Wuchang Fallen Feathers: Madness and Inner Demon explained

Here’s all the details on what Madness does, and how an Inner Demon appears

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/505 Games

Trying to understand the Madness and Inner Demon system in Wuchang Fallen Feathers? In the grand tradition of most Soulslikes, Wuchang Fallen Feathers has you lose all of your experience - here known as Red Mercury - when you die, and you’ve got to hike back to your corpse if you want to retrieve this precious resource. However, there’s a new twist to the mix with the Inner Demon/Madness system, which represents Wuchang steadily losing herself to the Feathering ailment that’s sweeping across the land of Shu. Throughout the game, your Madness level will slowly rise as you kill foes and die, eventually manifesting into a demon that you’ll need to defeat at the spot of your corpse.

Confused? Don’t go mad yourself - in this guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the Madness and Inner Demon system in Wuchang Fallen Feathers , including what Madness does, how to cleanse Madness, and what makes your Inner Demon appear.

• How do you gain and lose Madness in Wuchang Fallen Feathers?
• What does Madness do in Wuchang Fallen Feathers?
• What is the Inner Demon?
• How to cleanse Madness
• How to use Madness to your advantage

How do you gain and lose Madness in Wuchang Fallen Feathers?

You gain Madness whenever you kill non-Feathered humanoids and whenever you die. Meanwhile, you can lose Madness by defeating Feathered enemies and key targets such as bosses. There are also methods of totally cleansing Madness, which we’ll outline below.

Non-Feathered humanoids refers to regular foes who aren’t suffering from the Feathering plague, while Feathered enemies are the opposite. If you’re having trouble differentiating between the two, Feathered enemies will move in a sickly, zombie-like manner, and they’ll usually have red streaks, boils, and/or feathers extending from their bodies, similar to Wuchang’s arm.

What does Madness do in Wuchang Fallen Feathers?

Your Madness level determines how much damage you inflict and take. It also determines how much Red Mercury (AKA experience points, as well as the currency in Wuchang Fallen Feathers) you lose when you die.

• At 50% Madness, Wuchang’s eyes become red. When you die at 50% Madness or lower, you’ll only lose a small portion of Red Mercury.
• At 90% Madness, red demonic marks radiate across Wuchang’s left arm and chest, indicating that you’ll deal increased damage and receive increased damage in return, along with more Red Mercury from enemies. However, when you die between 50% and 90% Madness, you lose a much larger portion of Red Mercury.
• When you die at above 90% Madness, you’ll lose all of your Red Mercury, and an Inner Demon will appear at the site of your death.

On the left is what Wuchang looks like with no Madness. On the right is a close-up view of the red eyes and demonic marks that appear when her Madness is 90% and above. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/505 Games

To check your Madness level, refer to the sketch image of Wuchang in the Character section of the main menu. This image slowly turns red the more Madness you acquire.

What is the Inner Demon?

The Inner Demon is a spectral version of Wuchang (wearing a wide-brimmed hat and scantily-clad in bandages) who appears at the site of your last death when you die at above 90% Madness. Somewhat reminiscent of Invaders in Elden Ring , the Inner Demon will attack anything in its vicinity once you get close to the site of your death, and this includes both you as well as enemies. So, if there’s a particularly tough foe in your path, it’s fine to let your Inner Demon whack away at them for a while - just be aware that you’re the next target in line!

Watch out - that’s an Inner Demon just up ahead! |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/505 Games

Inner Demons are fast, aggressive, and can heal just as you can. They require practice to defeat, but vanquishing them is worthwhile, since it not only lets you freely collect your dropped Red Mercury, but also grants you rewards, such as Plumed Branches, which immediately grant stacks of Skyborn Might, and Crimson Feather Pearls, which return you to the last Shrine you visited without losing any Red Mercury. Dying to your Inner Demon will make you lose all of your accumulated Red Mercury, but it will also reduce your Madness to zero.

Interestingly, Inner Demons do not appear if you die while facing bosses - which keeps things fair, as the bosses of Wuchang Fallen Feathers are already tough enough without throwing a wild card into the mix. There will also be certain instances when you’ll enter an area and your Madness will skyrocket, manifesting an Inner Demon instantly. (This occurs early on in the Doomwillow Beach stretch of the game.)

How to cleanse Madness

You can completely cleanse Madness via two methods:

• Defeat your Inner Demon, or let it defeat you.
• Pray to the God of Shu. This can be done by giving Divine Gifts or Divine Gift Shards to Shu’s Golden Statues. These statues are scattered about the world in various locations, but the first one that most players will reach is on the second floor of the Shu Sanctum. You’ll naturally acquire Divine Gifts and Divine Gift Shards if you thoroughly explore the environments of Wuchang Fallen Feathers.

Certain items will also let you manipulate Madness to your liking - for instance, Maddening Incense can be consumed to increase Madness and also prevent the loss of Madness. Which leads us to our final point…

How to use Madness to your advantage

As the old adage goes, there’s a method to all of this madness, and and you may want to manipulate your Madness level or even focus on a Madness-centric build. Within the Impetus Repository (the skill tree of Wuchang Fallen Feathers), several of the left-of-centre nodes provide skills that kick in when your Madness passes a certain threshold. For instance, Health Siphon , which makes all of your light attack combos restore health with their final strike - but only if you’re above 90% Madness.

It’s completely possible to go all-in on Madness in this game, thanks to interesting skills that only kick in when your Madness level is high. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/505 Games

Careful utilisation of the Madness system is thus highly recommended if you want to master all of the nuances of Wuchang’s combat and survival capabilities. Remember, Madness isn’t necessarily a bad thing - it’s actually a useful game mechanic that you can bend to your whim if you know what you’re doing.

That finishes up our look at the Inner Demon and Madness system in Wuchang Fallen Feathers. For more useful info, check out our guide on how to use Red Mercury to level up and how to transmog your armor . We’ve also got an extensive boss list , as well as some tips and tricks for beginners to get you started in the land of Shu!

Wuchang: Fallen Feathers

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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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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