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Gear Modification

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  • Weapons can hold two different modules when the second upgrade slot is unlocked. Installing another module keeps the first; recalibration removes them one at a time, starting with the last. Each recalibration kit removes one module; the remaining modules and their effects stay installed. The same module cannot be installed twice.

Good gear can be more than just found and repaired — it can be improved. Modification is the technical path of progression: you craft special parts and build them right into your armor, weapon, or vehicle key, making a familiar item a little better suited to your playstyle.

How it works

Each module is a separate item that you first craft at a workbench and then install by applying item to item: you take the upgrade part and use it on the target (armor, a weapon, or a vehicle key). If the installation goes through, the part is consumed and its bonus is permanently written into the item being upgraded.

If the part doesn’t fit the chosen target, nothing bad happens: the attempt is simply rejected, and the module stays in your inventory.

Upgrade slots are a budget

Each installation takes a slot (all current modules take one each). The number of slots available for upgrading an item depends on your character’s abilities: Modular upgrade and Master fitter add one slot each. Both are permanent abilities: once learned, they do not need to be toggled manually.

When you return to that hero through the roster, their upgrade slots remain available. Another hero has their own abilities and module installation limit; switching characters repeatedly does not increase that limit.

From this follows a simple rule: modification is a choice. Slots are finite, so it’s worth deciding in advance what matters most for that particular item.

When an installation won’t go through

The game will reject the installation without losing the part and without changing the target if:

  • the target type doesn’t fit (for example, a weapon module on armor);
  • you don’t have the ability the module itself requires;
  • the same module is already installed on the item — the same upgrade can’t be installed twice;
  • the target has no free slots left for this module.

This is convenient: a failed attempt doesn’t break anything and doesn’t eat up a rare part.

Available modules and what they do

  • Armor plate (on armor) — adds +1 to physical damage absorption. The bonus is counted when calculating protection against physical attacks.
  • Weapon parts (on a weapon) — add +1 to damage: the bonus is added to both the minimum and the maximum attack value of that weapon.
  • Rapid receiver (on a weapon) — reduces the delay between attacks, making the weapon faster.
  • Feed regulator (on a weapon) — saves ammunition: at a set interval, a shot doesn’t spend a round or charge.
  • Fuel-mixture controller (on a vehicle key) — adds a fuel-economy level for the vehicle bound to that key.

Weapons can hold two different modules when the second slot is unlocked. A recalibration kit removes the last installed module and keeps the others. Armor and vehicle modules from the same family still replace one another: replacement consumes the new module and a recalibration kit. The removed module and its materials are not returned.

Where to get modules

All upgrade parts are made through crafting and are tied to technical specialization: you need the modular-upgrade ability and a Mechanics skill threshold. The more powerful the module, the higher the requirements:

  • Armor parts and Weapon parts — basic parts: skill 48 and a Small wrench.
  • Armor plate — skill 48, requires a Hammer.
  • Rapid receiver — skill 62, requires a Tool set.
  • Feed regulator — skill 78, requires a Tool set.
  • Fuel-mixture controller — the most demanding: skill 110, the tactical driving ability, and a Tool set.

Like any crafting, making modules costs materials and time, and it makes more sense to assemble complex parts at a safe spot near the right equipment rather than in a rush out on the road.

A bit of canon

In the world of Last Frontier, gear modification is the domain of the technical role: parts, tools, and workbenches tie together excursions, crafting, and trade. The fiction knows "modifications" too: for example, the KS-1M medical jumpsuit is presented as a special modification of the KS-1 suit by the Karma Industries corporation. But that’s part of the lore, not the in-game upgrade mechanic — hand-made modification of items goes specifically through the modules described above.