Suikoden I & II HD Remaster review

Twice more with feeling

Image credit:Konami/Rock Paper Shotgun

• Developer: Konami
• Publisher: Konami
• Release: Out now
• On: Windows
• From: Steam / Epic Games Store
• Price: £45/€50/$50
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i5-12600K, 32GB RAM, Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti, Windows 10

Suikoden I & II HD Remaster Gate Rune And Dunan Unification Wars is an unwieldy subtitle for a pair of comfy and often cheerful RPGs , but it’s one you could easily see on the slipcover for a thick slab of historical fiction.

It scans. Suikoden is never so striking as when military drums sound up beneath sweet singsong flutes. When farmers and teachers and fishermen throw down rakes and books and rods to take up arms for the chance to someday farm and fish and teach again.

These are stories about authority and rebellion (and swinging talking swords at vampires); about borders and boundaries, palaces and crawlspaces (and launching caped squirrels at armoured axe rabbits). They’re stories about leaving the oppressor for the thin-fingered but firm embrace of the oppressed, and who you leave behind (and listening to two Kobold puppies argue whether jam or butter tastes best on bread - “It’s always been jam since of the beginning of time”). They’re about waging wars winnable in proportion to hearts won to your cause. Sometimes that’s an enemy general spared from execution. Sometimes it’s a twirling tavern performer who’ll only dance with you if you wear the correct toe shoes.

Image credit:Konami/Rock Paper Shotgun

They are childlike stories about leaving childhood behind, all while holding tight through muck and bloody marshes to childhood’s unworn principles. For me, they’re also about returning to childhood. I played Suikoden when I was perhaps ten. How do you review memory and expectation? It’s beyond me, that’s for sure. There’s plenty to chew on in that title alone.

Actually, you know what? Let’s do that. Let’s review the title. I’ll have to break it up, of course: It’s quite long.

Suikoden

The original Japanese title, Genso Suikoden (pronounced swee-koden , no matter what Psycho Mantis tells you) is “Fantasy Story Of The Water Margin” - a Ming dynasty Chinese novel about 108 outlaws who stage an uprising against an oppressive government. The significance of the number 108 is fascinating but beyond the scope of both this piece and my own full understanding, but its significance to Suikoden is that each game has 108 recruitable companions, known as the Stars Of Destiny.

They can’t all join your six-strong adventuring party (sometimes with another great mate for joint attacks) but they’re all useful. A sly merchant might be bobbins with blades but beezer at convincing enemy soldiers to switch sides in the large army battles you’ll fight infrequently. An inventor might bring nothing to battle, but he’s justifiably chuffed to share his newfangled “elevator” with you - so it’s goodbye stairs as he joins your hideout. Innkeepers. Cooks. Blacksmiths. Welcome to the revolution. Fast travel? A map? You’ll need a teleporting witch and a cartographer, although the games make these more vital recruits quite easy to find.

Image credit:Konami/Rock Paper Shotgun

“I’ll need to give the children a year’s worth of homework,” says the teacher, preparing to fulfil his old role as a military strategist. A farmer will join you if you don’t trample his saplings on the way to talk to him. An inventor wants a quiet life. Your hero spins and punches the air to victory chimes whenever you snag another Star, but there’s always the sense you’re collecting future casualties. They know. You know. Miki Higashino’s triumphant instrumentals made my soul soar then and still do now. And who knows? Maybe you’ll find all-new reasons to root for tales of working-class kinship and uprising.

I & II

Suikoden I is generally considered somewhat of a footnote to its longer, grander, more fleshed-out and prettier sequel, and Suikoden II is better by most metrics save the one where Suikoden I is my favourite. It’s simpler and shorter, tighter and more focused, but it mostly just means more to me because I played it first.

Still, Suikoden II is beautiful and powerful and has maybe twice the Kobolds. The army battles go from turn-based rock, paper, scissors to Fire Emblem-lite grids complete with potential permadeaths. You can fit three magic runes on each character now. There’s a fishing minigame. Innkeepers will do maths for you instead of saying “it’s 120 potch per person”. The menus are cleaner. There are many more bespoke pixel animations. Its environments are gorgeous where Suikoden I’s are sharp and a little crude.

Play Suikoden I first, though, because many characters return in the sequel, and also because there are special mystery bonuses in II if you transfer your save having recruited all 108 stars. You should also play it if you’ve never touched a JRPG before and want something simple and friendly you can clear in maybe nine hours: a breezy, magical speed date that might make you fall for a whole genre.

HD Remaster

Konami - who I’ve always said were the best, in case they wanted to send me a plush Kobold or whatever - have been showing off features for months, but what’s missing here? First up, they don’t include much of a hint system or any kind of “go here next” notes, so you’ll need to pay attention: objectives can sometimes be obtuse. They don’t include the original script , for better or worse, but I’ll refrain from reviewish judgement, not having done a full line-by-line analysis. There were many errors in the originals, and there are now just a couple of typos. They also don’t include an autosave system in any way that’s at all useful.

Image credit:Konami/Rock Paper Shotgun

They do have manuals accessible from the in-game menu with very good world maps. Suikoden I has new character portraits by the original artist, and they’re mostly great - Viktor looks much less unfortunate. Suikoden II’s portraits are cleaner and somewhat uncanny for it. Both games run well. Single button autobattle is a godsend, as are double and triple speed options. All told, the remasters achieve the most noble goal they could have: they make these games easy to play.

Gate Rune

The animations for the rune magic you’ll use in battle are one of the more lavish indulgences in a game that otherwise does lots with little. This was one of the OG Playstation’s firsts. Its speciality is punching above its weight, but when it can’t do that it gets creative. You play the son of a great imperial general and your first quest is to collect taxes from some bandits. When a slimy aristocrat’s lackey joins you for the outing, the pop-up that usually tells you someone has “joined the group” reads “Kanaan is tagging along”. It’s a game full of gripping, powerful scenes where simple anime sprites shudder and shake to convey emotion, and it works every bloody time.

As does Suikoden II’s simplicity. When you receive money after a battle, a pop-up will say “received 1873 potch”. There is nothing games can achieve with million dollar mocap and dour dadliness that they didn’t already here thirty years ago, where a child gives you her savings to buy a birthday present for her father and a pop-up says “received a very precious 70 potch.”

Dunan Unification

Yes, you can easily switch between both games in the main menu. Finally, the unification Dunan deserves.

Wars

Suikoden’s third type of battle are one-on-one-duels. They’re rock-paper-scissors but before each attack your opponent will say e.g “hmmm, time for something sharp… and snippy!” and you’ll whip out the chalkboard to deduce the correct response. They are the slightest of Suikoden’s three flavours of fight in complexity but also capture its most enduring theme: the story of war is the story of the people that fight it.

Image credit:Konami/Rock Paper Shotgun

Things will get dark, then sunny again, then dark once more. The journey will be long and weathering. That’s fine. These are the sort of characters for whom every meal is a delicious feast and who never complain on long walks. I said that these are stories about leaving childhood behind, although not about putting away childish things: they know that what gave you strength then can be the most priceless source of it going forward. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Suikoden since childhood. I’m writing about games so many years later because there are some childish things I cannot and do not want to put away. Play is precious like that.

Some memories of mine about play: In Sarajevo town retired men haul giant queens and rooks across oversized chess squares on the pavement. In Chongqing they play tiles at dusk on the street in summer with tall, cold beers. As a child I play dice gambling game Chinchirorin with Tai Ho the fisherman, hoping to win a boat trip to the castle in Suikoden I that will become my hideout. So. This is what adventure feels like, I think. I would like to do more of this, I later go far away and everywhere find play. It’s what we do between the wars.

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Suikoden I & II HD Remaster Gate Rune And Dunan Unification Wars

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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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