Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2’s PC performance is alright, even without much help from its settings

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Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Focus Entertainment

I’ve been looking forward to playing Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 for yonks, but had convinced myself that performance-testing it would have some of my lesser graphics cards quivering in their PCIe slots. All those onscreen ‘Nids, yeah? And the stutterfest that was the recent preview build ? Surely enough to make a Tech-Priest shed at least one oily tear.

But nah, turns out it’s fine. Pretty good, actually – perhaps not to the extent that you should tackle Space Marine 2 on a crusty notebook (or, for the record, a Steam Deck ), but it runs decently on minimum specs and is noticeably more stable than in that preview. The only thing that might offend your PC’s machine spirit is some quality setting weirdness, where dropping or raising the graphics options can produce inconsistent results.

Fair warning then that this might be a ‘whack on DLSS / FSR and be done with’ kind of job, if it’s faster framerates you seek. But we’ll get to that further down; first, a newly post-launch sitrep of how Space Marine 2 performs on different hardware.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Focus Entertainment

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 PC performance and system requirements

I don’t know when every AAA game studio got together and shadow-caballed their way into agreeing on the Intel Core i5-8600K, Nvidia GTX 1060 and AMD RX 580 should be the standard minimum components for everything, but hey, at least there’s no nasty surprises here. I’d mainly advise taking heed of that SSD requirement: Space Marine 2 on a hard drive is mostly playable, but I was getting 3-4 minute load times and desynchronised lip flaps in cutscenes when I tried it. Some microstuttering, too, which simply wasn’t present on an SSD.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 minimum specs (1080p/30fps)

• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X / Intel Core i5-8600K
• RAM: 8GB RAM
• GPU: 6GB VRAM, AMD Radeon RX 580 / Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 75GB available space, SSD required

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 recommended specs (1080p/60fps)

• OS: Windows 10/11 64-bit
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X / Intel Core i7-12700
• RAM: 16GB RAM
• GPU: 8 GB VRAM, AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT / Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 75GB available space, SSD required

Indeed, equip yourself with the right storage and the chances of stuttering, jittering, or otherwise hiccupping seem greatly reduced in this launch build. I’ve also only suffered one crash in all my hours of playing and benchmarking, and that was on the main menu – Space Marine 2 feels impressively solid, tech-wise, for a game that regularly fills your monitor with hundreds of gnashing, particle effect-spewing aliens.

PC-specific features don’t go very far beyond the basics, as while Nvidia DLSS and AMD FSR 2 are present and correct, their frame generation equivalents ( DLSS 3 and FSR 3 ) are not. Ultrawide support isn’t quite ready yet either, apparently – the game’s DLC roadmap lists this as coming later in September. Still, Space Marine 2 can play nice with older PC hardware, including the min spec-listed GTX 1060. Using a particularly war-heavy early mission as a benchmark, I saw this card average 39fps on the Low preset, with TAA running at native 1080p. That’s 9fps higher the official target, and it crept up to a smoother 49fps with FSR upscaling on Quality mode.

The recommended spec’s RTX 3070 also overdelivered, scoring 67fps at native 1080p with Ultra settings. This is a fine GPU for 1440p, as well: I got 60fps at native res, still on the Ultra preset, and swapping TAA for Quality-level DLSS bumped that up to 66fps.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Focus Entertainment

Of all the hardware I tried, the only thing that decisively fell under to the Tyranid hordes and effects blizzards was the Steam Deck. This could sometimes manage 30fps on the Low preset and with FSR 2 on Performance mode, but teetered far too often into the twenties to be comfortable. There’s another, faster tier of FSR, Ultra Performance, but the standard Performance setting was already blurring details to the point where text and prompts were becoming illegible, so cutting the quality further isn’t really a viable solution.

At least more powerful handhelds, like the Asus ROG Ally X , should get by with the resolution set to 720p. And low-end kit won’t necessarily force you down to the lowest settings, as my RTX 4050 -powered gaming laptop produced a playable 36fps at Medium/1080p without upscaling.

Likewise, you don’t need absolute top-tier hardware for the higher resolutions. Besides the RTX 3070’s spirited 1440p effort, the RTX 4070 Ti – which Nvidia markets as a Quad HD engine – managed 63fps at 4K, the Ultra preset getting a helping hand from DLSS on Quality. That’s just a few frames less than the RTX 4090’s 69fps on the same settings. Although, I did notice that when I dropped the RTX 4070 Ti back to 1440p duty, all other settings unchanged, it only rose from 63fps to 67fps. That suggests that Space Marine 2’s performance is heavily CPU-dependent, rather than purely reliant on the GPU, so make sure both components are up to par if you want to avoid bottlenecking a luxury graphics card.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Focus Entertainment

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 best settings guide

Space Marine 2’s generally painless preset performance does make it less crucial to spend time fine-tuning the settings, which is just as well, because ehhhh, uhhhh, ummm. How do I put this: y’know how in most games, dropping from the highest to lowest settings will make everything less pretty, but dramatically up the framerate? Space Marine 2 tries an innovative new approach of Not That, where the Low preset is only selectively less detailed than Ultra, and thus only runs slightly quicker.

You may see bigger differences if your PC has a newer/stronger CPU than my test rig’s Core i5-11600K, but with an RTX 4060 at native 1080p, the 63fps on all-Ultra settings merely rose to 70fps on Low. With, for what it’s worth, 65fps on High and 67fps on Medium. This presents a challenge to working out the best individual settings combination, as each option is only going to grant a tiny pinch of extra frames apiece. If any.

For the sake of comprehensiveness – and because let’s face it, I haven’t written anything on RPS in over two weeks – I’m still gonna run through how every individual setting affects performance. Specifically, how they changed that 63fps result on Ultra…

Render resolution/Resolution upscaling: This is arguably your single best bet for polishing up performance. Swapping from native-res TAA to DLSS upscaling, on Quality mode, boosted the RTX 4060 up to 68fps – a result that was equally matched with FSR 2 on Quality.

Motion blur intensity: This doesn’t affect performance either way, so switch it off if you please.

Texture filtering: The difference between Ultra and Low here was a measly 1fps in the latter’s favour.

Texture resolution: Again, dropping from Ultra to Low only yielded a tiny improvement to 1fps, so it’s not really worth cutting. The exception might be if you’re short on VRAM, in which case High is fine.

Shadows: This proved one of the more impactful settings to lower, but ditching Ultra for Low still only got the RTX 4060 up from 63fps to 66fps.

Screen space ambient occlusion: This one might actually be worth dropping, just not all the way. Whereas turning SSAO off entirely netted me 66fps, the Default setting was only just behind at 65fps, and looked a little better.

Screen space reflections: Disabling reflections got my RTX 4060 up to 66fps, though that’s a pretty stingy increase in exchange for a visible detail loss in certain areas. If you insist on cutting, just drop to Default instead.

Volumetrics: With 65fps on Low, this is another low-impact setting that’s likely not worth cutting outside of budget GPUs.

Effects: This produced 65fps on Low as well.

Details: With 66fps on Low and 65fps on Medium, this is yet another setting you should only drop if you’re badly struggling.

Cloth simulation: A paltry increase to 64fps on Low means you can safely leave those Astartes-pattern loincloths waving around at max quality.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Focus Entertainment

What’s frustrating about these settings isn’t so much the lack of extra performance they can unlock, but how all their little individual increases fail to add up when combined together. The tiny differences between presets are an example of this, as was what happened when I tried to test a custom setup that made cuts to shadows, details, and SSAO, while adding DLSS on Quality mode: all together, this only got me up to 68fps, equal to just using DLSS by itself. Damn and, to be certain, blast.

Basically, then, there’s not really a bespoke settings lineup that will work wonders on a wide variety of PCs. Instead, I’m going to suggest that you start with whichever preset gets you good-enough performance as it comes, then try the following settings one by one (and in descending priority) to see if they can smooth Space Marine 2 out any further.

• Render resolution: Quality,
• Resolution upscaling: DLSS or FSR 2
• Shadows: Low
• SSAO: Default
• Screen space reflections: Default
• Details: Medium
• Volumetrics: Low
• Effects: Low

I suspect most GPU/CPU combos will stop seeing improvements after just a couple of these, but lower-end rigs might still see some limited benefits.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II

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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