Unit Modification Blueprints (or more simply known as "Blueprints") are yet another way to improve and enhance the attack power of your troops. Blueprint modification is unlocked at HQ Level 22, and can be accessed through your Lab. Blueprints can be purchased and manufactured, and some blueprints can even give your entire corps battle buffs.
Let's look at the instructions AMS provides in the game for Blueprints, although I think they're poorly worded and relatively confusing.
There are eight Unit Modification Blueprint slots on the interface of each unit type. Place blueprints in different slots to gain corresponding attribute buffs.
Each blueprint has one basic attribute and multiple random attributes. The number of random attributes is determined by the blueprint quality.
The blueprint set effects will be activated once there are 2/4/6/8 equipped blueprints of the same type. The quality and number of the set effects are determined by the lowest-quality blueprints that activate the set effects.
Blueprints in slot G and H increase all units' attributes in your corps.
Spend materials to level up your blueprints. The level cap is determined by the blueprint quality. By leveling up a blueprint, you can only increase its basic attribute.
Once a blueprint has reached its max level, you can spend advancing books to increase its quality and level cap, as well as gain a new random attribute.
The random attributes of a blueprint can be transferred to an equipped blueprint in the same slot. After the transfer, the transferred attribute will disappear from the source blueprint and replace a random attribute of the target blueprint.
If the source and target attributes are of different types, there'll be no limitations.
If the source and target attributes are of the same type, the source attribute must be higher than the target attribute.
Dismantle the blueprints you no longer need to earn blueprint upgrade materials and a chance to get advancing and transfer books. If the dismantled blueprint has been upgraded, 60% of the upgrade materials will be returned.
Each of your four troop types (Vehicles, Commandos, Copters, and Artillery) has 8 slots which can be improved by blueprints.
Each blueprint has both a troop type assignment and a slot assignment, and each blueprint can only be used according to their assignments. For instance, an Artillery Modification Blueprint - C can only be used on the Artillery screen in the C slot.
Blueprint Attributes
Each blueprint has attributes that improve your battle abilities. There are two types of attributes: Basic Attributes and Random Attributes. Every blueprint has 1 Basic Attribute, and this attribute can be improved by Upgrading the blueprint (more on that later). Each blueprint also has a certain number of Random Attributes, and although Random Attributes cannot be improved, they can be swapped out with Random Attributes from another blueprint using Attribute Transfer. The number of Random Attributes a blueprint has depends upon its' quality - blueprints can have green, blue, purple, or gold quality. When a blueprint is upgraded to its maximum level, it can be Advanced, or increased in quality. Finally, blueprints have Set Effects - additional buffs that are added if a troop type has a certain number of blueprints of the same or better quality.
Here are some examples of the different qualities of blueprints:
In these examples we can see how blueprints of higher quality have more initial Random Attributes. We can also see the possible Set Effects that are gained when a single troop type is equipped with a minimum number of a given quality.
It's also important to compare and contrast the two gold quality blueprints: Vehicle Modification Blueprint - H vs. Copter Blackwing Blueprint - G. The first one I purchased from a pack, the second one was Manufactured at the Blueprint Manufacturing building (you can tell this by the "Blackwing" designation). I remember when I first started experimenting with the Blueprint Manufacturing building, and all I was getting was green and blue quality blueprints. Occasionally I'd get a purple quality, but it took a long time to get my first gold quality blueprint from Blueprint Manufacturing. When I saw it I was ecstatic - until I looked at the stats. Just look at them - they're terrible. In fact, all blueprints created by Blueprint Manufacturing have terrible stats, so much so that I've not found a single Blackwing Blueprint that's worthwhile to equip. Yes, I do have that Gold Copter Blackwing Blueprint - G equipped, but only begrudgingly, because I don't even have a Purple quality for that slot yet. I'm going to replace it as soon as I possibly can. In my experience, the only use for the Blackwing Blueprints created by Blueprint Manufacturing is to dismantle them for blueprint upgrade materials, advancing books, and transfer books. It's quite a disappointment after so much work manufacturing them.
| Blueprint Quality |
Random Attributes | Max Level |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial # | Max # | ||
| Green | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Blue | 2 | 4 | 20 |
| Purple | 3 | 5 | 30 |
| Gold | 4 | 6 | 40 |
- Green Random Attributes range from 1% to 4%
- Blue Random Attributes range from 1% to 6%
- Purple Random Attributes range from 1% to 10%
- Gold Random Attributes range from 1% to 14%
The quality of the initial Random Attributes a blueprint starts with is limited by the quality of the blueprint itself. For instance, a Blue Quality Blueprint will start with either Green or Blue Random Attributes, but won't start with a Purple or Gold Random Attribute. Higher quality Random Attributes can be transferred to lower quality Blueprints, but there is very little reason to do this.
Acquiring Blueprints
Blueprints can be acquired in a handful of ways:
- Bonus - Tons of Supplies: Every now and then the rewards for Tons of Supplies includes blueprints for free, specifically Modification Blueprint Chest I, and Modification Blueprint Chest II.
- Purchased through packs:
- Purchased through Events:
- Blessings from Above:
- Discount Shop:
- Recharge:
- Blessings from Above:
- Created:
- Blueprint Manufacturing Building - Unlocked at HQ level 15, the Blueprint Manufacturing building allows you to create blueprints for free. By creating the proper pair of blueprint material items and assembling them you can create a blueprint for the troop type and slot you choose. The quality of the blueprint created is random, with the following probabilities: 66% Green, 37.7% Blue, 2% Purple, and 0.3% Gold. The problem is that the blueprints created in this fashion have absolutely terrible stats, almost to the point of making them worthless to equip. The Basic Attributes of Blackwing blueprints start out at half of what the normal blueprints should (0.60% vs 1.20% for slots A-E). They are certainly useful to dismantle as described above in order to generate blueprint upgrade materials, advancing books, and transfer books. They might also be useful in order to complete a set, with the intention to replace them later with something better. For more information on how to manufacture blueprints see the building page linked above.
- HQ Production - Some buildings once they reach a certain level can actually produce certain items. One of those buildings is your HQ building (the main truck in the center of your room), and one of the items it can produce once you reach Rebuild T3 is a Purple Blueprint Chest. It takes 7 days and 10M Paint, but you get a decent blueprint out of it.
Upgrading Blueprints
Blueprints can be upgraded by using Modification Blueprint Upgrade Books. Upgrading Blueprints increases their level and improves the value of their Basic Attribute.
IMPORTANT: As of October 2020, there is now a Battlefield Buff that improves the efficiency of Modification Blueprint Upgrade Books:
In my opinion this makes it very much worthwhile to wait until that day in order to do your blueprint upgrading. Upgrading is a relatively simple process. You may only upgrade blueprints that are equipped. First select the blueprint you wish to upgrade, then click on the Upgrade Preview tab. Then click the Blueprint Upgrade button along the bottom of the screen. Doing so will consume the Upgrade Books and increase the level of the blueprint.
You can see in these examples that the buff of the Basic Attribute (Commando Defense Weaken) starts out at 1.20% at level 1, and increases by 1.20% each time you upgrade the blueprint (this value is common to slots A-F). The amount of Upgrade Books required depends on the level of the blueprint:
| Blueprint Level | Upgrade Books required to reach next level (No BF Buff) | Upgrade Books required to reach next level (BF Buff Active) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | 5 | 3 |
| 4 | 7 | 4 |
| 5 | 10 | 5 |
| 6 | 13 | 7 |
| 7 | 17 | 9 |
| 8 | 21 | 11 |
| 9 | 26 | 13 |
| 10 | 31 | 16 |
| 11 | 36 | 18 |
| 12 | 41 | 21 |
| 13 | 46 | 23 |
| 14 | 51 | 26 |
| 15 | 59 | 30 |
| 16 | 67 | 34 |
| 17 | 75 | 38 |
| 18 | 83 | 42 |
| 19 | 91 | 46 |
| 20 | 99 | 50 |
| 21 | 109 | 55 |
| 22 | 119 | 60 |
| 23 | 129 | 65 |
| 24 | 139 | 70 |
| 25 | 149 | 75 |
| 26 | 164 | 82 |
| 27 | 179 | 90 |
| 28 | 194 | 97 |
| 29 | 209 | 105 |
| 30 | 224 * | 112 * |
| 31 | 239 * | 120 * |
| 32 | 254 * | 127 * |
| 33 | 269 * | 135 * |
| 34 | 284 * | 142 * |
| 35 | 299 * | 150 * |
| 36 | 314 * | 157 * |
| 37 | 329 * | 165 * |
| 38 | 344 * | 172 * |
| 39 | 359 * | 180 * |
| 40 | 374 * | 187 * |
* The values from level 30 on are estimated, as I have not yet been able to verify them. I will update the values as I get them.
Transferring Attributes
The Random Attributes of a blueprint can be transferred to a blueprint of the same troop type and slot by using a Transfer Book.
You can fuse Transfer Books to make better quality Transfer Books:
- 5 Green Transfer Books can be fused into 1 Blue Transfer Book (5 of which are required to transfer a Blue Random Attribute to a different Blueprint)
- 5 Blue Transfer Books can be fused into 1 Purple Transfer Book (5 of which are required to transfer a Purple Random Attribute to a different Blueprint)
- 5 Purple Transfer Books can be fused into 1 Gold Transfer Book (5 of which are required to transfer a Gold Random Attribute to a different Blueprint)
Note that the quality of the Transfer Book required depends on the quality of the Random Attribute, not the quality of the Blueprint itself. Therefore, you can transfer a Blue Random Attribute to a Gold Blueprint using Blue Transfer books. You could also transfer a Purple Random Attribute to a Green Blueprint using Purple Transfer Books, however there is very little reason for you to want to do either of these transfers. In the first situation you would be better transferring a Purple or Gold Random Attribute to your (very valuable) Gold Blueprint. In the second situation you would be better off using the Purple Blueprint itself.
Advancing Blueprints (improving their quality)
Once a blueprint has reached its maximum level you can spend Advancing Books to increase its quality. For example, once a Green Quality Blueprint has been upgraded to level 10, you can use a Blue Advancing Book to advance it to a Blue Quality Blueprint. The resulting blueprint will retain the attributes it already had, and it will gain an additional Random Attribute.
You can fuse Advancing Books to make better quality Advancing Books:
- 5 Blue Advancing Books can be fused into 1 Purple Advancing Book (10 of which are required to advance a Blue Blueprint to a Purple Blueprint)
- 5 Purple Advancing Books can be fused into 1 Gold Advancing Book (10 of which are required to advance a Purple Blueprint to a Gold Blueprint)
Only blueprints that are equipped may be advanced in quality.
Slots G & H
Blueprints in the G and H slots are special because their Basic Attribute buff carries over to your entire corps.
Blueprints in the G and H slots start out with a buff of 0.10%, and increase by 0.10% each time they are upgraded. In the last picture we can see the two buffs that apply to the corps: Corps Vehicle Attack +0.10% and Corps Vehicle Defense +0.50%. If you click on the green question mark next to those lines you can see your cumulative buffs from all of your troop types that are passed on to your corps:
Set Effects
Once you have equipped a certain number of blueprints of the same or higher quality you start to earn set effects from your blueprints.
Vehicles:
| # blueprints equipped of same or higher quality | Set Effects |
|---|---|
| 2 blueprints of same or higher quality | Increases Vehicle Attack. 15%/45%/75%/120% |
| 4 blueprints of same or higher quality | Increases Vehicle HP. 15%/45%/75%/120% |
| 6 blueprints of same or higher quality | Alloy Armor: When defending the Command Center, decreases all ally vehicles' damage taken. 5%/15%/25%/40% |
| 8 blueprints of same or higher quality | Armor Protection: For every 10% of tank units lost during battle, increases HP bonus for other unit types. 1.5%/4.5%/7.5%/12% |
Copters:
| # blueprints equipped of same or higher quality | Set Effects |
|---|---|
| 2 blueprints of same or higher quality | Increases Copter Attack. 15%/45%/75%/120% |
| 4 blueprints of same or higher quality | Increases Copter HP. 15%/45%/75%/120% |
| 6 blueprints of same or higher quality | Bombardment: When defending the Command Center, increases all ally copters' Critical Chance. 5%/15%/25%/40% |
| 8 blueprints of same or higher quality | Armed Strike: In the first round of a battle, all ally copters receive a high Attack bonus. This bonus decreases after each round and disappears after 5 rounds. 40%/120%/200%/320% |
Commandos:
| # blueprints equipped of same or higher quality | Set Effects |
|---|---|
| 2 blueprints of same or higher quality | Increases Commando Attack. 15%/45%/75%/120% |
| 4 blueprints of same or higher quality | Increases Commando HP. 15%/45%/75%/120% |
| 6 blueprints of same or higher quality | AA Gun: When defending the Command Center, increases all allies' damage done to enemy copters. 5%/15%/25%/40% |
| 8 blueprints of same or higher quality | Suppressing Offense: Decreases commando's defense bonus and converts it into attack bonus for 5 rounds. 6%/18%/30%/48% |
Artillery:
| # blueprints equipped of same or higher quality | Set Effects |
|---|---|
| 2 blueprints of same or higher quality | Increases Artillery Attack. 15%/45%/75%/120% |
| 4 blueprints of same or higher quality | Increases Artillery HP. 15%/45%/75%/120% |
| 6 blueprints of same or higher quality | Indiscriminate Attacks: When defending the Command Center, increases all allies' damage done. 2%/6%/10%/16% |
| 8 blueprints of same or higher quality | Enhanced Firepower: For every 10% of artillery units lost during battle, increases Attack bonus for other unit types.. 1.5%/4.5%/7.5%/12% |
The ultimate set effect is the addition of spotlights to your personal appearance. Once you have equipped all 8 slots with gold quality blueprints for a particular troop type, you will gain one spotlight for your personal appearance.
Tips and Suggestions
- Green and blue quality blueprints are usually available for free, while purple and gold quality blueprints generally must be purchased. You would do well to decide what quality level you wish to go for, then focus on creating the best blueprints at that quality. If you are a free-to-play player you will want to target blue quality blueprints. If you are a player who spends a moderate amount of money, target purple quality blueprints. If you are a big spender you may wish to target gold quality blueprints as your goal.
- When I first reached HQ level 22 I had about 30 Basic Blueprint Chests (Artillery, Commando, Copter, and Vehicle) that I had gotten somewhere along the way for free (probably from the Tons of Supplies bonus activity). Therefore, I could fully equip every slot with either a green or blue quality blueprint. I opened all the chests (in your Items inventory), then went to the Blueprints section of the Lab to see what I got. I equipped the best ones (highest quality, then highest stats), and recycled the rest.
- Don't bother upgrading or transferring green quality blueprints. Blue quality blueprints are attainable for free, so save those resources until you get decent blue, purple, or gold quality blueprints. Eventually you will end up recycling most of your green and many of your blue quality blueprints. If you find a blue quality blueprint with very good stats (all in the 5-6% range) you might consider upgrading it.
- The buff values on manufactured (Blackwing) blueprints are generally very poor. I end up recycling almost all of them as a source for upgrade, transfer, and advancing books.
- The most important slots are the G and H slots because they give buffs to your whole corps. It's only the Basic Attribute that carries over to your corps members, so you have to upgrade those blueprints to help your corps more. Upgrade your best blueprints in the G and H slots as much as you can.