World Of Goo 2 review: an inventive return to goo with some flies in the ointment

Goo-fing around

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Tomorrow Corporation

• Developer: 2D Boy
• Publisher: Tomorrow Corporation
• Release: Aug 2nd, 2024
• On: Windows, Mac
• From: Epic Games
• Price: TBC
• Reviewed on: Intel Core-i7-11700F, 16GB RAM, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060, Windows 10

The first World Of Goo was a cheerful parade of goopy engineering with a sense of never-ending novelty (well, never-ending for about four hours). Every level would introduce a new goo type or a twist on the basic bridge-building puzzle that challenged you to get a gaggle of gurgling balls to the nearest pipe. World Of Goo 2 pursues that sense of novelty with just as much twitchy eagerness as its predecessor, throwing new toys and goos at the player in an effort to keep you on your sludge-coated toes. That pursuit doesn’t always result in pleasing new levels, though. There is a “hit and miss” feeling to things this time around. But those hits are hits. For anyone who has spent the last 16 years yearning for more sticky structure-building: I hope you like comically unpredictable fluids.

As before, the goal of each level is to get a set number of goo balls to a distant pipe, which is often suspended in the sky or hanging in a perilous void to one side of the screen. Through judicious use of different goos, you’ll build dodgy suspension bridges and wobbling towers in an effort to “rescue” as many of the wee blobs as possible. You can get a special award for beating a certain time, or using a limited number of moves, as well as saving a high number of the gloopy boys.

But things are rarely as straightforward as the likes of Bridge Constructor . Your building materials are googly-eyed weirdoes, and they are not confined to a single species. Some goo balls from the first game have returned, like the flammable matchstick-headed goos that cause fiery chain reactions. Or the green velcro-like goos that can be re-used over and over again. Balloons also make a return, their floatiness helping to steady your crane-like creations (“steady” being a relative term).

Many other goos, however, are new. There are translucent “conduit” goos which act as hollow straws to slurp up any liquid they touch (more on those liquids in a moment). There are cheesy yellow gooboids who can create a solid surface, pink goos that grow and stretch when you wet them with liquid, like grotesque “just add water” toys. And the opposite of this, pale blue goos that slowly contract when wet, resulting in structures that scrunch in on themselves like a melting crisp packet in a campfire. By the fourth chapter of the game, outlandish stuff is happening that basically turns the game into a series of goo-based gags. Before you know it, you’re playing with gravity, golf balls, and genre itself.

It’s the fluid simulation, however, that is the prime puzzle provider here. Pools of black liquid need to be slurped up and transformed into goo balls. Streams need to be redirected with little water cannon squid heads. Some seas of fluid will provide power to thruster-mouthed beings that in turn propel goo boats, or balloon-supported jet packs. Fiery lava presents its own problems (and, sometimes, solutions).

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Tomorrow Corporation

This Buckaroo-stacking of puzzle ingredients is both impressive and, sometimes, a bit much. Where one player might relish in the indulgent piling on of different goos, another player might feel a sense of wasted opportunity, harbouring visions of a game with twice as many levels, making fuller and more focused use of all the goo-based possibilities. That’s not the puzzle game 2D Boy seems interested in making, though. This is as quickfire and jokey as the first game and just as obsessed with rapid re-invention. Saying there is too much novelty in World Of Goo 2 is like going to soft play and complaining that there are too many colours in the ball pit.

So yes, that sense of increasingly ludicrous stakes is still intact, even thematically. Levels go from placid islands of calm to blustery sunsets to stormy nights, as hundreds of thousands of years pass from one chapter to the next. All the while the music ramps up from delicate flamenco guitar to epic horns to apocalyptic choral chants, giving each chapter a marching sense of progress, perfectly matching the increasing complexity (or madness) of the goo puzzles. It’s an upward launch into the clouds of gooey lunacy that’ll be familiar to anyone who stacked goo blocks or spoke with a sentient search engine in the first game.

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Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Tomorrow Corporation

The developer’s characteristically light satire is also in full swing. World Of Goo Corporation is rebranding, and an early cutscene sees humanity rushing off to go shopping “sustainably” (but not before chucking their children’s plastic bottles on the ground as they run off). The game’s tongue-in-cheek sign posts make a return too, at one point insisting that the erectile pink goos, with their throbbing veins, are perfectly normal. “Alternative interpretation of the grow balls natural behaviour is neither intended nor should be inferred,” says one sign, in full denial of the dick tissue.

It all makes for a goo(d) time. But then there are those “misses” I mentioned. Not every level is a delight. For me the worst offenders are time-constrained levels, such as one where a timer ticking on a pipe counts down to the moment when hot lava pours out, primed to destroy your goos. Or another where the pipe ejecting useful liquid counts down to the moment when the liquid stops pumping. I’m not convinced these mandatory timed challenges feel right in a game that is otherwise happy to let you play at your own pace. They feel designed to add some pressure, yet more than making me act fast, they simply create a level where at least one restart feels expected. I was similarly irritated by levels in which your light sources are limited, or those in which your environment is constantly moving, where the challenge becomes building a structure while the structure itself will not stay still. Yes, some of this game’s appeal comes from the fiddliness of its globular building material. But there is a point, for me, when fiddly becomes frustrating. It is a blessing, then, that you can skip any level without repercussions.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Tomorrow Corporation

There are other annoyances. The WASD keys control the camera but the screen will also auto-scroll when your cursor is near the edge, and there is no option to turn this off. So if the location you want to click is near the edge, the camera sometimes moves a slight yet significant distance at just the wrong time. On top of this, the white flies from the first game that act as an “undo” button make a return, but their mosquito-like movement around the screen makes them troublesome to actually click. They also hang out predominantly near the edge of the screen, which means when you hover the cursor toward them, the screen edge scrolling kicks in again - aggghhhh! This is the video game equivalent of trying to follow a link in your browser and the HTML shifts everything on the website downward in the moment you click. I suspect World Of Goo 2 is probably wonderfully designed for tappy tablets and other touchscreen devices. But with a mouse and keyboard it can feel awkward. A simple undo key to burst a fly (wherever it is) would remove a lot of this friction. Maybe they’ll patch that in, along with screen edge disabling. It’s possible!

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun / Tomorrow Corporation

It would certainly clean things up. For the times in this sequel I spent sucking my teeth, I spent twice as long in a satisfying, engineer-like “LEGO” trance. Some of its frustrations feel intentional - the game’s whole schtick is a certain amount of unpredictability. Your components are never 100% trustworthy (they are made of jelly, duh) and the physics simulation is as much at the mercy of wild fluid, or the impact of goo balls, as it is at the mercy of gravity alone. In this sense, the misclicks and fumbled balls (oo-er) in World Of Goo 2 exist as stray irritations, and the fiddly levels - as much as they grate me - exist as a byproduct of an inventiveness that elsewhere produces wonderful moments.

The biggest concern for anyone eagerly anticipating this sequel (hi, Graham ) is that it can’t keep up with the frenetic creativity of the original. And I can safely confirm that this is not a problem for Goo 2. If you were after another silly ride in a lazy river of black gunge, then jump on in. The goo’s fine.

This review is based on a review build of the game provided by the developer.

Find out how we conduct our reviews by reading our review policy .

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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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