Gear Attributes

Stolen from u/echolog

This section will cover the different types of attributes that every weapon and armor has. The point of this is to clear up any confusion between what makes gear do what it does, and what the different words in the name of a piece of gear actually mean. There is a LOT of misinformation about this stuff, so please pay attention. Below are the primary attributes that you will want to know about:

• Tier/Quality
  • Keywords: Calibrated, Refined, Advanced, Superior (Superior only applies to Suits, Helmets, and Packs)
  • The Tier or Quality of a piece of gear is what determines its overall effectiveness. This means its base damage done for weapons, or base damage resistance for armor. If you have two pieces of otherwise identical gear, the one with the higher tier will be significantly better in terms of overall stats.
  • Advanced is the highest possible tier for weapons, and Superior is the highest possible tier for armor.
  • Higher tiers of weapons will start to appear at vendors, on enemies, or in containers at higher character levels. It is possible to find higher tiered gear at lower levels, but you may need to go out of your way to do so.
  • Note: Gear can also NOT have a tier, which puts it at the lowest possible level of effectiveness. Most “Unique” weapons with personalized names are in this tier, which sadly, makes them nearly useless once you find anything better.
  • Summary: Tier/Quality is what makes your gear do/resist more damage. This is the most important keyword on any piece of gear. Once you find Advanced Weapons and Superior Armor, all other tiers of gear are effectively irrelevant.
• Archetype/Type
  • Keywords: Melee, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Heavy, Laser Rifle, Particle Beam Rifle, etc.
  • There are MANY different types of weapons within each overall archetype (ex: Rifle could be Maelstrom, Drum Mag, Beowulf, Magpulse, etc.). This determines the weapon’s appearance, performance, damage type, available workbench mods, and overall playstyle. It also, to some extent, determines damage.
  • The type of weapon you want to use comes largely down to personal preference, but there are some weapons that are strictly better than others. For example, a Beowulf will always have better stats than a Drum Mag. Drum Mags, however, look really cool.
  • Summary: Weapon Archetype/Type is what makes a weapon… what it is. You can use any weapon you want and still have it be effective. As for armor, some types are strictly better than others, but fashion will always be the most important stat.
• Rarity
  • Keywords: Rare, Epic, Legendary (Blue, Purple, Gold)
  • The Rarity of a piece of gear determines the number of modifiers it can have. Rare can have 1, Epic can have 2, Legendary can have 3.
  • The Rarity of gear does NOT determine overall damage or effectiveness of the weapon, and can largely be considered a “bonus”.
  • Modifiers can grant a variety of bonuses such as increased damage to certain enemy types, increase resistance to certain types of damage, or other bonuses which are often dependent on a certain kind of playstyle.
  • These modifiers are NOT to be confused with “mods” which can be applied at a workbench. They are completely different.
  • In terms of Armor, many consider Rarity and Modifiers to be more important than stats, mostly due to the existence of modifiers such as Increased Carry Capacity or Increased Oxygen Supply. This is largely down to personal preference.
  • Generally speaking, the Tier/Quality of an item will have a much larger impact on the items overall effectiveness and stats in terms of damage dealt or received.
  • Prefix Note: Rarity modifiers can also add a prefix to the name of the weapon, such as Elemental, Explosive, or Furious. This prefix is not to be confused with the Tier/Quality of the item, and does not directly impact damage unless specifically stated by the modifer.
  • Summary: Rarity is a “bonus” on top of the Tier/Type of the gear. It does not directly impact damage unless otherwise stated. High rarity should be considered a “nice to have”, and not a replacement for higher quality gear.
• Workbench Mods
  • Keywords: Anti-Personnel, Boosted, Operator’s, Commander’s, Scout’s, etc.
  • Mods, not to be confused with modifiers provided by an items rarity, are added to weapons and armor at workbenches.
  • These can be found randomly on weapons in the world and at vendors, but ideally you should be crafting these yourself.
  • Relevant perks include: Spacesuit Design (3), Weapon Engineering (4), and Special Projects (1). I recommend unlocking these ASAP.
  • Once unlocked (and researched at a research lab), you can upgrade your weapons with mods. These mods can provide significant upgrades to the damage, playstyle, and overall effectiveness of weapons. It is nearly always worth doing this any time you find a base weapon that you think is worth using.
  • Prefix Note: The combination of mods on a weapon can add a prefix to the name of the weapon, such as Boosted, Commanders, Scouts, etc. This prefix is not to be confused with the Tier/Quality of the item, and does not directly impact damage unless specifically stated by the modifer.
  • Summary: You should unlock the weapon/armor crafting perks ASAP and upgrade any weapon you plan on using for a long time.