Proverbs review

Picross meets Minesweeper then they destroy your life

Image credit:RPS / Mark Ffrench

• Developer: Mark Ffrench
• Publisher: Divide The Plunder
• Release: November 7th, 2024
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: £7.49/€8.79/$8.99
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i5-12600K, 32GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti, Windows 10

What great hopes I had for the Christmas holidays. Finally, I thought, I would have time for some of the recent blockbusters I’d not yet played: Indiana Jones And The Great Circle , S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and more would fill those dusty days and nights in the taint of 2024.

Then I mentioned in a review that I liked Picross games, which for me can dissolve hours or entire weekends like sugar in water. “I don’t know if that means I should recommend Mark Ffrench’s games Proverbs and Mega Mosaic to you, or warn you to steer clear and avoid flowing away forever,” responded commenter SeekerX.

You see where this is going. Friends, I played Proverbs for 36 hours over Christmas.

Proverbs presents its victim with a truly vast grid of squares, upon which you can zoom in and out like it’s the Supreme Commander of puzzle games . Some of the squares have numbers inside and the number tells you how many squares need to be coloured-in from the area surrounding it. See the number 9? Click the left mouse button to colour that square and the eight that touch it for a perfect little 3x3 block. See the number 0? Click the right mouse button to demarcate a 3x3 area of negative space, instead.

The grid is split into smaller segments, which when completed reveal a piece of the picture behind. That picture is a pixel art recreation of Bruegel the Elder’s 1559 oil painting “Netherlandish Proverbs”, which depicts a bustling scene of humans and animals, each engaged in an illustrative example of a Dutch-language idiom.

It’s a delightful painting, rich in playful detail as people grip each other’s noses, wipe their bums on doors, and tie devils to pillows. Several of the idioms remain in use today, as with the man banging his head against a brick wall. Others are less familiar, such as the sight of two bums hanging out of a hole in a wall (“They both crap through the same hole”, meaning “they are inseparable comrades”, Wikipedia informs me ). The rendering of those bums as pixel art maintains much of their charm.

This process of uncovering the image is like a cross between Picross and Minesweeper . You scan around for safely uncoverable areas (9s, 0s, a 6 against a border, a 5 in a corner, and so on), and once a foothold is found, progress spreads outwards, one solution suggesting the next. It may be difficult to visualise when described, but if you fill in a block of 9, and the corner of that block contains the number 4, then you know that the remaining five blocks surrounding that 4 are negative space and can mark it as such immediately.

I can’t decide if this is heaven or hell but I do want to fill in the two squares below that ‘5’ in the bottom left.

This is a stacked and deadly chain of dopamine hits, for me. Picross puzzles are not hard and solving them at any scale becomes second nature once you know the logic necessary, yet correctly marking each block in these patterns is satisfying every time, like slotting a Tetris block into just the right spot. Once begun, it’s hard to stop, because there’s always another solution in sight and another segment of the whole nearly complete. I’d just do one more, then another, then another.

Eventually my eyes glazed over and there was almost no conscious thought involved in playing Proverbs. Its interface projects a little 3x3 highlight around your mouse pointer, designed to make clear the blocks a number is referring to. That’s useful, particularly near the boundaries between segments, but after a few hours I no longer needed it. The projection existed in my mind’s eye and I saw squares everywhere.

As I drifted deep into a numbing flow state, the one conscious thought that remained was that I was wasting my time, my holiday, my life. Video games are rarely productive in a strict sense, but they can feel particularly wasteful to me when stripped of decision-making, narrative and challenge. I truly believe that it’s OK to do nothing worthwhile with my spare time, if that’s what I want - but is it what I want?

Not every completed segment contains a proverb, sometimes it’s just a piece of background. |Image credit:RPS / Mark Ffrench

I developed a strange fondness for specific combinations of numbers and squares. A 6 in the middle of a 3x1 of negative space abutting a 3x1 of positive space? That’s heaven, friends. A 5 in the corner of a 4x4 of negative space? Delight. A 3 in the corner? That’s me in the spotlight, losing my religion.

I found myself daydreaming ways to justify the time. I could, it occurred to me, become deeply and deliberately fascinated by the painting “Netherlandish Proverbs”. I could read a biography of Pieter Bruegel and hang a print of it on the wall of my flat and impress people when they come over with my knowledge of Early Modern artwork. “Oh, I actually first encountered it in a video game,” I’d say, shattering the boundaries between low and high art forever. I could write a review for Rock Paper Shotgun , I decided, but not just any review - a concept review of the sort I haven’t done in years, which exaggerates my slow derangement for comic effect (but which would ultimately elide rather than illustrate my real experience, so no, let’s not).

When I reached 25% completion, a lute-playing character appeared in the static room in which the painting hangs in-game, visible when you zoom out fully. I took a screenshot of him and sent it to Alice B (RPS in peace). ‘Look! A mystery unfurls! What might happen at 75% completion? Please play Proverbs too and validate the time I’m spending here.’ (There is no mystery, but Alice did start playing it. Two fools under one hood, as the Netherlandish proverb goes. Success.)

It’s like a PG-rated Hieronymus Bosch painting, maybe. |Image credit:RPS / Mark Ffrench

At some point during my playthrough, YouTube video essayist Big Joel released a six-hour video in which he watches every Disney Channel Original Movie ever made . Perfect, I thought! Proverbs has medieval muzak but I had switched it off in favour of re-watching video essays on a second screen, and now here was a new and extremely long one to keep me company.

When I went to sleep that night, I dreamt about completing an endless grid of squares and numbers, my progress accompanied by the unusual rhythms of Big Joel narration. I did not like this dream, I did not like it, at all. When I awoke, the narration stopped, but the background process running Proverbs in my brain did not. It was there when I closed my eyes, as if my brain was defragmenting.

It’s been over a month since I finished Proverbs and I’m better now. Would I recommend anyone play it? I don’t know! It is £7.49 for 35 hours of smooth-brained entertainment and/or makework, depending on your perspective. It’s an anti-social jigsaw, a craft project that is not an act of creation but of erasure, a time skip to Monday morning. I don’t know if I should recommend Proverbs to you or warn you to steer clear and to avoid flowing away forever.

Maybe try the demo first?

A copy of this game was attained for free using a press account for the purpose of review.

Find out how we conduct our reviews by reading our review policy .

Proverbs

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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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