Sublight Weapon Categories & Damage Types Explained
A current Sublight weapon-category guide covering rapid fire, railguns, plasma/pulse, autocannons, missiles, barrage, strike craft, and elemental/status interactions.
Think of Sublight weapons in two layers: the weapon itself and the higher category/passive track that supports it. Patch 0.17.4 added higher-level weapon categories plus captain and upgrade synergies, while 0.18 moved autocannons to explosive damage and strengthened status-based elemental build options. Build bonuses should match the category your actual mounts use.
Why categories matter
Before 0.17.4, it was easier to treat a weapon as an isolated pickup. The category pass changed that. Captains and upgrades can now reinforce higher-level families, which makes coherent builds more reliable than collecting unrelated high-rarity guns.
Families seen in official notes and gameplay
| Family | Current useful note |
|---|---|
| Rapid fire / chaingun | 0.18 pierces up to attack range |
| Railgun / kinetic | Later pierces deal reduced damage |
| Autocannon | Moved to explosive damage in 0.18 |
| Missile / launcher | Tier progression and separate swarm direction were being developed |
| Barrage | Now leads shots more accurately |
| Strike craft | Fighters, escorts and frigates have distinct behavior |
| Elemental/status | Ignite and Cold now stack |
The safest rule for upgrade screens
If an upgrade text names a category you are not using, it is usually weaker than a lower-rarity option that multiplies the weapons already doing most of your damage. Build coherence beats card color.