Tundra's debut roguelike takes FTL's paused ship combat and drops it into a techno-gothic future where the Solar Empire worships the Immortal God King Hyperion and three Ruinous Cults want the same prize you do. A run crosses exactly six sectors and the sixth is always the Imperial Coreworlds, whose final node is the Vault of Souls. Every playable hull carries 30 hull points and room for at most nine installed systems, and the only ship unlocked when you start is Imperial Cruiser A, the Triumph of Heaven. Crew come from seven human factions with more than seventy distinct types between them, so boarding parties are built rather than drafted.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cannons | S | Stripping shield layers so a beam or boarding party can do the real work | Armaments that fire one or more physical rounds or energy bursts per salvo. |
| Beam Armaments | A | Follow up damage across three or more rooms once shields are already down | Beams fire in one continuous burst over several seconds and cut through multiple rooms on a single pass, which makes them the highest total damage option in the game per shot. |
| Lances | A | Opening bursts against heavily shielded ships and High Threat Targets | Lances begin every battle pre charged, travel at high projectile speed and pierce shielding outright, which no other armament category does reliably. |
| Ion Armaments | B | Permanently suppressing enemy shields or medical systems during a boarding action | Ion weapons attack a system's capacity to draw power rather than the hull. |
| Missile Bays | B | Answering a specific problem mid fight when your main weapons cannot solve it | A Missile Bay holds up to three Missile Templates simultaneously and you switch between them manually during a battle. |
S-Tier: Cannons
Armaments that fire one or more physical rounds or energy bursts per salvo. Cannon fire never penetrates shields, but each shot that lands strips one shield layer, and depending on the type a hit can damage hull, injure crew, start fires, flood a room with toxic gas or open a breach.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | S |
| Best For | Stripping shield layers so a beam or boarding party can do the real work |
| Key Mechanic | Reactor power across nine system slots |
| Recommended Build | The Empire |
How to get it: Available from mid-game onward. See our walkthrough for the exact progression point.
Best builds using Cannons: Pairs naturally with The Empire thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Beam Armaments
Beams fire in one continuous burst over several seconds and cut through multiple rooms on a single pass, which makes them the highest total damage option in the game per shot. Most beams do not penetrate shields or reduce them at all, so they need a partner weapon that clears the barriers first.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Follow up damage across three or more rooms once shields are already down |
| Key Mechanic | Cannons, beams, lances and missile templates |
| Recommended Build | Raider Clans |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Beam Armaments: Pairs naturally with Raider Clans thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
A-Tier: Lances
Lances begin every battle pre charged, travel at high projectile speed and pierce shielding outright, which no other armament category does reliably. The catch is a hard limit on how many times each can fire per engagement, so they are an opening move rather than a sustained one.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | A |
| Best For | Opening bursts against heavily shielded ships and High Threat Targets |
| Key Mechanic | Boarding actions with faction crew and wargear |
| Recommended Build | War Cult |
How to get it: Accessible in the early-to-mid game. Check our maps guide for the location.
Best builds using Lances: Pairs naturally with War Cult thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Ion Armaments
Ion weapons attack a system's capacity to draw power rather than the hull. A shields room held under continuous ion fire never comes back up, which is the standard answer to the shield boosters carried by the Doom Engine, the Necropolis Barge and the Ariokine Starflayer.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Permanently suppressing enemy shields or medical systems during a boarding action |
| Key Mechanic | A six sector run to the Vault of Souls |
| Recommended Build | Death Cult |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Ion Armaments: Pairs naturally with Death Cult thanks to how their stat scaling lines up.
B-Tier: Missile Bays
A Missile Bay holds up to three Missile Templates simultaneously and you switch between them manually during a battle. That flexibility is unmatched, but every shot consumes ammunition and Point Defense Turrets on later enemies will shoot a proportion of them down before impact.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tier | B |
| Best For | Answering a specific problem mid fight when your main weapons cannot solve it |
| Key Mechanic | Resonance unlocks between runs |
| Recommended Build | Technocult |
How to get it: Found in later areas. Our walkthrough covers when you can access this.
Best builds using Missile Bays: Pairs naturally with Technocult 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 Protostar Wastes
- Beam Armaments → Your first real upgrade, available early
- Lances → Mid-game upgrade with good scaling
- Cannons → 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.
- Shield power only moves in steps of two, and each additional barrier costs two upgrade levels. Budget for that before you buy a third weapon you then cannot power.
- Check our tier list for how equipment rankings affect overall build effectiveness.
More Void War Guides
- Void War Void War Overview
- Void War Best Builds
- Void War Tier List
- Void War Walkthrough
- Void War Beginner's Guide
- Void War Tips & Tricks
- Void War Combat Guide
- Void War Boss Guide
- Void War Maps & Locations
- Void War Crafting Guide
- Void War Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Void War, check out these related guides:
- Risk of Rain 2 Weapons Guide: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Hades Weapons Guide: roguelike game with similar mechanics
- Darkest Dungeon Weapons Guide: roguelike game with similar mechanics
