Pacific Drive’s next update makes driving around endlessly sound pretty good, actually

And there’s a few quality of life improvements coming too

Image credit:Ironwood Studios

You would think that with a game that is pretty much all about driving like Pacific Drive , the prospect of an update that promises “endless” driving wouldn’t be all that exciting or interesting. In this case you’d be wrong, though, as the game’s upcoming Endless Expeditions patch sounds like a pretty solid one. Developer Ironwood Studios revealed the update with a new trailer yesterday, showing off all the changes and additions coming to the game, the most notable one being expeditions, described as “new continuous drives” that are a bit more dangerous than you might be used to.

Outside of offering “unique rewards”, Ironwood kept quiet on what this new mode will be like, but that makes the mystery of it all the more intriguing, no? On top of that there’s also a few quality of life improvements coming. There’s a new feature called cluster spawning, though I couldn’t tell you what that is right now. The thermal vacuum and plasma scrapper are seeing some improvements too. As well as all that, a new zone trader, Ida’s Exchange, can be discovered too.

A suspend run feature is being added in too, meaning if you need to quit out of the game because you realised you forgot to file your taxes or something, you can save mid-trip and go do that without sacrificing progress.

Oh, and there’s more cosmetics you can unlock for your garage, more than an hours worth of new music to listen to on the radio while you’re on the aforementioned endless expeditions (and anywhere else), and more lore too - Ironwood described this one as their “biggest” update yet, unsurprisingly.

You’ve not got long to wait for the update either, as it’s due out in a little over a week’s time on April 3rd.

Pacific Drive

PS5 , 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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Pacific Drive’s Next Fest demo has good mood but tedious survival scavenging

Love the mood, hate picking litter for crafting

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/ Kepler Interactive

I’ve long been enamoured with the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, from the Douglas firs and waterfalls of Twin Peaks to the redwoods I once swam beneath on a road trip. Thanks to Pacific Drive ’s Steam Next Fest demo, I have now also barrelled through the woods and backroads of a spooky alt-history PNW in a banged-up car which is itself a S.T.A.L.K.E.R.-esque artifact. I’ve had my eye on Pacific Drive for a few years and after playing the demo, I am delighted by parts of it but not entirely sold on its roguelikelike survival scavenge-o-rama structure. Hmm! Give it a go and tell me what you think.

Pacific Drive is set in an alternate timeline where a strange experiment in the 1940s saw a corner of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula overrun with strange and dangerous anomalies until the government it walled off. Now we end up trapped inside the Olympic Exclusion Zone and bonded with a supernatural station wagon. Off we go at the behest of voices on our radio to scavenge supplies, craft tools, craft new car parts, and keep the old banger running.

I suppose I’d say Pacific Drive is a roguelikelike dungeon-crawling survival game? The demo features the playable opening scene, the hub home garage, then the first mission. The structure is: teleport to a separate mission zone, drive and walk around hunting for key items and various crafting materials, avoid dangerous anomalies, charge your magical teleporter by yoinking science orbs, then desperately zoom towards a gateway while a battle royale-style storm closes around you.

Big fan of fiddling with a radio |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/ Kepler Interactive

I like the procedure to stop and start your car, turning the key then shifting from drive to park. I like all these physical interfaces inside the car, controlling everything from the wipers and radio to the high-tech map by looking about. I admire the confidence to have a soundtrack with lyrical songs, not chorals or instrumentals. I like the weird anomalies, like rising rock “bollards” and eerie explosive mannequins. I like the menace of seeing and hearing bad things through the trees. I like how much is unspoken. I like the radiofriends. I really like that you can hurt yourself by closing the boot while standing under it. And I do like that, unlike most survival games, your car is the entity with the complicated health system, not your fleshy body.

The tyres, engine, lights, doors, side panels, bonnet, boot, and bumpers each have their own health bars, and suffer secondary conditions too. Windows can crack, tyres can pick up punctures or go bold, and so on. It’s not the bolt-by-bolt simulation of My Summer Car but it is more involved than most cybercarcare. To fix this, you’ll need magic putty and a range of tools, or sometimes must craft a whole new part. To get these materials, you ransack buildings and chop up wrecked cars.

Don’t bump these boys |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/ Kepler Interactive

Unfortunately, the demo does a poor job of making the survival and roguelikelike elements interesting or appealing. Divorced from the structure of the wider game, where they should have more relevance, they’re just frustrating. Because you and the car naturally take damage as you search for the parts you need, you must also pick up and break down trash to craft healing items and parts, but scavenging results in damage, so you’ll need to craft healing items, so you’ll want crafting materials, so you’ll want to scavenge, but scavenging results in damage, so… and it’s just not fun or interesting to endlessly ransack cupboards and wrecks. No puzzles, no real challenges, just chores. But these chores are important because if you die, you’ll awaken in the garage and must restart the mission. It is a small mercy that you can find your car’s corpse and loot it, like a Dark Souls bloodstain stuffed full of scrap metal, but I’d rather just not.

A peek at the mission board at the end of the demo |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/ Kepler Interactive

This is only the demo, only the tutorial mission. After completing that, it does reveal the persistent progression systems to craft new gadgets and abilities for your car and yourself, even if you can’t play any more missions with them. Perhaps in the full game you’ll want to do optional supply runs to scavenge materials to craft better gear. That is the structure of survival games, after all, and I think this roguelikelike mission structure is mostly filling in for the absence of a single coherent open world. Perhaps those upgrades will be important, invaluable, as you face wilder hazards and anomalies. I do like the sound of that. I want to tear through the woods of the Pacific Northwest with a car covered in weird gadgets and a hellstorm whirling in my rearview. I want to see where the story goes. But I don’t want to spend hours picking litter to get there.

You can grab Pacific Drive’s Next Fest demo on Steam . Launching in full on the 22nd of February, Pacific Drive will also be sold on the Epic Games Store . It’ll cost £25/€30/$30.

The Steam Next Fest runs until the 12th of February, so grab the demo while you can. We’re playing heaps of Next Fest demos so hit our tag for more recommendations.

Pacific Drive

PS5 , PC

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