Noughties-style JRPG Clair Obscur wants to recapture the glories of Lost Odyssey, with a touch of Devil May Cry

Bringing back the Quick Time era

Image credit:Kepler Interactive

I do like a combat system that resembles an overflowing dressmaker’s draw, full of bouncing rubber thimbles and coils of bunting. While it’s not quite as chaotic and entangled as say, Disgaea, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is one of those games. I’d call it “baroque”, but that would be out of synch with developer Sandfall Interactive’s stated influences: the new RPG takes place in a molten and fragmented fantasy world based on the Belle Époque or “beautiful era” of late 19th century France. Your job as player is to stop a sorcerous Paintress from painting everybody over a certain age out of existence. We’ll circle back to the plot, though. First, the excessively ornate battlin'.

There are some more generic, overarching fixtures: a turn order bar on the left, character portraits down bottom right, and an action point gauge tucked snugly under your active character’s nose, with commands radiating out from their torso, Persona -style. But each character is sort of playing their own version of the game. Dapper hunk Gustave has a rakish mechanical arm that can be overcharged to unlock various mega moves, as with Nero’s gauntlets in Devil May Cry . Floating barefoot mage Lune can generate Stains (cf the painting premise), a custom resource which may be alchemically combined with her standard ice, fire and lightning spells. Kiddy fencer Maelle changes stances as she performs skills, shuffling between sets of buffs and weaknesses. You’ll want to ensure she’s in the right stance for the occasion, especially during pattern-based bossfights.

Image credit:Kepler Interactive

And then there are the quick time events tethered to those attacks and abilities, which reward the punctual-fingered in different ways: adding a bonus thwack to a combo, strengthening a heal, or softening the damage received. Wash that down with some shamelessly bolted-on ranged combat - characters can shoot at enemies in third-person to expose weak points. It’s fairly giddy stuff, all the more so when you try to explain it using the in-game vocabulary of “Nevrons” and “Luminas”. (The PRs included a glossary with our screenshots. Thanks, PRs.)

Clair Obscur might sound quite experimental, and it is, but it’s also deeply nostalgic. The game counts among its influences some pretty specific RPGs of the mid-noughties - works of both convention and ambition like Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, which came about thanks to Microsoft and Xbox’s quixotic assault on the Japanese home market. I remember that period in game design broadly as one of expansionist tinkering with the fundamentals of turn-based combat. Projects such as Valkyria Chronicles attempted to thread the needle of real-time elements in Final Fantasy-style chessgames, so as to win over Johnny Actiongamer. Much as I like Valkyria Chronicles, I’m not sure anybody ever pulled it off.

Clair Obscur is once again trying to smoosh those approaches together, though as Sandfall Interactive’s cofounder and creative director Guillaume Broche is careful to remark during my hands-off demo, the QTEs aren’t forced on you. You can tailor your characters in certain ways to minimise the need to match any prompts. Still, it sounds like you’ll be missing out on something integral if you do so. Amongst other things, if you combine certain gear and upgrade paths with QTE parries, there’s the possibility of a no-damage run. The progression elements are heavily larded with jargon, but seem familiar: there are the usual stats to upgrade, plus the gleaning of skills from Pictos items, allowing you to use them without having that Picto equipped.

Image credit:Kepler Interactive

Mechanics aside, Clair Obscur wants to rediscover the look of games like Lost Odyssey. Broche suggests, not wholly convincingly, that there’s a shortage today of Japanese RPGs or western-made " JRPGs " that try for a photoreal aesthetic. “We’re coming from our own love of high fidelity turn-based games, which hasn’t been done since Lost Odyssey, like realistic turn-based, I feel there is a big hole in the market,” he says.

Not that Clair Obscur is exactly “realistic”, beyond its preference for naturalistic human bodies and attire. It unfolds in a rotted, blossoming, level-based universe that sometimes feels like it’s set deep beneath the sea, and sometimes, like it’s happening in the vicinity of Bloodborne ’s astral hunting lodge. The setting is as gorgeous as it is putrid, a place of both sublime monstrosity and folkloric whimsy, where you’ll meet ghouls with fissured gabs in mazy mahogany palaces, and trade blows with creaky puppet merchants to unlock more potent wares.

The world has a pervasive wetness to it, like it’s only recently been oiled and set by the aforesaid Paintress - who serves, of course, as the game’s archnemesis. Each year, she daubs another number on her Monolith, causing everybody that age and older to perish. Gustave, Lune and Maelle, all 32 or younger, form the latest of several human expeditions of decreasing seniority who are trying to put a stop to this. You’ll discover the remnants of previous expeditions as you explore, resting up at their abandoned campsites and learning a little of how they failed.

It’s a novel narrative premise that could skew either tragic or goofy. Tragic, in that this is could be a timely story about escalating entropy in which children must puzzle out the prospect of their own mortality, decades ahead of schedule. And goofy, in that it risks becoming a joke about western thirty-somethings spotting their first gray hair, realising that they are no longer the springiest of chickens, and falling into an existential funk mirrored by the disorderly worldbuilding.

Image credit:Kepler Interactive

There’s a touch of memoir to it all. “Why 33?” Broche says. “Because I’m turning 33 next year.” But there’s also a more calculating element of audience symmetry. Broche adds that “the generation of people who grew up with JRPGs are older now, so I really wanted to have something not too teenagery, which I think has already been done a lot - something more mature”.

Speaking as a glum-faced member of Expedition 39, I think we can get more “mature” than this. But Expedition 33’s casting remains a nice departure from the high school student or runaway princess protagonists of games like Persona and Final Fantasy, while its engagingly overcooked combat has me thinking fondly of my old Xbox 360, dreaming beneath my bed. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on Clair Obscur. In the shorter term, who’s up for some Lost Odyssey?

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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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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