We need some better terms for GenAI output - “slop” is too benign

Howl’s puking castle

Image credit:Snail Games USA

Earlier this month, Snail Games put out a widely and justifiably clowned-on genAI trailer for Ark: Survival Evolved ’s Aquatica DLC. Much reporting on the incident, including my own, used some variation of “slop” in the headline.

This has likely been true for some time, but it made me notice that ‘slop’ had evolved from a common adjective into the realm of de facto terminology. If you dislike GenAI, you refer to its output as ‘slop’. It’s become lexi-canonical.

I think we can do better. “Slop” evokes a tepid cylinder of condensed cream of mushroom soup, glumly wibbling in a chipped bowl. When I think of GenAI, I picture something closer to tropical insects laying eggs beneath soft flesh of victims. There’s something parasitical and sinister about flaying the skin of artists who’ve explicitly spoken out against GenAI and then gleefully parading around in that stolen flesh. Slop sounds like Soft sounds like Plop sounds like Globule. It slides down too easy; gets off too lightly.

There are some positives to a term, any term, becoming widely used as ‘slop’ is. It lends the position (e.g disgust and mockery at Thing That Is Shit) a sense of power through consensus in both zeitgeist and Googeist. ‘Slop’ is compact. ‘Slop’ is fun to say; scatologically onomatopoeic in the way it evokes poop or vomit hitting toilet water.

‘Slop’ says: this is formless trash. It has no structure because it lacks intentionality. It nicely captures GenAI’s laughable ineptness, while dismissing it as something of value. It’s evocative and distinct, and I can see why we’ve settled on it. But it’s also a bit too benign for my tastes. As it solidifies into cliche, it runs the risk that all cliches do: it does your thinking for you, pouring meaning into an ice-lolly mould and freezing it in place.

So, because overuse is tantamount to death for both metaphor and satire, I have gathered together some mostly unserious suggestions; alternative terms to reach for when you’re considering trotting out ‘slop’ automatically. While I do not believe any of them adequately capture the many shitty facets of GenAI art, my hope is that each of them at least evoke some facets currently underserved by ‘slop’.

Shit Niblets

When someone shows off their latest uncanny clip, sutured together from shreds of other people’s hard work with rusty pins and greasy string, and claims that they ‘made’ it, I cannot help but imagine someone approaching a governmental agriculture board seeking farming subsidies on the basis that they occasionally find niblets of sweetcorn in their poop. “I’m a farmer!” they declare, their palms proudly outstretched to present their chunky, reeking crop to the assembled board members. “Look at all this corn I grew!”. But you didn’t grow the fucking corn, did you Gary? Someone else grew the corn. You just shoved it into a hole and sat down for a bit. And you didn’t ‘make’ that clip of Studio Ghibli does Severance either, you twat.

Bro’st-modern art

I do not believe it is a coincidence that many people who support this stuff ( “the worst people on LinkedIn” as archetype , people that only ever read self-help books then wonder why their souls sit so empty they need so many self-help books in the first place) are the kind of brotastic broheims that find themselves utterly brodazzled by the possibility of being able to do art without engaging in the uncomfortable position of having to make art. The reason? Making art is gay . End product is product (acceptable), process is at best inconvenient, at worst vulnerable. Effete. Unproductive. Very un-bro of you, bro.

Oh, you’re doing a little drawing? You’re studying physicality and form with the aim to grasp a solid set of fundamentals from which to explore new, strange forms and hitherto unrealised horizons? Sounds pretty gay to me bro. You’re researching camera lenses when you could be listening to two men who look like sentient cubes of corned beef rail against seed oil between adverts for pills that make your testicles swell up so big you could slap the actual sun around? Weird, that. Bit sus, actually.

You’re waking up before sunrise to listen to the bird song and catch the dew and maybe write a short poem in the rare serenity granted before the world bursts into cacophonous activity? Bro, that is ice bath time, bro. The only golden hour I want to hear about is one filled with shimmering shitcoins, bro.

Maybe it’s worse than gay. Maybe it’s even degenerat e. It’s 2025, bro. Time moves fast; all speed, all fury. Taking fifteen minutes to sketch is basically tantamount to languishing on a chaise longues honking opium from a pipe woven from unicorn pubes. For every second you spend choosing oil paints, one (1) Western civilisation dies. The lionisation of aesthetic beauty as cultural power paired with the denigration of the pursuit of beauty for its own sake? Starting to come around to that whole ’ new aesthetic of fascism ’ idea, honestly.

Cuckoolaid

I’m sorry for how convoluted this is getting, I truly am. Thing is, most parasites have long, awkward latin names. So I have chosen the brood parasitic Cuckoo, then cleverly portman-tied its name to ‘Kool Aid’. The result: cult-like devotion to thieving wankery.

Something that baffles me about incidents such as the recent proliferation of Ghibli themed AI images is this: how can you even bear to think about, let alone enjoy, the work of an artist who you know would despise you for what you’ve done to their creation? If someone in a band gives me a side-eye for dancing badly at a gig, I get so embarrassed I can’t listen to their music for years afterward without cringing.

These shitting images simu-lack a single scrap of flimsy legitimacy that isn’t lifted from the aesthetic touchstones of prior beloved work. Beloved is key here. They are not evocative but reminiscent. Love is required for them to be worth anything, yet love is necessarily absent because they only exist in spite of . Appreciation of the source material is paradoxically both required and fundamentally incompatible with such parasitic vandalism. Do not drink the Cuckoolaid, friend.

Hot Sloppy

To revive the power of ‘slop’, it becomes necessary to defamilarise it with slight enough touch as to not bury its original qualities under semantic tinkering. Thus, I have chosen ‘hot sloppy’ - my favourite horrible term for poop due to its disgusting vividness, evocative discomfort, and for the fact that while ‘slop’ could adequately describe a portion of unappealing though still perfectly edible oatmeal, there is no mistaking ‘hot sloppy’ for anything but pure steaming shite. No notes.

We’re left needing terms for voice-acting specific slop - an issue that’s likely even more relevant to games right now, what with the SAG-AFTRA strikes . Crypto slop could also do with its own special nomenclature. And then there’s games like Paradise that seem to combine every flavour of slop under the sun . I’ve just used ‘slop’ again three times in that paragraph. It’s reign might just be unassailable, after all. Then again, GenAI evangelists say the same the thing about their product. I’ll leave the details to you, anyway. Enjoy being creative! It’s fun when you put the effort in.

Ark: Survival Evolved

Android , iOS , PS4 , Xbox One , PC , Nintendo Switch

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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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