Soulframe director chats “Wiz versus Waz” and a demo he hopes will help prove it’s not just a soulslike

“You have no idea how much fun we’ve been having for months, saying Wazzard”

Image credit:Digital Extremes

Soulframe is getting a Wazzard. No, not a wizard, a Wazzard.

What’s a Wazzard, you ask? Same, friend. You best believe that when I got a chance to talk to Geoff Crookes and Sarah Asselin, creative director and senior community manager on Digital Extremes’ still-in-alpha fantasy MMORPG, I asked them. Is there a difference between the Wazzard of Wastes the player fights in the demo of the game shown off at this year’s TennoCon , and your regular neighbourhood wizard?

“You have no idea how much fun we’ve been having for months, saying Wazzard so much,” Crookes responded. “I honestly think in the Digital Extremes way, it’s just a case of ‘how can we make something familiar [more] dorky and fun. Honestly, I can’t remember if it was a typo, it might have even started as a typo.”

While it’s maybe a bit closer to its inspiration than the studio might usually go, the director said Wazzard was “just too fun to deny”. Cue internal jokes that the Waste Bear fable, a new quest the devs are set to add to Soulframe, is a bit of “Wiz versus Waz”. It’ll see you investigate the plight of an ursine tree-hugger called Bromius at the behest of a very French-accented witch who can make rats fly, and Crookes said it predominantly exists for one reason.

“The inspiration honestly started with, ‘Hey, we want a bear in the game’, it’s as simple as that,” he revealed, Then really, we thought [that] if we want a bear omen beast - [that’s] the term that we [use] for our important animal spirit protectors of the world - they usually have very specific roles or jobs they do in the world or things they protect. So when we wanted a bear, full credit to Sydney [Hills] our narrative designer, [she] leaned into calling him the arbearist.

“Once we had that role for him, that he protected the trees, we kind of slowly built the idea that there was a hazard coming to these things he protects. The pollution in the world is, unbeknownst to him, causing him to be unable to grow more trees and because of those schemes he also succumbs to his depression.”

Image credit:Digital Extremes

While it fits into the collection of themes that Crookes, Asselin, and co have been building Soulframe around throughout its “Preludes” alpha test so far - nature, romanticism, and redemption - this fresh fable’ll also see Digital Extremes continue to add new wrinkles to their fledgling game.

“The world building, obviously, is just getting expanded, with the role the trees have in the world,” the director said, “It was an opportunity for us to expand on another enemy faction, the Mendicants, and their role in the world.” There are also new enemies, a new procedurally-generated dungeon dubbed the Neath’uns, and a bit of “planting the seed for future problems”. “This is a really great way to kind of foreshadow future quests that the players are going to get, so everything that we do with these story beats is really kind of setting the table for more adventures in the future,” Crookes finished.

In showing off this quest as part of this TennoCon demo, Soulframe’s devs are hoping to offer fans a glimpse of the game that helps alleviate an association Crookes admits is “our own fault”. It’s called Soulframe, but it won’t just appeal to folks who like Souls games. Like Wazzard, the name was “a bit too hard to deny”, because of how well it fit the MMORPG’s story.

“The impression, rightly so, that people get is that the game is pretty hardcore, from that comparison,” the director admitted, “So, that’s why hopefully this TennoCon demo really kind of helps broaden it a bit away from that. We are deliberately using a playstyle that is much more casual in how intense combat can be, being that you can be a ranged fighter in this one. So that’s hopefully what we can kind of keep building, the distinction that we do not want this game to be as punishing, we want to invite a wide array of playstyles that come to this game.

Image credit:Digital Extremes

“We want players to be able to build combat builds where, if they want to be a bit more [like] hardcore swordsmen, they can do that. But at the same time we’re putting so much work into the world of Soulframe that we absolutely want to encourage people that want to come in, explore, hang out, and rescue animals to be just as valid as being the world’s best swordsman.”

Digital Extremes aren’t quite ready to commit to a date when they’ll bring the MMORPG they announced all the way back at 2022’s edition of TennoCon yet. However, 2025’s annual Warframe get-together is seeing them let anyone who signs up for an account over the convention weekend into Soulframe’s Preludes. The fact an eventual full release, while assumedly nearer than it was last year, doesn’t look to be on the immediate horizon, mirrors how Digital Extremes are approaching Soulframe’s debut differently than they did with its established sci-fi sibling, which started slow before growing into the juggernaut it is today.

“We’re using everything, absolutely everything we learned from the Warframe launch, except this time knowing that the industry is different 13 years later,” Crookes told me, “So, we don’t have the same kind of leash that was given to us then, to just put something out as early as we did with Warframe and build on it. That’s why we decided to do our Preludes closed alpha, where we’ve had limited access to a core group of [our] community that we could build and start to get the snowball getting bigger as it went down the hill.

“It’s going to be when we find where that snowball is ready to keep its momentum going, [that’s] when we’re going to open it up really wide. So, we’re approaching it very much the same way we’re just being a bit more decisive about when we have the good content loop and the good progression loops that are there, because we know we’ll probably get a bit more attention on the game now than we did when we launched Warframe.”

Image credit:Digital Extremes

The good thing is that while that snowball’s still in need of some extra rolling, it sounds like the devs working on it have nailed down a strong vision for what they want it to look like, at least from a narrative and theming perspective. One of the new additions Soulframe’ll be getting to its skill systems is medieval-style martial arts manuals which allow you to learn skills like parrying and perfect dodging. I got a glimpse of the art for a couple of them, and it looks really cool, but given that what I’d played of Soulframe in Preludes felt like it leant a lot more into whimsical fantasy elements than down-to-earth medieval inspirations, I asked the pair how they’re managing that dichotomy.

“It’s a balance, we’re definitely conscious of it,” Crookes replied, “We want everything to feel like, even just in how it’s presented, we want to make sure it doesn’t distract from the core themes of the game. So, even when we come to the whimsical magic stuff, we want to make sure we justify and have good reason for it, not be hand wavey with it, if that makes sense.”

That’s far from the only balancing act Soulframe’s devs are trying to pull off, though it seems that when the team’s encountering these with the game’s non-writing aspects, they’re being a bit more open and malleable. I mentioned the fact that at current, Soulframe lets players run and roam free the moment the game’s short intro cinematic concludes. It’s wonderfully liberating, but comes with a lack of overtly clear objectives which can also lead to you just wandering around for a while until you happen upon a quest or dungeon.

Image credit:Digital Extremes

“Yeah, there’s not a lot of early game hand-holding right now and finding that sweet spot between exploration and people missing important aspects of the game is something we are continuously working on and is really important to a new player experience that feels good. It’s one of the things we want to get right before we open it wider for sure,” Asselin said.

“It’s funny, we actually had plans and we put them in place, we were working on it to be very handholdy at the start,” Crookes continued, “Almost probably like a two hour starting quest that really wouldn’t let you escape and put you on a distinct path. Then we were getting just enough feedback that people loved being [free to roam]. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect, but there was an aspect to discovery that people liked, so we said, ‘You know what, let’s go really hardcore the other way, let’s take advantage of preludes, let’s stop this [plan], keep putting stuff in, and then, okay, now we’ve gone too far’.”

Soulframe’s procedurally-generated dungeons are another area which’ve seen the team have to adjust established plans or preconceptions, with Crookes acknowledging that it’s been difficult not having the level of control over structure and flow handcrafting dungeons allows. “Even with Warframe, there’s something about the language of spaceships, you can kind of play with the layouts a bit and make it make sense, but when you’re kind of digging trenches into nature you find you have to justify it a little bit. So, it is a challenge, but it’s a fun one,” he said.

Image credit:Digital Extremes

Those go along with equations the team will have to think about further down the line, such as how players recruiting more and more of Soulframe’s ancestor allies to their spirit dimension home base (called The Nightfold) as they progress affects the challenge the world offers. Plus, the conundrum of whether to add-in a bird racing minigame centred around the sparrow that Soulframe employs to help guide you to objectives, and back to your corpse when you need to respawn. Okay, so that last one might just be an idea I floated to Crookes and Asselin.

As it stands, Souframe’s devs are hopeful that they’ve created an MMO that, while sharing some familiar DNA, is distinct enough from Warframe that the two can forge “their own pathways, their own niches”. Crookes says he’s “moderately” concerned about the potential for Soulframe to cannibalise Warframe’s established audience, while Asselin is a bit more glass half full.

“As someone that has played a lot of both games, it almost feels as if there’s a similar spirit, but a different pace and tempo,” she said, “Soulframe is more grounded and more exploratory, and they both itch a different part of my brain. So, I think there’s a world where they coexist for people, who’re interested in both and also them individually.”

We’ll just have to see if, whenever Soulframe does reach the point of emerging from its Preludes cocoon, there is a bit of a War versus Waz boss battle. Warframe’s got firepower on its side, but I’d not want to bet against a Wazzard.

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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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