The Outer Worlds 2: Best Skills

The best Skills to focus on when creating your Commander

Image credit:Obsidian

Wondering what the best Skills are in The Outer Worlds 2? As is the case with most RPGs , at the start of The Outer Worlds 2 you’ll allocate points into a selection of Skills in order to customise your Commander. These 12 Skills range from the self-explanatory “Guns” and “Explosives” to more nebulous descriptors like “Leadership”.

As we explained in our beginner’s guide to The Outer Worlds 2 , some Skills are better than others, particularly during your first playthrough. This guide outlines the best Skills in The Outer Worlds 2 , and also presents a Skills tier list to let you know which are most the vital to focus on.

The Outer Worlds 2: Best Skills

The best Skills in The Outer Worlds 2 are Guns, Hack, Lockpick, Melee, and Speech.

Below, we’ve ranked each Skill in a tier list. Keep scrolling for further details on why we’ve arranged them in this order.

S-Tier

Our picks for S-Tier are the typical ones - you know, shooting baddies and bopping them on the head with rods. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Obsidian

• Guns : The Outer Worlds 2 may be a roleplaying game, but it’s a sci-fi shooter at heart, and firearms are the main weapons that most players will be packing. Improving your Gun Skill means your ranged damage and armour penetration will both go up (by 10% and 1%, respectively) and even if you’re a melee Commander, there’s bound to be at least one peashooter amongst all of the Pistols, Rifles, and Shotguns on display that speaks to you.
• Lockpick : I didn’t invest in Lockpick initially, and quickly became annoyed in the intro mission, which features locked doors aplenty. Most of the locked rooms in The Outer Worlds 2 are full of inessential gear and other add-ons, and there are always ways to circumnavigate a barred-off entry point that’s necessary for the story. But why make life harder for yourself? Take Lockpick!
• Medical : Medical increases your maximum Toxicity, letting you use your Medical Inhaler more times without getting poisoned. You’ll also deal +5% damage to creatures, which is a decent add-on, even though most enemies in The Outer Worlds 2 are human. Really, it’s all about the additional healing here - you can’t rely on Valerie’s syringes all the time, especially if you fail to complete A Healthy improvement , the quest that upgrades her kit.
• Melee : In a world full of guns, the coolest Commander is the one who beats dudes up with a cudgel. Melee weapons aren’t as widespread in The Outer Worlds 2 as ranged, but they’re still fun and powerful, especially when combined with Sneak. For a satisfying stealth kill that will help you save ammo, build up your Melee, and keep a sharp or blunt stick by your side.
• Speech : Speech provides varied dialogue choices, which isn’t that impressive on its own. But whenever you choose combat with an NPC via dialogue, you’ll either debuff them or buff your party depending on how high your Speech Skill is, which is supremely handy.

A-Tier

Science is a nice Skill to bump up if you want to use your Gadgets, like this cool thing that lets you see past walls and view electrical wire connections. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Obsidian

• Hack : Hack is very useful, as it lets you infiltrate the many private terminals, security systems, and other gizmos that litter the world. Combine this one with Sneak if you’re into stealthing around a highly-guarded compound, disabling computers as you go. Hack also works against the automech enemies who harass you throughout the game, as it lets you disable them via Manual Reset, one of the best Perks in The Outer Worlds 2 .
• Sneak : For the space ninja wannabes out there, Sneak is worth a point or three. And if you’re developing a Melee-focused build, then Sneak should get the majority of your attention, as it gives you +35% Sneak Attack damage. The only issue with Sneak is that it’s useless when entering boss fights, alas.
• Science : You’ll collect Gadgets throughout The Outer Worlds 2 that let you do everything from see through walls to fire globs of acid, and Science boosts your Gadget Energy meter maximum by +7 when you select it. It also increases the stacks of non-physical damage side-effects that you apply with your weapons - so if you’re inflicting elemental damage via a Shock-infused scythe, Science is a mighty asset.

B-Tier

I love blowing stuff up and knocking guys skyward. The Explosives Skill lets you do just this, but I ended up using it less in my playthrough than I hoped. |Image credit:Obsidian

• Engineering : Engineering lets you fix certain mechanical systems and get around broken doors and such if you don’t have Lockpick. It also opens up dialogue options and gives you +1% damage resistance. This can be handy, but Lockpick or Hack are better choices for most of the bonuses that Engineering provides, and you can add Mods to your armour to get damage resistance.
• Explosives : Explosives is fun in theory. Taking this Skill increases grenade and mine damage by +10% and gives you +1% damage resistance against them. All fine and good, but explosive ordnance is hard to come by in The Outer Worlds 2, and there aren’t that many enemies who will chuck stuff at you.

C-Tier

Leadership lets you lead these sexy folks more effectively. But you still can’t romance them… |Image credit:Obsidian

• Leadership : All Leadership does is increase Companion damage and Companion Health. This Skill’s only worth investing in if you decide to work your way towards the Negotiator Perk , which is a solid choice for roleplay enthusiasts. Otherwise, it’s meh. The Outer World 2’s Companions are great, but you shouldn’t be relying on them that much!
• Observation : While good in many other RPGs, I never found Observation terribly worthwhile in The Outer Worlds 2. It lets you see hidden objects and sometimes notice behavioural patterns in NPCs. You’ll also get +15% Weakspot damage when aiming, which might be handy for those using a Sniper Rifle, but isn’t necessary for most.

Now that you know the best Skills in The Outer Worlds 2, hopefully you’re on your way to building a well-rounded Commander. For additional intel on navigating the stars and saving Arcadia, refer to our guides on all Pets in The Outer Worlds 2 and all 5 Mural locations in Golden Ridge .

The Outer Worlds 2

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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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