Should you bother with… dual-mode monitors?

The best of both sharp 4K and fast 1080p, or just silly frankenscreens?

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Two monitor-themed Should You Bother Withs in a row? Normally my desire for editorial heterogeneity wouldn’t allow it, but while ultrawide screens have been around for donkeys’ years, 2024 seems to be welcoming a genuinely new take on gaming displays: the dual-mode monitor.

Exact specs vary, even among the very few models currently available. But typically a dual-mode monitor can run at either 1080p resolution with an esports-grade, 300Hz-plus refresh rate, or at a much sharper 4K rez with the refresh rate toned down, and will switch between these two modes with the push of a button. Or, more likely, a toggle of an OSD setting. The idea is to simultaneously satisfy both the well-preened, high-end PC-owning player, and the hypercompetitive FPS gremlin they presumably turn into after consuming enough after-dinner Red Bulls.

If you’re wondering “Why not just get a regular 4K monitor and lower the in-game display resolution if you want higher framerates, you big rich nerd”, current hardware and cable limitations mean that native 4K beyond about 240Hz is largely theoretical. It’s just too many pixels to pump out that quickly, y’see. By swapping the true output resolution to a more easygoing 1080p, dual-mode monitors therefore open up the really high refresh rates that standard 4K displays cannot.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Initial thoughts? I can see the sense, definitely, and although this is clearly a niche concept that requires a luxury gaming rig to take advantage of in the first place, flexibility is a worthy pursuit. And on the subject of money, the dual-mode monitors we’ve seen so far don’t even look much pricier than a conventional 4K model of comparable spec. Sure, the first out the door were the costly, OLED-panelled Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDP and LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B , but the one I’ve been testing is an LCD/IPS-equipped ROG Strix XG27UCG – which at £413 / $499 is actually quite cheap by 4K standards. Same goes for the recent Alienware AW2725QF, at £530 . Both come with G-Sync and FreeSync compatibility, to defeat screen tearing, and although my XG27UCG’s refresh rates are a hair lower, they’re still plenty quick at 160Hz in 4K mode and 320Hz in 1080p.

I suppose we should pause at this point to consider the question that’s always asked of gaming monitors with such frantic refreshing potential: does it even make a difference? There have been various, sometimes conflicting studies about what the human eye can perceive. I’ve seen claims that it tops out at 30fps, 60fps, 225fps or even 400fps. The problem with all of these, mind, is that that this isn’t really how our eyeballs work, which is more analogue than frame-by-frame.

The lack of compelling scientific proof means that I’m forced to conclude this particular point using opinion and anecdote, which isn’t really the Should You Bother With way, so apologies for that – I’ll sound a big Subjectivity Horn if I need to do it again. But my take, as someone who’s spent years peering at these big light-up rectangles, is that you can very easily get the perception of 160Hz being smoother than 60Hz, and by quite some margin. The jumps up to rates like 240Hz and 320Hz aren’t as momentous, since the gaps between frames get so small that diminishing returns kick in, though HOOOOONK in my experience you can at least train your eyes to see them as smoother.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Another pragmaticism of dual-mode monitors is that they enable sky-high refresh rates, but only where it’s appropriate – i.e., when the resolution is low enough that games will actually be able to run quickly enough to take advantage. The closest… I guess we’d now call them ‘single-mode’ alternatives, 4K/240Hz monitors, also combine top-flight resolutions and refresh rates, but they’re also something of a computational white elephant. No graphics card on Earth is capable of running modern 4K games at 240fps with any kind of regularity, and while you could always lower the resolution to 1080p yourself, you’re still paying for that 4K/240Hz capability, no matter how unattainable it is. These monitors, like the like the Gigabyte FO32U2P and Asus’ own ROG Strix PG32UCDM , are more than twice as expensive as the XG27UCG – which is still very high-spec, but doesn’t venture into the realm of fantasy.

The XG27UCG itself is a very serviceable screen, by the way. ‘Only’ LCD it may be, but it covers 99.5% of the sRGB colour gamut, records a respectable 1041:1 contrast ratio, and can support basic HDR with its peak brightness of 434cd/m2. I haven’t seen a whiff of ghosting or screen tearing either, in both 4K and 1080p modes.

The latter mode also doesn’t suffer much from a common drawback to running 4K monitors at 1080p: the potential for blurry-looking details, which is a consequence of there no longer being a 1:1 match between the size of the onscreen pixels and the size of the actual pixels on the panel. If you popped the XG27UCG side by side with a regular 27in/1080p screen, you could maybe nitpick a slight loss of definition to text, but in games it’s fine. There are no noticeable blurring or scaling problems at all, especially not when you’ve got that ridonkulous refresh rate to keep motion looking clean.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

So far, then, it’s hard to take issue with the execution of dual-mode monitors. But even though they’re a generally more sensible prospect than their 4K/240Hz rivals, I’m still struggling to work out who they’re for.

Who exactly are these 4K fidelity fans, who only occasionally turn into 300Hz-plus aspiring esportists? Among the overall PC populace, there’s certainly a modest number of players who’ll want to splash cash on the max-quality splendour that a 4K monitor brings, and there’s certainly a modest number of players who’ll run Counter-Strike 2 at 1080p and potato settings because it confers a slight advantage to headshot probability. Dual-mode monitors assume there’s an overlap between these similarly niche yet diametrically opposed interests, and I’m not saying that sliver of Venn diagram doesn’t exist… but statistically, you are unlikely to live within it.

Dual-moding is also of diminished usefulness for the generalist crowd, in the sense that if you’re simply concerned with making games look good – which, if you’re up for dropping five hundred quid on a monitor, you should be – then a 4K game running at 100fps pretty much always has more of a quality air to it than a 1080p game at 300fps. That’s largely down to the aforementioned diminishing returns, which might still be worth clawing for in a serious competitive environment, but far less so in you’re just playing Lies of P or whatever. Dropping down means a massive sharpness reduction, traded for what is ultimately not a massive smoothness improvement. I’ve had the XG27UCG on my desk for over a month now, usually hooked up to an appropriately overpowered RTX 3090, and HOOOOONK not once have I felt the need to cut the pixel count by 75% just for a higher framerate ceiling.

And yet… I also doubt my own doubts. Who am I to suggest that this 4K-Jekyll-and-1080p-Hyde breed of PC player isn’t worth catering for, or worse, doesn’t exist at all? If anything, it stands to reason that someone who mainlines enough comp shooters/MOBAs/ Rocket League that they can justify a 320Hz monitor to themselves is, in a general sense, big into their games. It’s not hard to see how that attitude could extend to appreciating the detail and richness of slower-paced fare at 4K.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Verdict: Should you bother with dual-mode monitors? It still depends on what precisely you’re going to play on it, and whether your PC has the guts for 4K. But y’know what, I think this one’s a situational yes. Even if conceptually, they’re a niche upon a niche, PC gaming is a broad enough church that someone, somewhere out there is going to get good use out of one.

I helps, a lot, that there aren’t really any inherent drawbacks to dual-mode monitors compared with a standard 4K monitor of similar speed. As the XG27UCG and Alienware AW2725QF show, they’re not even any more expensive – at least as a rule – than their 4K brethren, and they’re in the same ballpark as a lot of dedicated 1080p/360Hz displays as well. I might not be a frequent visitor to the XG27UCG’s faster mode, but unlike 4K/240Hz monitors, there’s little sense of needing to invest more for features that you won’t use. Oh, right: HOOOOONK.

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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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