Modules are passive equippable modifiers that augment ship and weapon performance. Each ship has 3 module slots: Offense, Defense, Utility. The player selects one module per slot from their unlocked collection.
This document specifies the 18 modules available in v1.0, their effects across M-tiers, and their acquisition paths.
Every ship has 3 slots:
A ship cannot equip two modules in the same slot. The player can swap freely between sorties.
Modules upgrade M0 → M1 → M2 → M3 with numerical scaling only. No qualitative changes. No build time required — module upgrades are configurations applied to existing data.
Scaling formula:
Each module has an icon in the loadout screen showing:
Effect: Primary weapon damage +15% (M0)
Lore: "Refined human engineering. Reliable. Quiet."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | +15% damage |
| M1 | +19% damage |
| M2 | +24% damage |
| M3 | +30% damage |
Acquisition: Drop from Sector 2 stages (~10% chance from elites)
Upgrade cost (M0→M1→M2→M3): 800 / 2,500 / 8,000 credits + 1/2/4 blueprint shards
Effect: When special charge meter is full, +10% damage to primary weapon (M0)
Lore: "Veiled design. Your strength compounds while waiting."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | +10% damage when special is full |
| M1 | +13% damage |
| M2 | +16% damage |
| M3 | +20% damage |
Acquisition: Achievement reward — "Special Reservist" (deploy 50 specials)
Upgrade cost: 1,500 / 4,500 / 12,000 credits + 2/4/8 shards
Effect: +5% crit chance; crits deal 2× damage (M0)
Lore: "Veiled probability engineering. The dice are tilted."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | +5% crit chance |
| M1 | +6.5% crit chance |
| M2 | +8% crit chance |
| M3 | +10% crit chance + crit damage 2.5× |
Acquisition: Drop from Sector 3 stages (~5% chance from any stage clear)
Upgrade cost: 1,200 / 3,500 / 10,000 credits + 1/3/5 shards
Effect: Heat builds 20% slower for the equipped primary weapon (M0)
Lore: "Coalition refinement. Push the envelope further."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | Heat -20% |
| M1 | Heat -26% |
| M2 | Heat -32% |
| M3 | Heat -40% |
Acquisition: Endless mode milestone — Depth 50
Upgrade cost: 2,000 / 5,500 / 14,000 credits + 2/4/6 shards
Effect: Special ability charges 25% faster (M0)
Lore: "Coalition co-engineering. Tactical action without the wait."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | Special charge rate +25% |
| M1 | +32% |
| M2 | +40% |
| M3 | +50% + first special of stage starts at 25% charge |
Acquisition: Achievement reward — "Combo Master" (achieve 10× combo 25 times)
Upgrade cost: 1,800 / 5,000 / 13,000 credits + 2/4/6 shards
Effect: Boltzmann Cascade pattern variance reduced (only matters with that weapon equipped) (M0)
Lore: "Veiled humor — designed by the engineer who laughed when asked for 'reliability.'"
| Mark | Effect (only when Boltzmann Cascade equipped) |
|---|---|
| M0 | Massive Slug pattern +10% chance |
| M1 | Massive Slug +15%; Spiral +5% |
| M2 | Massive Slug +20%; Spiral +10% |
| M3 | Massive Slug 35%; Spiral 18%; Standard Pulse becomes piercing |
Acquisition: Drop only from killing Architect's Witness elite
Upgrade cost: 2,500 / 6,000 / 15,000 credits + 3/5/8 shards
Effect: +20% maximum HP (M0)
Lore: "Coalition baseline. More armor, more chances to learn."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | +20% max HP |
| M1 | +26% max HP |
| M2 | +32% max HP |
| M3 | +40% max HP |
Acquisition: Drop from Sector 2 stages (~8% chance)
Upgrade cost: 1,000 / 2,800 / 8,500 credits + 1/3/5 shards
Effect: +1 shield charge at stage start (M0)
Lore: "Veiled adaptive design. The hull learns from attacks."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | +1 shield charge |
| M1 | +1 shield charge + shield regenerates if not damaged for 45s |
| M2 | +2 shield charges + regen every 35s |
| M3 | +2 shield charges + regen every 25s |
Acquisition: Endless mode milestone — Depth 100
Upgrade cost: 2,500 / 6,500 / 16,000 credits + 3/5/8 shards
Effect: -20% damage from enemy collisions (M0)
Lore: "Human engineering. Bumping no longer hurts as much."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | -20% collision damage |
| M1 | -26% |
| M2 | -32% |
| M3 | -40% + brief invulnerability frames on collision (0.3s) |
Acquisition: Drop from Sector 1 stages (~12% chance)
Upgrade cost: 500 / 1,800 / 5,500 credits + 1/2/4 shards
Effect: Passive HP regen at 1/sec when not damaged for 5 seconds (M0)
Lore: "Coalition emergency systems. The ship heals between fights."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | 1 HP/sec after 5s no damage |
| M1 | 1.3 HP/sec after 4s |
| M2 | 1.6 HP/sec after 3s |
| M3 | 2 HP/sec after 2s, with brief burst regen on phase transitions |
Acquisition: Achievement reward — "Survivor" (clear 20 stages without dying)
Upgrade cost: 1,500 / 4,200 / 11,000 credits + 2/3/6 shards
Effect: Phase Shift duration +0.5s (only when Phase Shift special equipped) (M0)
Lore: "Veiled quantum tuning. More time outside time."
| Mark | Effect (only when Phase Shift equipped) |
|---|---|
| M0 | Phase Shift +0.5s |
| M1 | Phase Shift +0.65s |
| M2 | Phase Shift +0.8s |
| M3 | Phase Shift +1.0s + phase-shift kills cool heat by 5% |
Acquisition: Drop from V-2 Phantom-related missions or Inquisitor Hunter elites
Upgrade cost: 2,000 / 5,000 / 13,000 credits + 2/4/6 shards
Effect: Shield regen rate +50% (passive while shield is active) (M0)
Lore: "Coalition advanced shielding. Defense in continuous motion."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | Shield regen +50% |
| M1 | +65% |
| M2 | +80% |
| M3 | +100% + +1 shield charge while in a Time Dilation Field |
Acquisition: Endless mode milestone — Depth 200
Upgrade cost: 3,500 / 9,000 / 22,000 credits + 4/8/12 shards
Effect: +50% pickup magnet radius (M0)
Lore: "Coalition QoL design. Less darting, more gathering."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | +50% radius |
| M1 | +65% |
| M2 | +80% |
| M3 | +100% + magnetized projectiles bend slightly toward player |
Acquisition: Drop from Sector 1 stages (~15% chance)
Upgrade cost: 600 / 2,000 / 6,000 credits + 1/2/4 shards
Effect: +15% Ship Mastery XP gain (M0)
Lore: "Coalition pilot-training innovation. Every flight teaches more."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | +15% Ship Mastery XP |
| M1 | +19% |
| M2 | +24% |
| M3 | +30% + first kill of stage grants bonus Mastery XP |
Acquisition: Daily login reward (Day 14)
Upgrade cost: 1,000 / 3,000 / 8,500 credits + 1/3/5 shards
Effect: +20% credit drop from kills (M0)
Lore: "Coalition pilot-pay structure. The Frontier Commander shares the win."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | +20% credits |
| M1 | +26% |
| M2 | +32% |
| M3 | +40% + boss defeats grant bonus credits |
Acquisition: Drop from Sector 2 stages (~6% chance)
Upgrade cost: 1,500 / 4,500 / 12,000 credits + 2/4/6 shards
Effect: +10% blueprint shard drop rate (M0)
Lore: "Veiled-Coalition prospecting design. Find more raw materials."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | +10% shard drop rate |
| M1 | +13% |
| M2 | +16% |
| M3 | +20% + first elite kill of stage guarantees a shard |
Acquisition: Achievement reward — "Prospector" (collect 100 blueprint shards)
Upgrade cost: 2,000 / 5,500 / 14,000 credits + 3/5/8 shards
Effect: Heat cools 30% faster when not firing (M0)
Lore: "Coalition refinement. Recovery in moments rather than seconds."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | Heat decay +30% |
| M1 | +39% |
| M2 | +48% |
| M3 | +60% + brief firing pauses (0.5s) restore heat substantially |
Acquisition: Drop from Sector 3 stages (~5% chance)
Upgrade cost: 1,800 / 5,000 / 13,000 credits + 2/4/6 shards
Effect: Combo doesn't reset for 4 seconds instead of 3 (M0)
Lore: "Veiled tactical computing. Time to plan the next kill."
| Mark | Effect |
|---|---|
| M0 | Combo reset extended to 4s |
| M1 | Extended to 4.5s |
| M2 | Extended to 5s + combo persists through one shield hit |
| M3 | Extended to 6s + combo persists through one shield hit + one HP loss |
Acquisition: Endless mode milestone — Depth 75
Upgrade cost: 2,500 / 6,500 / 16,000 credits + 3/5/8 shards
Some module + ship + weapon combinations are intentionally powerful:
These synergies emerge from the design without explicit "build" trees. Players discover them.
Module variety ensures multiple viable builds rather than one dominant configuration. The Tier 2 design specifically avoids:
For initial balance, these drop rate targets:
| Module Rarity | Sources | Expected Time to First Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Common (O-1, D-3, U-1) | Stage drops 10-15% | 5 stages |
| Uncommon (O-3, U-3, D-1) | Stage drops 5-12% | 15 stages |
| Rare (O-2, D-4, U-2) | Achievements | 1-2 sessions of focused play |
| Endless milestones (O-4, D-2, D-6, U-6) | Endless depth | 1-2 weeks of dedicated endless play |
| Elite-locked (O-6, D-5) | Specific elite drops | Variable; encourages strategic farming |
Drop rates are stored as config values shipped with the binary (client-side only — see 00_amendments.md Amendment 7). Changes require app store updates.
Document version: 1.0 (locked) Part of: Tao Baryon GDD — Tier 2 Content Systems