Tim Cain has taken his Fallout and The Outer Worlds dev stories to YouTube - and he’s having a great time

The semi-retired Cain tells us that “there is so much about being a game director that is not fun”

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Private Division

Tim Cain wrote what is perhaps gaming’s most famous and influential monologue: the introduction to Fallout . “War never changes,” he says. “People loved it. I’m like, ‘I must be a writer.’” Yet much more recently, when Cain sat down to write his memoirs, nobody really liked what came out on the page. “I was really, really bad at it,” he says. “I had half a dozen people read it, and they all pretty much said that the stories were good, but my writing wasn’t.”

Cain’s writing strengths, as fellow Fallout originator Leonard Boyarsky has suggested, lie in shortform. Which was bad news for anyone who wanted to read the definitive account of his four decades at the heart of Interplay, Troika and Obsidian, three of the most important RPG studios of all time. Thankfully, though, it turns out Cain is a natural raconteur. The same anecdotes that appeared flat and toneless in his memoirs go down a storm on YouTube. There, for the past seven months, Cain has been delivering his stories straight to camera, as if at a dinner party with 73,500 other people. “When I started the channel, I would effectively just look at something in the book and be like, ‘I’ll tell that story today,’” he says. “Now I spend as much time answering questions and doing videos based on things people ask about.”

Unintentionally, Cain On Games has become healthy counterprogramming to popular YouTubers who make sweeping assumptions about how game development works. Among Tim’s recent videos are titles like ‘Marketing The Outer Worlds ’, ‘Game Production Stages’ and ‘Focus Group Testing’. Cain didn’t realise how much knowledge he was taking for granted - and how fascinated viewers would be by the nitty-gritty.

The videos that have made headlines, however, are the ones that reveal juicy RPG secrets: a proposed trilogy of Vampire - Bloodlines games that Cain forgot about; the elevator pitch of The Outer Worlds as ‘Fallout meets Firefly’; a blow-by-blow account of why Cain left Fallout and Interplay behind. Some of these stories involve professional upsets and bust-ups with bosses. Yet where they get personal or painful, Cain is never less than philosophical - explaining the sequence of events with dispassionate calm rather than the ire of a disgruntled former employee. The smile and twinkle that defines his video thumbnails never slips into jadedness or cynicism.

Over the years, Cain has kept everything, from the task lists made at Troika so that jobs wouldn’t get forgotten between coding sessions and publisher meetings, to the late-night journals written to document arguments with colleagues. Today, these assorted notes provide material for YouTube.

Image credit:Bethesda Softworks

“Some of them I barely remember,” he says. “Like, I did a whole video on the original names for Fallout.” Thanks to Cain’s notes, we know that on June 19th of 1996, the team at Interplay bundled into a conference room and considered titles including Radstorm, Nuclear Summer, and Hiroshima Revisited. In May last year, Cain stifled his giggles as he ran through the list . “It was funny reading over those. But I didn’t [take those notes] because I thought, ‘25 years from now, this would make a great video.’”

Fallout was an early indicator of the design philosophy that has guided Cain throughout his working life. “I didn’t want a lot of things to be scripted,” he says. “I wanted things to be done systemically.” He still remembers coding the pickpocketing system. “It used the same interface as barter,” he says. “So because of that, automatically, it let you put things in.” In other words, you could reverse-pickpocket. Rather than shutting off that possibility, the Fallout team wrote a quest in which you could plant a recording device on a corrupt casino manager. What they didn’t anticipate was that QA testers would start slipping sticks of dynamite into the pockets of NPCs too.

Initially, the team was worried. “But then we were like, ‘This is fun. It’s an emergent property, why not? Why can’t you set the timer for 60 seconds, stick it in someone’s backpack and sneak away?’”

Just as the magic of Baldur’s Gate 3 is rooted in a full-hearted attempt to capture the open-endedness of Dungeons & Dragons, Fallout is a reflection of the freedom of GURPS, the tabletop system on which it was originally based. It becomes a different game, depending on the skills players invest in and the choices they make in the wasteland. “I didn’t want it to be the same experience for everyone,” Cain says. “In order to do that, we had to just make rules, and then let the rules go wherever they go. Not hard-code it.”

In one early quest, the village elder’s daughter, Tandi, is kidnapped by the Khan raiders. By Cain’s count, there are 12 or 14 distinct ways of resolving that situation. “Only a few of them are scripted,” he says. “The rest are completely systemic, that just come out of the rules of either using explosives, or stealth, or combat. Even I was surprised at how many different ways QA found to rescue Tandi.”

Testers also discovered that if you didn’t take Tandi back to the village of Shady Sands, you effectively got an extra companion tailing you through the game. “So we added dialogue. Whenever you entered a new map, if it wasn’t Shady Sands, occasionally Tandi would plaintively go, ‘Why are we here? What aren’t you taking me home? I’m young and not very experienced, could you please take me back to my family?’”

“Player agency is huge in my games. I don’t necessarily want control.”

It’s an approach which holds player-told stories in higher regard than any bespoke plotline - and which went on to shape the games of Troika, the legendary studio Cain set up with Boyarsky and Jason Anderson. It showed up in Arcanum , The Temple Of Elemental Evil and Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines , even as the systemic side of RPGs slid out of the mainstream. “This isn’t new, but I have noticed it in modern designers, especially narrative designers - they’re afraid to lose control of the game,” Cain says. “But player agency is huge in my games. I don’t necessarily want control.”

That’s borne out by Cain’s career path, which has often seen him step back into support roles rather than cling onto creative directorship. Obsidian went to great lengths to persuade him to lead development of The Outer Worlds - even hiring Boyarsky in 2016 to create the ideal environment in which Cain would be comfortable bouncing around ideas for a new series.

“There is so much about being a game director that is not fun,” he says. “And I get that some people hold onto it because they like power. But for me, I had so much fun making Pillars Of Eternity , which Josh Sawyer conceived. I knew it was in good hands, which meant I could also let go of a lot of pressure. I get to work on a great game, but I don’t have to go through these meetings where people are yelling at each other.”

Image credit:Obsidian Entertainment

Letting go has led Cain to a state of semi-retirement, in which he runs his channel, builds solo games for fun, and consults on larger projects like The Outer Worlds 2 . “There are games I want to make,” he says. “But either I think there’s nobody who would make them, or I don’t think I’m willing to put forth the effort to get them made. I’ve been promised too many times, ‘You’ll have final say, we’ll take care of you, this will all be great,’ and that didn’t happen. I’m unwilling to believe it for the eighth time.”

For The Outer Worlds 2, he plays through all the levels to give design feedback, and pays special attention to its lore and comedic tone. “There’s stuff they’re trying to do in the sequel, that of course I can’t talk about, that I get pulled in on because it’s similar to stuff I’ve done in the past,” he says. “Sometimes it’s just me saying, ‘I’m not gonna tell you what to do, but here are the pitfalls. Here are some of the huge, huge chasms that lie in your way, that you’re gonna have to wend around.’”

Yet in at least one instance, an Obsidian developer has figured out the solution to a problem Cain has wanted to solve since Fallout - a feature we’re likely to see show up in The Outer Worlds 2. “I not only told him how impressed I was, I found my notes from 28 years before,” Cain says. “I said, ‘Let me read you a few lines from a production meeting in July of ‘95…’”

Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game

PC

The Outer Worlds

PS4 , Xbox One , PC , Nintendo Switch

Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines

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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