What’s on your bookshelf?: Starcraft II writer and Warhammer design veteran Andy Chambers

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Booked For The Week is our weekly chat with industry folk about the books they love, have loved, and are hoping to love in the future

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! I’m obviously using regular in the metafictional sense here but my intentions are pure, I promise.

To kick off this new Golden Age Of Regular Posting, this week’s guest is game designer and writer Andy Chambers! Listing Andy’s credits in their entirety would result in a fatal case of whatever the typing equivalent of severe dry mouth is, but if you’ve ever looked at a Warhammer thing and thought “cool!”, there’s a decent chance he had a hand (or bubonic paw) in it. Cheers Andy! Mind if we have a nose at your bookshelf?

I’m just finishing a collection of all the Zothique stories by Clark Ashton Smith. A friend tempted me in with one of the stories in the collection, and as we share a love for 1930’s Pulp fantasy I was duly tempted. Wonderful stuff; rich and very evocative prose about dying lands, eldritch horrors and ancient sorcerers (heavy on the Necromancy it must be said). CA Smith was a contemporary of HP Lovecraft and RE Howard and his writing embodies the same exotic richness as Howard but with similar elements (and uncomfortably 1930’s outlooks at times), but very different outcomes, to Conan adventures. I’ve been enjoying it so much I’ve found myself questioning how I got this far through life without reading it before. It might be a pretention of age but you start to see connections and inspirations wending their way through media you enjoy more and more. In Zothique’s example you can see the preceding influence of Lord Dunsany from the turn of the century, and a clear inspiration to Jack Vance in the 50’s and 60’s picking up the same torch with his Tales Of The Dying Earth series. Follow that through and you get into the inspirations that gave us Forgotten Realms and early Dungeons And Dragons. You also get to Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun Quadri-logy , which was a big inspiration for me when I was working on the Warhammer 40,000 universe for Games Workshop back in the 90’s.

The last thing I read prior to Zothique was a novelette called A Colder War by Charles Stross. A short but very entertaining narrative on the outcome of a US/USSR Cold War with the strategy of mutually assured destruction enforced via notably different means than solely by nuclear weapons. I don’t want to say any more about it as it’s all about creeping realisations from incomplete knowledge, and it would be a crime to spoil any of it. Recommended as a short read though!

Soldier of Arete by Gene Wolfe. I’ve read a lot of Gene Wolfe down the years and the Book Of The New Sun in particular was a big inspiration for me when I was starting out trying to build weird and wonderful worlds. The love of archaic language in The Book Of The New Sun (not rifle, Jezzail. Not cannon, demi-culverin) really left a mark on me and the creatives I worked with, it showed us something about adding favour and texture to imaginary places and events just with the words you use to describe them. Somehow, much like Zothique, Soldier of Arete has evaded me until now, even though I read the next book in the trilogy a while back.

That always seems to come back to Tolkien and The Lord Of The Rings in my head, but I suspect that’s because Peter Jackson so ably evoked many of them in his movies over (yikes) twenty years ago that it’s made the words come to life in pictures(‘Death!’) so that feels like a cop out. So I’ll split the difference by having a quote and an unseen scene. For the quote the one that popped into my head immediately was the opening line of Neuromancer by William Gibson, the OG Cyberpunkmeister himself, ‘The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel’ even though it’s rather lost impact now tv technology has moved forward. One of my favourite scenes is the closing ones in Iain M Banks’ Player Of Games when the Culture representative is really finally shown as a playing piece in the unfolding game, rather than the player he believes himself to be all the way through it.

First hand accounts and autobiographies, some are very interesting and entertaining reads in their own right. I read Eastern Approaches by Fitzroy Maclean a little while back and it was such a fun read and Maclean had such an interesting career I found myself recommending it to others. Another excellent read I often recommend is The Big Show by Pierre Clostermann, an evocatively written personal account by WW2 fighter pilot. Most recently it’s been the Strugatsky brothers’ brand of post War Soviet sci-fi books; Roadside Picnic and Monday Begins Of Saturday in particular.

There’s actually a couple of Jack Vance books that are ripe for it; Planet Of Adventure (multiple competing alien races on the same world, tech variation but no dominance) or the Dragonmasters for the sheer diversity of ‘dragon’ and human troop types in a nice, feudalistic battle-ready environment. I am, of course, working on the assumption that ‘someone’ in this case is me. The Expanse would be fantastic as a game or games, but definitely best served with a proper digital title at the strategic and/or roleplaying levels, something I hope I live long enough to see someday.

And that’s me with a massive grin on my face after learning that my beloved Skaven Warplock Jezzails were likely inspired by Gene Wolfe. As for personal recommendations, I’ve been binging Eliza Clark’s two novels after finishing her short story collection She’s Always Hungry. I’ve also found a new all-timer favourite film in Quentin Dupieux’s Deerskin. In tabletop, I recommend nabbing Warlord’s Judge Dredd skirmish game (which Andy worked on) before it goes out of print. Its campaign rules feature a post-match crime tally with corresponding Iso-Cube sentences, which is a neat touch.

I’m going on a mass guest booking email spree tommorow so do let me know who you’d like see in the column in the coming months. 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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