Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound will set your village on fire, as is only proper

We’ve played a bit

Image credit:Dotemu

How many times has Hayabusa village burned down? Some Ninja Gaiden freaks out there must know. This aged series has changed a lot in the decades since its NES debut, but that blazing home village has become a running gag. Ninja Gaiden games are slicey-dicey outings of varying quality in which Ryu Hayabusa must kill everything he dislikes yet again. But in the upcoming Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound , it’s going back to 2D, largely without Ryu. I scuttled along to a demo session to play the “neo-retro” action platformer, and found that the familiar hero does show up as a tutorial mentor you can battle. You might, unlike me, even be able to defeat him. But it won’t matter. Your village will be burnt to the ground anyway.

“Because what would be a Ninja Gaiden game without it?” jokes game director David Jaumandreu of The Game Kitchen, who’ve been hired by Team Ninja to render those flames in old-school pixel art.

The Game Kitchen are best known for Blasphemous and its sequel , the most metalheaded of metroidvanias. I won’t pretend to be a diehard fan of Ninja Gaiden games, but at least this Spanish studio seems to have enough love for them to recognise a few absolute necessities (village on fire, for instance). There is a gore filter in the options you can turn on or off, which I pre-emptively mention specifically for Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 dislikers (everyone else, don’t ask ). But other essential ingredients of old-school Gaiden took longer to recognise.

Here you’ll be playing as apprentice Kenji and daggerlady Kumori - an odd couple forced to work together to fight demons. When Ragebound was still a prototype, we’re told, the combat was more akin to its modern 3D counterparts. There were “spongey” enemies that would need multiple hits, and you’d perform combos to biff them into bloodpulp. The Game Kitchen were making what might pass for a hacky slashy 2D action demake of moderno-Gaiden.

“But when trying that in the game,” says Jaumandreu, “it kind of didn’t feel good. Combo heavy combat, it’s quite good in open spaces in 3D. But it’s kind of harder to [reproduce] in 2D.”

They “quite quickly” realised that what made 8-bit and 16-bit Ninja Gaiden feel good: a sense of “pushing and moving forward”, and dispatching bad guys in a single efficient swat.

When I asked game designer Oriol Tartarin Jansana if he played the originals on NES as research, he sighed with the deep tiredness of a thousand missed blinks and answered: “Yes”. |Image credit:Dotemu

If you have to hit a bad guy twice, you’ve already screwed up. This is the philosophy of Ragebound, which takes the sword swinging of a 36-year-old series back to its roots as a swipey, side-scrolling ninja ’em up. As in the Nintendo games of yore, you’ll kill most enemies in a single slash or knife toss, as you sprint across arcadey stages of forest floor or fishing pier. The developers call it a “one-hit predominant” game. Of course, they’ve included some basic enemies that might take two, three, or four hits to kill. But if things come to that, it is heavily implied you are playing as a sub-optimal rube.

Ragebound’s trick is not flashy, but it is effective. Every so often a “blocker” enemy will appear as you dash through its levels. Charging them head-on will see you slashing at the big guys repeatedly. But check around for a glowing blue or pink enemy and whack those dweebs with the corresponding attack (a slash for blue dirtbags, a throwing knife for pink scum) and you’ll be briefly charged with the energy required to kill a “blocker” dude with a single hit. The inference is clear from the moment you put all this together: there will be a “perfect” way to play this tough and twitchy game. Friends, I have not managed it.

Alongside the one-hit winishers comes the traditional wall-clambering and ceiling clutching of the classics. Then it’s all slapped it together with some modern “tools” to deal with the fending off of fiends. There’s your invincible dodgeroll to get through enemies, your frequent checkpoints, your screen-clearing super attack. If you’ve leapt into the air, you can press jump again when you touch an enemy (or the ninja star they’ve just lobbed) to bounce off that, effectively double jumping on baddie heads. The same trick lets you use angry fish or projectiles as stepping stones to close a gap.

It wasn’t shown in the build I played but you’ll also get a taste of some weaponry, along with the ability to buy upgrades from a shopkeeper along the way. Ye olde Ninja Gaiden had fireballs and ghostly followers , so it’s possible we might see some riffs on old gear like that.

When I asked the Jansana to name some things he disliked about the old Ninja Gaiden games, he answered: “I’m not comfortable saying.” The wise diplomacy of a man who knows Team Ninja is paying the bills. |Image credit:Dotemu

On top of these skills, there is a purplish killer who hangs behind you as you slash and/or dash. Kumori is your secondary hero, a white-haired ghost gal with a pair of kunai. As a Black Spider clan member, I’m told she’d ordinarily be a deadly adversary to the Ryus and Kenjis of the world. But something has happened that leaves her bound in spirit form, attached to Kenji as a sometimes helpful, sometimes snarky companion. A shoulder phantom throwing literal shade.

Her throwing knives and “spider weapon” attacks turn combat into that truly twitchy game of blopping the right dork with the correctly coloured attack - blue or pink - an unfolding of sequential batterings that I suspect will make speedrunner heads turn ever so slightly Gaidenward. It’s pretty basic in form, but on every enemy-filled screen it felt like there was an intelligent and correct order in which to kill the lot. Even if, in the moment, my reflexes didn’t catch it in time.

In some levels you’ll have to strap Kenji to freaky altars. This will see you take lone control of the spectral Kumori in a mildly altered spirit realm. Turns out ghosts just spend all day precision platforming while outrunning a cooldown timer by smashing orbs. It’s a brief dip into (again) speedrunny gauntlets. But they don’t seem to overly punish you for failure, just zapping you back to the start of her trial if the time runs out. Kumori’s sequences usually open the way for her reluctant ninja pal Kenji by unlocking some passage, or they might simply let you grab a collectible or hidden golden money-beetle to be used at the shopkeeper.

Half the studio at The Game Kitchen took a week’s holiday to play Monster Hunter Wilds, according to game director David Jaumandreu. That’s not relevant to this image, I just thought it was a fun fact.

But what is any of this for? What do Kenji and his pals want? To stop the “Demon Lord”, whoever that is. Speaking as a stranger to the series (a Ninja Gaijin ?) I get the feeling that story and character are very much an afterthought. From what I’ve seen, it doesn’t go beyond the simplistic hero’s quest. You literally have to find three crystals scattered across the land. I know this is a homage to an era when all games were about finding bits of old geode somebody dropped 5000 miles away, but considering so much effort has gone into modernising the moment-to-moment handling of your ninja, it’s mildly disappointing the plot still revolves around what passes for a story in 1980s arcade games. But maybe there’s some fun friction to be explored in the hero and his haunting hellfriend. Perhaps a more interesting tale will become clear.

But not until some time later this year, says publisher Dotemu. For all their pixel art precision in Blasphemous and its sequel, The Game Kitchen haven’t worked on another company’s baby before. Now they find themselves childminding a beloved assassin belonging to Team Ninja. I’m told the Japanese parents sometimes play the builds and call up the developers to say (and I’m paraphrasing here) “hey, that enemy who’s really hard to kill is cool, put loads of that in”.

The Game Kitchen aren’t putting aside their own projects as a result of such collaborations, they say, but they do find this work-for-hire approach “comfortable”, according to director Jaumandreu. I don’t know exactly what the neo-retro offloading of franchises means for fans of Ninja Gaiden’s [checks notes] “Izuna Drop”, but I can tell you that after a simple hour of leapin’ and loppin’ my hands found Ragebound fairly flow-inducing, if a little straightforward. I’ll wait and see if the devs can knock it out in a single thwack.

Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

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.