Since the Stella Montis update added the Aphelion, we’ve had access to three legendary weapons in Arc Raiders. Well, that was the idea, at least, but the Aphelion blueprint seemingly wasn’t dropping for anyone.

Thanks to the new 1.3 update patch notes, the drop rate has been increased, and it’s officially out in the wild—for real this time. Don’t expect it to be easy, though, you’ll have to put in the work to get one.

Although niche, the legendary weapons are unquestionably some of the best guns in the game, and the Aphelion is no different. Like the other legendaries, if you’re looking to add the Aphelion blueprint to your collection, you first need to get the blueprint.

How to get the Aphelion blueprint in Arc Raiders

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(Image credit: Embark)

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Dam Battlegrounds (Image credit: Embark)

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Spaceport (Image credit: Embark)

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Blue Gate (Image credit: Embark)

You have a high chance of getting the Aphelion blueprint from the Matriarch core, the large sphere that you can loot after killing this elite boss enemy. The Matriarch only spawns at the following locations when its unique map condition event is active, which you can see before you select a map:

Dam Battlegrounds: The Breach area of the dam, east of Red LakesSpaceport: Around Launch Towers in the centre of the mapBlue Gate: Between Ridgeline and the Warehouse Complex to the east

There will only be one core to loot each time, and since you’ll generally only manage to kill the Matriarch with other players, you might have to fight over the Aphelion blueprint. If you’re the lucky player to grab it, make sure you put it in your safe pocket straight away in case you die—a legendary schematic is not something you want to lose.

Once you’ve got the blueprint, you can craft the Aphelion at a Level 3 Gunsmith bench using:

3x Magnetic Accelerator3x Complex Gun Parts1x Matriarch Reactor

As you likely guessed from the name, you can get Matriarch Reactors by killing the Matriarch elite boss. More specifically, from the core, just like the Aphelion blueprint itself. On the bright side, the core contains multiple Matriarch Reactors, so it’s much easier to stock up on.

The Aphelion is a legendary two-round burst battle rifle that fires high-velocity energy bullets, making it very strong against Arc machines, similar to the other legendary weapons. Since it’s a battle rifle, it’s also easier to use against other players compared to the Jupiter and Equalizer, though its handling is far from slick so you’re not guaranteed to beat out lower quality weapons.

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