What’s on your bookshelf?: Deus Ex, Looking Glass Studios, and Otherside’s Warren Spector

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Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome back to Booked For The Week - our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folks about books! This week, it’s Looking Glass Studios’ legend, Deus Ex director, and Otherside ’s Warren Spector - who I suspect might have realised the very secret goal of this column. Cheers Warren! Mind if we have a nose at your bookshelf?

What are you currently reading?

Let me start by saying I have 17,000 “dead tree” books and 7,000 e-books, so I have a lot to choose from! That may be why I read several books at once - a lightweight read, a heavy read, a medium read, some fiction and some poetry. Or maybe it’s just that I’d go crazy if all I read was pap or pretentious heavyweight stuff. That out of the way… right now, I’m reading these: Gamer Girls by Mary Kenney There’s a huge chunk of videogame history I know nothing about. Reading this, I’m learning some more. A lightweight book, but informative and an easy read. Introducing Walter Benjamin by Howard Caygill, Alex Coles and Andrzej Klimowski I’ve been meaning to dive into Benjamin’s work but haven’t made it any further than The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. I figure a quick overview of his life and work will ease me into the rest of his work. Chilly Scenes Of Winter by Ann Beattie A novel I’ve been meaning to read since I saw Joan Micklin Silver’s wonderful 1979 (I think) film of the same name. I rewatched it recently and it hasn’t entirely held up but I figured I should finally give the novel a try. Poetry 180 edited by Billy Collins For some reason I do not understand, I’ve become a poetry nut recently. It started with a course on Masterclass by ex-poet laureate, Billy Collins that was terrific. (If you don’t subscribe to Masterclass you might consider it. If nothing else, Will Wright does a terrific game design course…) Collins has become my favorite poet - funny, accessible and somehow pretty profound. If nothing else find his poem “The Lanyard.” It starts out being about trivialities but ends up being about so much more. 1001 Muscle Car Facts by Steve Magnante I’m a car nut. Have been since I was a teenager. Steve Magnante makes me look like an amateur. Which I guess I am, actually. Anyway, I love the guy’s stuff. (Check out his “Junkyard Crawl” videos on YouTube. They’re awesome.) I didn’t include this book in my first pass “what I’m reading” list because it isn’t the kind of thing you sit down and read – you crack it open, read a factoid or three and put it back down. But it’s a book; I’ve been “reading” it for months; I learn lots of useless facts from it; so here it is.

I’ve kept a list of every book I’ve read since 1989, so this is an easy one to answer. Given that I read more than one book at a time, I have several books in my finished list: New York In The ‘50’s by Dan Wakefield. I grew up in New York, in the East Village, and was too young to experience what Wakefield writes about, but I’ve long been fascinated by the political/cultural/literary life of Columbia University, the jazz clubs of Manhattan and bohemian life in Greenwich Village. (Hey, I admit I’m nostalgic for a period I didn’t live through…) Wakefield is a terrific writer and he’s a Zelig-like figure who knew everybody from philosophers to poets to the Beats to jazz musicians to blacklisted writers to, well, everyone. Wonderful book describing an incredible life. Signs And Meaning In The Cinema by Peter Wollen Another book I’ve been meaning to read for decades. It’s a collection of three essays and a massive interview with the author. The first essay is an evaluation of the work and theories of Russian film director, Sergei Eisenstein; the second essay is an evaluation of the auteur theory and some evaluations of various film directors; the third essay is the one I really wanted to read - it’s all about semiotics as it applies to film. I’ve never understood semiotics, a fact that really bugs me. I’ve been reading a bunch about it over the last few months, but nothing that, to my limited knowledge, applied its precepts to anything other than literature and anthropology (and rarely even those). I figured Wollen might show me how the study of signs and signifiers might apply to film and, in that way, show me how it might be applied to an understanding of games in a new and interesting way. That didn’t quite work out, but I’m not done with semiotics. Some of it is sinking in and I’ve been enjoying the journey. The Beauty Of Games by Frank Lantz Not much to say about this other than STOP READING THIS AND GET A COPY! Frank’s a super smart guy who’s taught game design and game criticism as well as making games of his own. Here he offers ways to think about games that get far beyond good/bad and fun/not-fun. I’ve been saying for years that those ways of talking about games are useless - that “fun” in particular is a useless word that diminishes what we do. Frank goes way deeper in a book that’s an easy, accessible read. Required. Go. Now. Play Nice by Jason Schrier Jason may be the best games journalist around. His books Press Reset and Blood, Sweat and Pixels give the most accurate look at what game development is really like I’ve ever read. His latest, Play Nice, is a history of Blizzard. No, make that THE history of Blizzard. There’s basically no need to write another one. I thought I knew the story. I didn’t. Now I do. (Jason has a way of getting people - okay, ME - saying things on the record they shouldn’t say at all. I don’t know how he does it. But he does. That’s very much on display here.)

I’ve got a ways to go in the books I’m currently reading so it’ll be a while before “next” rolls around, but I do have my eye on some books. I won’t read all of these of course, but these are the ones from which I’m going to choose. I reserve the right to change my mind on any or all of these before or after I give them a try. Oh, and before you read this list, know that I’m unashamedly pretentious. That said, these are legitimately the books by my bed. No fooling. So sue me. Or join me. And let’s talk about stuff. Basic Writings Of Existentialism edited by Gordon Marino I’ve been on a philosophy kick on and off for a year or so. Read a lot. For better or worse, Existentialism makes some sense to me but that’s on the basis of not very much. I want to broaden my range of reading. I’ll probably dip my toe into this over the course of time rather than read it all at once, but this seems like a good way to dive deeper. Semiotics: An Introductory Anthology edited by Robert E. Innis Anyone want to bet this is the first book to drop off my to-read list? Reading ABOUT semiotics is tough enough. Reading original stuff is almost impossible. I’m going to give it a shot, but I’m not hopeful. Nexus by Yuval Noah Harari Harari is a favorite of mine. He popularizes Big Topics in ways that bug a lot of people but I find enlightening, even soothing. This one is about the history of networks and their impact on humanity and society. I don’t know much more than that and don’t really care. I eat the guy’s stuff up. The Virtual Life Of Film by David Rodowick I actually went to grad school with Rodowick and understood, like, every fifth word he said. He was our resident semiotics nut. He’s gone on to an impressive career as an academic and I’m hoping - as I did with the Wollen book - I can learn something about practical application of a critical approach I find opaque (at best). I hate when I don’t understand something and I’m going to lick this semiotics thing if it kills me. The Work Of Art: How Something Comes From Nothing by Adam Moss I love reading books about creativity, the creative process and the creation of art works. I know very little about this book other than it got great reviews, I love the topic and the book itself is a work of art. I mean the way it’s bound, the quality of the paper, the beautiful illustrations. I’m in… Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell This is supposed to be the Next Big Thing in Fantasy. I’ll need something lightweight to balance out all the heavy stuff weighing down my night table. I’m hoping this is it. If not, there are a LOT of comics and graphic novels to read! (I’m not ALWAYS pretentious!) Fight Me by Austin Grossman This wasn’t on the first list I submitted, but that was just a foolish oversight on my part. I was boxing up a bunch of books for reasons that wouldn’t interest anyone and there was Austin’s latest novel, somehow unread. I know nothing about it other than that it was written by Austin Grossman, which is all I really need to know. If you don’t know who Austin is, check his game design credits – System Shock, Deus Ex and more. He’s helped me on most of my games. He also happens to be a wonderful novelist. Fight Me is his latest, but you should check out Soon I Will Be Invincible and, if you want a peek behind the curtain of game development, his novel You is a great way to see what it’s like at a game dev studio… with monsters. The City And Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami This was another late entry – it just came out the day I submitted this list but it had to be included. I love Murakami. His brand of magical realism just does it for me. I could recommend ALL of his books and hate to single any out but if you’ve never given him a shot, you could do worse than start with 1Q84. But, really, he hasn’t written a bad book so start anywhere and prepare to have your view of reality changed. Playing With Reality: How Games Have Shaped Our World by Kelly Clancy This book showed up in The Economist’s list of best books of the year this week and, given its title and subject matter, I pretty much had to make it a last minute addition to my list. It’s a history of games from a political, military, psychological, philosophical and, I understand, just plain fun perspective. Sounds both useful and, well, fun. It’s gotta be on my could-be-next list.

I’ve been collecting quotes for decades so this is going to be both easy and hard. Easy because I have a lot to choose from. Hard because I have a lot to choose from. I’m tempted to pass on this for now - someday I’m going to start up a Quote a Day website where I provide a quote, talk about why it’s interesting in general and why it’s important to me, personally. Okay, here’s one (out of, literally, thousands) in my collection. It sang to me. (Anyone I might work for should stop reading here!) “I want everything we do to be beautiful. I don’t give a damn whether the client understands that that’s worth anything, or that the client thinks it’s worth anything, or whether it is worth anything. It’s worth it to me. It’s the way I want to live my life. I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares.” - Saul Bass (As a note, Saul Bass created some of the most memorable film title sequences of all time. A second-to-none visual designer. Look him up. There’s lots of his work on YouTube…)

Ack. Another one where I have to list several! I’ll list just six (and regret the ones I’ve forgotten immediately after I finish this!) Time And Again by Jack Finney I love time travel stories and this is a doozy. My sister read this first, reading it in one sitting. She passed it along to my father, who read it in one sitting. He passed it along… and, well, you get the idea. Totally fun. No more, no less. It’s a popcorn read, but nothing wrong with that. Organizing Genius by Warren Bennis This book by noted leadership thinker describes several what he calls “great groups” - teams that created great, innovative, world-changing things. He doesn’t offer instructions about how to create them, but describes their characteristics and the shared circumstances that allowed them to come into being and flourish. I LOVE this book. It describes a couple of teams I’ve been lucky enough to work with. That said, I’ll warn you that my current team, when I had them read it, HATED it. I won’t go into why here. (Hey, I want to intrigue you.) Read it yourself and see what you think. I’m happy to discuss it. The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp Okay. This is simply the Best Book I’ve Ever Read About Creativity. Tharp is a world-renowned choreographer and, yes, there’s an element of autobiography here (that got me seriously obsessed with ballet for a while, about which I’m still simmeringly interested). The autobiographical stuff is fascinating. I mean, you wouldn’t believe the people Tharp has worked with. It’s like a who’s who of the arts community. But her discussion of her process and how it can be applied to any medium is just (insert four letter word here) brilliant. GO READ THIS! The Creative Act by Rick Rubin Rubin’s book shares some characteristics with Tharp’s Creative Habit, but it has its own - dare I say it? - “hippie” vibe. The first third of the book lays that stuff on pretty thick, to the point where I almost stopped reading. Man, am I glad I stuck with it! The last two-thirds of the book are (insert four letter word here) incredible. I said earlier that I collect quotes. I got a LOT of them from this book. There’s insight on every damn page. The Timeless Way Of Building by Christopher Alexander I keep a copy of Timeless Way of Building by my bed and read a passage when I need to lower my blood pressure. Alexander invented the idea of Pattern Languages, which have become an important part of software development, and that’s very much in evidence here. Be warned, Alexander was an architect and he had his hippie-dippie aspect, so there’s nothing about software in this book and there’s some stuff here that might send left-brain folks spinning off into some alternate universe. But if you can get past that, the writing is beautiful and the descriptions of spaces that are “alive” are pretty wonderful. Designing Disney by John Hench Disney’s Imagineers are among the smartest, most creative people on the planet. No fooling. This book, by an Imagineer who was there at the very beginning of the effort that led to Disneyland in 1955 has lots of lessons to teach us - especially world-builders. The creation of spaces that tell stories, ways of directing players without leading them around by the nose, color to create emotions… All that and more is here. There’s so much to learn in what’s a surprisingly compact read.

This may be the toughest question of all. I’m not sure there are ANY books I want to see adapted to a game. I mean, books are wonderful as books, and games are wonderful as games. The two media don’t need each other. That said, let me see… okay, here’s one almost entirely selfish one: Wildcards edited by George R.R. Martin Wildcards is a shared world anthology created and edited by George R.R. Martin (yeah, the guy who writes the Song of Ice and Fire books, now and forever known as Game of Thrones). It’s a “what if superheroes and villains and vaguely monstrous things existed in an alternate version of our world.” (Man, does that not do it justice!) The first book came out in 1987 so it’s been around for a while, basically as long as Watchmen, the obvious competition. I think it’s on its 25 book or something. (Don’t quote me on that.) I say it’s here selfishly because a lot of the writers in the series are friends of mine and I love their work. In one case, I love the writer herself - my wife Caroline writes with George in the series. She’s created some memorable characters and, if I say so myself, written some terrific stories. But enough tooting my wife’s horn. If you want to give the series a try, you can start with the very first book or you can dive in with one called Inside Straight. One of those two - don’t start anywhere else or you’re likely to be confused. And if you just want more information, check out the Wikipedia page. I’ve tried to get every company I’ve worked for to license the rights to Wildcards and make a game but haven’t had any luck.

Ok, Warren wins. Or, is at least tied with Dan . Book for now!

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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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