The best Final Fantasy games on PC
Ranked in the correct order, finally
We’re still waiting for the PC release of Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth while jealously looking over the shoulders of our PS5 brethren. But that doesn’t mean we can’t ride some other chocobo, so to speak. There are tons of other great Final Fantasy games you can play on PC right now. Below, we’ve ranked the 10 best Final Fantasy games you can currently play on Steam, putting an end to the debate over which Roman numeral is objectively best.
Best Final Fantasy games on PC
This enormous JRPG series has changed a lot over the years, and its history on PC has been patchy to say the least. But today we basically have the complete set of Final Fantasy games on PC (with the exception of those newest ones, of course). The list hasn’t changed much since our last re-ranking in summer of 2023 but we fancied a reshuffle anyway. It helps to keep Final Fantasy fans on their toes.
10. Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII is often decried as the ‘corridor game that only gets good after 30 hours’. But that’s reductive. Final Fantasy XIII is an absolute stunner on PC, impressing from the off with lush visuals, a gorgeous soundtrack, and its constant, dogged dedication to keeping players on the tips of their toes. It throws together different characters in unlikely pairs and combines new battle techniques every couple of hours, so that no two sections ever feel the same. And besides, it’s no more of an endless corridor than Final Fantasy X was several years earlier, so why all the hubbub? It deserves better, is what we’re saying, and is absolutely worth revisiting.
Sure, its cast of characters is a somewhat mixed bag. Stoic badass Fang and tired chocobo dad Sazh sit at the top of pile, while perpetual wet blanket Hope can rot in an interminable Coccoon for all we care. But its greatest triumph is the active time battle system. Not only did it ditch dedicated character classes for a more malleable set of roles known as ‘paradigms’, but it also introduced the concept of staggering enemies before really laying into them. A feature that is still cropping up today in JRPGs. I can’t tell you what the plot is about (crystals?) but, as we’ll discover, most Final Fantasy plots are bobbins when you really sit down and think about them.
9. Final Fantasy V (Pixel Remaster)
Image credit:Square Enix
Final Fantasy V mixes its mythology in the loony manner that would become de rigueur for future Final Fantasies. A dude called Gilgamesh is trying to find the sword Excalibur (what?). It features an antagonist called “Exdeath” (huh!?). The story is a mish-mash of recognisable tropes, yes, but it all stands in service of something greater. Doing your Job!
The “Job” system introduced fresh roles to the turn-based battles, see. The Beast Master, Samurai, Blue Mage, Berserker, and loads more. It let you mix abilities from one job into another to create scrappy little weirdoes that felt like your own. You could even see which character’s turn would come next! Don’t scoff, it was cool. The battle system of this game was so deeply sound, so well-regarded, that it got the designer responsible, Hiroyuki Ito, promoted to the position of Director for Square’s next game. And you can be glad it did.
Final Fantasy V was an underappreciated turning point for the series. In the same way that everyone remembers the exciting Tudor monarchs who chopped heads but never their penny-pinching founder Henry VII, people tend to forget everything before Final Fantasy VI. The perceived wisdom being that the sixth instalment was the moment the series truly blossomed. But Final Fantasy V’s influence is unequivocally pivotal. One for the FF historians.
8. Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV is an exceptional comeback story in the video games industry. After a disastrous initial launch in 2010, its reincarnation as “A Realm Reborn” has since risen to become one of the best MMORPGs in recent memory. Its medieval stylings can be felt leaking into Final Fantasy XVI too, as oft-lauded Square Enix executive Naoki Yoshida was plucked from his role as director of the MMO to become producer of the latest in the mainline series.
Starting out in Final Fantasy XIV today is, admittedly, a bit of an undertaking - with what four major expansions offering hundreds of hours. But if you play Final Fantasy for the depth and scope of its stories, this online behemoth should not be missed. Indeed, we called it “one of the greatest FF tales of all time” in our Endwalker review .
7. Final Fantasy XV
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Square Enix
Final Fantasy XV is an absolute mess of a game that has no right to be as good, polished or atmospheric as it is. After a decade of development, its flaws are too many to count, especially when it comes to its disjointed story (countless important moments were outsourced to DLC, films and an anime TV series - god knows why). Despite this, it’s still one of our favourite games in the series. A large part of that is down to the four roadtripping boys you accompany: sullen prince Noctis, beefcake muscle-man Gladio, squad chef Ignis, and dearest boy band photographer Prompto.
When you get down to it, there is no greater depiction of laddish companionship in the series. This feeling of camaraderie is constantly being reinforced throughout the game, whether that’s Ignis’ campfire cooking or Prompto’s end of day photography cataloguing your progress. They riff off each other’s attacks in battle, and chat incidentally as they amble through the countryside. Forget about getting married (Noctis is basically on his stag do) and never mind saving the world (there’s that to sort out too). FFXV makes you just want to hang out with your mates a bit longer and ogle at what’s cooking. Hot damn, that Fat Chocobo Triple Decker sandwich looks tasty.
6. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
A long time ago, in a fantasy far, far away, a dusty street urchin teamed up with a roguish airship captain and his rabbit-eared first mate, to take a backseat in the story of a freedom fighter and a warrior princess. Twelve years later, they all arrived on PC and once again the forums were filled with the cries of: “Hang on, this is Star Wars!” and, “Actually, it’s not bad!”
Storywise, Final Fantasy XII tramps around in the middleground of the series. There’s a war, an empire and a princess. Crystals, knights and monsters. Perhaps the only distinct thing about this tale is that you aren’t playing as a very important person. Vaan and his pal Penelo are just two street kids who get swept up in a larger story. They only end up fighting big Judges in scary armour because the rest of the characters were doing it first.
It’s oddly refreshing, as is the fighting system. For the first time, Square threw away their standoffish system of menus and little white gloves. They filled the overworld with enemies to batter in real-time. They gave Vaan and his compatriots the Gambit system, which lets you program all your characters’ moves in advance. Healers would heal, tanks would tank, rogues would stab, all according to the rules you created yourself. That Gambit system didn’t stick around in later games, but it marked a turning point for the series. Number 12 here ought to be appreciated for branching out and throwing off some stale Final Fantasy traditions.
5. Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster
Image credit:Square Enix
At long last, a version of Final Fantasy VI that’s worth playing on PC. Yes, the Pixel Remaster fonts aren’t brilliant, but hey, this is a PC game. You think we can’t rustle up a few mods to fix that ? Please.
Widely regarded as the best of the pre-polygonal Final Fantasies, this remake of the 1994 SNES classic is pretty much what you’d get if you put Final Fantasy and Gundam mechs into a big steampunk blender. Set in a land where extinct magic has been replaced by hulking great machines, the empire in charge starts to feel a bit hot under their large metallic collars when a mysterious woman called Terra shows up bearing magical powers. What follows is a tale of war and rebellion of operatic proportions (I’m not kidding, there’s an iconic opera scene).
It remains one of few Final Fantasy games to really put its iconic summon monsters centre stage. They play an enormous role here (alongside your 14 playable party members) and you’ll need all the help you can get to take down the game’s terrifying, demented clown villain Kefka. Until recently, we would have warned you off playing this on PC, but thanks to the spit and polish of the new Pixel Remaster, you can finally truly enjoy this sensational swansong of the 16-bit era.
4. Final Fantasy IX
It’s easy to see why so many continue to rally behind this colourful, characterful tale of heisting actors and clown-faced queens. Gone are the frowning strongmen and hormonal teen mercenaries of the previous games, replaced with a jokey thief, a bumbling bodyguard, a terminally ill puppet, and a sad princess. Ah, Final Fantasy. From fairytales ye have arisen and to fairytale ye shall return.
The battle system, the world map, the potion shops… It’s all fairly traditional, only here you get new moves by equipping weapons or armour and ’learning’ their powers by heart. This lets you share useful abilities between characters by taking turns with the same equipment, a nice implication that this merry band of friends has each other’s back. Final Fantasy IX was also the last in the main series to have those crafty static environments. Let’s not grieve overlong for those blurry bits of scenery, but we can still remember them with fondness. There was a peculiar satisfaction to mapping the different scenes in your head. An obsessive joy in roaming around the edges of the scenery, mashing the action button to find chests or trinkets hidden behind immovable props. Since the game’s story is partly about a troupe of dodgy actors, it’s a fitting end for those theatre-like sets.
3. Final Fantasy X / Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remaster
Image credit:Square Enix
Final Fantasy loves to do exposition, but Final Fantasy X is arguably the only one to do it convincingly. You play as a sportsball player who has been eaten by a whale monster the size of a city and pooped out in the future. As such, you need to have everything explained to you by your new pals - a ginger man with a Jamaican accent, a walking lion, and a goth lady obsessed with belts. In fiction, the “fish out of water” character is a common means of introducing the reader to a new world. But our hero Tidus has just enough personality, history and curiosity to carry you along. As he learns about the weird anti-technology religion that governs the world of Spira, you learn along with him. When he’s asking about monsters, so are you. When he’s crying like a big crybaby in a crybaby’s nappy, or laughing himself out of downer , so are you. Okay, maybe not that last part, but you get the point.
To us, nothing has quite lived up to Final Fantasy X’s scale and ambition since, and the fact we now get its direct sequel ( Final Fantasy X-2 ) bundled in with the HD Remaster feels like icing on the cake. Seeing the once-timid priestess Yuna swap her staff for a pair of guns and kick ass with a killer new haircut was exactly what 15-year-old Katharine wanted from games way back when, not to mention a light-hearted revisit to the realms of FFV’s job system dress-up. Also: you are a pop idol now. Just go with it. Power ballads and lost loves were just what the series needed after the heavy themes and heartbreak of its predecessor. The sequel finally gave Final Fantasy X the closure we desired, provided you whistled three times facing east in the netherrealm and clapped your hands twice while rubbing your tummy correctly… That’s how all good game endings work, right? RIGHT?
2. Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Final Fantasy VII Remake only tells part of the story of the much-loved 1997 original, but as an exercise in nostalgia (and the thwarting thereof), it is a wonderous thing. You start as a half-hearted eco-terrorist, fighting against a vile, planet-sapping corporation. Then you fight for revenge. Then you fight because there’s a bad man in a long cloak. Then some terrifying otherworldly force comes to… destroy the world? Oh god, it’s nonsense, isn’t it? It’s nonsense. But psst, here’s a secret. They’re all nonsense.
So let’s appreciate the atmosphere of VII, if not the daftness. Let’s remember wandering around the steamy, dirty, semi-robotic city of Midgar. Its factories and slums, its skyscrapers, tunnels and highways. This was a big city, now rendered even larger and more sumptuous than the one you’ve got lodged in your head. Here we’re suggesting the Intergrade edition, which makes the environments look even better, and includes an extra episode featuring materia-pinching side-hustler Yuffie. Final Fantasy VII Remake also has arguably the best modern battle system of the lot, combining the real-time slashy-slashes of Final Fantasy XV with the tactical pause of its own turn-based origins. It’s the kind of reimagining you wish Square Enix would give all the PS1-era Final Fantasies. Even if doing so would probably take decades.
1. Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
Final Fantasy best-of lists tend to be decided on nostalgia and an outpouring of childlike love. We are not immune to those feelings. So let it be known: Final Fantasy VIII is the best Final Fantasy game. We do not apologise. If you want to dispute our decision, grab your gunblade and we can settle this Squall and Seifer-style.
Final Fantasy VIII is often labelled as the lovey-dovey one. Here we see rich girl-turned-freedom fighter Rinoa transform her romantic interest, Squall, from a series of angry ellipses into a functioning human being. It’s simplistically told, a teenager’s tale. Yet it’s far more affecting than character development elsewhere in the series. It’s full of stand-out moments away from the romance too. You get chased through a town by a giant mechanical spider. You go into orbit and annihilate a spaceship’s worth of alien dinosaurs. An army of soldiers on motorcycles try to bust up your flying boarding school, and then you get to punch a hole in the villain’s enormous, monolithic skyscraper with a rad airship… It’s exciting stuff, from an era when the best reward for player progress was a wild CGI cinematic in which you could move your character while all hell breaks loose. Very cool.
The combat system isn’t too shabby either. The ability to ‘junction’ summons and magic spells to individual characters makes battle planning personal and thoughtful. Instead of buying your way to success with throwaway trinkets, here you’re actively seeking out new monsters and growing together as a team, learning shiny new attacks from total freaks and then passing those skills onto your friends. Despite the remaster’s questionable graphics , Final Fantasy VIII’s world of salty schoolkids with pocket guardians remains a charming and essential realm. Okay, it is still fundamentally a game about child soldiers preventing a time-travelling witch from possessing a teenage girl (and her dog) in the future so she can carry out her wish of compressing time and starting the world afresh. But it’s also the best and we love it.
Final Fantasy IV
Android , iOS , Nintendo GBA , PC , Nintendo DS
Final Fantasy IX
Android , iOS , PS4 , Xbox One , PS3 , PS1 , PC , Nintendo Switch
Final Fantasy VI
PS3 , PSP
Final Fantasy VII Remake
PS4 , PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC , Nintendo Switch 2
Final Fantasy VIII
PS1 , PC
Final Fantasy X
PS2
Final Fantasy X-2
PS2
Final Fantasy XII
PS2
Final Fantasy XIII
Video Game
Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn - Collector’s Edition
PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PS3 , PC
Final Fantasy XV
PS4 , Xbox One , PS3
Final Fantasy XVI
PS5
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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:
| Blueprint | Type | Recipe | Crafted At |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bettina | Weapon | 3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Heavy Gun Parts 3x Canister | Gunsmith 3 |
| Blue Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
| Aphelion | Weapon | 3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Matriarch Reactor | Gunsmith 3 |
| Combat Mk. 3 (Flanking) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Combat Mk. 3 (Aggressive) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Complex Gun Parts | Material | 2x Light Gun Parts 2x Medium Gun Parts 2x Heavy Gun Parts | Refiner 3 |
| Fireworks Box | Quick Use | 1x Explosive Compound 3x Pop Trigger | Explosives Station 2 |
| Gas Mine | Mine | 4x Chemicals 2x Rubber Parts | Explosives Station 1 |
| Green Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
| Pulse Mine | Mine | 1x Crude Explosives 1x Wires | Explosives Station 1 |
| Seeker Grenade | Grenade | 1x Crude Explosives 2x ARC Alloy | Explosives Station 1 |
| Looting Mk. 3 (Survivor) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Angled Grip II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 2 |
| Angled Grip III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Hullcracker | Weapon | 1x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Heavy Gun Parts 1x Exodus Modules | Gunsmith 3 |
| Launcher Ammo | Ammo | 5x Metal Parts 1x Crude Explosives | Workbench 1 |
| Anvil | Weapon | 5x Mechanical Components 5x Simple Gun Parts | Gunsmith 2 |
| Anvil Splitter | Mod | 2x Mod Components 3x Processor | Gunsmith 3 |
| ??? | ??? | ??? | ??? |
| Barricade Kit | Quick Use | 1x Mechanical Components | Utility Station 2 |
| Blaze Grenade | Grenade | 1x Explosive Compound 2x Oil | Explosives Station 3 |
| Bobcat | Weapon | 3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Light Gun Parts | Gunsmith 3 |
| Osprey | Weapon | 2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 7x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Burletta | Weapon | 3x Mechanical Components 3x Simple Gun Parts | Gunsmith 1 |
| Compensator II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Compensator III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Defibrillator | Quick Use | 9x Plastic Parts 1x Moss | Medical Lab 2 |
| ??? | ??? | ??? | ??? |
| Equalizer | Weapon | 3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Queen Reactor | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Barrel | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Light Mag II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 2 |
| Extended Light Mag III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Medium Mag II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 2 |
| Extended Medium Mag III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Shotgun Mag II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 2 |
| Extended Shotgun Mag III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Remote Raider Flare | Quick Use | 2x Chemicals 4x Rubber Parts | Utility Station 1 |
| Heavy Gun Parts | Material | 4x Simple Gun Parts | Refiner 2 |
| Venator | Weapon | 2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 5x Magnet | Gunsmith 3 |
| Il Toro | Weapon | 5x Mechanical Components 6x Simple Gun Parts | Gunsmith 1 |
| Jolt Mine | Mine | 1x Electrical Components 1x Battery | Explosives Station 2 |
| Explosive Mine | Mine | 1x Explosive Compound 1x Sensors | Explosives Station 3 |
| Jupiter | Weapon | 3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Queen Reactor | Gunsmith 3 |
| Light Gun Parts | Material | 4x Simple Gun Parts | Refiner 2 |
| Lightweight Stock | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Lure Grenade | Grenade | 1x Speaker Component 1x Electrical Components | Utility Station 2 |
| Medium Gun Parts | Material | 4x Simple Gun Parts | Refiner 2 |
| Torrente | Weapon | 2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 6x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Muzzle Brake II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Muzzle Brake III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Padded Stock | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Shotgun Choke II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Shotgun Choke III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Shotgun Silencer | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Showstopper | Grenade | 1x Advanced Electrical Components 1x Voltage Converter | Explosives Station 3 |
| Silencer I | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Silencer II | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Snap Hook | Quick Use | 2x Power Rod 3x Rope 1x Exodus Modules | Utility Station 3 |
| Stable Stock II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 2 |
| Stable Stock III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Tagging Grenade | Grenade | 1x Electrical Components 1x Sensors | Utility Station 3 |
| Tempest | Weapon | 3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 3x Canister | Gunsmith 3 |
| Trigger Nade | Grenade | 2x Crude Explosives 1x Processor | Explosives Station 2 |
| Vertical Grip II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 2 |
| Vertical Grip III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Vita Shot | Quick Use | 2x Antiseptic 1x Syringe | Medical Lab 3 |
| Vita Spray | Quick Use | 3x Antiseptic 1x Canister | Medical Lab 3 |
| Vulcano | Weapon | 1x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Heavy Gun Parts 1x Exodus Modules | Gunsmith 3 |
| Wolfpack | Grenade | 2x Explosive Compound 2x Sensors | Explosives Station 3 |
| Red Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
| Smoke Grenade | Grenade | 14x Chemicals 1x Canister | Utility Station 2 |
| Deadline | Mine | 3x Explosive Compound 2x ARC Circuitry | Explosives Station 3 |
| Trailblazer | Grenade | 1x Explosive Compound 1x Synthesized Fuel | Explosives Station 3 |
| Tactical Mk. 3 (Defensive) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Tactical Mk. 3 (Healing) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Yellow Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
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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