The Outer Worlds 2’s faction writing falls short of Fallout: New Vegas, and how it handles the powerful is key

Rage against the machine

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Warning : Spoilers for Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds 2 lie ahead.

Fallout: New Vegas has been an elephant in the room when it comes to my experience playing The Outer Worlds 2. Game director Brandon Adler and creative director Leonard Boyarsky have respectively called it a “natural comparison” and a “touchstone” in their latest game’s development.

“It had a lot of the elements that we knew we wanted to push forward: the deeper RPG, the more omnipresent factions and how they fit into the world, the type of open story that we wanted to tell, and even just the exploration of the world itself,” Adler told GamesRadar back in August. “We even have a bunch of people at the studio that have already worked on [New Vegas]. It just really matched the values that we were trying to hit on this next game.”

As I wrote in my review , I don’t think New Vegas is the ideal comparison for The Outer Worlds 2. It belongs more in the realm of Avowed , not only sharing structural similarities with the fantasy RPG, but feeling like it’s at its best when it’s treading on the lighter side thematically, and focusing on just being plain fun. New Vegas, on the other hand, manages to nail that lighter side while also delivering a more serious and philosophical depth to its world, which has helped keep myself and others talking about it a decade and change down the line.

Drawing upon the post-apocalyptic America set up by Interplay’s classic Fallouts, which Boyarsky and fellow Outer Worlds 2 collaborator Tim Cain were key figures in creating, New Vegas presents a gritty battle to decide the future direction of a fractured nation gradually recovering from atomic devastation. The slate has been wiped clean by the old world’s fiery demise. A new chapter of history brings new factions headed by individuals keen to grab the wheel of humanity, as they claw to drag the world out of a chaotic state of nature where simply surviving from day to day is the only goal most people have.

The NCR, Caesar’s Legion, and New Vegas itself are all headed by one or a collection of highly-motivated ideologues, with the player capable of becoming a faction leader in turn if you take the Independent route. The ideas they each represent - a return to the ways of pre-war America; a radical and totalitarian rejection of that proposed return to a status quo which saw humanity drive itself to near annihilation; an autocratic rebuild at the hands of a staunch capitalist, who considers himself “a technological and economic visionary” - are the pillars the main narrative’s built on. New Vegas’ central goal is to have you engage with each of these visions, before letting you decide which of them you want to hand the wasteland’s ball to. Or, try to come up with a new doctrine which balances the fate of countless people on your own shoulders.

Image credit:Bethesda Softworks

The Outer Worlds 2, on the other hand, bases itself around the player’s quest as a chosen one to save the world, by stopping some science things doing a science thing. Main quest-wise, its war - between incumbent collectivist dictatorship The Protectorate, invading corporatists Auntie’s Choice, and determinist scholars The Order of the Ascendant - is a matter you generally engage with only in so much as it affects your ability to stop those science things. In line with that, these factions and their leadership often don’t feel as active as participants in shaping the game’s world as those in a deeper faction-heavy RPG would.

As for how the The Outer Worlds 2 got there - amid a push to keep the first game’s silliness, while driving into more difficult narrative territory - I think a fresh interview Boyarsky and Adler have given to The Verge offers some important insight. In it, Boyarsky says he and Cain “have always made games that are about what happens when people get power”, but that their goal alongside Adler wasn’t to have The Outer Worlds 2 feel like it was responding to the state of the world at a specific moment in time.

Interviewer Joshua Rivera then asks Boyarsky whether he reckons there’s a “meaner undercurrent” to the sequel’s satire, and whether this could lend itself to a harder-hitting examination of how the overbearing stewardship of corporations might feed the rise of fascism.

“We don’t talk about the fascist aspect of it, but we all end up in situations where we don’t have control,” Boyarsky responded. “Even people in power, whether it’s the real world or these games, I think people in power are as much victims of the system as anybody else. They think they’re in control of these things, but no one person can actually wield as much power as people want. Because you’re grown up in the system, you react based on how you were raised in the system, your beliefs that have come up through being told what’s right and wrong by your parents or society in general. So we all find ourselves in situations where it’s just like: I have no idea how I got here. I guess I gotta make the best of it.”

Image credit:Microsoft

Boyarsky’s position absolves those tasked with making decisions which have far-reaching consequences beyond themselves of having to take responsibility for those calls. We’re all certainly influenced by our circumstances, but to solely point your finger at the vague and faceless ‘system’ feels reductive, and rather cynical.

Privilege also plays into how inescapable the wider circumstances you’re blaming are, as those living on the breadline are more likely to find scenarios that are not of their making with no safety net, lacking the means to extricate themselves. As such, your ire’s best aimed at specific people who have more capacity to make change. Fuck Elon Musk, Jamie Dimon , and Nigel Farage, rather than just fuck capitalism. The system isn’t some invulnerable and inevitable thing which runs of its own accord. It’s people who uphold and advance its principles, those who profit off of it or use it as justification to stomp on others.

In The Outer Worlds 2’s case, it’s corporate bigwig Auntie setting in motion a hostile takeover of fellow corp Spacer’s Choice. Then invading Arcadia - the sector of space the game’s set in - in an effort to stake out a fiefdom which might help save her job if contact’s ever re-established with Earth. It’s The Protectorate’s Sovereign and Consul overseeing lobotomy-esque ‘mental refreshment’ of any citizens deemed to act outside of approved norms, then ignoring the needs of their populace to engage in a misguided mid-conflict power struggle the player is given no agency in. It’s the Order of the Ascendant’s presiding bishop Ruth Basar being so deep in the sums and how they might magically solve all the world’s problems that she fails to prevent a sect of her order going rogue, and planning to carry out a bunch of murders in service of their equations.

Image credit:Obsidian / Rock Paper Shotgun

The powerful aren’t victims. They might not be omnipotent, but they are complicit in whatever good, bad, or indifferent things are within their sphere of influence. However, The Outer Worlds 2 isn’t concerned with seriously holding these figures accountable for their actions, and the world they’ve created for the regular folk of Arcadia. Outside of allowing you to gun everyone down, it doesn’t offer the player much in the way of ways to influence these factions, or push their doctrines in different directions.

Instead, things mirror Boyarsky’s view that no one actually wields much power over their fate or the fate of the world around them. The result’s a game which views the world through a cynical smirk, with struggles portrayed in largely practical terms when you scratch their surface and ideologies treated more like pure buzzwords. They’re just the things people say to justify their self-focused muddling through.

It’s an interpretation of how societies work that leans into nihilism, rather than entertaining any idealism, and leads The Outer Worlds 2 off on a very different path in terms of RPG makeup than New Vegas.

Fallout: New Vegas

iOS , PS3 , Xbox 360 , PC

The Outer Worlds 2

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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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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