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Equipment & Loadouts

Gear is the layer you control most directly in a fight. Dwarves carry weapons and armour on expeditions and in colony defense; buildings carry turrets and plating against raids. Everything is crafted at the Armory from materials and specialist crafting components. For how these stats feed combat, see /combat/overview.

Loadout Slots

Each dwarf has three equipment slots:

Slot Accepts Notes
weapon Any melee, ranged or energy weapon Primary damage source; one per dwarf
armour Any armour suit Mitigation + bonus HP; one per dwarf
utility A utility-eligible sidearm Optional secondary item

Rules:

  • A dwarf may leave any slot empty (valid, but suboptimal — unarmed dwarves punch for 5 damage).
  • Equipment is durable — never consumed by use. (Ranged and energy weapons do draw on ammunition / power-cell components per fight; see below.)
  • Gear is not levelled; you upgrade by crafting and equipping a higher tier.
  • Equip dwarves before an expedition departs or before a raid begins — a dwarf cannot be re-equipped while on an expedition.
  • Some armour is class-locked (the Pilot Exosuit needs a Pilot; the Engineer Combat Rig needs an Engineer).

Crafting Components

Beyond raw materials, equipment needs specialist components produced in the crafting chain (see /economy/production-chain):

Component Used in
Gun Barrel Ranged weapons, turrets
Ammunition Ranged weapons (consumed per round), some turrets
Power Cell Energy weapons, turrets, shields (consumed per fight/wave)
Energy Capacitor Energy weapons, turrets, shields
Targeting Optic Ranged/energy weapons, turrets
Iron Casting Melee weapons, armour, plating
Rune Shard Tier 2–4 melee, heavy armour, runic turrets/shields
Void Crystal Shard Tier 3–4 energy weapons, void armour/plating
Exotic Ingot Tier 4 weapons, Void Cannon, Void Shield
Pressure Seal All armour, the Garrison building

Installing a turret or plating spends its full build cost from the host asteroid’s inventory; credits are drawn from your empire-wide pool.

Weapons

Three weapon families trade off differently. Damage is base per hit; accuracy and initiative are modifiers; values are from the authoritative combat data.

Melee — high damage, high initiative, low accuracy

Weapon Tier Dmg Acc Init Special Build cost Unlock
Mining Pickaxe 1 12 +0 +2 On kill: +5 Supplies recovered 50 Iron, 20 Cr Starting item
Stonefist Gauntlets 1 10 +0 +3 Raises Downed threshold by 5 (tanks more) 80 Iron, 1 Iron Casting, 150 Cr Armory Lv1
Runic Blade 2 20 +5 +2 On crit: stuns target 1 round 200 Iron, 100 Steel, 1 Iron Casting, 1 Rune Shard, 500 Cr Armory Lv2 + Deep Delving T1
Void Axe 3 32 +3 +4 +8 damage vs armoured (ignores 8 mitigation) 300 Steel, 100 Alloys, 2 Rune Shard, 1 Void Crystal Shard, 2,000 Cr Armory Lv3 + Ancestor Lore T2
Deepcore Hammer 4 45 −5 +1 AoE: hits 2 enemies at 50% splash; bonus loot roll on Downed 500 Alloys, 200 Titanium Ingot, 3 Rune Shard, 2 Exotic Ingot, 8,000 Cr Armory Lv4 + Deep Delving T3

Ranged — high accuracy, neutral/low initiative (needs Ammunition)

Weapon Tier Dmg Acc Init Special Build cost Unlock Utility?
Bolter Pistol 1 8 +10 0 Sidearm; 1 ammo/round 60 Iron, 30 Copper, 1 Gun Barrel, 200 Cr Armory Lv1 Yes
Slug Rifle 2 18 +15 −1 Ignores light-class armour; 1 ammo/round 150 Steel, 80 Copper, 1 Gun Barrel, 1 Targeting Optic, 800 Cr Armory Lv2 No
Scatter Cannon 2 14 +5 −2 Hits whole front rank; 2 ammo/round 200 Steel, 100 Alloys, 2 Gun Barrel, 1 Targeting Optic, 1,500 Cr Armory Lv2 + Void Nav T2 No
Gauss Carbine 3 22 +18 +1 On hit: suppresses target (−10 acc next attack); 1 ammo/round 250 Alloys, 150 Titanium Ingot, 1 Gun Barrel, 1 Targeting Optic, 3,000 Cr Armory Lv3 Yes
Deep Sniper Mk.II 3 30 +25 −3 First shot each combat auto-hits; 1 ammo/round 300 Alloys, 100 Titanium Ingot, 2 Gun Barrel, 2 Targeting Optic, 4,000 Cr Armory Lv3 No
Siege Launcher 4 40 +10 −4 AoE +20 to nearby; suppresses whole group; 3 ammo/round 600 Alloys, 300 Titanium Ingot, 3 Gun Barrel, 2 Targeting Optic, 10,000 Cr Armory Lv4 + Guild Admin T3 No

Energy — sustained damage, unique effects (needs Power Cell + Capacitor)

Weapon Tier Dmg Acc Init Special Build cost Unlock Utility?
Plasma Torch 1 10 +5 +1 Melee range; applies burning (3 dmg/round ×2); 1 charge/combat 80 Iron, 50 Copper, 1 Power Cell, 1 Energy Capacitor, 300 Cr Armory Lv1 Yes
Arc Pistol 2 15 +12 +2 30% chance to chain 8 dmg to adjacent; 1 charge/combat 180 Steel, 80 Copper, 1 Power Cell, 1 Energy Capacitor, 1,000 Cr Armory Lv2 Yes
Stasis Emitter 3 5 +20 +3 Applies stasis (target skips turn, +20 acc against it); 1 charge/combat 200 Steel, 100 Alloys, 2 Power Cell, 1 Energy Capacitor, 1 Targeting Optic, 3,500 Cr Armory Lv3 + Void Nav T2 Yes
Void Lance 3 28 +8 0 Penetrates front rank into back rank at 50%; 1 charge/combat 300 Steel, 150 Alloys, 2 Power Cell, 2 Energy Capacitor, 1 Void Crystal Shard, 5,000 Cr Armory Lv3 + Ancestor Lore T1 No
Runic Cannon 4 42 +15 −1 Charged shot: ×2 damage and ignores all mitigation; 2 charges/combat 400 Alloys, 200 Titanium Ingot, 1 Exotic Ingot, 3 Power Cell, 2 Energy Capacitor, 1 Void Crystal Shard, 12,000 Cr Armory Lv4 + Runic Eng T3 No

Armour

Armour adds flat mitigation (subtracted from each incoming hit) and a bonus HP pool in combat. Heavier suits penalise initiative. Class-restricted suits work only for their class.

Armour Tier Class Mit HP Init Special Build cost Unlock
Mining Vest 1 light 2 10 0 Base protection 60 Iron, 100 Cr Armory Lv1
Scout Leathers 2 light 3 15 +1 Acts earlier; +10% accuracy with ranged/energy 150 Steel, 80 Copper, 1 Pressure Seal, 400 Cr Armory Lv2
Hardened Work Suit 2 medium 5 20 −1 −15% fatigue gain from combat 200 Steel, 1 Iron Casting, 1 Pressure Seal, 600 Cr Armory Lv2
Pilot Exosuit 3 medium 7 25 −1 Pilot only; +20% Pilot class-fit, +5 accuracy 300 Alloys, 100 Titanium Ingot, 1 Pressure Seal, 1 Targeting Optic, 2,000 Cr Armory Lv3 + Pilot Barracks Lv4
Engineer Combat Rig 3 medium 6 28 −2 Engineer only; repairs 10 structure HP at combat start 300 Alloys, 100 Steel, 2 Iron Casting, 1 Pressure Seal, 2,500 Cr Armory Lv3
Runic Plate Armour 3 heavy 10 35 −3 25% chance to block a Downing hit; heals 5 HP/round 400 Steel, 200 Alloys, 2 Iron Casting, 1 Rune Shard, 1 Pressure Seal, 3,000 Cr Armory Lv3 + Runic Eng T2
Void Carapace 4 heavy 15 50 −4 Immune to burning & stasis; reduces injury severity one tier 600 Alloys, 300 Titanium Ingot, 3 Iron Casting, 2 Rune Shard, 1 Void Crystal Shard, 10,000 Cr Armory Lv4 + Ancestor Lore T3

Structure Defenses — Turrets

Turrets mount on Turret Platforms and fire automatically during raids, with their own initiative and attack rate (attacks per combat round; 0.5 = every other round). They take no dwarf to operate, though Garrison occupants boost their damage.

Turret Tier Dmg Rate Range Special Build cost Unlock
Basic Autocannon 1 10 1.0 medium Reliable baseline 150 Iron, 80 Steel, 1 Gun Barrel, 500 Cr Armory Lv1 / Turret Platform Lv1
Scatter Turret 2 8 1.5 short Hits the whole short-range group; anti-swarm 300 Steel, 100 Alloys, 2 Gun Barrel, 1 Ammunition, 1,500 Cr Armory Lv2
Arc Emitter 2 12 1.0 medium 40% chain for 6 dmg; 1 power cell/wave 250 Steel, 120 Alloys, 1 Gun Barrel, 1 Power Cell, 1 Energy Capacitor, 2,000 Cr Armory Lv2 + Runic Eng T1
Stasis Projector 3 5 1.0 medium Stasises target (deals 0 dmg while held); 1 power cell/wave 400 Alloys, 150 Titanium Ingot, 1 Power Cell, 2 Energy Capacitor, 1 Targeting Optic, 5,000 Cr Armory Lv3
Missile Battery 3 25 0.5 long Hits back rank; 12 splash to group; 2 ammo/wave 500 Alloys, 200 Titanium Ingot, 3 Gun Barrel, 2 Targeting Optic, 6,000 Cr Armory Lv3 + Void Nav T2
Void Cannon 4 40 0.5 long Charged shot every 2 rounds ignores all mitigation; 2 power cells/wave 800 Alloys, 400 Titanium Ingot, 1 Exotic Ingot, 3 Power Cell, 2 Energy Capacitor, 15,000 Cr Armory Lv4 + Runic Eng T3

Structure Defenses — Plating & Shields

Passive installations that protect buildings from raid damage. Plating adds flat mitigation and HP to the building. Shield generators absorb a pool of damage per wave before the building is touched, and recharge between waves.

Item Tier Type Struct. Mit Struct. HP Absorb/wave Regen/round Special Build cost Unlock
Reinforced Hull Plating 1 plating 5 50 — — — 200 Iron, 100 Steel, 1 Iron Casting, 400 Cr Armory Lv1
Personal Field Projector 1 shield 0 0 30 0 Recharges between waves 250 Steel, 1 Power Cell, 1 Energy Capacitor, 800 Cr Armory Lv1
Titanium Hull Plating 2 plating 12 120 — — Immune to burning 400 Steel, 200 Titanium Ingot, 2 Iron Casting, 2,500 Cr Armory Lv2
Runic Barrier Generator 2 shield 3 0 80 15 1 power cell/wave 400 Alloys, 100 Steel, 2 Power Cell, 2 Energy Capacitor, 1 Rune Shard, 3,000 Cr Armory Lv2 + Runic Eng T2
Void-Forged Hull 3 plating 20 250 — — Reflects 5 dmg to attacker per hit 600 Alloys, 300 Titanium Ingot, 3 Iron Casting, 1 Void Crystal Shard, 8,000 Cr Armory Lv3 + Ancestor Lore T2
Void Shield Matrix 3 shield 8 0 200 30 On break: 20 dmg shockwave to all in range; 2 power cells/wave 600 Alloys, 300 Titanium Ingot, 1 Exotic Ingot, 3 Power Cell, 2 Energy Capacitor, 10,000 Cr Armory Lv4 + Runic Eng T3

Defense Buildings

The five defense-category buildings that host gear and crew. Build the Armory first — it gates everything else.

Armory

Crafts every weapon, armour, turret and plating, and charges energy weapons.

Level Build cost Craft queue slots Craft time
1 1,000 Iron, 500 Steel, 300 Copper, 2,000 Cr 1 ×1.0
2 3,000 Iron, 1,500 Steel, 200 Alloys, 6,000 Cr 2 ×0.85
3 8,000 Iron, 4,000 Steel, 800 Alloys, 18,000 Cr 3 ×0.70
4 22,000 Iron, 12,000 Steel, 3,000 Alloys, 50,000 Cr 4 ×0.55

Unlock: Refinery Lv2 + Mine Shaft Lv3.

Turret Platform

Mounts turrets without taking a production slot.

Level Iron Steel Credits Turret slots Structure HP
1 500 200 1,500 2 200
2 1,200 500 4,000 3 300
3 3,000 1,200 10,000 4 450
4 7,000 3,000 25,000 5 650
5 16,000 7,000 60,000 6 900

Unlock: Mine Shaft Lv3 + Armory Lv1. Has 1 plating/shield slot.

Garrison / Bunker

Houses defense dwarves who fight in raids and amplify turret damage. Trains the defense combat stat.

Level Iron Steel Credits Capacity Turret dmg / occupant
1 600 300 2,000 3 +10%
2 1,500 700 5,000 4 +12%
3 4,000 2,000 12,000 5 +15%
4 10,000 5,000 30,000 6 +18%
5 25,000 12,000 75,000 8 +22%

Unlock: Habitat Lv3 + Armory Lv1. Has 1 plating/shield slot.

Shield Generator Station

Projects an asteroid-wide field reducing raid damage to all buildings.

Level Steel Alloys Credits Asteroid-wide shield HP/wave Regen/round
1 800 300 5,000 +20 5
2 2,500 800 15,000 +50 12
3 7,000 2,500 40,000 +100 22
4 20,000 7,000 100,000 +200 40

Unlock: Runic Engineering T1 + Armory Lv2. Uses 1 Power Cell per wave; has 2 plating slots.

Sensor Array

Early warning radar — turns ambush raids into scheduled, telegraphed ones. Also grants an extra combat option at expedition encounter stages at Lv3.

Level Iron Steel Electronics Credits Raid warning Composition preview
1 800 400 200 3,000 ~3 min No
2 3,000 1,500 600 10,000 ~6 min No
3 9,000 5,000 2,000 30,000 ~10 min Yes

Unlock: Cargo Shuttle Dock Lv1 + Void Navigation T1.

Gear on Expeditions

The same weapons and armour you craft for defense come with the squad on expeditions, where they decide exploration encounters (combat branches at expedition stages — see /world/expeditions). Key points:

  • Weapon damage, accuracy and initiative, plus armour mitigation and bonus HP, raise each dwarf’s effective combat power in encounters.
  • The bonus HP from armour is a real survival buffer: a dwarf with Void Carapace enters a fight with +50 effective HP and downgrades any resulting injury by a tier.
  • Class-restricted suits reward focused squads: a Pilot in a Pilot Exosuit is a far better fighter than an unequipped one.
  • Encounters draw from the broader enemy roster, including exploration-only threats that drop expedition loot when defeated.

Exploration-only enemies

These appear in expedition encounters rather than raids, and drop loot on defeat:

Enemy Faction Type Tier HP Dmg Mit Acc Init Notable loot
Tunnel Crawler Void Swarm scout 1 18 5 0 50% 9 Iron (always acts first round 1)
Void Predator Void Predator soldier 2 60 16 3 70% 7 Crystal (+20% dmg vs hurt dwarves)
Crystal Swarm Cluster Crystalite soldier 2 35×3 8×3 2 55% 5 Crystal, Gold (3 segments)
Ruin Guardian Ancient Automaton heavy 3 100 20 10 60% 3 +1 Artifact, Rare Relics
Void Alpha ★ Void Predator boss 4 200 25 6 72% 6 Artifacts, Exotic Materials (Stage 4–5)
Precursor Warden ★ Precursor Guardian boss 5 350 32 16 68% 4 Rare Relics, Exotic Materials (Excavate Ruins boss)

Encounter rewards scale with the threat — early ambushes drop a little iron and credits, while deep Gamma boss fights drop multiple artifacts, exotic materials and hundreds of credits. See /treasures/artifacts-reliquaries for what artifacts do.

Implementation Status

Equipping dwarves, installing/removing turrets and plating, garrison assignment, and the full crafting cost flow are implemented in 0.10.0 (client/js/systems/combat.js). Every stat in the tables above comes from the authoritative combat data files (data/combat/*). All values are flagged first-pass / balance TBD in the source. The combat resolver implements the core special effects (armour-piercing, burning, stasis, suppression, blocking, mitigation-ignoring, severity reduction) first; some exotic per-weapon effects are defined in data ahead of full resolver support, so treat the rarer specials as design-intended rather than finally tuned.

See Also

Documents SpaceDwarves v0.10.0 · Changelog