18 December 2025

New ARC Raiders Update Lowers Blueprint Spawn Rate

By newsgame

Just two days after the launch of the game’s Cold Snap update, developer Embark Studios has released yet another new patch for ARC Raiders, bringing the extraction shooter to version 1.7.2 with a handful of gameplay tweaks and fixes. Unfortunately, ARC Raiders fans will be disappointed to learn that today’s update brings the fun and games to an end, as Embark has “slightly lowered” the spawn rate of Blueprints after they went through the roof with this week’s 1.7.0 update.

On December 16, Embark released the highly anticipated Cold Snap update for ARC Raiders. This was the second major content update since the game’s launch in October, bringing a new Map Modifier with freezing-cold conditions, two new events for players to participate in, a new item, and much more. Fans can also look forward to a new Raider Deck on December 26, which will release as part of continued support for Cold Snap. Like the first Raider Deck, it will once again be free for all players and bring fans five pages of unlockable rewards. Tokens to spend on the Deck can be earned by playing and completing challenges, which can then be used to unlock cosmetic items from the Raider Deck.

5 Reasons Why You Should Reset Your Character During the Cold Snap Update In ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders’ Cold Snap update gives you the opportunity to fully reset your previous characters, and there are a few good reasons to do so.

Aside from content, the update also made tons of improvements, gameplay tweaks, bug fixes, and balance adjustments. However, one of the most notable changes was to the spawn rate of Blueprints. Embark said it had expanded Blueprint spawn locations to improve availability in areas that were underrepresented, but the studio appears to have accidentally sent ARC Raiders‘ Blueprint spawns through the roof with the update. Shortly after the patch went live, players were reporting that it was possible to get as many as eight Blueprints in a single game. As the Cold Snap update also moved the legendary Aphelion Blueprint from the Matriarch to Stella Montis, players were also finding it with ease.

ARC Raiders December 18 Update Lowers Blueprint Spawn Rate

Unfortunately, it looks like the fun and games of non-stop Blueprints have come to an end, as Embark has released a new hotfix update for ARC Raiders with some new changes. The update, albeit only small, makes some significant changes. According to the patch notes for update 1.7.2, which can be found further down this article, Blueprint drop rates have been slightly lowered, but are still higher overall than before the 1.7.0 update. Embark says it has also re-enabled the Hidden Bunker map modifier for ARC Raiders, as well as fixed an issue where spamming the interact input while having a bad connection would make players unable to perform the interact action.

The new update is available to download now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, and could very well be the final update of the year. In a new statement last week, Embark announced that it would be changing the update schedule for ARC Raiders from Thursdays to Tuesdays. The studio also said the team will be taking a much-needed break over the Christmas period and will return in January with more updates. In the meantime, Embark says it will continue to monitor and work on critical issues.

ARC Raiders Update 1.7.2 Patch Notes for December 18

Update 1.7.2 is going live now on all platforms. Please restart your client to download.

Blueprint drop rates have been slightly lowered, but are still higher overall than before the 1.7.0 update.
Hidden Bunker has been re-enabled.
Fixed an issue where spamming the interact input while having a bad connection would make players unable to perform the interact action.
Added missing volumes to make sure inside areas don’t deal cold damage during Cold Snap.
Updated the driver warning for AMD GPUs.
Fixed an issue that caused the ‘Unexpected Initiative’ quest to not spawn quest items making it impossible to complete.