOT make it walk the “wrong” direction. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Capcom
This toothy mount is a great-looking creature and an interesting additive to combat, but also an emblem of the overbearing control that Capcom’s game designers want to exert during the game’s story. Your dinoride will frequently autojog in the direction of the next waypoint. You can steer it left or right to some extent (sharing control might be appropriate for a horseosaurus with scent glands and a mind of its own) but lots of story quests will see you riding slowly on lizardback with no say over direction, chatting with your companions as if this were Red Dead Redemption 2 and not a game about battering large frogs. It repeatedly engages in the always-annoying trend of slowing you down to a crawl, or stopping you from going any other direction but the preordained path, riding around on your Chocofaux for long periods with your hands fighting to understand when they’ll get a chance to take over from the auto-playing game.
I understand these story missions act as “wow” moments and are part of a longer tutorialising campaign intended to both dazzle and teach simultaneously. But I’ve never liked the control-wresting solution many blockbuster games use to approach this style of “on-boarding”. Especially if it takes the reins from your hands as often as this does. The developers recommended players take their time playing through it, a sentiment I generally agree with (even if I rarely get to be so indulgent as a reviewer) but Wilds’ desire to make sure you walk through the world slowly can become as draconian as the tyrant lizards you fight.
Not that navigating the world is overly thoughtful. For all its grandeur and beauty, you are rarely required to engage with the layout of these maps in a meaningful way. Your Seikret auto-drives you between waypoints, and open roaming between regions is rendered less significant when you mostly fast travel between them. There’s no orienteering or pathfinding necessary - the game is not designed with exploration in mind, but offers landscape as a spectacle. Beautiful vistas that you dash through on your way to kill another Lala Barina (spider in a tutu). For me that means that each environment lacks a sense of life. Not endemic life - there’s lots of that to pick up, capture, fish, harvest - but a life of the geography itself. You aren’t in conversation with the landscape of Wilds in the same way as you are in Breath Of The Wild or Shadow Of The Colossus . You won’t wonder how to reach a certain plateau or canyon floor. You move around the land with a job in mind and armour on the brain. You let Dino from The Flintstones take you home.
Please, Capcom, I’d like to move the little warrior puppets myself. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Capcom
The campaign’s hand-holding eases off once the credits roll and you’re at your leisure to hunt, kill, or capture whatever beasts you fancy. Seasonal changes finally become significant and high-level environments offer new monster types to chase, along with a huge selection of new axes, swords, bowguns, and the rest - the tech trees unspool like tapestries. For fans this is likely a delectable moment, the cracking open of an easter egg full of goodies, if only you can face down the rabid scorpions inside. For me, it was more like being offered an easter egg when I had already been instructed to eat twenty chocolate bars in strict succession. Please, not another entire Toblerone. The roof of my mouth is fully perforated.
Wilds is once again a game of hunger and hunting, self-providing, and grinding your nights away against the whetstone of loot. Therein lies both the appeal and danger of Monster Hunter games. They are stuffed with compelling completionist catnip, yet wrapped in a philosophy of busywork. You are killing a very cool monster to get better gloves so you can kill another cool monster for more gloves. I mean, yes, that is video games writ large. And it keeps me sustained on the hamster wheel for a while. I too desire a fashionable suit for my intolerable cat.
But the motivation always sinks away before I hit the endgame. There is a place for loot-chasing games of endless hunger. And I find Wilds more involving as a voluntary submission to grind than the smooth-brained Destiny 2 or (ugh) Borderlands. A Monster Hunter game ought to be weighty, a land of friction and preparation. And I note the longstanding commitment to making sure a player must hit a monster in precisely the same way at least a hundred times before they make any visible progress (what is the melee equivalent of a “bullet sponge”?). But there are only so many guild contracts I can take before I clock off for the weekend.
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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:
| Blueprint | Type | Recipe | Crafted At |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bettina | Weapon | 3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Heavy Gun Parts 3x Canister | Gunsmith 3 |
| Blue Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
| Aphelion | Weapon | 3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Matriarch Reactor | Gunsmith 3 |
| Combat Mk. 3 (Flanking) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Combat Mk. 3 (Aggressive) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Complex Gun Parts | Material | 2x Light Gun Parts 2x Medium Gun Parts 2x Heavy Gun Parts | Refiner 3 |
| Fireworks Box | Quick Use | 1x Explosive Compound 3x Pop Trigger | Explosives Station 2 |
| Gas Mine | Mine | 4x Chemicals 2x Rubber Parts | Explosives Station 1 |
| Green Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
| Pulse Mine | Mine | 1x Crude Explosives 1x Wires | Explosives Station 1 |
| Seeker Grenade | Grenade | 1x Crude Explosives 2x ARC Alloy | Explosives Station 1 |
| Looting Mk. 3 (Survivor) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Angled Grip II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 2 |
| Angled Grip III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Hullcracker | Weapon | 1x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Heavy Gun Parts 1x Exodus Modules | Gunsmith 3 |
| Launcher Ammo | Ammo | 5x Metal Parts 1x Crude Explosives | Workbench 1 |
| Anvil | Weapon | 5x Mechanical Components 5x Simple Gun Parts | Gunsmith 2 |
| Anvil Splitter | Mod | 2x Mod Components 3x Processor | Gunsmith 3 |
| ??? | ??? | ??? | ??? |
| Barricade Kit | Quick Use | 1x Mechanical Components | Utility Station 2 |
| Blaze Grenade | Grenade | 1x Explosive Compound 2x Oil | Explosives Station 3 |
| Bobcat | Weapon | 3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Light Gun Parts | Gunsmith 3 |
| Osprey | Weapon | 2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 7x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Burletta | Weapon | 3x Mechanical Components 3x Simple Gun Parts | Gunsmith 1 |
| Compensator II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Compensator III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Defibrillator | Quick Use | 9x Plastic Parts 1x Moss | Medical Lab 2 |
| ??? | ??? | ??? | ??? |
| Equalizer | Weapon | 3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Queen Reactor | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Barrel | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Light Mag II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 2 |
| Extended Light Mag III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Medium Mag II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 2 |
| Extended Medium Mag III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Shotgun Mag II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 2 |
| Extended Shotgun Mag III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Remote Raider Flare | Quick Use | 2x Chemicals 4x Rubber Parts | Utility Station 1 |
| Heavy Gun Parts | Material | 4x Simple Gun Parts | Refiner 2 |
| Venator | Weapon | 2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 5x Magnet | Gunsmith 3 |
| Il Toro | Weapon | 5x Mechanical Components 6x Simple Gun Parts | Gunsmith 1 |
| Jolt Mine | Mine | 1x Electrical Components 1x Battery | Explosives Station 2 |
| Explosive Mine | Mine | 1x Explosive Compound 1x Sensors | Explosives Station 3 |
| Jupiter | Weapon | 3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Queen Reactor | Gunsmith 3 |
| Light Gun Parts | Material | 4x Simple Gun Parts | Refiner 2 |
| Lightweight Stock | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Lure Grenade | Grenade | 1x Speaker Component 1x Electrical Components | Utility Station 2 |
| Medium Gun Parts | Material | 4x Simple Gun Parts | Refiner 2 |
| Torrente | Weapon | 2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 6x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Muzzle Brake II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Muzzle Brake III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Padded Stock | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Shotgun Choke II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Shotgun Choke III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Shotgun Silencer | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Showstopper | Grenade | 1x Advanced Electrical Components 1x Voltage Converter | Explosives Station 3 |
| Silencer I | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Silencer II | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Snap Hook | Quick Use | 2x Power Rod 3x Rope 1x Exodus Modules | Utility Station 3 |
| Stable Stock II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 2 |
| Stable Stock III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Tagging Grenade | Grenade | 1x Electrical Components 1x Sensors | Utility Station 3 |
| Tempest | Weapon | 3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 3x Canister | Gunsmith 3 |
| Trigger Nade | Grenade | 2x Crude Explosives 1x Processor | Explosives Station 2 |
| Vertical Grip II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 2 |
| Vertical Grip III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Vita Shot | Quick Use | 2x Antiseptic 1x Syringe | Medical Lab 3 |
| Vita Spray | Quick Use | 3x Antiseptic 1x Canister | Medical Lab 3 |
| Vulcano | Weapon | 1x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Heavy Gun Parts 1x Exodus Modules | Gunsmith 3 |
| Wolfpack | Grenade | 2x Explosive Compound 2x Sensors | Explosives Station 3 |
| Red Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
| Smoke Grenade | Grenade | 14x Chemicals 1x Canister | Utility Station 2 |
| Deadline | Mine | 3x Explosive Compound 2x ARC Circuitry | Explosives Station 3 |
| Trailblazer | Grenade | 1x Explosive Compound 1x Synthesized Fuel | Explosives Station 3 |
| Tactical Mk. 3 (Defensive) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Tactical Mk. 3 (Healing) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Yellow Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
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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