Total Warhammer 3 without touching grass: Noctilus accidentally looks up ‘avast’ in the dictionary

Zombies love me, fish fear me.

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Total War: Warhammer 3 - 1”>

Image credit:Creative Assembly

Well, swaggle me horns and fasten me timbers so they stop shivering like that, because the noise is quite irritating. Welcome back to another edition of Plundertales - my quest to conquer strategy game Total War: Warhammer 3 without ever stepping foot on dry land. If you don’t know the other rules by now, I can only assume you’ve been living under an extremely specific type of rock that changes nothing about your life except preventing you from reading the previous two editions of this column. Who would carve such a rock? How would it even work? These are lubber-tier queries and shall remain unanswered, because it’s plundering time. Avast!

It’s turn 30. When we last parted ways with Noctilus, he’d just made a series of truly genius tactical decisions, but then stubbed his pinkie, leaving him in need of some replenishment. We ask some nearby elves nicely if we can borrow their city, they accept, and then we murder them all anyway, because we’re bloody pirates! Break out the pirate beverages! Bring the snacks! Once, I wrote a gag about Agent 47 eating some baklava from the market and someone on Steam wrote a massive rant about how this was proof that all games journalists are ivory tower poshos, then called me ‘scum’. Noctilus can have some Wotsits or whatever.

Image credit:Creative Assembly

It’s turn 32 and freak winds from wherever winds come from give us a bonus to campaign movement. Last time, be-tailed pirate menace Sloppy Cruickshank had been spotted scurrying about in our general vicinity, but we’re running out time to help Slaanesh daemon N’kari from getting wiped out, so we hoist the sails and head north. By turn 33 , we’ve arrived at the next port city on our kill list. It should have been an easy fight, but Yvresse leader Eltharion the Grim is garrisoned there with a huge army. We dismantle a few zombies in Pip’s army to help with our cash flow, and prepare for what’s sure to be another easy routine battle. Foreshadowing is a literary de…

Image credit:Creative Assembly

On the eve of the battle, the bad omens begin to mount up. First, Montgunnery finds a lemon wedge in his grog, just in time to bin it before it threatens the cure the scurvy that’s basically keeping his skin attached at this point. Then, the cannon-cleaning monkey gets stuck in a bore and has to gnaw his own feet off to escape. We later discover he could have just removed his hat. Then, curse of all curses, a weevil-chewed dictionary falls from the sky and lands at Count Noctilus’ feet, forcing him to learn what ‘Avast’ actually means. He has…not been using it correctly at least 70% of the time. Shaken, he stumbles to his quarters to avast himself of a good night’s rest.

Sunrise cracks the skyline like a ripe monkey egg, and it’s time for battle. I load in and, just as the signs foretold, we’re already off to bad start. I could not draw a worse map for an army that relies on artillery if you’d avast me to. Also, the elves have been working their disgusting magic, and the whole thing has been glamoured to look like its covered in grass. It’s not real, of course, because Noctilus is touching it and, as you may have heard by now, I will never touch grass.

Image credit:Creative Assembly

Noctilus’ messenger monkey swings into his tent with yet more bad news. Enemy reinforcements have been spotted on the way, and they’re due to arrive on our side of the field, leaving us even less space to set up our artillery. It also means that we’ll have to either spread our firing zones or designate a melee force - troops we need to cover our guns - to deal with them. “I am the melee force!” shouts Noctilus. He surprises even himself with how commanding and resolute he sounds, but then realises that his only audience is a monkey. That’s like, five bad omens in a row now.

The first half of the fight doesn’t go too badly for us. Despite the foliage, our artillery manages to do some decent work softening up the approaching elves. We hide some mournguls further forward on the left, who do a bang up job slowing down the elf’s flanking force of cavalry. Remember when I said the map was terrible for us? It’s actually worse than that, since we’re at the bottom of a slope on the whole left side. I could have set up further along, but then I’d have the reinforcements arrive straight behind me. Instead, I now have to deal with elven archers on higher ground. My artillery does its best, but they’re still able to set up some nasty bow lines.

Image credit:Creative Assembly

When reinforcements arrive in Twarhammer 3, they take a while to get into formation, so you’ve usually got a grace period of about ten seconds where the entire force is clumped up in a fat line, ripe for spellcasting and the like. I manage to lay down my bonus cannons, then send Noctilus in. Being a single entity in a mass of troops, they all clump up around him. It’s then I turn my entire payload on them, wreaking absolute havoc. Normally, I’d be feeling quite smug right now, but focusing on the reinforcing army has meant no artillery left to deal with the main force, who are now well and truly on top of us. Then, with the screeching cacophony of a thousand monkeys laying eggs simultaneously, Eltharion appears overhead on his griffin, poised to dive straight into our back line.

What follows is chaos. And not the good kind, where we can loot the bodies afterward. And not the other good kind, who are well known for killing elves. No, this is the kind of chaos wherein our mostly ranged army is rendered impotent as, well, zombies with guns. Elves pile in from all sides. Most of our mortars are shut down quickly. After a triumphant final volley, Queen Bess - the greatest cannon that ever lived - collapses into a heap upon the cursed elven grass.

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Total War: Warhammer 3 - 7”>

Image credit:Creative Assembly

Noctilus looks up from doing his favourite trick with the point of his halberd where he plucks out an eyeball from one elf and shoves it up another’s nose, and rapidly surveys the carnage around him. Everywhere, zombies - some he’s known since they were knee-high to two other zombies sewn together - litter the battlefield. As the last of his ranks crumble and collapse, he feels the ghostly butterfly of a prideful sensation flutter betwixt his ribs. Despite being outnumbered and surrounded, his shooty lads have managed to whittle down Eltharion to a sliver of health. The high elf leader and his large bird flee the field, but it’s not enough to swing the balance of power. Soon, only Noctilus is left, surrounded by too many elves to even have space to do the eyeball thing.

Image credit:Creative Assembly

The blows and arrows hurt at first. Slicing, piercing pain, first as individual wounds, then as an indistinguishable wave of agony. Then, as fast as it came, the pain gives way to something else; a soporific acceptance of his fate. Noctilus has but one final thing he must do. A deep curiosity that’s lived inside him longer that he’d ever admit. As he falls, he extends a hand outward. When he meets the ground, he summons the last tatters of strength left in him, and grasps the verdant blades that surround him. Is….this what grass feels like? Is this…what I’ve been missing this whole time? Is this….happiness?

Lol. Lmao. Gotcha. Noctilus died and never touched grass. And neither did I. Fin .

Total War: Warhammer III

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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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