The Finals best loadout for Light, Medium, and Heavy class

These are the best builds for each class in The Finals

Image credit:Embark Studios

What are the best loadouts for each class in The Finals? In Embark’s hit new squad FPS , you must choose between three classes each match: Light, Medium, and Heavy. Each of these classes has a different hitbox size and health pool, but they also have access to a completely different set of weapons, gadgets, and specializations (abilities).

When you first start playing The Finals , you’ll only have access to a couple of weapons, one specialization, and a small selection of gadgets per class. You can unlock more in the Equipment screen by spending a resource called VRs, which are earned by completing matches. But which should you unlock first in order to make the best possible loadout builds as early as possible? In this guide, we’ll walk you through the best loadout in The Finals for Light, Medium, and Heavy characters , showing you exactly what to buy in order to make yourself as powerful as possible in the current meta.

What’s the best loadout in The Finals?

There are three distinct classes in The Finals - Light, Medium, and Heavy - and each class brings something unique and necessary to a squad. So our guide has been split into three sections, each of which focuses on delivering you the best loadout build we’ve found for each class. It’s also worth noting that you should always prioritise building a well-rounded team over playing as your favourite build. A team of three Lights may sound fun, but you’ll be at a disadvantage compared to other teams that have split their squad across all three (or at least two) classes.

However, if I had to pick a single loadout that is dominating the meta in The Finals right now: the best loadout in The Finals is the Cloaking Device Light build using the V9S Pistol for quick and deadly hit-and-run attacks on enemy teams. Fights in The Finals are very fast-paced and momentum-based, and a good Light character using a Cloaking Device flourishes in this environment, using their ability to get in and out of the action quickly and safely to disrupt the enemy team, get quick kills, and prevent them from stealing or protecting a cashout. However, one could also easily argue that the Medium build showcased below is the most valuable build in The Finals right now thanks to its versatility and the sheer healing output that they can use to keep their team fighting together.

For more information on this and the other best loadouts in The Finals right now, keep reading!

The Finals best Light loadout

Image credit:Embark Studios

The best Light loadout you can use at the moment in The Finals is this Cloaking Device build using the V9S Pistol, and a combination of the Breach Charge, Stun Gun, and Glitch Grenade for your gadgets. Together this gives the Light class excellent evasive strength, while also giving them utility during teamfights and cashout assaults, and an extremely potent 1v1 two-step combo that can easily take down even a Heavy character in moments.

• Specialization: Cloaking Device
• Weapon: V9S
• Gadgets: Breach Charge, Stun Gun, Glitch Grenade

All of the Light class’s Specializations are very powerful, but it’s the Cloaking Device that has risen to the top of the meta and stayed there over the past months. While using it, you are entirely invisible while standing still, and still hard to spot (though partially visible) while on the move. It is honestly like playing the Light class on easy mode, because it makes getting into good positions for picking off enemy players trivial.

The V9S is probably the best and most versatile weapon right now for Light characters, and is probably due a nerf at some point. Despite its small stature, it hits hard, fires fast, and is accurate and easy to use. Precede your fights with a single accurate shot from the Stun Gun , and you’ve already won. It’s an extremely powerful combination which can help you dispatch any enemy in any match as long as you hit your shots. You could also happily switch to the SH1900 Shotgun if you want to really get up close and personal and tear down enemies in a split second, although we find you’ll have an easier time staying alive if you opt for the V9S.

As for your remaining Gadgets, the Breach Charge is useful not only for finding new entrances and exits during team fights so you can appear and escape from unexpected angles, but it’s also always handy for some vault shenanigans, such as blowing out the floor under a vault to drop it unexpectedly. Finally, the Glitch Grenade is an excellent tool for disrupting entrenched enemy positions and turning the tide of battle by disabling gadgets and preventing enemies from using their abilities. Overall, this build gives you all the tools you need to survive and thrive as a Light character, and wreak utter havoc on the enemy teams.

The Finals best Medium loadout

Image credit:Embark Studios

If you want the best, most useful Medium build in The Finals, you have to pick this Healing Beam build with the all-important Defibrillator, along with the Zipline and Gas Mine for extra mobility and zoning strength. All of the Medium’s weapons are great in the right hands, but we think the FCAR gives you the easiest time dealing with enemies.

• Specialization: Healing Beam
• Weapon: FCAR
• Gadgets: Defibrillator, Gas Mine, Zipline

If you want to be most effective as a Medium class character, you simply need to use the Healing Beam . It’s arguably the single most useful tool in all of The Finals, and with good positioning and communication, a team with a Healing Beam will always handily beat an evenly matched enemy team without a Healing Beam. Similarly, the Defibrillator is such an astonishingly fast-acting revive, it is all but essential for any Medium loadout in the game at the moment.

The other choices are more open to preference, but we recommend using the FCAR for your primary weapon thanks to its high damage, good accuracy, and clean sights. You do have to be wary of its lower magazine sizes than the AKM you might be used to using. We’d also very happily recommend the R.357 Revolver for players who can hit their shots in panicked situations. Overall the Revolver might actually be a little more potent, but the FCAR definitely gives you the easiest time killing enemies.

With your remaining Gadget slots, we recommend a combination of the Zipline and the Gas Mine . The Zipline is a very potent mobility tool that allows your entire team to quickly scale buildings while sticking together - which is how you win fights in The Finals. It’s more versatile than the Jump Pad, and easier to control your destination, which is why we prefer it to the Jump Pad. And the Gas Mine is great for both offensive and defensive plays, forcing enemy players to disperse an area or take huge amounts of damage in a short time. We’ve played around a lot with different combinations particularly for the Medium class, and we’re fairly confident that this particular Medium loadout can’t be beat right now for versatility.

The Finals best Heavy loadout

Image credit:Embark Studios

While it may be tempting to smash your way through every last wall as a Heavy character, the best loadout right now for the Heavy class in The Finals is this Mesh and Dome Shield build, which utilises a combination of protective shielding and enormous firepower to keep your teammates alive and outgun your opponents. Here are the details of this powerful Heavy build.

• Specialization: Mesh Shield
• Weapon: SA1216
• Gadgets: C4, Dome Shield, RPG-7

The backbone of this Heavy loadout build is the double-whammy of the Mesh Shield and Dome Shield . Both these abilities provide the entire team with much-needed cover at vital moments, and having both of them minimises the chances of you being caught without a shield at hand. These abilities encourage a team approach and force you to stick together, which is generally a very good thing in The Finals.

When it comes to offensive capabilities, this build doesn’t come up short there either. Our pick for the best primary weapon on a Heavy is the SA1216 Shotgun ; it’s easy to use, has a fantastic magazine size for a shotgun, and outputs a huge amount of damage in a short space of time. Even other Heavy characters will crumble quickly under the power of the SA1216 - which is why you need to watch out for enemies using it too. The downside of course is that you have no real power at mid or long-range, so you may wish to keep the punchy Lewis Gun in reserve for those situations. But overall, the SA1216 is taking the Heavy meta by storm right now, and once you’ve tried it, you’ll see why.

If you’re caught reloading, you can switch to one of your two explosive gadgets - the RPG-7 and C4 . Having some explosive power in your pocket is never a bad thing in a game with such destructible environments, and it only makes sense to have such gadgets to make up for our deficit since we’ve opted for the Mesh Shield instead of the Charge ‘N’ Slam Specialization. And of course, C4 is an important part of the most powerful and cheesy strategy in The Finals right now - the so-called “Nuke”, where you attach two C4 to a canister and throw it at an enemy for huge explosive damage.

After much testing, we think the best way to play the Heavy class overall is with a focus on defending your teammates with well-placed shields. That’s why we think this particular loadout is the best of the bunch when it comes to playing as a Heavy in The Finals.

That wraps up this primer on the best builds in The Finals right now. If you’re a new player who wants to get stuck into the action with all this newfound knowledge, check out our guide on how to invite friends in The Finals to make sure you have a full team behind you for your first match!

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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

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