Mouthwashing review: converging timelines make for an impressive and succinct descent into madness

Everyone on the ship has great oral hygiene, to be fair

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Critical Reflex

• Developer: Wrong Organ
• Publisher: Critical Reflex
• Release: Out now
• On: Windows
• From: Steam , itch
• Price: £11/€12/$12
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i7-12700F, Nvidia RTX 3080, 16GB RAM, Windows 11

Mouthwashing ’s greatest triumph is placing you at the scene. The first being the most obvious crime: a captain steering their space freighter into harm’s way, entirely on purpose. You’re there, staring through the eyes of the person in the cockpit. You open the locker and grab the key and insert it into the safety override panel with a satisfying click. You see the plastic casing spring open and the red button emerge. You press it and listen to the sirens whirr. You grab the steering wheel and yank it.

Right from the start, you want to know why that’s just happened and where, perhaps, did your character show signs of excess plaque and a disregard for flossing. But the scene’s changed! And you’re Jimmy, a bloke on a space freighter however many months before the crash. You learn that you were in the middle of hauling thousands of bottles of mouthwash for a company called Pony Express. After the captain’s actions, you’re now shipwrecked with very little hope of survival. And the mouthwash? Yeah, it’s clogged up 90% of the ship, so only a few tunnels and areas are accessible.

Still, you meet your crewmates who aren’t overly happy with the situation but surviving nonetheless. Swansea is a grumpy veteran and engineer, Daisuke is his surf bro intern, there’s the ever anxious nurse Anya, and… Captain Curly who lies on a stretcher in the medical room. Basked in the orange glow of a sunset scene projected over his bandaged shoulder, Curly is a horribly disfigured victim of the crash, and a brilliantly upsetting flash of blood-soaked bandages and red scar tissue: a beacon and a clever reminder that, yes, it might seem sort of fine at that very second, but it’s only going to get a whole lot darker.

I have carefully selected this image so it doesn’t give anything away. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Critical Reflex

To say any more about the story would be to spoil a horror game that only takes maybe a couple of hours to finish (perhaps a tad more or less). Still, it’s how it presents you with scenes that grants the game a compelling cinematic shape. Where other games hit you with natural closing sequences, like bosses or fades to black, Mouthwashing is abrupt. You might latch a door closed and the game will freeze and the PSX visuals will bleed, a chugging noise in the background reminiscent of a tape spooling to a close. It’s really quite something.

Not only is it a clever visual, though, it’s a way of converging timelines that let you piece together important context. Early on you bear witness to the crew’s first foray into survival and how they cope with the crash. The Pony Express mascot in the lounge is pristine and people have provisions next to their sleeping bags. Then the scene might switch and it’s weeks out from the crash. Here, you get an insight into a freighter before stress and pressure and despair filtered into everyone’s psyche. As one timeline moves forwards, the other stays close behind. You might switch to that scene, where you’re latching a door closed in a panic - but you don’t know why. Oh don’t worry, you’ll learn, as the first flashback might start you in the lounge, where the Pony Express mascot lies splintered apart.

And like I said earlier, you live through it all, and it really helps plant you in the ship as you both piece together how the story ends and everyone’s inevitable descent into madness. Not only is it a brilliantly realised space, with the ship’s narrow tunnels forever feeling a bit too quiet and twisty, or wall screens projecting calming night or day scenes - it’s a pleasure (nightmare) on the ears. The hollow clunk of your steps, the sound of Curly’s jaw creaking open as you plop a painkiller into his mouth, and the hum of your scanner really do envelop you in the ship’s increasingly oppressive atmosphere.

Sounds? Spot on. Stuff you do with your hands? Also great. The make-up of what you actually do on the ship is simple, but wonderfully tactile. Objectives are often curt and sometimes bizarre, where Curly might request a cake, so you turn to the retro-futurist food-making machine and engage in some immerse simmery. You flick through instructions pinned to a wall, then find the sachets and plop them into the machine in the correct order, the machine depositing the finished article with a ping. I like how Mouthwashing always involves you in everything, where even the simplest actions have this air of, “I bet this’ll affect the future timeline in some horrible way”. You never feel at ease.

I have also carefully selected this image so it doesn’t give anything away. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Critical Reflex

I wouldn’t say, though, that Mouthwashing is all that scary; coming from a massive wimp like me. And I understand that scariness is subjective, but just know that this isn’t a big, big jumpscare sort of experience. I’d say it’s more upsetting and grisly, with only a couple of surreal sequences that are actually frightening from a threat standpoint (someone or something is out to get you). Otherwise, there’s a lot of weirdness or yikes-ness, as you endure psychotic breaks spliced into scenes, where the ship contorts and eyes might spring from the walls.

Sometimes I’d say it suffers from a bit of surrealist tunnel meandering that drags on for a little too long, or surrealist interpretations of your character’s psyche that seem a bit too on the nose. Some scenes also suffer from a lack of direction, where it’s like, “Go here”, and you might run around the ship for ages bumping your nose into every interactable thing, hoping it’s the interactable thing that’ll help you progress. On a couple of occasions, I actually turned to a walkthrough because I was genuinely a bit stumped. One solution I may have figured out if I really put my two brain cells to work, but one other? Nah, not a chance.

Mouthwashing’s a hard one to review, namely because I have to dance around the story in fear of spoiling it for you. I hope I’ve at least got across how it tells the story and how it really is a well-told, succinct descent into a crew’s deepest darkest secrets and struggles. Trust me, you’ll want to play it in one or two sittings, mainly because you won’t be able to peel yourself away from it. The only times you might, are when it doesn’t signpost those solutions well enough. Go forth and swill your mouth out with this one, I say.

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

Mouthwashing

PC

Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.

All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.