Selaco early access review: GZDoom wizardry makes for sophisticated FPSing reminiscent of F.E.A.R.

Far from doomed

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Altered Orbit Studios

• Developer: Altered Orbit Studios
• Publisher: Altered Orbit Studios
• Release: May 31st 2024
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: £21/€25/$25
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i7-12700F, 16GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 3080, Windows 11

You like F.E.A.R. ? You like DOOM? Yeah, I bet you like FPSing where you’re outsmarting soldiers in offices with a nailgun and gibbing demons like you’re ploughing a Hummer through a sequence of pheasants in an alternate universe Evil Somerset. No, it doesn’t boast a title in all-caps, but Selaco ’s early access release more than deserves it’s spot as a must-play for those who desire some sophistication with their ultra-violence.

Like lots of retro-inspired shooters, Selaco has a simple premise that’s prominent enough you’ll vaguely understand what’s happening without even trying. And if you’re someone who cares for lore, there are plenty of datalogs to find, giving you a glimpse into email back and forths that escalate in urgency. We’re not talking increasingly unhinged sign-offs that go from “Best” to “Warmly, not kindly” to “At a loss for words”. We’re talking emails sent as an alien invasion kicks off and everyone goes from, “Medicine stocks are good” to “The aliens have destroyed our medicine stocks”.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Altered Orbit Studios

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Altered Orbit Studios

You play as the security captain of Selaco, a massive facility that houses the last bastion of humanity in a sci-fi future where Earth’s been exploded. Thanks to said invasion, your job is to do one thing: kill the aliens and explore Selaco - while killing more aliens. This is an objectively good, no-nonsense setup.

Selaco itself is a dense map split into several levels, which admittedly, took me a bit of getting used to. At first I wasn’t on board with all the grey offices and brown crates and even greyer treatment facilities, but they’ve grown on me. I think that’s because they strike a nice balance between lived-in and videogamey, fully committing to slightly mundane spaces you’d absolutely find in a human conservation area, while forever moving you onto a new challenge before workplace tedium kicks in.

Those intricate maps can be difficult to navigate, mind. Because corridors and rooms can blend into one at times, it can be hard to know where to turn next. Most of the time it’s fairly clear, as a burst of enemies indicates that you’re at least in the right space, or the map clearly pinpoints the coloured door you’re after. But there are moments where backtracking through quieter spots becomes downright frustrating, as the game doesn’t do quite enough to dissuade you from double-checking the plethora of previous paths nor help you commit to the little vent hidden among the web of corridors that a bout of déjà vu made you dismiss. One time I spent an hour or so circling a water plant looking for a way to de-electrify some water, only to give up and watch a YouTube playthrough for that particular bit. The solution? Slide jump across a gap and through a glass pane I hadn’t even considered was breakable, nor the path forwards.

Selaco’s maps are chock full of secrets, many of which - I looked at some YouTube vids of how you find them - totally passed me by. This is where the immersive-simming comes into play, as clever manipulation can lead to some very powerful upgrades for your weaponry. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Altered Orbit Studios

These spaces at least feel distinctly Selaco, though, thanks to the GZDoom wizardry the devs have sprinkled over all the grey. The way the lighting sits on surfaces lends abandoned control rooms an eerie glow and libraries a comforting warmth. Toggle aim-down-sights in the menu and you’ll bring up a blue dot sight when right-clicking with your assault rifle. Billboards display detailed, often amusing adverts and even the sheen of medkits is a nice sliver of light. Lots of little touches like this add up when you’re out exploring and especially when you’re spitting lead at alien troops.

Firefights are a festival of debris, where it rains printer paper and computer monitors crackle and alien troops coat everything in a sticky purple gunk when you explode them. While the result of your bullets can be quite chaotic, gunfights straddle the line between tactical and balls-to-the-wall boomer shooter really well, I think. At least on Commander difficulty (intended for people familiar with FPS games), you need to peek out of cover and watch your ammo count, as enemies can kill you sharpish. Forced restraint does make those frenzied moments all the sweeter, too, as you carefully select those times to slide between cover and blap some troops with your SMG. Perhaps blap them with a slide kick, then a revolver to the head. Maybe a shotgun blast, quickswap, a little sidedash - then blap with a few choice punches, sending them slamming into concrete.

As you’d expect, the guns are equally weighty, all with their own personalities and strengths. The shotgun is chef kiss material, with a chunky “ch chnk” reload and the ability to crunch enemies into paste. If you find weapon kits in hard to reach areas, they’ll mod your weapons to do cool things. Like say, let you dual wield your SMGs or add a double-tap to your revolver, granting it a close range boost. And if you find a safe room, you can cash in weapon parts and tech doodads to upgrade your weapons further. An early recoil-leveller for my assault rifle made an immediate difference, so while each upgrade might be expensive, the wallet hit is offset by a cushion of usefulness.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Altered Orbit Studios

When it comes to using the environment to your advantage, I wouldn’t say Selaco’s immersive sim credentials are all that strong. While it’s no doubt GOTY for letting you flush a loo or open pizza boxes then snack on the pizza inside, the game doesn’t give average thinkers like me all too many obvious cues for optimal Home Alone decor. Granted, you might do some clever box-stacking or item chucking to unearth tucked away secrets. But for the most part, your environmental trickery will not extend further than popping turrets in helpful places and maybe raising a barricade.

Then again, when the set pieces do arrive, they pulsate with electro or drum and bass that really gets you in the mood for violence. And even if all you do is set up a turret or two, there’s an early sequence where soldiers burst through walls periodically and you’re holding out in a gauntlet where it’s just you and your automated pals against a mini army. It does everything it needs to and goodness me does it give you a rush.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Altered Orbit Studios

And they’re made all the more brilliant by clever enemy behaviours that escalate as you progress in Selaco. Early on you’ll have enemies who try and flank you, a la F.E.A.R., and later they’ll develop techniques to match your growing arsenal. Some will start donning shields and some will even be designated squad leaders (marked by an icon), so you’ll want to shoot them first to reduce the strength of their allies. General variety is on point, too, with standard troops and heavier troops with miniguns and flying bastards who zip around. Again, it feeds into fights being more than just the usual boomer shooter meat grinder, as you really do have to consider where you’re positioned and what’s the best tool to unravel your opponent’s defences.

For an early access release, Selaco is in a really good state. You’ve got a lengthy campaign comprising 30 maps and plenty more to go with it, weapon and enemy-wise. There are modifiers that make subsequent playthroughs harder, too, like one that makes you start over from scratch after beating a level. And everything feels polished - I didn’t encounter any hitches or bugs at all. The devs say they’re aiming for Selaco’s 1.0 release sometime in early 2026, but honestly, it’s worth getting on now if you’re a fan of good FPSing.

This review is based on a review build of the game provided by the developer.

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

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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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