Possibly the most complex space strategy game yet made has just received its last major update before 1.0 release

Terra Invicta continues to be a terrifying vista of variables

Image credit:Hooded Horse

Further down the page there are horrifying phrases like “makes Europa Universalis seem limited” and “you’ll see every planet and moon and asteroid, all orbiting in real time”, woven through a fascinating account of a game that is sort of XCOM, but you’re organising a whole Earth’s worth of competing countries and factions to repel solar system invaders who may not even materialise for dozens of hours. But of course Hooded Horse are publishing it. This was one of their first signings, I believe. Those sickos.

The day of reckoning is nigh. Developers Pavonis Interactive have just released the last major Terra Invicta update before the 1.0 release, which is still undated. The update adds 50 new Earthly regions, a starting scenario in 2070 that skips you forward to the maturation of interplanetary travel technologies, various AI and performance improvements, and the ability to mount an expedition to the asteroid Apophis in the year 2029, this being when that 20 million tonne boulder will next pass close to Earth.

The creators of Terra Invicta appear hell-bent on representing the real-life status and likely development of space tech and geopolitics, together with the motions of celestial bodies. The 1.0 release will add a 2026 scenario “with the world situation updated to the present day”. This meticulousness prompts the worry that perhaps there is an alien invasion underway and this game is secretly an interface for the actual global resistance. Are you doing an Ender’s Game on us, Pavonis? Because I should not be allowed within three lightyears of any command bunker. I’m the guy who forgets which character he is in fighting games.

Here’s a full bulletpoint rundown of the 1.0 update.

More than 50 new regions on Earth, along with new nations, breakaways, and formables, along with new mechanics for region annexation and federations. We also updated Earth’s boost values for the 2022 scenario to match Earth’s actual launch capabilities during that year. The “2070” scenario, in which interplanetary travel has been achieved and all factions start with some space assets already built. Many nations on Earth are consolidated into regional powers with the intent to create greater balance between their stats and initial capabilities, so there are lots of strategies on Earth and in space to explore. A “realistic” combat mode in which ships are closer to their actual size and propellant consumption at high acceleration increases dramatically. The older mode is still available and now called “cinematic” combat so you can play how you like! New hab modules, including solar mirrors to support solar power on surface habs on Mars, asteroids, and Jupiter, spy modules to give bonuses to the oppression priority and detecting enemy councilors on Earth, and climate modules that give bonuses to the environment priority. A bunch of new events, including “Peace Dividend,” where nations without rivals can trade military capability for economic benefits; “Officer’s Insight,” where a high-ranking ship officer can propose faction-wide improvements, and “Apophis Passage,” where the passing of this near-Earth asteroid in 2029 offers the opportunity to mount an expedition for scientific advancements. Some new projects, including three faction-specific projects for each faction, as well as some that improve Earth-based research. Also consolidated many national independence projects. An updated tutorial! UI updates galore, including a new org manager to manage your councilors’ orgs all in one place. Smarter AI on Earth and in space. Performance improvements, bugfixes, and balance changes across the board. Buffs to particle weapons, hybrid and exotic armor, and earlier access to plasma weapons. Most ship hulls gained a utility slot as batteries became a completely optional module. 10 new achievements! We’ll let you discover what they are.

I would like to hear more about the revised tutorial and UI. In her 2022 write-up, Sin noted that it was often hard to know what to do, and not just because “there’s just so much STUFF and so little capacity to pursue 95% of it that it largely becomes background noise.” Beyond that, I have a terrible urge to play this but haha haahahaa ahaaa, I’m not going to review it. I can’t even dry my towels correctly, let alone get my spies in order. Don’t try to make me review Terra Invicta, Julian. I will scream.

Terra Invicta

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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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Badge-farming might be behind some big Steam Next Fest demo player numbers

Min-maxers one, Terra Nil

Here are our top 10 recommendations for games coming to PC in June.Watch on YouTube

Looking at SteamDB , the Terra Nil demo peaked at 96,520 concurrent players around 6pm BST on June 14th, climbing from 10,260 at 4pm BST. It then very rapidly dropped back down to 11,675 by 9pm that day. Until very early last Saturday morning, when numbers rose again to 23,637 at midnight, player counts didn’t rise higher than 8,737 on June 15th at 8pm BST. Player counts peaked again at 30,042 at 10am BST on Saturday, and then fell more steadily over the past few days to hover around 11,000. It’s a big wobbly line that goes up quickly and back down just as quick, basically.

What’s happening here? Is it weird, or just an immediate flurry of interest after Steam Next Fest began last week? Carless rightly points out that Valve incentivised this Next Fest by offering badges, which levelled up higher the more demos any individual account holder played during the week. Badge XP maxed out after 10 demos but some people were playing hundreds of demos, even more than a thousand in some cases . Players were using third-party apps such as Archi’s Steam Farm to level their Next Fest badge automatically without having the games installed, or even the Steam client open.

Carless expands on the badge-farming explanation using the example of another demo from Next Fest beginning with Terra: Pavonis Interactive’s alien conspiracy 4X Terra Invicta . Stats show that 489,000 individual account holders played Terra Invicta’s demo, but around 250,000 of those did so for less than ten minutes. That seems more than a little odd. Carless advises devs not to be too chuffed if their game’s demo saw a lot more interest than they would’ve expected, putting it down to Valve’s gamification of Steam and the resulting shenanigans by some players to make numbers go up.

Sometimes it’s difficult to see the wood for the trees.

This might mean that fewer people than appeared played Terra Nil’s demo over the course of Next Fest, but I had a fun time with it nonetheless. It does seem to be generating a fair bit of buzz among denizens of Twitter too, and I don’t think the badge-farming hypothesis can explain that away. I see the sharp increase in concurrent players last Tuesday as probable badge-farming, but the second peak over the weekend followed by a shallower tail-off seems more like legit interest in the demo. We’ll have to see whether the game goes down as well when it’s eventually released.

Speaking of which, Terra Nil doesn’t have a release date yet. You can still play the demo on Steam for yourself, if you’re environmentally minded.

Terra Invicta

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Terra Nil

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Summer’s Steam Next Fest brings so very many demos to our PCs today

Prepare to temporarily run out of hard drive space

Hundreds of demos for upcoming indie games of all kinds will flood onto PC today when June’s Steam Next Fest kicks off at 6pm BST. I’ve already downloaded a smattering of them in advance and my hard drive is positively creaking. Check out a slice of what demos are up for download in the trailer below.

Steam Next Fest features loads of free demos of indie games for your PC.Watch on YouTube

It doesn’t really matter what genres you’re into because there’s almost too much stuff to take a look at, even if you spent the whole week of Steam Next Fest downloading and playing demos. So far, I’ve plundered self-styled ‘decksploration’ card game Foretales , which has narration by Critical Role’s Travis Willingham, and a complicated-looking strategy called Terra Invicta from the devs behind XCOM’s The Long War mod. Red Candle Games’ Sekiro-like platformer Nine Sols is piquing my interest as well. Have a sift through yourself here when Next Fest starts later today.

Steam Next Fest comes around on a regular basis to give us a free reminder that all types of games can be good, actually. I usually try quite a few that I wouldn’t necessarily play otherwise. It harks back to a time of cover-mounted demo discs from your favourite magazines, which brings a misty-eyed look upon my hairy, time-weathered face. Valve says they’re giving out badges for playing varying amounts of demos now too, so that’s a thing that’s happening.

This summer’s Steam Next Fest kicks off at 6pm BST/7pm CEST/10am PST on June 13th, which is this very day. The event runs through June 20th, so you’ve got a week to play through those demos folks.

Not E3 2022 is in full-swing - see everything in our E3 2022 hub , as well as our complete round-up of everything announced at Summer Game Fest 2022 . Many more big game showcases and streams are still to come this summer, so make sure you stay up to date with our summer games stream schedule .

Foretales

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Nine Sols

PC

Terra Invicta

Video Game

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