The Beastmaster of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, part four: the last bite

The life and death of Bohdan Beastmaster

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They say hope is the first step on the road to disappointment, and reader, I’ve made a pretty damn big step. Previously, on my mission to survive S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 : Heart of Chornobyl with only wild mutants as my weapons, I’d discovered clues that someone else was attempting to tame the Zone’s beastly inhabitants. With one of their electronic tracking collars in hand and absolutely no preexisting knowledge of their location, I set out to find this kindred spirit, only for the Zone to once again slam a door in my face.

A cold, steel, very literal door to boot. It turns out that the scientist’s laboratory is locked up tight, and will remain so until I delve about twenty hours deeper into the faction war that’s bubbled up while I’ve been running around throwing irradiated rats at people in tracksuits. Fine. Fine! But I’m keeping the collar.

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Back on the quest grind, it soon becomes apparent that I didn’t need to send those rats to their deaths at all, as the info I needed from their bandit-gang slayers is also available on the PDA of a corpse in a nearby cave. It’s guarded by a Burer, a stocky, melted-looking humanoid mutant who almost kills me with a battery of physically levitated rifles; a power enticing enough that I stick around, trying to bait him outside so that I might weaponise him in turn. He’s smarter than his Bloodsucker cousins, though – not least because he knows to cover up his bum – and refuses to chase, leaving me to continue my investigation alone.

As it did with my earlier oddjobbing , the purely pacifist approach I’m forced into taking is weirdly effective on several successive missions. I wriggle out of an assassination job by bribing the man giving it to me. I escape his subsequent double-cross by bloodlessly hurling myself into a sewer drain. I befriend a group of former cultists and, when they send me to retrieve some vital machinery, I simply dash past the mind-wiped zombiemen guarding it. Panic almost sets in when I’m attacked by a Controller, another psychic mutie lad who sends my vision lurching around like my eyes are attached to cartoon springs, but he too is an optional fight that I sprint out of with an only minorly flayed brain.

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Still, I’m unhappy. I’m supposed to be Bohdan Beastmaster, subjugator of the abominable, and yet I’m only progressing in the most passive, least mutant-reliant manner possible. Upon returning to the ex-cultist base, I’m rewarded with a fancy camouflaged sniper rifle, as if the universe itself were telling me “Come on, man, do this properly.” No – I must persist. I accept the gun with the same smile I gave my nan when she gifted me a Pixar’s Cars alarm clock at age 17, and continue on to my next goal: a military base in which I can install the recovered tech.

Yet again failing to pick up any monster pals along the way, I arrive at the base moments after its guards are gunned down, then bump into the assailants in the tunnels below. It’s some turncoat members of the cult, who are either combing the base for their own nefarious purposes or just really, really want their sniper rifle back. The corridors are tight and they’d outnumber me even with beast backup, but as ever, their fully automatic firearms are no match for my running-away-jutsu. I scramble up a ladder and back onto the surface, where a man I don’t recognise bellows from atop a control tower that he should have killed me when he had the chance.

That doesn’t narrow it down much – I’ve been bumbling around the Zone without a gun out for hours, buddy, there have been chances aplenty. Regardless, he’s blocking my route to the gizmo installer, so ascending the tower and neutralising him is going to be one battle I can’t just book it from.

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Casing his perch reveals bad news. Plan A is a bust: he’s up a ladder, so even if I go off, find a mutant, and bring it back here, it won’t be able to follow me up and kill him for me. Plan B, ignoring him and just hoping I can install the machinery before he shoots me dead, won’t work either, as I physically can’t interact when the receptacle while in combat. Miraculously, it looks as if I can try an unexpected Plan C, as an Emission – a lethal, Zone-wide psychic storm blowout – starts to roll in. As the winds pick up and the sky turns red, I abandon the base of the ladder and take cover in the lab downstairs, knowing the far more exposed tower should leave my attacker open for a charring.

But no – as the sky clears and I climb back up, I’m met with more gunfire. In my eagerness for this man to die through non-bullet means, I’d forgotten that members of his sect are immune to Emissions, and all my cowering had achieved was grant him a mid-fight tea break.

It’s no good. I’m out of options. He, apparently, will never run out of bullets. I’ve travelled half the Zone, have wielded the power of its mutants to wipe out experienced soldiers, and even turned the tables on my own personal manhunter, but this dweeb up a ladder is going to render all of it pointless. And he’s still shooting me.

You know what? You can have the sniper rifle back. Here you go:

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And with that, I’ve failed. My vow, my promise, never to kill with a weapon now lies shattered into as many pieces as this guy’s ribcage. Or is it? He’s still breathing. He’s still gasping out threats. And I have the dialogue option to simply walk away and leave him be. I think I can get away with this, as long as he doesn’t die.

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Bollocks.

It’ve over. As I claim the hollow victory of being able to insert one MacGuffin into another, I picture the spirit of my father and mentor, Boris Beastmaster, shaking his head and muttering personal insults. “I’m sorry, father”," I whisper. “Prick,” he responds. It’s worse than that – by abandoning my code, I’ve not just failed a quest, but have lost my entire reason for being. My reason to live . What good is a beastmaster who can’t master beasts?

I should have known, really, that I’d be doomed from the start, and for reasons that expand well beyond one dude up a ladder. The Zone, after all, is near enough a living thing itself. It’s mercurial enough to both kill and reward those who brave it. Yet while we can build sensors that let us scrabble around in the dirt for artifacts, or scanners that can replenish their anomalous energy, the Zone itself breaks so many laws of physics and mathematics that’s essentially unknowable – never mind understandable. And how can you tame something, even an extension of it, that you don’t understand?

Nevertheless, if my road is going to end, I can’t let it end with such a desperate abandoning of my principles. I’d say I’ve got one last good bit of monster-wrangling left in me, and vengeance on one of the tower shooter’s cultist co-conspirators sounds like the perfect way to exhaust it. I find him hiding out a few kilometers south, then immediately leave to go find something with big teeth to introduce him to.

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In a supply shack down near the southern swamps, I find just the thing: a Bloodsucker, who (unlike that no-life Buren) is all too happy to chase me the hundreds of yards back where I came. Sure enough, the cultist is still there. Shocked and probably quite confused, he blasts me his with AK, but I’ve got ample medkits and nothing else left to lose. In his focus, he completely ignores the beclawed glimmer that followed me in, and within seconds, the Bloodsucker bursts from his cloak to slash the traitor down in two swings.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/GSC Game World

I may not have been able to bend these beasts to my will, but as that body hits the concrete, I’m satisfied that I could at least give them a nudge. Redemption, if not absolution. And so, with a sigh and a smile, I approach the Bloodsucker myself and accept the Zone’s judgement, falling quietly by the hand of my last chosen comrade.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/GSC Game World

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

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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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