Refusing to get drunk in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an oddly captivating act of rebellion

Tales from the meadgame

Image credit:Deep Silver

This article contains moderate spoilers for the closing events of the Wedding Crashers quest in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 .

It’s impossible, I think, to play Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 without playing a boozer, even if you’re only boozing in cutscenes. The game’s 15th century world is greased by many splendours of hooch, from the wine used in potion-brewing through the finer vintages at banqueting tables to the viral pondwater they sell in seedier taverns. A lot of the time, the writing views alcohol as a means of teeing up some slapstick debauchery reminiscent of Paul Bettany’s character in A Knight’s Tale . It venerates the spectacle of having a large one, with custom dialogue and voice-acting for protagonist Henry when you woozily explain your antics to guards. But sometimes, perhaps despite itself, it expresses something about the culture of drinking and the unpleasantness of being militantly exhorted to drink.

Early on in the main story, there’s a quest in which Henry wangles his way to a wedding in the hopes of meeting an important noble. There’s a bunch of smaller quests to pursue, while waiting for that character, and many of them involve tying it on. You can play dice for badges and take part in a duelling contest, with the price being that you’re required to glug a jar of Bohemia’s finest every time you lose. There’s a band of tearaway cousins who demand that you share a flagon of their preferred, ultra-concentrated moonshine, after first retrieving it from the cellar. To accomplish that, you’ll also need to get a watchful guard leathered.

Image credit:Deep Silver / Rock Paper Shotgun

In amongst all these more formalised incentives, there’s a steady white noise of pressure to drink up, be a Good Lad and partake in shenanigans. The atmosphere is quite intoxicating in itself, with dozens of colourfully attired NPCs dancing, bantering and sitting at tables sagging beneath the weight of gaudily rendered canapes. My Henry arrived at the event under false pretences – he’d snuck in as the bodyguard for a prostitute he’d hired to waylay a local bigwig. As such, I felt extra-obliged to make merry and hide my ulterior motives, while remaining sober enough to carry them out. As the mission’s designated plot-driver, I had to unofficially lead the NPC revelries while preserving my character stats against the effects of over-consumption.

Even if you get away without drinking much, the quest sort of acts as though you’ve given in. It ends, predictably, with a drunken brawl after you’re caught having what looks like an intimate encounter with the bride. This last twist underlines how the game world’s sexism and chauvinism are abetted by boozing. There are several eligible women at the wedding and while they have believable agency, they are all discreetly offered up to you as damsels and potential conquests for the local bachelors. Amongst other things, you can accept a wager from two strutting boneheads to “rescue” a woman who’s being aggressively hit on by a would-be poet.

Speaking as a man who drinks alcohol, I think Deliverance 2 does a fair job capturing the claustrophobia of social events in which drinking is expected. I’ve been to weddings and, worse, stag parties like this, in which the high jinks are enforced by joshing assaults on your self-esteem for being a lightweight or a killjoy or a girl .

I was also reminded of games industry events in which, between the jetlag and the stresses of networking and deadlines, I’ve used alcohol as a speedbreak and a means of lowering my guard. Events like these have, at times, proven uncomfortable or even actively unsafe for female journalists and developers surrounded by legions of intoxicated bros. Say what you like about Deliverance 2’s parties - at least there are no roofies involved.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Deep Silver

Part of the trick to the wedding quest’s modelling of boozer culture is that Deliverance 2 itself is, broadly, a terrible influence on Henry, and completing the quest can feel like an exercise in shrugging off its roguishly enveloping arm. It’s constantly trying to get him at least tipsy, if not raging drunk. The game’s RPG underbelly portrays alcohol as akin to a power-up with a mix of buffs and debuffs . It reinforces this with a dorky manual quicksave system that requires you to periodically knock back a flask of specialised schnapps - another provocation to come over all National Lampoon if you tend to checkpoint often.

I find having to brew or otherwise acquire my own quicksave juice in KCD2 pleasing, inasmuch as it renders an action I take for granted esoteric - a tidy little rite of participation. But I’m a bit bothered by what all this suggests about the realworld ‘utility’ of booze. Why do we quicksave? Because we’re concerned about the threats ahead, and worried about losing our progress. I don’t want to give Fox News any silly ideas, or suggest that a game about the 15th century should adhere to 21st century health guidance, but Deliverance 2’s system lends itself to the idea of getting drunk as a coping strategy.

The game does simulate more severe consequences for overdoing it. Beyond fleeting hangovers, you can make it such a habit that you become an alcoholic. Still, “curing” alcoholism is relatively simple in Deliverance 2, more like a simple difficulty modifier than a personal ordeal: it’s just about learning to live with some stat cuts for a few hours. And the dangers of alcoholism are offset by the temptations of an entire skill tree dedicated to boozing, with perks that both render you more resistant to the negative effects and endow you with, say, unarmed combat bonuses and resistance against fall damage while under the influence. Levelling-up remains gaming’s most popular vice, I guess.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Deep Silver

Again, though, all of this can be spun for the positive when it comes to that wedding quest, where the game’s tendency to play toxic enabler is engagingly personified in the ranks of boisterous idiots queuing up to thrust a goblet into your hand. If you’d rather keep a clear head, the secret is that you have plenty of time: the arrival of the person you’re waiting for appears to be scripted, contingent on completing certain quests beforehand. So if you’re going to imbibe, pace yourself. Do what I do at a lot of games industry events and enjoy the ambience from a corner. Maybe go have a look at the pond.

During my Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review playthrough, I completed that quest chain without filling up the drunkenness gauge, thanks partly to winning all of the aforementioned dice games, and partly to spending 20 minutes waiting for somebody to leave a kitchen so I could steal something from the pantry. I woke the day after bloodied and incarcerated but not hungover. It’s entirely my imagination but I feel like Deliverance 2 was disappointed with me. I’d given myself away for a buzzkill - no Good Lad at all - and do you know what, I’ll take that as a win. You’re decent company, Deliverance 2, but you’re a bit of a liability at parties. I’m getting too old for this.

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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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