The best Steam Deck power banks

Fast charging porta-batteries with the RPS-tested seal of approval

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

In an ideal reality, power banks for the Steam Deck would not exist, and we’d all be able to play our portable PCs uninterrupted from sunrise to sunset. World peace, I imagine, would follow shortly thereafter. For now, however, there are plenty of games that will cut a Steam Deck and/or Steam Deck OLED ’s battery life to a couple of hours or less, so it’s worth getting them some help – especially for lengthy travels that would deny you the use of their own chargers.

Having bought several with my own cash – nobody puts RPS in the pocket of Big Power Bank – I tested them against some others I had to hand, eliminating the naughty ones that didn’t live up to their charging speed promises, and ended up with the recommendations you’ll find below. Even if they’re not outright Steam Deck essentials like a microSD card , or can open up new functionality like a good docking station can, any of these power banks would still make a good addition to your accessories pile: short battery life is arguably the most widely shared weakness among handheld PCs , and these will address that shortcoming directly.

Best Steam Deck power banks

• Ugreen Nexode Retractable – The best Steam Deck power bank overall
• JSAUX 20000mAh 65W PD Portable Powerbank – The best Steam Deck power bank for charging speed
• AsperX 65W 20000mAh Power Bank – The best cheap Steam Deck power bank
• Iniu 65W 20000mAh Portable Charger – The best compact Steam Deck power bank
• SiWiQU 20000mAh Power Bank for Steam Deck – The best Steam Deck power bank for mounting

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

• Capacity : 20000mAh
• Charging speed : 165W
• Ports : 1x USB-C, 1x USB-A
• Included cable : USB-C
• Weight : 537g

Technically, any portable charger that isn’t some sub-45W stinker could adequately refuel the Steam Deck. But the Ugreen Nexode Retractable is the best because out of all the models I’ve used, it’s the one that least encroaches on the ordinary Deck-playing experience. To that end, it’s got a massive (but light) 60cm USB-C cable that lets you tap along while the Nexode itself sits on some distant table or neighbouring seat. No extra weight to hold, and no short-leashing yourself. Lovely. Then, once you’re charged, said cable coils back up inside the bank and magnetically clips down, so it’s a little easier to carry around or fish out of a packed bag as well.

This also has the best display of the bunch, with a clear overall charge percentage readout and wattage info for all three of its potential connections, and although the glass on mine has picked up some small scratches it’s still a solidly built unit overall. Its 165W charging speed is overkill for the Deck’s 45W limit, so this still only recharges about as quickly as the other power banks on this list, but then you could always put it to work topping up a laptop when you’ve no immediate need of more Steam Deck power.

What we like: ✔️ Long, light, self-tidying cable ✔️ Great display ✔️ High build quality

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

• Capacity : 20000mAh
• Charging speed : 65W
• Ports : 1x USB-C, 2x USB-A
• Included cable : USB-C
• Weight : 425g

The JSAUX 20000mAh 65W PD Portable Powerbank was the first that I regularly paired with my own handheld, having come bundled with the JSAUX ModCase – one of my most favouritest Steam Deck cases . While I’ve now replaced it with Ugreen Nexode Retractable, this is still a deserving companion, what with its durable build and flexible integrated cable. Because the unit can stand upright by itself, I found this works well for playing the Deck while the Portable Powerbank rests behind it on a desk or plane/train seat table.

Also, and with the caveat that we’re talking tiny percentage differences here, it does seem to recharge the Steam Deck very slightly faster than the others I’ve tested. After an hour of refuelling a switched-off LCD Deck, the Portable Powerbank had it up from zero to 61% charged – narrowly beating the 59% and 60% results that all the others managed. It’s not much. But even 1% more could buy you precious seconds to complete that jumping puzzle/boss fight/ diamond phallus construction that might otherwise have been lost to a premature shutdown.

What we like: ✔️ Speedy charging ✔️ Hard-wearing design ✔️ Integrated cable

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

• Capacity : 20000mAh
• Charging speed : 65W
• Ports : 2x USB-C, 1x USB-A
• Included cable : USB-C
• Weight : 427g

Truly budget-priced power banks typically don’t offer the meaty capacity or flowing charge speeds that they’d need to keep up with the Steam Deck’s power demands. The AsperX 65W 20000mAh Power Bank is one very welcome exception: it can juice up a Deck just as fast as a Ugreen Nexode Retractable, and match its reserves size at 20000mAh, all for less than half the cash. It even has an equally generous 60cm cable.

There are tradeoffs, mind. AsperX’s power bank is wider, heavier, and made of cheaper-feeling plastic than most of the others here. And that cable doesn’t retract or otherwise tuck away anywhere, so be prepared for tangling if you keep it loose in a satchel. Still, its charging prowess means it performs where it counts the most, and if the loose wire is a concern, you could always use the money you’ve saved to buy a rubber band to tie it with. Plus several thousand spares.

What we like: ✔️ Dirt cheap ✔️ Long cable ✔️ No compromise on performance

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

• Capacity : 20000mAh
• Charging speed : 65W
• Ports : 2x USB-C, 1x USB-A
• Included cable : USB-C
• Weight : 322g

N’awww, lookaddit. The Iniu 65W 20000mAh Portable Charger is barely 10cm tall (and weighs a good 100g less than the JSAUX and AsperX power banks),and yet it hits the same 20000mAh sweet spot as its chunkier rivals, thus sacrificing absolutely nothing in terms of handheld-powering usefulness.

It might be worth packing a separate cable, as the one included – while quite cute in disguising itself as a carrying strap – is short enough to limit your movements when playing and recharging at the same time. That’s not a huge problem, though, as the Iniu won’t empty your pockets any quicker than it will fill them, despite also offering the convenience of a screen and the comfort of an unexpectedly robust-feeling design. The matte, almost rubbery finish is the kind of lightly reinforcing touch you’d see from a high-end external SSD – impressive stuff.

What we like: ✔️ Easily pocketable ✔️ Lightweight ✔️ Nicely textured

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

• Capacity : 20000mAh
• Charging speed : 45W
• Ports : 1x USB-C
• Included cable : USB-C
• Weight : 493g (including mount)

To avoid trailing cables, the neatest solution is to physically conjoin your power bank to your Steam Deck and wave them around as one. Assuming you don’t want Sellotape wrapping the screen, this is best done with a dedicated mounting kit, like that of the SiWiQU 20000mAh Power Bank for Steam Deck .

God, these names. Anyway, SIWIQU’s kit is all purpose-built, snaps onto the Deck easily but securely, and can fill an empty battery to 60% in an hour, more or less matching its unmounted peers on charge speed. All good showings, even if it does make the Steam Deck considerably heavier. On that note, the JSAUX power bank (above) is a tad lighter and can be similarly mounted by installing the JSAUX ModCase with its silicone strap attachment; SIWIQU’s, however, is cheaper all-in, and I personally prefer how it sits almost flush with the Steam Deck’s back panel, instead of half-dangling inside a strap like in the JSAUX setup.

What we like: ✔️ Viable alternative to loose power banks ✔️ Good capacity and charging speed ✔️ Mounting kit affixes securely

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

What charging speed do I need?

Both the Steam Deck and Steam Deck OLED are limited to drawing power at 45W; OLED models can deliver more of those watts towards the battery reserves, allowing it to recharge slightly faster, but the maximum draw is the same across both.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun

Steam Deck Academy brings together all our guides and explainers on getting the most out of your Steam Deck, no student loans or sweaty dormitories required.

This may make it seem like the multiple 65W (or higher) power banks I’ve recommended are going to drench the Steam Deck in more juice than it can drink, as the handheld’s own limit prevents them gaining any speed benefits over a 45W charger. Which isn’t untrue, but then 65W power banks aren’t consistently more expensive than 45W power banks, and it’s perfectly safe to connect a faster bank to a slower device, so there’s no real drawback to going over the limit either.

Conversely, you should absolutely avoid power banks that go under the 45W level. While both switched on and recharging, a Steam Deck needs about half of those watts to keep itself running, and the other half to charge the battery faster than it can drain. Thus, trying to skimp with a 25W or 15W charger would mean you’d always need to stop playing and switch off before attempting to refill. And even then, low-wattage power banks will still recharge slower than a 45W model. For reference, my tests determined maxing out that limit will fill an empty battery to around 60% after one hour, provided it remains switched off or in sleep mode.

What capacity should I get?

Again, don’t aim too low with this, as the smaller the capacity, the shorter the effective uptime it will provide your Deck. 20000mAh (milliampere hours) is both a very common size, and a wise choice: it’s more than enough for a 100% recharge of both the original Deck and Steam Deck OLED, while being small enough to avoid falling foul of airline restrictions on portable battery capacities (usually up to 27000mAh, depending on the company).

If you’re not going to be taking your Deck up in the skies, there’s little stopping you from going bigger, and power banks of 30000mAh or more aren’t uncommon at all. They do tend to be physically bulkier, though, so portability remains a concern. Good luck fitting a 60000mAh charger in a pair of skinny jeans, is all I’m saying.

Will these work on other handheld PCs?

Yes, in the sense that they can all funnel power into a USB-C port. Charging times and appropriate capacities will vary though, as not all handhelds share the 45W limit of the Steam Deck family. The Asus ROG Ally X , for example, can refill at 65W, and can even take advantage of 100W speeds on high-end USB-PD chargers. As can the Lenovo Legion Go S , come to mention it, though 65W is fine for that as well.

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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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