Sons Of Valhalla Review: A mostly brilliant tac-and-slash tug of war

My first motion as staff writer is to lobby for a ‘bestest, but…’ sticker

Image credit:Pixel Chest/Hooded Horse

• Developer: Pixel Chest
• Publisher: Hooded Horse
• Release: April 5th, 2024
• On: Windows
• From: Steam , GOG , Epic Games Store
• Price: TBC
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i5-8600K, 16GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 2070, Windows 10

Like an aggressively competitive thane at a reindeer-piss guzzling contest, 2D tac-and-slash roguelite Sons Of Valhalla never lets up the pace for even a moment. Whether you’re charging across its pixel-art battlefields slashing and burning increasingly tough-to-crack strongholds, or making quick decisions to get the upper hand in its tug-of-war tactics, the only times Thorald is not doing cool violence, commanding others to do cool violence, or upgrading his camps so that he may act in cooler and more violent ways, is when he’s restoring stamina with a cool slug of mead or violently gnawing at health-boosting meat.

Viking Thorald Olavson is a man possessed. A rival Jarl burnt his village and nicked his wife Raya. In his quest to find her, he’s prepared to do anything - even visit England. As Thorald, you’ll butcher your way up a chain of command in your search for Raya across six stages, each of which sits somewhere between the side-scrolling tactics of Kingdom Two Crowns , the lane strategy of a Warpips , and the slashy/blocky/shooty/dodgy of any 2D ARPG you care to name.

There’s even a sprinkling of roguelite. You’ll have to sacrifice an upgrade rune, collected from certain foes, each time you die. This sounds like a bit of an overwhelming mish-mash, but SOV nibbles with reserve at each of these concepts, hamster-cheeking only the bits relevant to its astoundingly potent momentum and “cult flash game you all bunked off sociology to play and when the teacher came to tell you off they forgot and just watched it for a bit” charm. (I mean this entirely in terms of moreishness and focus. You’d be as hard pressed as a burnt waffle to find an old flash game with pixel art this good.)

Image credit:Pixel Chest/Hooded Horse

On the ARPG level, Thorald is a force of nature after a mere handful of upgrades, either runic or bought from your mead hall bases with a rare resource. He’s capable of slashing through foes three at a time, and quick enough on the quiver to send his quitting foes quivering in their Nesquik-coloured underoos. Later, you’ll unlock a tar pot/flame combo so disgustingly broken that I’d moan about if it wasn’t so much fun, if the exquisitely grizzly foe-frying animation that I imagine took someone weeks of work wasn’t so brilliant. By the final stages, you’ll be taking entire camps down solo.

Not at the beginning, though, and that’s where filling out your warbands comes in. One of the first things the game teaches you is the ‘shield wall’ command: shields to the front, archers to the back. Very effective. Then, you go and get all your shield lads killed in the first charge and can’t build anymore until you buy the upgrade. No matter! Plonk down a barracks and a couple of resource buildings, and you’ll soon have a nice band of raiders by your side. As the game progresses, you’ll gain access to everything from shieldmaidens to siege weapons. Foes beget hacksilver, hacksilver begets mead hall upgrades, and mead halls beget new building slots. Your unit cap increases as you build and capture more. It’s always small enough to be a consideration, but generally big enough to put together a varied force. Some units are very specialized, so the more you unlock, the more significant a factor in your plans the cap becomes, especially as enemy barricades become exceptionally fortified in later levels.

Despite this core loop being set from the off, variety is something Sons Of Valhalla absolutely nails, keeping all the old stuff relevant while consistently building on top of its baseline on both sides, and evolving the same of tug of war in both intensity and complexity. The press kit tells me there are over 40 enemy types, and I believe it. After each stage, you’ll face off against a cartoonishly evil boss fight, bookended by nostalgic headshot natters reminiscent of retro beat ‘em ups. It is, as I’ve said, unbelievably charming. Violent and possibly traumatic for several of the characters, sure, but I’m not sure the story is intended to be taken seriously as much as its meant to provide a campy, high adventure framework for all the pillaging and promises of vengeance. Its much more Asterisk and Obelisk than The Norseman. Also, the music is positively swashbuckling.

Actually commanding your troops can sometimes be a hassle, mind. They’re fond of shield-walling in the wrong direction if there’s friendly troops playing catch-up behind them, and sometimes you have to run around spamming ‘follow me’ to cancel the ‘attack’ command and get them to ‘hold position’ while you’re building up your force. Generally though, this a nicely condensed four button menu that does what it’s supposed do, as do your troops.

Image credit:Pixel Chest/Hooded Horse

You know when I said the game doesn’t let up, up top? Much like the game did to me, I actually pulled a fast one on you. And, much like the game did to me, I’m going to stick a big chunk of ‘What? Why?’ right in the middle of your experience. This. Is. A. Textual. Interpretation. Of. A. Pacing. Roadblock. Torch their homes of poop and straw! Shoplift their wimminfolk! Pickle their prized cattle! Deface their effigies with weak and puny mustaches so all will doubt the virility of their pathetic gods! Tiptoe past them while they sleep and distract those awake with hurled pottery! Wait, hang on. Scratch that last one, because that is counterintuitive to the Viking Experience, surely the least stealthy experience there is.

I’m not sure about you, but rarely when I’m this eyeball-glued to a game possessed of such raucous momentum, do I think, “You know what I’d really like right now? An irritatingly long stealth section playing as a different character with entirely new things to learn that will never come up again”. I’m going to have a crack at giving this section its fair shake, but while hindsight-ful critic me can understand and even appreciate why this glum, gluey trundlefest was included, actually playing it was a dull ache with occasional sharp pains. Not stabbing pains, mind, because stabbing would be too much fun.

Yes, it occurs dead in the middle of the game, a timely interlude to break up the action. Yes, it lends the story a sense of scale. And yes, it somewhat prevents Raya from just being ‘Thorald’s Wife’, and lets her be a capable character in her own right for a while. It is not the presence of this section I bemoan, just its execution. Just give the woman an axe! Hell, give her a boltgun, I’ll get over it. Perhaps a scaled-down version of the main loop where Raya commands an army of befriended sewer rats to help take down prison guards? That would have transformed Sons Of Valhalla from ‘the great game with that confusingly bad stealth in the middle’ to ‘the great game with the rat tactics’. You could have called it ‘rat-tics’! I would have clapped if you’d done that!

Image credit:Pixel Chest/Hooded Horse

But wait! It’s over! Raya crawled out of a sewer, kicked a guard in the face a few times and, oh look, the game is great again. Sure, by this point Thorald is starting to become so powerful the bosses are more fun because of novelty than difficulty, and sure, you’ve probably sussed the game loop out so the last few stages are easier than the very first. There are more difficulty options, though - the one above ‘normal’ is probably perfect if you want some real bite - and there’s nought wrong with a victory lap.

There are a bunch more intricacies you’ll discover as you play. Every second outpost you take down, for example, provides a forest camp rather than standard base, letting you recruit mercenaries and trade resources; adding yet another layer of tactical book balancing to consider. The real tug-of-war is actually in your mind! A good chunk of the runes you’ll get aren’t just for Thorald, either, adding buffs or new tricks to specific unit roles. There’s also a horde mode that gives you a massive unit cap to begin with, and tinkers with the rhythms of the campaign by giving you a set preparation cooldown - time you’d usually have to quite literally carve out yourself by finding sensible lulls in the action to return and upgrade.

I was very close to sticking a Bestest Best on this one, but that awful stealth chunk, combined with how the game failed to put up a real fight just when it needed to most, held me back. Up until the halfway point, though, and for a good while after it, I was having a ball with Sons Of Valhalla. It keeps its ARPG action within the relevant confines of its tactics, and keeps its tactics paced to match to its intense and immediate combat. It’s wonderfully scored and animated. It doesn’t overstay its welcome but then gives you an additional mode and thoughtfully tuned difficulty settings if you want to dive back in. And even with my complaints, I’m eager to do just that. Barkeep, more reindeer piss.

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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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