The Maw: what’s new in PC games this week?

All that’s fit to play over 1st-5th July, plus our weekly newsblog

Image credit:Johann Christoph Wagner / Rock Paper Shotgun

Happy this week, everybody! Not going to lie, it’s a dry one. Drier than a doldrum dunked in silica gel packets, dustier than Death’s doorstep. There are precious few eyebrow-raising new PC games on the cards, but I have swaddled my head in wet blankets, braved the desert and returned with a small handful of dreams.

Monday 1st July is a day of immaculate blackness and creepy lo-fi linework, care of space station spook-a-walker Vorago . Tuesday 2nd July is a time of much free-to-play schlooting, care of The First Descendant - and of much pay-to-play mmorpging, care of Final Fantasy 14’s Dawntrail expansion. On Wednesday 3rd July there… is… Connect-4, but inside a computer ? On Thursday 4th July therrrrrrrrre isssssss… a game literally just called Multiplayer RPG ? That’s like naming your dog “Dogs”. And on Friday 5th July, a relatively electrifying shmup called Void Reaper .

Our live coverage of this event has finished.

• 08:06 am 07/05/2024 IT IS NEW UK GOVERNMENT DAY
• 08:27 am 07/04/2024 IT IS UK ELECTION DAY
• 08:05 am 07/03/2024 HAVE GENERALLY AMICABLE RELATIONS WITH YOU TILL WEDNESDAY
• 07:50 am 07/02/2024 LOVE YOU TILL TUESDAY
• 07:22 am 07/01/2024 HAPPY MAWNDAY

Valve might be trying to do something about Team Fortress 2’s aimbot problem .

The Sims 4’s next expansion is called Lovestruck, and it adds a dating app and outdoor woohoo on July 25th.

Deus Ex’s Randomizer mod has just released version 3.0 and now you can pet the dogs and cats .

Dune Imperium, which I adore, is getting its first digital expansion in July with the arrival of Rise Of Ix .

HAPPY MAWNDAY

The upcoming Crazy Taxi will include multiplayer, according to a page made to hire fresh developers for the SEGA game. The company also released a recruitment video in which devs talked about working on the game, and series producer Kenji Kanno confirms there will be a multiplayer component (thanks, Automaton ).

Glass-shattering first-person shooter Selaco has been updated with a big patch that adds new weapons upgrades, difficulty mutators, and the ability to pet the vacuum cleaner robots. Among many other changes, you can also now kick people (hooray!) but only when you have your fists out as a weapon (booo!).

It’s Dino Crisis’ 25th anniversary! Hey. Hey. Capcom. Hey. Hey Capcom. Hey. Capcom.

Hey

LOVE YOU TILL TUESDAY

Hitman’s next elusive target is punchy man Conor McGregor playing an MMA fighter called The Disruptor. Lovely coat, to be fair.

Resident Evil 9, a game we all knew would happen, is officially happening. It was confirmed in Capcom’s NEXT showcase yesterday, and It’ll be lead by Resident Evil 7 director Koshi Nakanishi.

Capcom still haven’t heard our cries for Dino Crisis (see yesterday’s Maw-ing) but they have given us a demo for dreamy yōkai slayer Kunitsu-Gami: Path Of The Goddess . This was Edwin’s favourite game at Summer Games Fest , and the way he described it has made me immediately download the demo on Steam .

Graceborne is a mod that makes Elden Ring all Bloodborne-y, with new weapons, costumes, and enemy redesigns. Micolash voice: Ah, trailer. Or as some say, tray-tray:

HAVE GENERALLY AMICABLE RELATIONS WITH YOU TILL WEDNESDAY

Kring is a bizarre collection of festively fleshy minigames - “clicker, bullet hell, top-down platform, side-scroller platform, shoot’em up, beat’em up, and other strange genres that defy categorization” - that together wear the label of a god sim. It’s from Italian dev Ivan Venturi, one of the minds behind Hell Galaxy, and has a demo on Steam .

Powerwash Simulator’s Alice In Wonderlands DLC is out now .

Paradox have posted a video about the Byzantine Empire, this being the key inspiration for the upcoming Roads To Power DLC. It features actual history professor Anthony Kaldellis. Look at him go!

Someone done a The Bear videogame mock-up and it is incredible.

the bear video game actually looks pretty cool pic.twitter.com/pijrftMFDr — Michael Kandel (@K_A_N_D_E_L) June 28, 2024

As Edwin mentioned earlier, Tales of Kenzera: Zau developers Surgent Studios, founded by Assassin’s Creed Origins actor Abubakar Salim, have laid off over a dozen staff less than three months after their debut game hit PC.

VA-11 Hall-A developers Sukeban Games’ next project .45 Parabellum Bloodhound is a modern successor to horror strategy classic Parasite Eve , and that has me unreasonably excited.

New Transformers game Galactic Trials is part racing game and part roguelike battler , rolling out this October.

Tiny Garden plants a charming, cozy farming sim inside virtual Polly Pocket toys . it looks very sweet, and it’s already passed its funding target on Kickstarter ahead of a release next February.

IT IS UK ELECTION DAY

IT IS NEW UK GOVERNMENT DAY

Suicide Squad’s season 2 roadmap is in the wilds.

It’s official: Season 2 of Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League starts on July 11th. Rocksteady just sent out an e-mail showcasing the upcoming gear, cosmetics, and features from episodes 3 and 4, plus the formal reveal of Victoria Frias, aka Mrs. Freeze. pic.twitter.com/lXkSejbHCA — Miller Ross (@mmmmmmmmiller) July 3, 2024

Annual speedrunning event Summer Games Done Quick 2024 has raised a lifetime total of $50 million for charity. This year’s funding goes to emergency medical aid nonprofit Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières. The event runs for another couple of days - here’s the full schedule

Former Rockstar senior camera artist and virtual cinematographer Joseph Rubino has shared a little about GTA 5’s scrapped Trevor DLC, speaking to SanInPlay via Eurogamer . The key line: “When GTA Online came out, it was so much of a cash cow and people were loving it so much that it was hard to make an argument that a standalone DLC would out-compete that.”

Final Fantasy 14’s Dawntrail expansion has only been out a few days, and one of its new jobs is already being adjusted in its next set of patches.

Battlefield 2042’s Dead Space crossover , which arrives in its final seventh season next week, just makes the absence of a Dead Space 2 remake hurt all that more.

Factorio’s long-awaited expansion Space Age and its 2.0 update arrive this October , with the expansion costing as much as the original game - it sounds like you’ll get more than your money’s worth, though.

Escape from Tarkov will now grant players in-game currency as a bounty for reporting cheaters , as part of devs Battlestate Games’ ongoing war against ne’er-do-wells in the extraction shooter.

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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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