It’s fair to say that blueprints are one of, if not the most, divisive topics in the Arc Raiders community—and has been since launch. Finding blueprints is largely down to luck, leading to lots of frustration, which is only exacerbated by the fact that all that hard work is flushed down the drain if you choose to partake in the (entirely optional) Expedition reset.
So when we had the chance to chat with Embark last week, we decided to put one of the community’s regular suggestions to the studio: What if players could choose to bring a few of their favourite blueprints over the Expedition cull? A bit like having a seasonal safe pocket.
Virgil Watkins
Watkins joined Embark Studios as a senior technical designer in October 2021, going on to serve as Arc Raiders’ design director since February 2022.
“That was an idea we had before launch,” says design director Virgil Watkins. “It’s a tricky situation because the blueprints in particular are such a power elevation. His point is that having a blueprint essentially enables you to bypass the RNG otherwise required to use key pieces of gear that substantially alter your efficacy topside, whether that’s a meta augment such as the Looting Mk. 3 (Survivor) or an S-tier PvP weapon like the Venator.
“But I certainly don’t think it’s off the table,” adds Watkins. “Of course, it’s a very rational thing for players to want to do, like, ‘I work really hard for these and please let me have a few of them.’ So yeah, I wouldn’t say no to any idea along those lines.”
However, Watkins also goes on to note that “It’s mostly about how you balance what is kind of part of the core run-up through progression,” so any changes to the blueprint system would have a knock-on effect.
Instead, Watkins suggests a few alternatives that, honestly, might make blueprints more interesting. “I wonder if we can address that particular pain point by additional changes or systemic changes to how blueprints are found, acquired, or learned, rather than needing to feel like they have to come along with the Expedition system,” Watkins explains. “Giving you better or more autonomy over how you acquire blueprints, for example, might alleviate some of that concern on that side of things.”
I get the impression that Embark want to make acquiring blueprints more deterministic to remove layers of frustrating RNG, or at least offer alternative sources. This is something we’ve already seen pushed more towards, such as the current Shared Watch event featuring the Vita Spray and Bobcat augment.
Most importantly, Embark is evidently cautious of tying blueprints further into the Expedition system. While they are, of course, wiped alongside other items when you reset, a blueprint-saving option wouldn’t be to the benefit of those who aren’t doing Expeditions regularly. Whereas tweaking how they’re acquired, that’s to the betterment of us all, I’d say.
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