ARC Raiders Dolabra Blueprint Guide: How to Get the Energy Shotgun

The Dolabra is ARC Raiders' most talked-about new weapon since the Flashpoint update dropped on March 31, 2026. It's an energy shotgun with a variable focus mechanism that lets you toggle between a wide electrical burst and a tight, armor-piercing beam. Getting it requires hunting down its blueprint, which means heading straight into one of the most dangerous map conditions in the game. Here's everything you need to know to farm it efficiently.

What is the Dolabra and why should you care?

The Dolabra sits firmly in S-tier for close-range PvP after the Flashpoint patch. Its dual firing modes set it apart from every other shotgun in the game. The wide-burst mode scatters electricity across a tight group of enemies or players, while the focused beam punches through heavy armor plating at close-to-mid range. Stopping power is comparable to the Vulcano, and in some matchups it pulls ahead thanks to the armor penetration on focused mode.

For PvE, the focused beam tears through armored ARC units that would otherwise eat multiple shots from conventional shotguns. After testing both modes extensively against Shredders and standard patrol units, the focused beam consistently outperforms the wide burst against single high-health targets.

How to get the Dolabra blueprint in ARC Raiders?

The Dolabra Blueprint drops primarily from the ARC Operation: Close Scrutiny map condition. This is the most reliable farming method available. According to the Flashpoint patch notes, blueprint spawn chances are significantly elevated during this event compared to standard world drops.

Here's the core loop:

1. Wait for ARC Operation: Close Scrutiny to activate on your current map.
2. Locate the Assessor, a large stationary ARC machine that lands at controlled points across the map.
3. Destroy the Assessor to access the high-value loot inside, which includes a chance at the Dolabra Blueprint.
4. Expect reduced ambient loot elsewhere on the map during this condition. The Assessor concentrates resources.

For the Canto SMG (the other new Flashpoint weapon), Embark Studios has not confirmed a specific source, which strongly suggests it's a standard RNG world drop. You can find it or its blueprint in any lootable container across all Rust Belt maps during normal gameplay.

Assessor machine in Close Scrutiny

How to survive the Vaporizer and ARC patrols?

The Vaporizer is a medium-sized flying ARC unit introduced in Flashpoint. It guards the Assessor and hits with laser attacks that have an unpredictable pattern compared to other flying units. Unlike the Rocketeer, which telegraphs its attack with laser targeting, the Vaporizer changes attack angles frequently.

Key tactics:

• Keep moving constantly. The Vaporizer's lasers track stationary targets far more effectively than mobile ones.
• Aim for the underside. Critical weak points are partially obscured by armor plating, but the undercarriage exposes them during attack animations.
• Use grenades for burst damage. The Wolfpack nerf from patch 1.17.0 makes it less ideal, but explosive grenades still trigger significant damage windows.
• Don't fight the Vaporizer in the open. Use cover to break line of sight between laser bursts, then punish the recovery window.

The ARC patrol squads accompanying the Assessor include standard unit types plus potential Shredder spawns, since Flashpoint expanded Shredder appearances beyond Stella Montis to other maps. Maintain distance from Shredders and target weak points, or use grenades to trigger explosive damage.

Dolabra vs. other shotguns: how does it stack up?

After Patch 1.20.0 nerfed the Il Toro significantly, the shotgun meta shifted. Here's how the Dolabra compares to the current top options:

The Il Toro's Patch 1.20.0 changes were substantial: pellet damage dropped from 7.5 to 7, fire rate from 43 to 38, reload time increased from 4.3s to 5.7s, and damage falloff increased from 40% to 50%. The Dolabra arrives into a meta where the previous shotgun king is weakened, giving it room to dominate.

For a full breakdown of all 75 blueprint locations across every map, Rock Paper Shotgun maintains a detailed ARC Raiders blueprint location guide that plots spawn points by map area.

What else dropped in the Flashpoint update?

Beyond the Dolabra, the March 31 Flashpoint update added a meaningful amount of new content:

• Canto SMG: Medium-caliber submachine gun rated A-tier in PvP. Balanced performance at close-to-medium range, consistent in mixed PvE and PvP situations. Likely a world drop.
• Surge Coil: A deployable utility device that electrifies the surrounding area. Useful against opportunistic players (rats) who attempt sneak attacks during looting. The shock debuffs enemies even if it doesn't eliminate them outright.
• High Gain Antenna project: A multi-stage build that lets you track Assessor movements and other unknown entities. Most materials come from field scavenging, with event farming accelerating progress.
• Scrappy Feeding Boost: You can now feed Scrappy specific items to improve material output at your base, replacing the previous fully random generation system.
• Shredder expansion: Shredders now spawn across multiple maps, not just Stella Montis.
• Crafting improvements: A new one-click auto-fill feature shows you exactly which sources provide missing crafting materials, eliminating the need to toggle between screens manually.

For a step-by-step walkthrough on obtaining the Legendary Dolabra Shotgun including blueprint crafting requirements and Energy Clip management, Insider Gaming has a dedicated Legendary Dolabra crafting guide worth checking before your next raid.

Is the Dolabra worth farming right now?

Yes, with caveats. The Close Scrutiny event is high-risk by design. Reduced ambient loot, a new flying enemy with erratic attack patterns, heavy ARC patrols, and other Raiders all converge on the same objective. If you're running a budget loadout or still learning the maps, the event will punish you hard.

That said, the Dolabra's S-tier PvP placement and genuine PvE utility against armored targets make the blueprint worth the effort. The dual firing modes give it flexibility that neither the Vulcano nor the nerfed Il Toro can match. Players who secure it early in the Flashpoint cycle will have a significant advantage before the meta fully settles.

For more ARC Raiders guides covering blueprints, loadouts, and event strategies, browse the full guides library at GAMES.GG to stay ahead of each update cycle.