Watch out Prince Of Persia, there’s another platforming-packed Metroidvania coming to steal your crown

Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU impresses with its 30-minute Next Fest demo

Image credit:EA

Confession time, folks. Of all the games shown off during The Game Awards last December, Tales Of Kenzera: Zau was the one I glossed over the most. Listen, it was very early in the morning at the time, and it must have come at a peak eyes-glazing-over moment for me. However, having now played the first 30 minutes of Tales Of Kenzera thanks to its just-released early Steam Next Fest demo, I have seen the error of my ways. The demo might only cover the game’s opening, but this 2.5D Metroidvania already looks to be quite the promising newcomer in this ever-crowded genre - so much so that it may even be able to go toe to toe with Ubisoft’s Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown . Yep, I went there.

At the heart of Tales Of Kenzera is its eponymous shaman Zau, who begins the demo very much in the throes of mourning his recently deceased father. Developer Surgent Studio’s creative lead Abubakar Salim has spoken previously about how the game was originally borne out of his own experience of losing his dad, and it’s clear right from the off that this Metroidvania is going to be as much of an emotional journey as it is a physical one played out through your finger taps and button presses. Crucially, though, Tales Of Kenzera seems refreshingly earnest in how it’s gone about portraying that grief onscreen, with its both its dialogue and voice performances conveying a lot more nuance and depth of feeling than you might expect.

Image credit:EA

That said, it’s still clearly very video game-y, as straight off the bat, Zau makes a pact with Kalunga, the god of death, to bring his dad back to life - a premise that has historically never ended well for anyone involved, but one that does involve bringing Kalunga the spirits of three great beasts who have defied shuffling off their mortal coils. Yep, that sure sounds like one handy recipe for a rollicking Metroidvania to me, doesn’t it?

Kalunga is less than convinced that Zau will be able to pull it off, but it didn’t take much to convince him he’s worth keeping an eye on either. Zau’s a capable and affable chap, after all, able to double jump, wall jump and dash through waterfalls (and other spirit enemies) with ease, feeling just as athletic and easy to control as Sargon from The Lost Crown. Zau can also call upon the power of the sun and moon thanks to a pair of masks passed down to him from his father, which he can switch between at will to give him different shamanic abilities. The sun mask is all about fiery, up close and personal melee combat, while the moon mask is focused more on ranged and magical attacks, and each has their own upgrade path to follow as well. Only the moon mask will let you unlock a parry, say, while the sun mask gives you a powerful downward strike to blast enemies from above with.

At first, there’s admittedly not much separating how each mask feels under the thumbs. Enemies weren’t obviously susceptible to one mask more than the other, for instance, and it’s not like attacking with one charged up or fed the ferocity of the other one in reserve. If anything, I found the moon mask more cumbersome to use, as it only has so many magical bolts you can fire before it forces a timed cooldown to recover. But that cooldown/stamina bar doesn’t appear anywhere onscreen to tell you how close you are to the end of your combo string, making it hard to account for and plan around in the heat of battle. It wasn’t the end of the world, mind - the enemies present during this early part of the demo weren’t too complicated to take down, and I was able to get by without it being a major issue. Elsewhere, Tales Of Kenzera’s combat felt pretty sound overall, and a quick glance of each mask’s upgrade trees suggests they’ll diverge in some quite interesting ways to make them feel more distinct as the game goes on.

Image credit:EA

The platforming challenges felt suitably taxing as well considering the section I played was still just the tutorial, with spiky, insta-death rock formations book-ending slippery waterway on show, as well as crushing pillar slams, and lots of nooks and crannies that were only accessible with co-ordinated double jumps and air dashes. I also spotted an optional challenge room off the beaten path that upped the ante quite a bit compared to the main questline. These will reward you with special buff-giving trinkets you can equip whenever you stop by a work bench (similar to The Lost Crown’s amulets and Wak-Wak trees), though the demo suggests you’ll only be able to equip one of these at a time. For now, at least. Given this is a Metroidvania, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were further upgrades down the line that let you carry more.

What really impressed me about Tales Of Kenzera, though, is how it seems to be binding its Bantu-inspired tales, myths and story beats into its wider platforming. Despite Zau’s initial confidence in summoning Kalunga, for example, you can see his grief and frustration start to bleed through into his dialogue and behaviour even in the space of 30 minutes. This gets him into a slightly sticky situation in the latter half of the demo, where he ends up tumbling into a watery ravine after an old bridge collapses when he tries racing across it. It’s a good framing device for what you’re about to play next, but the fallout of his actions is also handled with surprising care and sensitivity in the moments of dialogue that follow. Kalunga is a stern, but refreshingly forgiving guide, it turns out, and the way he talks with Zau as they try and get themselves out of this literal and metaphorical hole feels almost - dare I say it - fatherly, thanks in no small part to the heartfelt performances of its voice cast. Kalunga proves to be anything but a grim reaper as the demo goes on, and the pair of them feel like they’re going to be quite good hangs for the rest of the game.

Image credit:EA

• Developer: Surgent Studios
• Publisher: EA
• Release: April 23rd 2024
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: £18/€20/$20

Similarly, when Zau comes across a shrine dedicated to another shaman (a power-up station by another name), Kalunga tells him a grand story about how this particular shaman once threw a small stone to stop a raging flood threatening his village in its tracks, freezing it solid so his friends could escape. Zau merely laughs at the idea of erecting an entire shrine to some bloke who just “threw a stone” one time, but the more he uses this newfound power to freeze waterfalls and wall-jump his way back to the surface, the more you can hear tinges of regret and embarrassment at his earlier childishness in his subsequent chats with Kalunga.

It’s neatly done, and it makes me feel optimistic about how the rest of Tales Of Kenzera will handle its themes of grief and mortality deeper into the game. If developer Surgent Studios can continue walking this fine tightrope without tipping over into shmaltzy sentimentality, then it could be quite special indeed. And this is also by the by, really, but if you’re looking at Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown and feeling the sting of the cost of it all, then you should be pleased to hear Tales Of Kenzera: Zau is launching for a mere £18/$20 when it arrives on April 23rd. So why not give its Steam Next Fest demo a go yourself to get an early taste of it? I’ll certainly be keeping an eye on Zau as we get closer to launch, so except some further thoughts closer to release.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU

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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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