ARC Raiders Blueprint Spawn Rate is out of control

A new update for ARC Raiders has expanded blueprint spawn locations to improve accessibility in areas that were underrepresented, but it looks like the speed increase may have gone a bit over the top, as players leave raids with up to eight Blueprints at a time. Shortly after the Cold Snap update went live on December 16, ARC Raiders players flooded social media with excitement when they received tons of rare blueprints. This has led some to speculate that a hotfix to revert the change may be on the way.

Earlier today, developer Embark Studios released the second major content update for ARC Raidersknown as Cold Snap. The patch, which arrives just in time for the Christmas season, includes plenty of cosmetics, events and game-changing features for players to jump into. The most notable is the new Cold Snap Map Modifier, which covers the map in snow. However, this is not a simple aesthetic change, as visibility is limited, the ice is slippery, and the freezing temperatures will put a Raider's life at risk if they stay outside for too long. The good news is that the loot value is increased during the mod. Included in the update is the new Flickering Flames event, tons of quality of life improvements, bug fixes, and more.

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ARC Raiders players can get a free outfit, but they have to play a completely different game

With the release of the Cold Snap update, Embark Studios is giving ARC Raiders players the chance to get their hands on a free outfit, but there's a catch.

ARC Raiders Buffs Blueprint Spawn Rate, possibly a bit too much

In the official patch notes for today's update, developer Embark Studios says it has expanded planning slots to improve accessibility in areas that were underrepresented, while also moving the Aphelion blueprint from Matriarch to Stella Montis. It's unclear how common Embark wants Blueprints to follow the patch, but players are reporting finding plenty of them in just a single game. One user called Stella Monti's “broken”, as they extracted with four blueprints in total, one of which was Aphelion, the rare weapon in ARC Raiders. Another user did a single raid on the new Cold Snap map mod and managed to come away with a staggering eight Blueprints. They then joked that they don't think getting blueprints will be a problem after the upcoming expedition.

The first one ARC Raiders Expedition Project is set to retire on December 22nd, but the latest update seems to have made a ton of changes that might make players think differently about resetting. While it will certainly be easier to get blueprints back after the reset (assuming Embark doesn't change the spawn rate), patch 1.7.0 also allows players to reset their skill tree for coins. For those who may not be aware, it is impossible to max out the skill tree without resetting, as the expedition offers up to five additional skill points. This means players need to allocate their points carefully, depending on what they want their Raider to specialize in. However, the ability to recover these points is a real game changer, and some say it makes the expedition even less enticing.

Although Embark intended to increase the propagation speed of Blueprints, it is unclear if this was the intended result. If the studio intends to restore the values, or at least lower them slightly, a new hotfix update may be on the way. But with that said, Embark recently announced that the team will be taking a much-needed break over the Christmas period. The studio noted that new updates will no longer be released on a weekly cadence, as they have been since launch. “From now on, our release window and store rotation will move to Tuesdays,” Embark said. It went on to explain that the studio will be taking a “much-needed break” and will return in January with further updates. “During this time, we will continue to monitor and work on critical issues.”

The highly anticipated Cold Snap update also brought a new collaboration with The finals, allows ARC Raiders fans to get their hands on an exclusive new outfit. However, there is a catch, which fans have to jump into The finals and play three games to get the skin. The good news is that Embark's first-person shooter is completely free to play and is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.