The Finals’ Season 2 is a happy hackathon that laughs in the face of physics

More outlandish gadgets make for a more exciting shooter, though the new 5v5 mode disappoints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

I’ve spent many gleeful hours in The Finals ( as has Graham ), but I’ve always felt it could do more with the concept of its FPS gameshow deathmatches essentially taking place in hyper-realistic VR. Exploding into coins upon death notwithstanding, and to be clear, rad as hell. Happily, its Season 2 update is all about rewriting the rules of its glistening digital battlefields. I’ve played a few rounds and the new, hacking-themed gadgetry it introduces looks like just the thing to freshen The Finals up.

To the dull surprise of its AI-voiced announcers , a hacking posse have jacked into The Finals’ mainframe (apologies to Alice0 if I’m using these words incorrectly) and taken control of the proceedings. They’re not entirely black hatted, mind, so have spliced in a shiny new map and several new, reality-warping toys to play with. The former, named SYS$HORIZON, is great: a sprawling yet fast-flowing sci-fi cityscape that looks like a debug test map buffed to a mirror sheen. “ENTER THE SIMULATION” is not a new theme for shooter settings, but this is one of the better ones I’ve played, with a similar, lightly (and intentionally) glitchy feel to Titanfall ’s superb War Games map.

The deployables are all great fun as well. My favourite is the Heavy’s Anti-Gravity Cube, which creates a vertical tube that send anything – players, revive statues, cashout stations – floating upwards. The mobility applications are obvious, but it’s also a effective defensive tool, as anyone attempting to steal a cashout on a suspended station will need to let themselves ascend into the line of fire as well.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Everything looks like it’s made of bytes, but it blows up with all the gratification of concrete. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

The Light’s new Gateway grenades, which set a pair of linked portals, aren’t as versatile. Still, since anyone on the team can use them to zip around, they do add a welcome element of teamplay to the Light’s own slipperiness. Mediums also gain both offensive and defensive flexibility though the Data Reshaper gadget, which transmogrifies environmental objects and enemy defences alike. I mainly used it to turn fire canisters (unreliable, not that scary) into goo bombs that could plug up an exposed entry point, but with quick fingers (and feet) it can morph sentry guns and mines into harmless potted plants and bins. Useful and funny – that’s top notch support gear design.

By equipping the Dematerializer specialisation, Mediums can also instantly delete a small section of wall, floor, or ceiling, for quick ingress/escapes or to drop objectives into a more advantageous position. Next to the Light’s explosives and the Heavy’s big, meaty arms, Mediums have always been lacking in ways to break through barriers, so this is another welcome addition even if it lacks potential for more dramatic destruction. My only complaint is that taking the Dematerializer means forgoing the Healing Beam, and forgoing the Healing Beam seems like such a dereliction of Medium duty that you could get done for it at the Hague.

None of this new tech dramatically changes how The Finals plays out, which at this stage – remember it only surprise-launched in December 2023 – is fine. If anything, it’s impressive how neatly they fit into the existing theme of environmental manipulation, despite being more akin to computer magic than the relatively grounded C4 packs and RPGs that usually induce building breakages. Matches are most fun when you’re shaping the arena to your will, and Season 2 is smart to offer up more ways to make that happen.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

The new gadgets are surprisingly rich in tactical options. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

There’s more to this update than a few new throwables, of course. I particularly enjoyed the ferociousness of the Medium’s new burst-fire rifle, and while the Heavy’s added weapon – a pump-action slug shotgun – isn’t quite to my tastes, I do recommend Light fans check out their own new burst pistol. I initially worried this might be another overtuned firearm of the sort that plagued The Finals’ earlier builds, but that was based on just one enemy player using it to murder an entire lobby three times over. With the same gun in my less capable hands, I lost plenty, so I suppose that balance concern was merely what the kids call a skill issue.

I didn’t get to try a couple of Season 2’s other big features, namely the private match creator and the supposedly improved ranked league matchmaking, though I understand both have been much-requested by The Finals faithful. I did get in a few rounds of Power Shift, the new 5v5, platform-pushin’ casual mode, though this doesn’t currently feel up the same standard as Season 2’s gear additions.

Look, The Finals probably does need more ways to play outside of its central cash heist match types, and having only two teams removes the misery of being third-partied immediately after winning a fight. I’m just not sure that Power Shift plays to the wider game’s strengths. By encouraging teams to park themselves on a single, indestructible objective point, it discourages both the nippy movement mechanics and the entertaining terrain destruction that make The Finals fun in the first place. The platform slowly, almost nonchalantly battering through structures is superficially amusing, but don’t deliver the same satisfaction of inflicting the damage oneself.

If you see this, you’ve probably already lost. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

It doesn’t even work that well competitively. The platform is lined with unbreakable walls that provide defenders ample cover, even without any defensive gadgets or specialisations, and it regularly lifts off several storeys in the air. By far the most common result, if my games are any indication, is that the team that wins the initial brawl over the platform can just turn it into an impregnable floating fortress, gliding all the way to their endzone with near-impunity. This obviously makes a terrible experience for the attacking team, but winning isn’t particularly exciting either. It just turns into an on-rails shooter where you can occasionally take shots at someone popping up on a rooftop, who’s almost certainly attacking alone because all their mates are watching a lengthy respawn timer tick down. In only a single Power Shift game did I witness the platform change hands more than once, and one of those swaps was owed to a perfectly executed five-man ambush move, the Navy SEALish coordination of which could surely never be replicated in the Discord-deprived chaos of a public match.

Even if this new mode is a bust, mind, the rest of Season 2 has renewed my vigour to steal cash and detonate office blocks in the original ones. I know it sounds like I’m placing excessive emphasis on what are ultimately a handful of grenade replacements, but I’ve repeatedly been surprised and impressed by how they mix up the gunfights that, while already dynamic, I had become accustomed to. Maybe The Finals should get hacked more often.

…In the lore, your honour.

The Finals

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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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