Weapon mods

Weapon modifications are items that can be used to modify characteristics of various weapons.  Particular modifications vary from slight bonuses or penalties to alterations that drastically change how particular weapons can be used.

Usage

Acquisition: Weapon modifications can be acquired as loot dropped from defeated ships, from lockboxes, and as rare mission rewards.

Installation: The process of installing them can be initiated by talking with a Mechanic and selecting "Weapon Modifications."

Dismantling: Weapon modifications can also be dismantled into weapon mod parts of various grades, which can be used to make new weapon mods.

Crafting: New weapon mods can be crafted using weapon mod parts of the same grade.

The Weapon Mod Interface

The Weapon Mod Interface contains a list of weapon mods that you currently have with details for each one.  This interface can be accessed in two ways:

1. Through the Inventory, [Sidebar (Enter) -> Information (2) -> My own status (1) -> Inventory (3) -> Weapon Mods (2)]
2. And via each weapon in the Ship Details of the Albion Skunk. [Sidebar (Enter) -> Information (2) -> Ship status (3) -> Weapon Systems -> select Weapon -> Details (4)]

The Crafting Interface

Like any other craftable item, weapon mods are crafted in your Inventory. [Sidebar (Enter) -> Information (2) -> My own status (1) -> Inventory (3)]

Please note that the resulting weapon mod does not appear in the Inventory.  Rather, it appears in the Weapon Mod Interface where all of your weapon mods can be examined in detail at your leisure.

Grades

Weapon mods come in three grades: Low, Medium, and High.

Low-Grade Weapon Mods

Low-grade weapon mods are experimental in nature and tend to throw a weapon out of balance.  They alter a single aspect of a weapon, but that single aspect tends to be altered drastically.  The quality of these weapon mods is also extremely random, and there is a fairly high chance that a weapon mod will provide only a penalty.

Medium-Grade Weapon Mods

Medium-grade weapon mods are more conservative than low-grade weapon mods.  They modify between two (2) and three (3) attributes of a weapon, but the extent of each modification tends to be much less than with low-grade or high-grade weapon mods.  This usually results in a marginal net bonus or penalty to the weapon without changing that weapon's essential character.

High-Grade Weapon Mods

High-grade weapon mods are highly refined pieces of kit that can drastically improve a weapon, but equally drastically change that weapon's characteristics.  They modify between three (3) and five (5) attributes, and the extent of modification tends to be on the high end; between that of medium-grade mods and low-grade ones.

Details

Because of the highly-specialized nature of weapon modifications, each weapon mod is designed for a specific weapon.  Weapon mods are complex, so very little can be salvaged from dismantling them.  While weapon mod parts can be used to build weapon mods for any weapon, this complexity means many mods must be dismantled in order to craft even one.  Different tiers of mods require parts of the same tier to craft.  Please note that this whole process is abstracted in-game: you cannot choose which weapon mod to make, nor with which weapon that weapon mod can be used.

Some weapons handle modification better than others. Weapon mods for these weapons tend to improve the weapons more, with less risk of making them worse.

Similarly, certain weapons take modification of particular attributes better.  Mods that alter these attributes for these weapons have a higher tendency to provide a bonus than mods that modify other attributes.

Weapon modifications can alter the following weapons in the following ways:

* Only available with the Teladi Outpost DLC.

** Only available with the Home of Light DLC