The best weapons in Oblivion Remastered

Find the best unique weapons in Oblivion

Image credit:Bethesda/Virtuos

Looking for the best weapons in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered? Cyrodiil is full of mighty weapons that should be yours, but locating them is tough. It would be a shame to miss them though, especially since some of Oblivion’s best weapons can be obtained minutes after leaving the introduction area. Unique weapons, preferably unleveled ones that offer the same effects regardless of character progress, are a shortcut to becoming very overpowered, very early on.

Of course, if we’re just looking at weapon rarity, glass, ebony, and especially Daedric weapons are the strongest in the game. Furthermore, enchanted weapons , meaning weapons that cast spells upon hit, are always better than unenchanted ones. Based on that, you should try to obtain Daedric weapons of your preferred weapon type (dagger, bow, mace, longsword, etc.) and use the enchanting table to equip them with powerful spells to suit your playstyle.

The thing is, finding such weapons and enchanting them with something truly powerful takes a long time, whereas many unique weapons are incredibly strong and available from level 1. This guide will therefore show you the best unique weapons in Oblivion Remastered , each of them obtainable between level 1 and 20.

The best weapons in Oblivion Remastered

The following are our picks for the best weapons in Oblivion. We’ve listed the features of each weapon, along with what you need to do to obtain them.

Umbra

Umbra comes with a complementary ebony fit. |Image credit:Bethesda/Virtuos

• Soul trap on strike
• Zero weight (initially)
• Unleveled

Without a doubt one of the most overpowered weapons in Cyrodiil is the magnificent Umbra Sword, which inflicts the soul trap spell on strike. Just make sure to carry empty soul gems with you and slay your enemies - your gems shall be filled in no time. The Umbra longsword also comes with a very high base damage stat (no matter your level) and zero weight, but beware that the latter is due to its status as a quest item . If you’d like to keep it that way, keep in mind that you must never complete Clavicus Vile’s Daedric Quest.

Since obtaining the Umbra Sword is part of Clavicus Vile’s quest , you might want to pick that up first - but this is not a requirement. To grab this sword, with or without talking to Clavicus, head to Vindasel , south of the Imperial City, and defeat Umbra in the final room. Beware that Umbra is extremely powerful, but you can try to lure her into the spiky trap at the start of the dungeon. Loot the Umbra Sword from her body, and be sure to grab that shiny Ebony Armor set as well.

Goldbrand

As a Daedric Quest reward, Goldbrand is one of the harder weapons to obtain. |Image credit:Bethesda/Virtuos

• Deals 22 pts of fire damage upon hit
• Unleveled

Far from your average longsword, Goldbrand is a Daedric Artifact owned by the Daedric Prince Boethia. Its base damage is nearly as high as Umbra’s, but take the additional fire damage into account, and Goldbrand is even stronger. With 77 uses, you can slash a lot of enemies before you need to recharge your weapon .

Sadly, you can’t start Boethia’s Quest until you’re level 20, so this weapon is reserved for Oblivion’s middle game and endgame. Once you meet the level requirement, find Boethia’s Shrine in the Valus Mountains and offer a Daedric Heart, then win the Tournament of Ten Bloods . It’s a rather difficult quest, but if you’re successful, you’ll walk away with what is arguably the best weapon in Oblivion Remastered.

Calliben’s Grim Retort

You can’t get Calliben’s Grim Retort without some grave-robbing. |Image credit:Bethesda/Virtuos

• Absorbs Blunt by 8 pts for 20 seconds
• Absorbs Strength by 5 pts for 20 secs
• Deals 10 pts of frost damage on strike
• Unleveled

If you prefer to wield a heavy-hitting mace, look no further than Calliben’s Grim Retort, which not only deals heavy frost damage, but also boosts your strength and blunt weapon skill. As another unleveled Oblivion weapon, you can grab this one fairly early in the game and smash your enemies with ease ever after.

To obtain Calliben’s Grim Retort, follow the Unfriendly Competition quest in the Imperial City Market District (talk to the shop owners) until you complete the mausoleum section. There you will find the golden mace on the tomb of Calliben Trentius , opposite the entrance.

Apotheosis

You could search for OP weapons… Or you can just buy Apotheosis. |Image credit:Bethesda/Virtuos

• Fire damage 33 pts
• Frost damage 33 pts
• Shock damage 33 pts
• Unleveled

Inflicting no less than three types of elemental damage upon hit, the Apotheosis staff is the ideal weapon for a mage. In the early game, this weapon will easily one-shot minor enemies while requiring only two or three hits against tougher ones. Beware that it only has 12 uses, so you must recharge this enchanted weapon fairly often - obtaining Azura’s Star can be a huge help.

For such an amazing weapon, Apotheosis is ridiculously easy to obtain; just buy it at Rindir’s Staffs in the Imperial City Market District. It doesn’t come cheap though, so you might want to raise Rindir’s disposition or boost your mercantile skill before you make the purchase.

Chillrend

Chillrend is a cold killer, but lovely to look at. |Image credit:Bethesda/Virtuos

• Weakness to frost on strike
• Frost damage on strike

The icy-blue Chillrend isn’t just gorgeous, it’s also the best frost weapon in Oblivion. The combination of weakening enemies to frost and dealing high frost damage is already very strong, but as a one-handed shortsword, Chillrend is also extremely quick to down your opponents.

To obtain Chillrend, speak with Valus Odiil in The Grey Mare, southern Chorrol, and complete The Killing Field quest . Beware that Chillrend scales with your level and won’t change after you pick it up, so you might want to save this one until you’re a bit further in the game (at least level 25 if you want the strongest version).

Frostwyrm

A well-aimed shot with Frostwyrm and your enemies will go cold. |Image credit:Bethesda/Virtuos

• Deals 15 pts frost damage
• Unleveled

Thanks to its high base damage combined with 15 frost damage on strike, Frostwyrm is one of the strongest unique weapons in Oblivion. This bow is safe to grab fairly early on as the frost damage is always the same, no matter your level. It’s the ideal starting weapon for any marksman build.

To obtain Frostwyrm, you must defeat a translucent troll called Uderfrykte Matron in the northeastern mountains. None of the default fast travel points are nearby, but you can climb the mountain relatively easily if you approach from the south. Beware that Uderfrykte Matron is very tough - try using ranged attacks from one of the higher rocks, out of their reach.

Dagger of Depletion

Dagger of Depletion is the perfect lvl 1 companion. |Image credit:Bethesda/Virtuos

• Absorbs magicka on strike

Granted, this shiny dagger isn’t the best weapon in Oblivion, but it’s by far the easiest one to obtain, as you don’t need to do anything other than pick it up. With a decent base strength, magicka absorption on strike, a very fast attack speed, and 47 enchantment uses, it’s absolutely perfect for a level 1 character . If you chose the Atronach birthsign, which is one of the best birthsigns in Oblivion , obtaining a magicka-absorbing weapon right at the start of the game is especially useful.

To get this wonderful Oblivion dagger, travel to Fort Istirus between Kvatch and Skingrad, and walk down the slope southeast of the fort, where you’ll see some boulders behind two trees. Search the south side of these rocks to find the Dagger of Depletion - it’s on the ground, next to a potion bottle and some skeletal remains.

And that sums up the best weapons in Oblivion Remastered. After upgrading your loadout, perhaps it’s a good idea to create some custom spells to match. Be sure to increase your skills and attributes too, and find the right Oblivion Trainers if you need a quick boost.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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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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