Embark might let you keep some Arc Raiders blueprints — but only if it won’t wreck progression

Why this matters to Arc Raiders players

This caught my attention because blueprints are the backbone of Arc Raiders’ progression loop – they change what you can build, how powerful you feel, and how rewarding each Expedition feels when you come back to the hub. Embark Studios’ design director Virgil Watkins telling PC Gamer that the studio is open to letting players carry a limited number of blueprints between Expeditions is the kind of small-sounding change that would shift the entire feel of the game if implemented poorly. It’s not just a convenience tweak; it’s a potential balance earthquake.

Key takeaways

• Embark is willing to explore keeping some blueprints across Expeditions, but only cautiously (PC Gamer).
• Blueprint drop rates were shuffled after the Cold Snap update, complicating any carryover decision.
• Designers prefer changing how blueprints are acquired rather than bolting carryover onto Expeditions.
• The discussion arrives as Embark ramps live content (Shrouded Sky) and wins attention at Nexon-level leadership.

Breaking down the blueprint problem

Blueprints in Arc Raiders do heavy lifting: they’re not cosmetic unlocks – they unlock items and crafting routes that materially affect a raider’s power curve. Watkins told PC Gamer that the studio considered carryover before launch, but carrying blueprints is “a tricky situation” because it’s a power elevation. If some players can bring prized blueprints into every run, it risks turning Expeditions into a slow march for survivors and stripping tension from the loop.

Complicating that choice further are the recent changes to blueprint drop rates after the Cold Snap update. The drop-rate shuffle made many blueprints more common, even after a corrective nerf, but chase items still exist. That mixed state – more common overall, but with meaningful rares lurking — makes it harder to predict what carryover would actually do to matchmaking, economy, and player satisfaction.

Embark’s preferred fix: change acquisition, not tinker with Expeditions

Watkins’ stance is practical: he didn’t rule out carryover, but he’d rather attack the pain point at its source (PC Gamer). Instead of grafting blueprint persistence onto the Expedition system — which could overburden that system and destabilize progression — Embark is considering more deterministic or player-controlled ways to learn blueprints. That could mean new vendors, guarantee tracks, targeted rewards, or alternate acquisition systems that reduce the grind and randomness without fundamentally changing the rhythm of an Expedition wipe.

From a gamer’s perspective, that’s the smarter path. Deterministic options give players agency and reduce salt without instantly inflating power floors. But it’s also a slower path for the developer: it requires careful economy design and probably more backend support than a simple “carryover slots” toggle.

Bigger picture: timing, leadership, and incoming content

This conversation isn’t happening in a vacuum. Arc Raiders is having a moment — the game’s success has even led Nexon to elevate Embark founder Patrick Söderlund into a company-wide executive chairman role (reported by PC Gamer and Eurogamer). That extra attention means Embark’s live-service choices are now visible at a corporate level; any changes that impact retention or monetization will be scrutinized.

On the content side, Embark is rolling out the Shrouded Sky update next week (Steam News teases a Feb. 26 arrival), which reportedly includes a new ARC enemy nicknamed the “Firefly.” New arcs and events are the exact places you’d expect Embark to test alternate blueprint routes or acquisition hooks — special challenges, ARC drops, or vendor currency tied to updates.

What players should expect

Don’t hold your breath for instant blueprint carryover. Watkins frames the idea as “not off the table,” but prefers solving the underlying randomness and drop-rate grief with systemic changes. Practically, expect smaller, less risky fixes first: clearer grind paths, more reliable ways to target specific blueprints, and perhaps update-tied opportunities to earn rarer schematics.

If Embark does eventually offer limited blueprint persistence, count on safeguards: soft caps, matchmaking considerations, or cosmetic-only persistence are all the kinds of compromises a cautious studio would favor.

TL;DR

Embark is open to letting players keep some blueprints across Expeditions, but Virgil Watkins prefers fixing how blueprints are obtained rather than bolting carryover onto the Expedition system. With blueprint drop-rate changes after Cold Snap and new content (Shrouded Sky) incoming, expect measured, systemic tweaks first — not an overnight power shift.