Mullet Mad Jack review: a simple and ultra-stylish corridor crash

Ascend a tower with the power of guns, hair and anime

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Hammer95/Epopeia Games

• Developer: Hammer95
• Publisher: Hammer95, Epopeia Games
• Release: May 9th 2024
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: TBC
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i7-12700F, 16GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 3080, Windows 11

Mullets aren’t just coming back into fashion, they’re everywhere at the moment, adopted largely by lads who love draft beer and The Football. And seemingly by Mullet Mad Jack , the protagonist of a single-player roguelike FPS who would shove draft beers into the skull of a billionaire robot, then shoot him in the gonads. What I’m trying to say is, Mullet Mad Jack is fashionable and no-nonsense, which makes for a great hang if you’d like to burn some aggression once in a while.

Mullet Mad Jack’s setup is simple and silly, taking place in a 90s anime-inspired retro-future. Robot billionaires rule the world and must feed a superbeing AI who’ll die unless kept alive by dopamine. The robillionaires employ (force) people to become Moderators, who supply the raging AI with dopamine by killing other robots in a deranged game show setting. Jack’s is one of these moderators, but he’s on a separate quest to murder the robillionaires and free a hostage they’ve locked up in a tower block.

There’s a catch, though. You’re on a 10-second timer that ticks down unless you top it up by killing robots and pleasing the bloodthirsty AI, which is basically Twitch chat (poggers, etc). Let the robotic thugs and drones ping you with bullets or jab at you, and they’ll rob time off you, too. If the timer ticks down to zero, you die, your run ends and you’ll return to the bottom of the tower. Seeing as the tower has ten levels, each composed of ten stages, it’s an ascent best tackled when you’re buzzed off a double shot espresso or a thirst for violence.

The timer sits in Jack’s left hand, also displaying a Doom-esque portrait of him that oscillates between smug ciggy poking out of curled lips if you’re blasting well, to pained grimace if time’s almost up. In your right hand is a revolver, capable of exacting the most basic death on the earliest robo-grunts. Then you charge - you just fully motor through corridors. You career through doors, kicking them open automatically with a bash that sends robots on the other side flying into walls. Aside from time-saving headshots, you’re rewarded for kicking baddies into electrical hazards or blending them in fans. Occasionally you can pick up knives lodged in tables, and clunk them into metallic skulls for even more of a bonus.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Hammer95/Epopeia Games

It’s during these bloody sprints that you appreciate the retro-anime art style, all buzzy and vibrant, and adding a lot of blinking garnish to the gore you’re cooking up. Incredibly, the big numbers and flashes rarely ever make things unclear, meaning you’re easily able to enter a rather beautiful flowstate.

Reach the end of a stage and you can pick from three power ups you’ll keep for that run. Like a flame sword to replace your revolver, which lets you cleave enemies in two up close or from afar with a boomerang lob, one that nets you a +1 second bonus if you kill a robot by shooting them in the nuts, or another that plants red explosive barrels in convenient spots (a personal favourite). There are rail guns and plasma guns and submachine guns, all of them with their own heft, in the way they kick back or upwards as you rattle off some lead. And I particularly like how, as you power up, the levels attempt to throw off your increasing pace.

One thing, though, is that you start to notice the upgrades give off an illusion of choice. Many are just clearly weaker than others, so I found myself learning what was good and largely sticking with it across entire runs. I upgraded the railgun to the point where nothing, literally nothing, was stronger, and while I did still enjoy fulfilling a power fantasy, build crafters may be left unfulfilled by the options on offer as you motor upwards.

As you climb each level of the tower, not only do enemies multiply, but the corridors themselves are given an extra dimension to rob you of time. Early on you’re introduced to acid pools you need to dash over, and later come chains that need to be shot off doors before you can break through them. If you’re in a flow state, they’re easy hurdles to hop over, but mistimed dashes and sudden lapses in judgement can transform them into fatal pitfalls. I like how they’re never annoying themselves, as their difficulty is dictated more by how you respond to the pressure of the clock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Hammer95/Epopeia Games

Make it through to a tenth stage and you’ll take on one of many robillionaires, each as dastardly as the next. One of the first has you take on a massive eyeball where you need to hop and dash away from laser beams. Later, they become a bit more interesting, as one sword master can’t be touched by bullets, so you need to scour the environment for particularly sharp implements that might pierce through their defences. They aren’t all that challenging as boss fights, but they’re a welcome change in pace from all the corridor dashing.

Despite bosses adding some spice to scuffles, I wouldn’t say there are all that many enemy types in general. There’s a lot of robo henchmen, some drones, those that scuttle… and that’s about it. The challenge truly lies in navigating the environment quickly, where most enemies tumble down in a shot or two anyway. So, in a sense, they all die fast and it doesn’t matter all that much! But then again, they all die in a very similar way: you aim, you click, they explode. Perhaps instead of lots of different enemy types, it would’ve been interesting to see the way you kill the drones and henchman shifted to match the environment’s tweaks.

Still, that’s a small gripe of mine in an otherwise fun and frantic FPS. Mullet Mad Jack ia a simple, stylised crash through a lot of corridors and even if it’s not going to blow you away, I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys speed with their violence. There’s additional difficulties if you’re after a challenge and an Endless mode, too, if you want to see how high you can climb against random enemies and stage layouts. Mullets are very much in.

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 .

Mullet Mad Jack

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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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