Our New Year gaming resolutions for 2024

Backlog goals

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Raw Fury

The first week of January is always one of my favourite times of the year. It’s a time for making plans, setting goals, thinking about all the cool new games I’ll be playing over the next 12 months (while also looking nervously at the pile of games I missed over the last 12 months and placing them very, very gingerly on the teetering and totteringly tall pile of my backlog). And, of course, making some new year’s resolutions. Traditionally, I don’t often set myself too many resolutions - I always give myself a reading goal (35 books is what I’m aiming for this year), for example, but the rest I usually play pretty fast and loose with - more ’nice to haves’ rather than ‘musts’, I’d say.

Alice Bee: I want to play more small, bitesize, weird games – basically, to become Alice0. Last year I was on the Big Games beat, so I played and reviewed a bunch of huge games, and then spent the free time I had playing PowerWash Sim because it calms me. So, games that I can play in a few hours – even under an hour? Yes pls.

Card games are your friends, Alice Bee, I promise! |Image credit:Mega Crit Games

I’d also like to play more non-violent games that are non-violent in ways beyond the ‘wholesome’ array of growing and making pastel things. I don’t really know what it means, but I suppose I’ll know it when I see it. And finally, I might try to understand deckbuilders. I’m not a great strategy game player because I play for instant wins, i.e. make damage number go up (which is why I am okay at RPGs , because playing DPS is an allowed-for role). Is it a valid tactic in deckbuilders? I don’t know! It doesn’t seem to be in the way I play. I need to Dr. Kawashima this shit to avoid FOMO around the next Slay The Spire.

Ollie: This year, I want to get extremely good at any game that is not a FPS or Soulslike . This is my year for unlocking every squad in Into The Breach, for reaching the end of Baldur’s Gate 3, for beating my brother at Age Of Empires II. At the very least, I shall try to not spend all my free time playing Elden Ring or Hunt: Showdown .

That reminds me, I should also go back to Into The Breach at some point. What a game. |Image credit:Subset Games

Katharine: It may surprise you to learn that I’ve never actually played a GTA game before, so one of my resolutions this year is to complete GTA 5 in the run-up to the inevitable hype around GTA 6 . Other games on my homework pile also include Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen , the first S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and finally, finally play Final Fantasy 16 . Relatedly, another idea I have kicking around is trying to make a more concerted effort to tackle my backlog, which may or may not result in a new column of some kind depending on how successful I am at, err, building up a backlog of things to write about. Funny how these things come around, isn’t it?

Alice0: I want to play fewer repeatable games. Most of my 2023 playtime went on runs of roguelikelike arena shmup Brotato, then roguelikelike deck-building tower defence game Heretic’s Fork, then Left 4 Dead ’em up Warhammer 40,000: Darktide. They were fun to play over and over and over, but it doesn’t feel adventurous to mostly (not exclusively, mind) play three games across an entire year. I had to force myself to uninstall Brotato for my own good. So let’s get back to trying loads of different games, whether they’re an hour long or 20 hours. Hell, maybe I’ll even finish a huge open world singleplayer game, though I’m adamant that 80 hours of ticking off map markers in a megablockbuster offers a far less interesting and satisfying time than an equivalent 150 runs of one wee roguelikelike game.

Pandora is calling to you, Alice0… |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Ubisoft

Ed: Last year, I sort of bounced between lots of games and only finished a handful. I think that’s because the job demands spending lots of time either reviewing something, or feeling like I need to keep on top of everything. In the end, I spent less time with games as a whole. For 2024, I’d like to reset a bit and - without jeopardising my actual job - give personal picks my full attention without feeling like I need to blaze through them and move onto the next big thing.

If anything, I’d like to bring my gaming habits back to the days of Xbox 360, where I’d mainline something for aeons, and where I’d spend quality time with games on a machine which didn’t have an enormous library of tabs and distractions. If I miss something, I miss something, but hey, at least I might give one or two games a real go. Wish me luck.

Jeremy: This year I would be thrilled if I caught up on all the games that I missed in 2023 when I was moving across the globe (but bought anyway because my Steam list is a never-ending array of eldritch backloggery). This includes everything from the remake of Resident Evil 4 to Dave The Diver, so there’s quite a lot to get through. I’d also like to finally finish Pathfinder: Wrath Of The Righteous, because I’m convinced that I’m incapable of playing it alongside Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader without losing myself to too much Owlcat number crunching. Meanwhile, I’ve got my Steam Deck loaded up with comforting JRPGs and hope to continue playing them at night in bed before sleep, a nice habit that I took up in the final weeks of 2023 and find just as relaxing as curling up with a good book.

The allure of the giant CRPG is eternal and unrelenting… |Image credit:Owlcat Games/RockPaperShotgun

Edwin: This will sound both Worthy and overfamiliar, but as much as is possible, I’d like to spend this year writing and thinking about games in a non-industry way. By which I basically mean: resisting the tendency to fixate on the activities of a handful of giant publishers and take their cultural centrality for granted, which goes beyond low-balling triple-A shooters and championing individual small-team projects to developing autonomous lines of coverage that don’t rely on big marketing beats. I’m hardly alone in wanting to do that, and many are already doing it - you might want to check out Marina Kittaka’s 2020 manifesto Divest From The Video Games Industry and Brendan Keogh’s book The Videogame Industry Does Not Exist .

It’s a tricky line to walk for specialist press, of course, because we rely on the volume of interest those mega-productions generate for our livelihoods (and the games in question may be interesting and well-made). I guess my personal victory objective as a writer in this space is to get to a point where something like Starfield rocks up and we can say “eh, we don’t need to write about that”, without any particular animosity. Beyond that, I’m always trying to develop my understanding of how production conditions are reflected in the thing you play. I want to be better at identifying symptoms of overwork, for example, in the make-up of any given open world game. I’d like to better understand the relationship between video games and the military. Oh, and to chuck in something a bit less Worthy: I’m always keen to try out outlandish approaches to RPG combat and dungeons. Stuff like Cataphract OI .

Kiera: This year I want to tackle my deplorable backlog of unfinished games. While my shame knows no limits, I have three big titles in mind. The first is God of War Ragnarök. Sadly, my Kratos has been perpetually stuck in Sindri’s house for the last year midway through the campaign. I like to console myself by considering it as a nice little holiday for him. As per my confession during our most anticipated PC games of 2024 list, I’ve also never completed Dragon Age Inquisition, despite playing the previous two games and adoring them. As such, I really need to buckle down and play it before Dragon Age: Dreadwolf eventually releases. Since I’m already exposing myself, I would like to round off the list with Elden Ring. I played through the entire game, struggled my way past every encounter (including the nightmare that was Malenia) but never defeated the very last boss. At the time I was moving house and during the chaos stopped playing for a couple of weeks. Of course, this was enough time to completely forget all the skills I had painstakingly learnt and become an honorary newbie again. I would love to finish the last boss before the Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC comes out. Wish me luck!

Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition

Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC

Baldur’s Gate III

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

Dave the Diver

PC , Mac

Dragon Age: Inquisition

PS4 , Xbox One , PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen

PS4 , Xbox One , PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC , Nintendo Switch

Elden Ring

PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC

Final Fantasy XVI

PS5

Grand Theft Auto V

PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC

Grand Theft Auto VI

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S

Into the Breach

Android , iOS , PC , Mac , Nintendo Switch

Resident Evil 4 Remake

iOS , PS4 , 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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