The Maw - 2nd-6th January 2024

Our weekly news liveblog

Image credit:Hartmann Schede/Wikimedia

Happy new year all. What’s the weather like where you are? We’ve got Amber and Yellow warnings in London - I do not understand what these terms mean, but I’m going to add a Sapphire warning for escalating Maw activity. The creature was pretty lively over the Xmas weekend, but Graham managed to soothe it with posts about gaming-related new year resolutions and, of all things, the Spike Video Game Awards . We can expect the Maw’s petulance to mount during January, a lean month for announcements and revelations, but there are a few tasty morsels in the offing - a new Prince of Persia and Tekken 8 , for instance. Fingers crossed we can build up some kind of momentum.

Some new game releases we are pointing our telescopes at this week: Skeleton Rebellion (4th Jan), a scrappy offbeat RPG with claymation elements in which you are a skeleton trying to overthrow some mages, and The Night Is Grey (5th Jan), a point-and-click adventure about a beardy bloke and a little girl stuck in the woods with some weirdo wolves. If you like, you can also play a free drinking game I’ve just invented in which you do a shot for every time I accidentally write 2023 instead of 2024.

Our live coverage of this event has finished.

IT IS MONDAY (Ed: TUESDAY ) . Spin up the August Journoplasmic Apparatus! Top up the hamster’s water bottle! Oh, and FEED THE MAW.

Some morning pick-me-up music.

Square Enix president and representative director Takashi Kiryu has penned a new year’s letter discussing the company’s 2024 ambitions for metaversy stuff, AR/VR, the blockchain and generative tools in game development. The letter also summarises 2023 as “a year of tumult exemplified by an intensification in geopolitical risks and sharp inflation stemming partly from monetary policy moves made by central banks grappling with the pandemic.”

Cruelty Squad developer Consumer Softproducts, real name Ville Kallio, is making another non-linear shooter thingy with explosively odd aesthetics - Psycho Patrol R . It’s described as “a mecha FPS hybrid policing and punishment simulator set in the decayed state of Pan-Europa. You play as an officer of the European Federal Police, a V-Stalker pilot of Psycho Patrol, a special unit tasked with solving mental crime, among other things.” Sounds like A Lot.

Somebody’s joined together a lot of dots relating to NCsoft’s rumoured MMO based on the Horizon series from Guerrilla Games.

Everything I have found about Horizon MMO (MMORPG to be precise): The game is now essentially confirmed to be in development, as an NCSoft employee posted a job listing on LinkedIn with a codename logo stylized similarly to the logo of Horizon games. - It’s developed under the… pic.twitter.com/Xykp1sp1o3 — Kurakasis (@Kurakasis) December 31, 2023

“Shit flowed downstream, usually landing on the lowest-paid and most overworked individuals. Management was too busy reacting to wildly vacillating direction and decisions that made zero sense.” That’s former senior manager of community development Andy Belford describing the working culture at Blizzard when Bobby Kotick was in charge. Eurogamer has a piece rounding up developer social media responses to Kotick’s departure at the end of 2023.

As passed on by Alice0, Volition’s former lead video editor spent Xmas finalising a mod that makes Cloud’s sword in the Final Fantasy 7 Remake less flashy . How many prosperous modding careers have begun as somebody taking issue with one, relatively minor detail of a blockbuster game? (I’ve only ever played the PS4 version of FF7R - I hear that the sword FX are much more overbearing in the PC version.)

Another heads-up from Alice0: there’s now a demo for The Majestic , in which you are a fancy bird exploring a world of floating islands and non-floating forests. The blurb is a bit of a rich brew - “delve through time and find yourself in a cozy narrative woven with love, friendship, and family” - but the flying bits are appealing. No, it doesn’t have Jim Carrey in it.

Fruits says: Saying again for the new year: please add a link to the maw to RPS’ header at the top or prominently in the ‘latest articles’ page, so it doesn’t disappear.

Hello! Currently, we can’t do much about its placement in Latest unfortunately - the best we can manage is a permanent spot on the Homepage spotlight block! - but I will add it to the purple bar right at the top, that’s a good shout!

Disney have casually confirmed a late 2024 release window for Star Wars Outlaws as part of their " 24 Ooooh-Worthy Things " happening at Disney Parks this year.

“Star Wars Outlaws, the open-world Star Wars game is set to release late this year,” the Disney Parks blog post reads. Hopefully this heralds a more concrete confirmation from Ubisoft themselves very soon.

If you’ve been keeping up with the daily free games over on the Epic Games Store this holiday, you may be keen to hear that today’s freebie is the quite good Survivors-like, 20 Minutes Till Dawn !

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Erabit/Flanne

The winners of the Steam Awards 2023 have been decided . And… hoo boy. Starfield?

Here’s our full post on 20 Minutes Till Dawn, the VampSurvivorslike, being free to keep from the Epic Games Store .

Frogwares are now the sole publisher of Lovecraftian RPG The Sinking City . The developer had been embroiled in public conflict and litigation with publisher Nacon back in 2020. They’re now going to update the game and release new DLC - although all old saves will break imminently.

Relatedly this caused me to notice that Paranoia: Happiness Is Mandatory, another Nacon-published game delisted due to litigation since 2020, has returned to sale via Steam as of December 21st, 2023.

First Cut: Samurai Duel is a 2D swordfighting game where a connecting blow means instant death - part Nidhogg, part Bushido Blade. It now has a January 17th release date .

ScummVM has been updated and now supports 50 new games, including Muppet Treasure Island and the Vampire Diaries game Jenny Nicholson plays in the best video on the internet .

…IT IS WEDNESDAY . Sorry for the lack of updates here - I managed to lock myself out of the CMS overnight. Or rather, my computer did. It’s logged me out of everything. Ugh, how I loathe computers. I’d hate to write about them for a living or something. Anyway, FEED THE MAW.

Let’s continue today’s theme of hateful computers by listening to the ending song from Portal 2 (beware spoilers in the lyrics).

CD Projekt Red’s chief strategy officer Adam Kiciński has told Parkiet that the company are interested neither in being acquired, nor (currently) in making any acquisitions, as passed on by VGC . Speaking via machine translation, Kiciński said that “we are not interested in purchases that would only aim to include the acquired companies in our group and consolidate their financial results”, which sounds a bit like a subtweet to me. Who could it be aimed at? I suspect the answer rhymes with “eraser”.

A late Xmas present: the full 1.0 release of The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall’s Unity remaster . It’s free on Steam .

The forthcoming Minecraft movie will apparently star Jack Black as Steve, as rumoured by Deadline . Don’t worry, I’m sure they have Chris Pratt on speed-dial if Black changes his mind.

Before all the computer nonsense happened I was going to liveblog this, intriguing colony management game set in the atmosphere of Venus . It’s the work of a solo dev and is out 22nd January.

Your first Game Pass additions this month are Close To The Sun (3rd Jan), Hell Let Loose (4th Jan), Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Figment (9th Jan), Super Mega Baseball 4 and We Happy Few (11th Jan), and the Resident Evil 2 remake and Those Who Remain (16th Jan). A real up-and-down crop there: Those Who Remain is as dreadful as Resident Evil 2’s remake is glorious. We Happy Few is in the middle - lots of promising ideas but a bit of a mess.

Here’s an interview with horror shooter GTFO developers 10 Chambers about their new heist thingy Den Of Wolves . It includes musings about potential in-game AR-style features, and some spicy thoughts on what open betas are actually for.

treelo says: @Fruits#4180 Weirdest thing about the link is that it’s basically a non-sequitr next to the “Best Xs in Y” links.

I would say that only adds to its mystery, wouldn’t you?

Very decent and very grim stealth game A Plague Tale: Innocence is the latest game free to keep from Epic Games Store for the next 24 hours . I personally enjoyed my time shooing rats away with torchlight (when not being horribly eaten by said rats), so I think it’s well worth the price of nothing!

Here’s a few more details from CD Projekt Red’s former CEO discussing the studio’s complete lack of interest in being acquired (but potential interest in acquiring others one day), as shared by Edwin earlier.

This month’s PC Games Pass offerings have been revealed , headlined by horror game masterpiece Resident Evil 2 Remake and Viking whopper Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Close to the Sun, Hell Let Loose and We Happy Few also make an appearance (or reappearance, depending!)

Just over six months after it left early access, Dave the Diver has hit an impressive sales milestone of 3 million copies sold . Not bad for an indie game from an unknown publisher! ( Please, please, I swear it’s a joke )

IT IS THURSDAY . Just one more day and we can end this sick charade and go back to being on holiday. FEED THE MAW.

PolygonClassicist says: The Steamboat Willie horror game (which looks like ass tbh) has changed its title out of concern of associations with fascist symbolism (the devs had called their game Infestation 88). But as one commenter on Eurogamer points out, it’s the tip of the iceberg for the fascist connections with the game: eurogamer . net/infestation-studio-changes-game-name-following-concern-over-neo-nazi-symbolism?view=comments#comments-ewxpgo5

We’ve been following the story around this. As you’ve probably guessed, one reason I haven’t covered it is that I don’t want to give (even critical) publicity to something that could be hate speech. That aside, the game just doesn’t seem particularly intriguing beyond its headline gimmick. I’m interested to see what other devs do with Steamboat Willie, however.

As reported by PCGamer , 13-year-old Willis Gibson has apparently become the first person to “beat” Tetris on NES by surviving for long enough to reach the game’s “true killscreen”, a feat otherwise only achieved by bot players.

Look at that, mech piloting in Starfield, care of modder Jared Kohr. Thanks VG247 .

Twitch’s new policy which prohibits “implied nudity” goes into effect today. According to a statement, “this update is in response to a recent meta on Twitch in which streamers use black censor bars or other items to block their bodies or clothing, or position the camera frame such that the viewer is led to believe that the streamer is fully or partially nude.”

Rockfish have blogged a bit about the process of porting well-good starfighter sim Everspace 2 to Unreal Engine 5, which has wrought some entertaining havoc (as the developer notes, this reflects the inevitable teething troubles of moving between versions, not anything to do with Unreal Engine 5 in itself).

Image credit:Rockfish

Nexon have been slapped with an $8.9 million fine by the Korea Fair Trade Commission for secretly changing the drop rates for loot items in MapleStory between 2010 and 2021, making in-game purchases more appetising. The penalty is the largest ever imposed for violating the Act on Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce in South Korea.

For reasons unclear, people are remaking Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness - popularly considered to be the worst Lara outing ever - in Unity and Unreal Engine. Here’s a video of the Unity one. It’s all totally unofficial, obviously. Thanks DSOGaming .

Robocop: Rogue City is probably getting a New Game+ mode.

Many citizens have been asking about a New Game + for RoboCop: Rogue City. We’ve heard you. So stay tuned for more information on this topic in the weeks to come. Until then: Stay out of trouble 🫡 pic.twitter.com/UyAZmcNyE8 — RoboCop: Rogue City - OUT NOW (@RoboCopRC) January 3, 2024

The latest Star Citizen “Legatus” supporter bundle contains every ship in the game and costs… $48,000. If you are minded to invest, can I also interest you in some magic beans I’ve just found under my bed? They cost $1000 a bean, cash upfront. I’m happy to pay for postage. Thanks PCG .

Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy is currently free to keep from the Epic Games Store . You’ve got a week to grab this one.

Niklaus Wirth, the creator of several programming languages including Pascal, and a pioneer of several principles of programming languages, has died. Through his work Wirth “defined the foundations of modern programming languages,” said Epic founder Tim Sweeney on X . “‘Power through simplicity, simplicity through generality’ was the name of the game. He made programming better for everyone.”

Over 14,000 games were released on Steam in 2023 . Too many games? The wrong kinds of games? Thorny question.

Apex Legends’ first crossover event will begin on January 9th and bring Aerith, the Buster Sword, Materia and other elements from Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to the battle royale.

Phasmophobia was 2020’s indie horror sensation, and its developers have laid out their 2024 development roadmap which includes plans for a 1.0 release. They say they’ll continue to add to the beloved co-op haunting even after that point, however.

City Of Hereos’ community-run private server Homecoming has been granted an official license by NCSoft , meaning it can now operate without the constant threat of being oblitered by IP lawyers. Its operators say the server will remain free and they’re going to continue developing new content for the MMO, which ran from 2004 until 2012.

IT IS FRIDAY . All our compass needles are pointing in different directions and the walls have begun to sweat. FEED THE MAW.

There’s another Tribes 3 playtest happening, if you missed the last one. It’s only running for 24 hours, however.

MSI are teasing a hardware announcement of some kind. More competition for Steam Deck?

A whole new breed of MSI dragon is coming. Get a grip and stay tuned. #MSIxCES2024 #RGB #Gaming pic.twitter.com/W9mp2cDo9w — MSI Gaming (@msigaming) January 4, 2024

Some morning music.

Asynchronous multiplayer dungeon-delver Phantom Abyss hits the big 1.0 on January 25th. I haven’t played the early access build but was impressed by the announcement trailer. It’s earned itself a Very Positive steam rating .

As spotted by PCG , “Metropolis 1998 is a fresh take on the modern city simulation experience in a retro pixel art style.” I like the cut of those isometric visuals. Find it on Itch and Steam .

I am keeping an eye out for game developer/publisher responses to this GI story in which an analyst predicts that the industry will move away from live service games in 2024.

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is getting praise for the fact that 7-year-old GPUs can run it on Ultra. Many are citing the fact that the developers prioritised the Switch version first as the reason behind this. Nice to see in a world where games are increasingly larger than life and pushing the limits of GPUs even two years old.

GTX 1060, a 7 year old entry level GPU, is good for 4k60 Ultra Settings in the new Prince of Persia. Wow. pic.twitter.com/JnMCOAhxxy — James Galizio (@Theswweet) January 4, 2024

kyle_ar says: Just read about a Portal demake, Portal 64, that runs on N64 emulators. Sounds like the sort of thing RPS might be interested in - seemingly a demo has been released as a “First Slice”…

It does look rather cool .

It’s not an original take to point out that Baldur’s Gate 3 is a horny game, but apparently now it is putting Series X-S users in digital horny jail. Their consoles are automatically uploading clips of awkward video game sex to the sharing server (via PC Gamer ), so their accounts are getting bonked on the head by Xbox. Tangential to PC, but I find this v. funny. Imagine having to contact support. “Can you make fantasy bear pornography come on my telly please?” I’d rather get a new Xbox.

Hideo Kojima has compared his forthcoming horror game OD to his early noughties solar-powered GBA project Boktai, and I have thoughts about it .

There have been 19 job losses at Bossa Studios - best of luck if you’re one of the people affected.

The PlayStation blog has listed Silent Hill 2 and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater remakes for 2024 release , though we’ve had nowt on the subject from publisher Konami.

Fruits says: Return to Lordran starts today! For 2 weeks every January, Dark Souls 1 is hopping with activity as folks return to play it. So if you want the authentic Souls experience, with cryptic messages, jolly sunbros helping you fight bosses and invaders that just as likely to kill you in 2 hits as they are to drop a shiny weapon, now is the time.

I had no idea this was a thing. Sounds fun!

AI is about to become that bit harder to avoid, as Microsoft introduce a dedicated AI button to Windows keyboards - the first big change since the Windows key was added almost 30 years ago. The new button will start to appear later this month, with Microsoft calling 2024 “the year of the AI PC”.

Got a spare £46,000 laying around? There’s a new way for you to spend it : by buying over 175 ships for Star Citizen, in a new bundle costing more than the average person makes here in the UK in a year. I mean, what possible better options could there be? I can’t think of any!

Rust is getting backpacks! Pets won’t arrive until at least 2025, though, as Facepunch Studios lay out their plans for the second decade of the survival shooter.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has plenty of heartfelt stories, but this real-life tale of how a fan’s father and long-time CPRG player diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease ended up with a touching tribute in NPC form might outdo them all. End your week with a beautiful example of how video games bring people together and create memories.

Swipe ’em up strategy game Reigns: Three Kingdoms arrives on PC next week after over a year of mobile exclusivity via the Netflix app.

You can watch Persona 3 Reload’s intro cinematic ahead of time , if you can’t wait for next month’s remake to arrive, or if you just love anime intros and J-Pop.

Netflix is considering adding in-game monetisation or advertising to its games, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal . The games currently contain neither and are included at no extra cost with a subscription to the streaming service - although only via its mobile app.

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind is one of my favourite films because it’s about hope, and about love enduring in the wake of heartbreak.

Are you ready to take another shot at love? Because there’s a Tribes 3: Rivals playtest available now, if you want to get a headstart. Edwin mentioned this yesterday but the test has been extended and you can get access via Steam until 8pm EST today. The test’s end will be good practice for when all the servers are switched off a couple years after it releases properly, having failed to find the audience it deserves as per all previous Tribes games.

Portal: Revolution, a fully-voiced, eight-hour Portal 2 prequel with 40 new test chambers, is out now and looks great .

Mr. Podunkian, a former developer on Stardew Valley, is now working on his own life sim and it looks ambitious . There’s no name yet, but there are a ton of videos and Podunkian hopes to release it in 2024.

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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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