Should You Bother With… AMD Fluid Motion Frames?

Putting discount frame gen to the test in a new RPS feature

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Welcome to Should You Bother With , a new, hopefully somewhat regular RPS column where I’ll investigate the quirkier niches that PC gaming hardware has to offer. Through trial and testing, together we’ll find out which of these products and features are technological red herrings – and which are the genuine innovations that deserve your attention.

First up on the lab table: AMD Fluid Motion Frames !

As you can tell from our best graphics cards list, AMD’s GPUs have been fighting a big green monster – and losing. Whether it’s their superior ray tracing capabilities or the finer quality of DLSS upscaling or the visual upgrade afforded by DLSS 3 frame generation , Nvidia GeForce GPUs simply have a bigger box of useful graphical stuff . AMD have tried to counter with FSR 3, an enhanced upscaler that also delivers DLSS 3-style frame interpolation, but besides not looking quite as clean as the GeForce version, it’s only supported in a fraction of the games that DLSS 3 is.

What, though, of Fluid Motion Frames? This is another frame generation tool of AMD’s, but because it’s built into their Adrenalin graphics drivers (rather than needing per-game integration), its compatible games list theoreticallty numbers in the thousands. All they need is to be built on DirectX 11 or 12, which most are these days, and to let you turn V-Sync off. Also not much of a drawback, when gaming monitors with FreeSync support are so common and affordable.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Unlike with DLSS 3, which only works on the latest GeForce RTX 40 series cards, Fluid Motion Frames is also a more egalitarian generator of frames, being compatible with new RX 7000 series and older RX 6000 GPUs alike. Its only real drawback, then, would appear to be the sophistication of its image construction: whereas DLSS uses fancy AI/machine learning techniques, and FSR 3 can grab reference samples from right within a game’s engine, Fluid Motion Frames is ultimately just a post-processing effect. This means it puts a dash of extra strain on the GPU, but then should more than make up the difference by adding in loads of cheap, sufficiently accurate new frames.

It all sounds just lovely, and going by framerates alone, there’s nothing to suggest it isn’t. Here’s how the recent Radeon RX 7700 XT can speed up with Fluid Motion Frames, applied to various games at 1440p:

We can see that Fluid Motion Frames can, at times, more than double overall framerates in multiple games. It can even outpace the more ‘advanced’ FSR 3’s frame generation in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth , too. In some moments, the added frames forced performance beyond the effective FreeSync range of my 144Hz monitor, so faster-running games may need to be limited (either through in-game settings or an app like Rivatuner) to prevent their FMF-boosted performance from climbing in screen tear territory.

It’s not just shiny new graphics cards that can benefit, either. Despite being marketed as a premium feature, frame generation should be ideal for helping slowpoke GPUs stave off obsolescence, and the low-budget, last-gen Radeon RX 6500 XT showed it could make up the numbers as well:

On this card, Fluid Motion Frames isn’t as effective at preventing framerate drops as FSR 3 frame gen is, but the driver-level system is still capable of nearly doubling the total output.

Importantly, the generated frames manage to slip in pretty much unnoticed, in the sense that you can can’t tell – not with the naked eye – which frames are real and which ones the driver has drawn up itself. As with DLSS 3, there may be imperfections if you manage to screengrab a fake frame to peer at in isolation, but such errors are practically invisible when running and playing the game normally. They’re just not on the screen long enough.

It is, to be sure, impressive that a bit of post-processing jiggerypokery can come this close to emulating engine-based frame gen performance. Unfortunately, comparing the actual experience of using Fluid Motion Frames to the likes of DLSS 3 – and not just benchmark numbers – is where its real problems begin.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/CD Projekt Red

For one, it shares an issue with DLSS 3 and FSR 3, as well as their advantages: generated frames can make your games look better, but it won’t make them feel better. A PC pumping out more ‘real’ (conventionally rendered) frames-per-second is a cool thing because it’ll make games feel more responsive, both by naturally cutting latency and by having on-screen actions react more rapidly to your mouse movements or keyboard taps. However, you don’t get this effect when half the frames are generated outside of that rendering pipeline. If you’re playing an FPS at 30fps and the aiming is sluggish, it will still feel like that if you’ve used Fluid Motion Frames to get up to 60fps. That’s because every part of your PC outside of the GPU driver thinks it’s still running at 30fps, even if your monitor is telling another story.

Still, that’s true of all the current frame generation options, including the best-in-class DLSS 3. Where Fluid Motion Frames really falters is that a lot of the time, it’s not even fulfilling the “look better” part. Stuttering is a major problem, to the point where Infinite Wealth looked visibly smoother on FSR 3 than with Fluid Motion Frames. Big stutters and tiny yet consistent microjitters were evident across all three of my test games, undermining the point of raising framerates in the first place.

FMF’s technique for minimising visible interpolation errors might also be more trouble than it’s worth. Frame gen systems, even DLSS 3, tend to struggle with accurately drawing frames just after a sudden camera, scene, or perspective change, because they don’t have applicable reference frames that the PC has already rendered normally. To get around this, Fluid Motion Frames simply doesn’t bother, temporarily disabling itself when it detects sudden big changes onscreen. I can see why this makes sense, but in practice, it was shutting off every time I swung the camera around in Horizon Zero Dawn, or made a sharp turn while driving in Cyberpunk 2077. This creates a very perceptible framerate drop whenever it happens, to the point where I kinda wish AMD had just stuck to their guns and let the messed-up frames fly. When they’re only visible for 10ms or so, and are sandwiched between perfectly rendered, ‘real’ frames, I’m not sure they’d have been a problem anyway.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Sega

Also, remember how I said it might take some tweaking to stay within FreeSync range? Well, that can be a waste of time as well, as Fluid Motion Frames itself managed to induce its very own screen tearing even when performance was well within my monitor’s 48-144Hz sync range.

It’s this roughness that proves to be Fluid Motion Frames’ undoing, even with its commendable software agnosticism and eye-catching max framerate figures. Even if we accept that frame generation can’t truly replicate the slick feeling of 100fps-plus games on a less powerful card, it’s still ultimately about improving gaming visuals. If this driver-based version actively introduces stuttering and jittering and screen tearing that somehow defeats AMD’s own anti-screen tearing tech, we can’t honestly say it succeeds, no matter how many different games it’s compatible with.

Verdict: Should you bother with AMD Fluid Motion Frames? No, not without significant updates focused on improving smoothness and reducing artefacts.

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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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