TV show Leverage: Redemption has a great esports villain, even if its fake “fighting MOBA” is baffling

I cannot for the life of me figure out how to play Illumatrons

Image credit:Leverage 2.0 TV Holdings

A “third-person cyberpunk fighting MOBA”. A villainous esports team owner. A horde of teenagers Naruto-running through a convention centre. Even as a keen viewer of Leverage: Redemption, I was leery of the heist-o-rama tackling esports. And sure, its fake video game is baffling, but I was surprised by how many notes the esports episode hit right. With an Illumatrons team overworked to breaking point by an egotistical owner hawking dangerous supplements, it’ll take a con, a frame, fisticuffs, and powerful cheat software to save the day.

Leverage: Redemption (the post-cancellation continuation of Leverage) is a dramedy where a team of master criminals use their skills to help the hopeless. With a grifter, hacker, thief, fixer, and punchman, every episode is a con, or a heist, or a con concealing a heist, or a heist to double-cross a con heist heist con. Great fun. In the 2022 episode The Journament Job, the team help the sister of an esports player who’s mighty concerned about her brother Tam’s health and freedom ahead of a major tournament.

Image credit:Leverage 2.0 TV Holdings

We must talk about the game. Former corporate lawyer Harry (Noah Wyle, aka Carter off ER) declares Illumatrons to be “my favourite third-person cyberpunk fighting MOBA” and, well, I guess I can see elements of that if I squint. Players use MOBA terms like “diving”, the UI has MOBA-y elements, and the whole game does have the look of some 2015 MOBA which would have shut down before even leaving early access, but that’s about all. In the short clips of mocked-up action, I’m not sure I see MOBA or fighting game.

Even following the Criminal Minds method of guessing how a fake game would work, the best I can do is: it’s a 5v5 fighting game based heavily on out-planning your enemy before even throwing a punch. Professionally it’s played 5v5 on PC with keyboard and mouse, though the Leverage gang also play 1v1 with gamepads. Each round is a single teamfight where players initially pair off in 1v1s, and ends when one team is wiped out. Fights seem to unfold in a short sequence of moves which lock characters into long animations. Perhaps there’s a rock-paper-scissors element of picking the right move. Or perhaps there’s a lot of invisible high-APM skill in either continuing or breaking out from attacks? It doesn’t really matter, because the tournament Typhoon 7 is coming and the team Samurai Midnight are under a lot of pressure to win.

Like, I feel I half-remember posting about this game being cancelled, you know? |Image credit:Leverage 2.0 TV Holdings

Samurai Midnight are owned by Kyle Fury, a former pro American football player who was busted for drugs then played in lesser leagues until a knee injury took him out. After that, he ran various influencer and esports scams, launching his own vanishing cryptocurrency (Fury tokens), running “clickbait farms,” and now reinventing himself as “a clean living warrior” to hawk his own line of shakes and vitamins, the Fury Victory Program. Lad’s a wrong’un. Samurai Midnight are actually his second esports team, after the first collapsed with several psychotic breaks thanks to Kyle plying them with stimulants. I do not recommend the Fury Victory Program. Now he’s got Samurai Midnight functionally imprisoned: cut off from their families, threatened, bullied, and training non-stop under the supervision of a hulking ‘doctor’ who’s dosing them up. Even if Tam didn’t have a heart condition, it’s wildly unhealthy. But what are they to do? As grifter Sophie (Gina Bellman, aka Jane off Coupling) noted, “He promised them the career they’d always dreamed of, and he isolated them from everything they know.”

Prick |Image credit:Leverage 2.0 TV Holdings

Kyle Fury is a delightfully loathsome composite of gaming-adjacent influencers, scammers, and pricks. He aches to become a wealthy and respected business personality (his idol is an NFL player-turned-esports investor) and to hell with everyone else. As he says, “The only winner that matters is me.” And if Samurai Midnight burn out, he’ll just get a new team and “pump them full of whatever I want”. The scenario is wildly exaggerated but it works because enough parts feel woefully familiar. Of course Kyle did crypto. Of course he’s using players’ dreams against them. Of course he’s a “clean living warrior”. Of course he sells his own supplements. Of course his mouth is full of influencer wank.

“Illumatrons, it’s not just a game,” Kyle explains at one point. “Samurai Midnight, it’s not just a team. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a philosophy that allows you to control your own destiny. That’s what I’m giving these kids. I’m creating winners.”

Official Evo Moment #37, Daigo vs Justin Evo 2004 in HD Watch on YouTube

Evo Moment #37 was the point in Evo’s 2004 Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike tournament where, with only a sliver left in his health bar, Daigo Umehara’s Ken parried 15 consecutive kicks from the special move of Justin Wong’s Chun-Li. The crowd go wild, and grow wilder as the parries keep coming. Daigo then turns it around and tears through Justin in four seconds to take the round. The room explodes and the camera turns to face the screaming spectators now on their feet. That clip has spread far beyond fighting game fanatics. Even if you don’t know Street Fighter, don’t understand exactly what he was doing nor how precise the timing was, you know you’ve seen something special.

All esports face the problem of being indecipherable to outsiders, and I think MOBAs can be especially obtuse. A single teamfight can be an incomprehensible flurry of spells and special effects wrapping up decisively in seven seconds. And even if you know the MOBA, the event which most strongly influenced the outcome of that fight might have been a gank that happened 30 minutes ago. Let’s generously say that Illumatrons is a baffling game to us because how could we possibly hope to understand a fighting game/MOBA hybrid by watching five-second clips? Illumatrons really did need its own Evo Moment #37, for all our sakes.

Image credit:Leverage 2.0 TV Holdings

Oh, and what happens with Kyle Fury and Samurai Midnight? I’ll not recap the episode, but the Leverage crew plan to take him down with Illumatrons entrapment. They infiltrate his inner circle and offer him a “predictive cheating AI” that can scale all the way from boosting your stats for a subtle advantage to outright taking control and playing for you. With the tournament’s games hosted in a server van out back, they plan to film him breaking in to install the cheat and then expose him. But does any con go off without hitches and twists?

Before we go, I must point out that master thief Parker is played by Beth Riesgraf, who previously played a gaming fanatic in an episode of NCIS. I’ll probably not cover that in depth because we barely see any game but I would very much like to relay the fact that her character there holds “the top score in almost every MMORPG”. Lovely. Very good. Well done.

Parker ditches her cool thief fashion for this cybersuit and t-shirt cannon at the very end, and I suppose I should be grateful that the episode demonstrated restraint for as long as it did |Image credit:Leverage 2.0 TV Holdings

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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.

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ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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