The Dark Rites of Arkham review - pure Lovecraftian point and click fan service

Yes, you do get a Cthulhu statue as an inventory item

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Postmodern Adventures

• Developer: Postmodern Adventures
• Publisher: enComplot
• Release: February 3 2026
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: £13.99/$14.99
• Reviewed on: Intel Core-i9-10850K, 32GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, Windows 11

Cthulhu games are a dime a dozen these days, with everything from JRPG parodies to well-meaning but flawed efforts that bear the official Call of Cthulhu license. But there aren’t many point and click adventures showcasing H.P. Lovecraft’s sanity-twisting mythos. Two very dated Infogrames efforts in the early 90s come to mind, but if you haven’t played 1993’s Shadow of the Comet and 1995’s Prisoner of Ice, you’re not missing much.

The Dark Rites of Arkham, by indie developer Postmodern Adventures, rectifies this with a well-rounded effort filled with odes to all of Lovecraft’s best stories. It has the quality of a Call of Cthulhu tabletop campaign assembled by a well-read fan.

As a successful perception check will tell you, this game takes place in the city of Arkham, which is described by the lead - detective Jack Foster - as a supreme hellhole. It’s 1933, Prohibition is about to end, FDR is president, and Jack starts out investigating mayoral corruption only to find himself witness to a murder with arcane symbology and a dismembered arm scattered across the ground.

<img loading=“lazy” src=“https://assetsio.gnwcdn.com/dark-rites-of-arkham-murder-scene.jpeg?width=2048&height=2048&fit=bounds&quality=85&format=jpg&auto=webp" onerror=“this.onerror=null;this.src=‘https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhe7F7TRXHtjiKvHb5vS7DmnxvpHiDyoYyYvm1nHB3Qp2_w3BnM6A2eq4v7FYxCC9bfZt3a9vIMtAYEKUiaDQbHMg-ViyGmRIj39MLp0bGFfgfYw1Dc9q_H-T0wiTm3l0Uq42dETrN9eC8aGJ9_IORZsxST1AcLR7np1koOfcc7tnHa4S8Mwz_xD9d0=s16000';" alt=“A murder scene in The Dark Rites of Arkham with the protagonist commenting: “I don’t know what the fuck is happening to this town.” - 3”>

You and me both, Jack. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Postmodern Adventures

To solve this murder, Jack must abide by ’90s adventure game mechanics, completing puzzles by collecting inventory items and using them on things until something happens. The puzzles are all decent, though a few border on filler territory. (At one point, Jack gets a serum and is about to use it. Like a bozo, he then drops said serum into a grate and has to use a turkey baster to suck it up. I suppose this does mimic the act of getting a critical fail in the Call of Cthulhu tabletop game.)

Thankfully, unlike most Lovecraftian protagonists (whose brains tend to liquify after witnessing sights beyond comprehension) Jack can never die, and his mind will also never be shattered by the infamous point and click “dead man walking” scenario, where you might progress hours into the story only to realise that you missed a critical item way back in the beginning. So this is a very forgiving game by design, and while such an ethos might be slightly at odds with the Cthulhu Mythos, The Dark Rites of Arkham is a very relaxing game that you can sit and play in bed on a Steam Deck for the entirely of its seven hour runtime, letting yourself be swept away by the narrative.

And that plot is a good one. Foster isn’t the most original protagonist, though he does have a whole “I haven’t drunk nearly enough coffee to deal with this shit” schtick that is endearing. He teams up with a straight-laced fellow detective named Harvey Whitman, and the duo have a fun buddy cop vibe as they gallivant around Arkham. Their meanderings lead to the trail of three witches who have somehow stuck around since the Salem Witch Trials of the 1600s, and they’ll eventually encounter monsters in the woods, cultists, a dash of Yog-Sothoth, and world-ending damnation.

It all feels like H.P. Lovecraft’s greatest hits, with add-ons from August Derleth and other Mythos writers tossed into the mix. As a fan, I was right at home, amused to find references to everything from the Great Race of Yith (from The Shadow out of Time) to a descended-from-Dagon fishman who runs an antiques shop and rants about how the feds busted his people (from The Shadow Over Innsmouth, a story some may have only experienced via the incredibly janky 2005 game Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth ). There’s even a great eleventh hour twist starring a well-known Lovecraftian character that I won’t spoil - I’ll just say that even when I thought the game had exhausted its repertoire of references, it pulled out a truly fun one.

Postmodern Adventures even stuff several of these Easter Eggs into an in-game exhibition (dubbed the Arkham Museum of the Unusual) that Jack and Harvey can peruse at their leisure. This is no surprise if you’ve played previous games by this one-man Spanish developer, whose real name is José María Meléndez. Beginning with 2020’s Urban Witch Story , a brilliant free itch.io game that looks like Sierra’s Police Quest but is a hundred times better, all Postmodern Adventures efforts have featured heavy amounts of well-researched supernatural geekery, from ghosts to haunted video cassettes to The Dark Rites of Arkham’s eldritch lore. And there’s usually some kind of museum with a curator who’ll just talk shop with you about what is clearly the developer’s special interest.

The Arkham Museum of the Unusual is fun to wander around. Bonus points if you can name all of the characters in this screenshot. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Postmodern Adventures

This leads me to my only major critique of The Dark Rites of Arkham - in visual style and tone it feels very similar to Postmodern Adventures’ other games, especially An English Haunting , which made my 2024 selection box . There’s nothing wrong with this in theory, and since this review marks the only instance that RPS has covered Postmodern Adventures’ work outside of a few Alice B posts on An English Haunting , many of you may be unaware that Meléndez has been making a treasure trove of indie adventures for the past several years.

But for those of us who have been enjoying his endeavours for a while, The Dark Rites of Arkham cannot exist in a vacuum. It must be compared to past works, because most of Meléndez’s games bear graphical and thematic similarities. And amongst its peers, it surpasses An English Haunting (which had a mildly flavourless main character and a draggy middle stretch) but doesn’t quite live up to Urban Witch Story or what I consider is the greatest Postmodern Adventures game - 2022’s Nightmare Frames , which is probably one of the best horror adventures I’ve ever played.

This gent from Innsmouth demands to know why you haven’t played any of Postmodern Adventures’ other games yet. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Postmodern Adventures

Jack Foster and Harvey Whitman’s narrative arcs just can’t compare to the evolution of Alan Goldberg, the asshole screenwriter lead of Nightmare Frames who learns to become a better person after he’s tasked with finding a haunted videotape. Despite being released four years ago, bits of Nightmare Frames also feel like they have more production value, such as detailed character portraits. The Dark Rites of Arkham does feature close-up character interrogation scenes, to be fair, but they’re somewhat inconsistent - a few NPCs have them, while many do not.

Finally, Cthulhu fans like myself are the ones who are going to get the most out of The Dark Rites of Arkham. Those who don’t know a Shoggoth from a hole in the ground are probably going to find this tale much less compelling. And to a certain extent, I wish that Postmodern Adventures had pushed the line harder when tackling the racism that permeates Lovecraft’s work. There are people of colour in the game, and mentions of the awful race relations that permeated 1930s (and let’s be real, modern day) life in the United States, but aside from a puzzle involving a Black woman on a bus, these aspects are background dressing. Considering that Urban Witch Story confronted similar issues head-on by starring a Black cop during the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, there’s untapped potential here to dig deeper.

Of course, if the only critique I have about an indie game is “it’s very good, but the developer’s other works might be better,” then we’re in a nice position. The Dark Rites of Arkham is Call of Cthulhu in swell point and click form, and it’s a solid weekend play for any fan of weird fiction. But perhaps for Postmodern Adventures’ next effort, we can push the envelope farther. A tweaked engine, a different graphical style, a non-Eurocentric setting, maybe even a female protagonist? C’mon, let’s make old Howard Phillips roll in his grave!

This review is based on a review build of the game provided by the developer.

Find out how we conduct our reviews by reading our review policy .

The Dark Rites of Arkham

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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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