Straftat review: an anarchic First-Person Speed dater you’ll fall in love with

One more round

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Lemaitre Bros

• Developer: Sirius Lemaitre, Leonard Lemaitre
• Publisher: Lemaitre Bros
• Release: Out now
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: Free
• Reviewed on: AMD Ryzen 5 3600, Nvidia RTX 2080 Super, 32GB RAM, Windows 10

It’s tempting to frame Straftat as a throwback to an older, better time for the multiplayer FPS , when the lingo was coded in frags and gibs and sucking it down, when satisfaction was drawn entirely from performance rather than some convoluted, artificial system of progression. Not only would this be inaccurate, but it would also do a disservice to what Straftat truly is, namely a wild overcorrection in response to the direction of modern multiplayer gunfests, one that careens straight through retro stations to arrive somewhere new and exciting.

Developed by the creators of urban exploration game Babbdi and boasting a similar visual style, Straftat pits two players against each other in quickfire deathmatch tournaments. Taking place on bite-sized maps, each match is a best-of-three affair, where the first player to win a predetermined number of matches (six by default) can claim ultimate victory against their mutual murderer.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Lemaitre Bros

The setup couldn’t be simpler. And what makes Straftat so riveting is that these tournaments are assembled from a massive array of maps. At the minimum, you’ll have 70 arenas at your disposal, and if you’re willing to part with a fiver for the DLC (the base game is completely free) this will double the total to 140.

These maps vary wildly in theme and structure. Arenas range from abstract cat-and-mouse killboxes where victory can be as much in outthinking your opponent as outgunning them, through “realistic” slices of streets and apartment blocks with echoes of Half-Life 2 and Call of Duty 4 , to absurd gimmick levels that will have you squealing like a delighted toddler as you try to figure out what exactly is going on.

It’s hard to know where to start with this deluge of level design, but the maps that stand out most are those with an ice theme. There are several of these, but to take ICE_03 as just one example, it sees you dumped onto an undulating island of frozen water bobbing perilously in a lake of lava that gradually melts this ice into chunks. When the match starts, it dumps a big pile of random weapons onto the map, which all slide over ice’s bumps and into its crevices. Hence, you need to race to a weapon and try to kill your foe with it before you’re plunged into the inferno below - all while slipping around. This results in hilarious, madcap scrambles where luck and reactivity play as much of a role in victory as raw shooter skill.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Lemaitre Bros

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Lemaitre Bros

Although the ice levels stand out as the most absurd, very few of the game’s other maps are uninteresting. Neo_Arena_6, for example, sees both players hopping across floating blocks to two high-rise buildings dotted with sniper rifle pickups. It’s like a compact, deathmatch variant of Unreal Tournament’s Facing Worlds, but there’s a twist. Both towers feature portal-doors that teleport you to the opposite structure, letting you sneak up on your opponent while they’ve got their sights trained down scopes.

Even the more trad arenas brim with tactical potential. WestVillage_04 is a seaside shanty town comprising a small cluster of buildings, where you chase each other through twisting streets and across corrugated-iron rooftops with pistols and submachine guns. HK_02 takes a chunk of commercial Hong Kong, where you weave a deadly dance around a row of shops with assault rifles and grenades. As you try to blast each other though multiple shop windows, the glass explodes as if you’re in John Woo’s lowest-budget film. And since you can toss grenades over the buildings, you can try your luck and attempt to blow up your opponent before you’ve even seen them.

On the subject of weapons, I should point out that the selection is almost as varied and silly as the maps. Among more familiar pistols, shotguns, and rocket launchers are blunderbusses, elephant guns, flamethrowers, miniguns, tasers, laser rifles, plasma pistols, swords and more. Indeed, many maps are defined by the weapons they make available. One map revolves almost entirely around proximity mines, with you both building your own personal minefield while trying to find a way through your opponent’s. Another prioritises “repulsor” pistols which do no damage but push your opponent around, forcing you to try to shunt them over the edge of the map.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Lemaitre Bros

Cycling through all this variety is tremendous fun, especially given the speed at which Straftat moves. Individual rounds rarely last longer than thirty seconds, while an entire six-match tourney will usually wrap within ten minutes. It’s a fantastic lunch break game, though equally capable of keeping you hooked for hours as you dive back in for another last go.

It is worth pausing, however, to put Straftat’s diversity aside for one moment, and ask the hard question “Is the combat any good?”. The answer is that it’s mostly excellent, although its inherent scrappiness sometimes works against it. Movement recalls Half-Life and its sequel in how sleek and clinical it feels. But Straftat weaves some acrobatics into this, adding the ability to skate lightly on walls, and perform a wicked knee-slide that is sometimes tactically advantageous and always feels incredible. Headshotting an opponent with a revolver as I skidded past them like a kid presented with a polished floor is perhaps the most satisfying act I’ve performed in a game this year.

Weapons too, are largely gratifying to wield, though their handling is less refined than the movement. In fairness, many of them are designed specifically to feel tinny and rattly, like that gun that fires ball-bearings in the Metro series. For the most part, this pairs well with Straftat’s grimy, ramshackle aesthetic. But some weapons, like the elephant gun for example, would benefit from meatier feedback. Melee weapons need the most work, lacking proper bodily animations for attacks. All that said, Straftat does have excellent explosions, again recalling Half-Life 2’s concussive bursts that are perfectly primed for propelling ragdolls through the air.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Lemaitre Bros

There are a few other nits I could pick. I wish the maps had more distinctive names, for one. I appreciate it must be hard coming up with names for 140 maps, but when nearly fifty of the maps are prefixed with “Arena” or “NEO_Arena” it makes assembling a playlist of favourites more difficult than it should be. Also, returning to what I said in the opening about Straftat’s status as a throwback, it does feature a distinctly modern progression system where you accrue XP by playing to unlock maps and cosmetics. This is very light and largely benign, but I still don’t think Straftat needs it, and would argue its presence runs counter to the game’s philosophy and tone.

Finally, I tested Straftat on the ol’ Steam Deck, and while it runs perfectly fine, I nonetheless wouldn’t recommend playing it on one right now. Navigating menus on the Steam Deck is cumbersome, while the game itself is unapologetically designed for keyboard and mouse controls.

Otherwise, Straftat is a marvellous thing, a grungy, underground virtual LAN party that, in pushing so hard in the opposite direction from big, glossy, team-based shooters, breaks new ground for an older style of gunfest. There have been various attempts to rekindle the arena shooter in the last decade, from Epic’s aborted Unreal Tournament revival, through Doom 2016’s disappointing multiplayer offering, to Bethesda’s more successful spinoff Quake Champions . Straftat, though, outguns them all, huffing casually on its cigarette as it knee-slides into the future.

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Straftat

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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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