Subset Games, meaning Justin Ma and Matthew Davis, shipped this on 14 September 2012 after a Kickstarter that asked for 10,000 dollars and collected roughly twenty times that. You run a Federation ship through eight sectors with a Rebel fleet closing behind you, spending scrap on systems and weapons, and the run ends against a three phase Rebel Flagship in Sector 8. The free Advanced Edition update in April 2014 added the Lanius, hacking, mind control, the Clone Bay and the Backup Battery, and it is on by default now. Nothing is randomised in your favour, and a good run is mostly a sequence of decisions about what not to buy.
Your choice of equipment defines your damage output and playstyle. This guide ranks every major option, explains what makes each one strong, and tells you which builds they pair best with.
Equipment Rankings
| Equipment | Tier | Best For | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burst Laser Mark II | S | Any ship at any point in a run, and the backbone of every laser stack build | Two power, three shots, twelve second cooldown, and the single most recommended weapon in the game. |
| Halberd Beam | A | Pairing with lasers or ion weapons that drop the enemy to one shield layer or fewer | Three power, seventeen second cooldown, two damage per room, and unusually it pierces one shield layer, so it still lands one damage per room through a single barrier. |
| Flak Gun Mark I | A | Feeding a beam weapon by clearing shield layers on a short cycle | Two power, three projectiles, ten second cooldown, and no ammunition cost. |
| Glaive Beam | B | Late run ships with high evasion and a Cloaking system to cover the long charge | Four power, twenty five second cooldown, three damage per room and it pierces two shield layers. |
| Ion Blast Mark II | B | Locking down enemy shields so beams, drones or boarders can work unopposed | The fastest cycling ion weapon available. |
S-Tier: Burst Laser Mark II
Two power, three shots, twelve second cooldown, and the single most recommended weapon in the game. Three shots strip three shield layers on their own, or strip two and land a hull hit, which is why players build entire runs around finding a second one.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | Any ship at any point in a run, and the backbone of every laser stack build |
| Key Mechanic | Reactor power split across systems |
| Recommended Build | Kestrel Cruiser |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Burst Laser Mark II: Pairs naturally with Kestrel Cruiser thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Halberd Beam
Three power, seventeen second cooldown, two damage per room, and unusually it pierces one shield layer, so it still lands one damage per room through a single barrier. On a typical ship layout it crosses at least three rooms per sweep for six damage from one shot.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Pairing with lasers or ion weapons that drop the enemy to one shield layer or fewer |
| Key Mechanic | Active pausing during combat |
| Recommended Build | Engi Cruiser |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Halberd Beam: Pairs naturally with Engi Cruiser thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Flak Gun Mark I
Two power, three projectiles, ten second cooldown, and no ammunition cost. It trades accuracy for cycle speed, and because each fragment that connects removes a shield layer it is the cheapest reliable shield stripper in the game.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Feeding a beam weapon by clearing shield layers on a short cycle |
| Key Mechanic | Crew skills and boarding |
| Recommended Build | Federation Cruiser |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Flak Gun Mark I: Pairs naturally with Federation Cruiser thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Glaive Beam
Four power, twenty five second cooldown, three damage per room and it pierces two shield layers. It is powerful enough that you build the ship around it rather than the other way round, since four power in one slot leaves very little for anything else.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Late run ships with high evasion and a Cloaking system to cover the long charge |
| Key Mechanic | Fuel, scrap and the advancing rebel fleet |
| Recommended Build | Mantis Cruiser |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Glaive Beam: Pairs naturally with Mantis Cruiser thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Ion Blast Mark II
The fastest cycling ion weapon available. Ion damage reduces a system's power temporarily rather than harming the hull, so it never starts fires or hurts crew, and a single Ion Blast Mark II held on the enemy shield room keeps it offline indefinitely.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Locking down enemy shields so beams, drones or boarders can work unopposed |
| Key Mechanic | The three phase Rebel Flagship |
| Recommended Build | Zoltan Cruiser |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Ion Blast Mark II: Pairs naturally with Zoltan Cruiser thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
Equipment Progression Path
The order you should acquire equipment as you progress:
- Starting gear → Enough to clear Civilian Sector
- Halberd Beam → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Flak Gun Mark I → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Burst Laser Mark II → Best-in-slot, aim for this by late game
- Upgrade to max → The power spike from max upgrades is enormous
Equipment Tips
- Always upgrade your primary equipment before diversifying. One strong option beats three mediocre ones.
- Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities for maximum scaling.
- Pause and stagger. Charging three weapons and firing them in one instant strips three shield layers at once, where firing them as they finish charging lets shields regenerate between shots.
- Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
More FTL: Faster Than Light Guides
- FTL: Faster Than Light FTL: Faster Than Light Overview
- FTL: Faster Than Light Best Builds
- FTL: Faster Than Light Tier List
- FTL: Faster Than Light Walkthrough
- FTL: Faster Than Light Beginner's Guide
- FTL: Faster Than Light Tips & Tricks
- FTL: Faster Than Light Combat Guide
- FTL: Faster Than Light Boss Guide
- FTL: Faster Than Light Maps & Locations
- FTL: Faster Than Light Crafting Guide
- FTL: Faster Than Light Classes & Characters
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- Hades Weapons Guide: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Darkest Dungeon Weapons Guide: roguelike game with similar mechanics
