The tense PvPvE gameplay of an extraction shooter like ARC Raiders largely stems from the possibility of players losing all of their gear upon death. When improving gear means finding and extracting with rare loot, ARC Raiders players have to play cautiously or risk undoing all of their hard work. Luckily, the game gives players a little bit of reprieve with one of their inventory spaces being the Safe Pocket.

The Safe Pocket in ARC Raiders is a slot in the player's inventory that allows them to keep the item placed there even if they die during a match. When used strategically, players can ensure they escape with rare loot found while exploring ARC Raiders' maps. However, there is one type of loot that players should always save for their Safe Pocket, and it takes priority over anything else they may find.

ARC Raiders players who use a Free Loadout won't have access to a Safe Pocket, making a strong case for using other Augments on a custom build.

ARC Raiders Players Should Reserve Their Safe Pocket for Blueprints

Using Safe Pockets in ARC Raiders

Crafting plays a key role in ARC Raiders' itemization mechanics, allowing players to use the materials salvaged from the Rust Belt to create new weapons, shields, health items, and other upgrades. To craft certain higher-quality pieces of gear, players will need to learn and consume blueprints that can be found during a match. As such, ensuring that any blueprints found are secured and extracted should be a high priority for players, and making use of the Safe Pocket for these recipes is the optimal play.

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Why Blueprints are So Valuable in ARC Raiders

While it may be tempting to put rare materials like Exodus Modules or Complex Gun Parts into a Safe Pocket slot, blueprints will help out more in the long run. Since ARC Raiders' guns can't be placed in a Safe Pocket slot, the next best thing is to secure blueprints for higher-quality weapons there. After learning and consuming a set of blueprints, players then have the recipe for that item memorized and can craft it again anytime, should they ever lose the weapon in combat. Although they may be missing the necessary crafting station level to create the item learned from a blueprint, having it permanently unlocked for crafting is much better than having a one-time instance of it.

Higher-Quality Augments in ARC Raiders come with multiple Safe Pocket slots, so players won't have to necessarily ditch one item to guarantee the safety of a set of blueprints.

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Where ARC Raiders Players Can Find Blueprints

Although they are a rare drop, ARC Raiders players looking for blueprints have the highest chance of finding them in places like:

  • Red Lockers
  • Green Lockers
  • Weapon Cases
  • Duffel Bags
  • Raider Stashes

Searching these places is a player's best bet for finding coveted blueprints, but they are not always guaranteed to drop from these locations. Additionally, players will likely have to venture into the most dangerous territory on ARC Raiders' maps to find blueprints, making the Safe Pocket even more necessary to ensure players can safely extract the rare recipes.

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Taking on an ARC Raiders quest like Greasing Her Palms will point players to a place they're likely to find blueprints. Using a Dam Surveillance Key to access the locked room in the Water Treatment Control building on the Dam Battlegrounds map is a requirement to complete this quest. However, the room also contains several containers, such as a Weapon Case, with a high chance of containing blueprints. So, players would be wise to follow ARC Raiders' in-game quests if they are hoping to find rare loot like blueprints.

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ARC Raiders Tag Page Cover Art
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Extraction
Shooter
Third-Person Shooter
Survival
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Systems
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Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 92%
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Released
October 30, 2025
ESRB
Teen / Violence, Blood
Developer(s)
Embark Studios
Publisher(s)
Embark Studios
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ARC Raiders release window announced with launch plans
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Genre(s)
Extraction, Shooter, Third-Person Shooter, Survival