Builder Theory

A breakdown of how the builder calculates its scores

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Stage 5

Stage 6

Stage 7

Stage 8

Stage 9

Stage 1: Base Scores & Factors

The foundation is the Base Score (0-5) for an item's effectiveness against each enemy and objective. This is combined with item-specific factors like Limited Use, Ammo Economy, and Handling which modify the final scores in later stages.

Example: Scoring Items vs. Illuminate Enemies & Objectives

Item	Light		Medium						Heavy				Objective				Factors
Item	Voteless	Watcher	Overseer	Elevated Overseer	Lightning Spire	Gazer	Fleshmob	Stingray	Harvester Shield	Harvester Body	Warp Ship	Leviathan	Ground Ships Shield	Ground Ships Body	Research Station	Broadcast Tower	Limited Use	Ammo Economy	Handling
AR-23A LIBERATOR CARBINE	5	3	2	2	0	2.5	2	0	4	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	1	0.85	1
LAS-58 TALON	3	2	3	2.5	0	1	1	2	2	0.5	0	0	2	0	0	0	1	0.9	1
G-50 SEEKER	4.5	3	2	3	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.85	1
ORBITAL GATLING BARRAGE	3	2	3	2	3	3	2.5	0	4	2	0	0	5	4.5	0	3	1	1	1
ORBITAL AIRBURST STRIKE	4	1	3	3	1	3	3.5	0	3	0	0	0	4	0	0	4	0.95	1	1
GL-21 GRENADE LAUNCHER	4	2	4	1	4	4	4	1	3	0.5	0	0	3	4	0	5	1	0.9	1
MD-17 ANTI-TANK MINES	0	0	0	0	0	0.5	2	0	0	2	0	0	3	0	0	0	0.9	1	1
ENGINEERING KIT (MEDIUM)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
EXPERIMENTAL INFUSION	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	1

Stage 2: Enemy Weights Assignment

Not all enemies are created equal. Some appear more frequently (Quantity Factor), while others are simply more dangerous (Threat Factor). These two factors are combined and normalised to create a final weight for each enemy.

Example: Illuminate Faction Enemy Factors

Factor	voteless	watcher	overseer	elevated overseer	gazer	lightning spire	fleshmob	stingray	harvester shield	harvester body	warp ship	leviathan
is_enabled	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000	1.000	0.000	0.000
quantity_factor	60.000	6.000	8.000	8.000	2.000	3.000	6.000	1.500	2.000	2.000	2.000	1.000
threat_factor	3.500	12.000	15.000	18.000	10.000	14.000	30.000	75.000	5.000	40.000	4.000	120.000
combined_qtf	210.000	72.000	120.000	144.000	20.000	42.000	180.000	112.500	10.000	80.000	0.000	0.000
normalised_combined_qtf	2.120	0.727	1.212	1.454	0.202	0.424	1.817	1.136	0.101	0.808	0.000	0.000

Stage 3: Objective Weights Assignment

Similar to enemies, objectives are weighted based on their difficulty and impact on a mission.

Example: Illuminate Faction Objective Factors

Factor	Ground Ships Shield	Ground Ships Body	Monolith	Research Station	Broadcast Tower
Objective Weight	20.000	45.000	15.000	12.000	8.000
Normalised Objective Weight	1.000	2.250	0.750	0.600	0.400

Stage 4: Weighted Scores

The weighted score for an item against a specific enemy is calculated by multiplying its Base Score (from Stage 1) by the enemy's final weight (from Stage 2).

Example: Weighted Scores vs. Illuminate Enemies

Item	Voteless (W)	Watcher (W)	Overseer (W)	Elevated Overseer (W)	Lightning Spire (W)	Gazer (W)	Fleshmob (W)	Stingray (W)	Harvester Shield (W)	Harvester Body (W)
AR-23A LIBERATOR CARBINE	10.60	2.18	2.42	2.91	0.00	0.50	3.63	0.00	0.40	0.00
LAS-58 TALON	6.36	1.45	3.63	3.63	0.00	0.20	1.82	2.27	0.20	0.40
G-50 SEEKER	9.54	2.18	2.42	4.36	0.00	0.00	1.82	0.00	0.10	0.00
ORBITAL GATLING BARRAGE	6.36	1.45	3.63	2.91	1.27	0.61	4.54	0.00	0.40	1.62
ORBITAL AIRBURST STRIKE	8.48	0.73	3.63	4.36	0.42	0.61	6.36	0.00	0.30	0.00
GL-21 GRENADE LAUNCHER	8.48	1.45	4.85	1.45	1.70	0.81	7.27	1.14	0.30	0.40
MD-17 ANTI-TANK MINES	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.10	3.63	0.00	0.00	1.62
ENGINEERING KIT (MEDIUM)	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
EXPERIMENTAL INFUSION	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Stage 5: Weighted Averages & Scaling

The weighted scores for individual enemies are averaged within their class (Light, Medium, Heavy) to get a general performance score. This score is then modified by item-specific factors.

Example: Weighted Averages vs. Illuminate Enemies

Item	Anti-Light			Anti-Medium			Anti-Heavy
Item	Weighted	Factored	Scaled	Weighted	Factored	Scaled	Weighted	Factored	Scaled
AR-23A LIBERATOR CARBINE	6.39	5.43	5.43	1.58	1.34	1.34	0.10	0.09	0.09
LAS-58 TALON	3.91	3.52	3.52	1.93	1.73	1.73	0.15	0.14	0.14
G-50 SEEKER	5.86	4.98	4.98	1.43	1.22	1.22	0.03	0.02	0.02
ORBITAL GATLING BARRAGE	3.91	3.91	3.91	2.16	2.16	2.16	0.50	0.50	0.50
ORBITAL AIRBURST STRIKE	4.60	4.37	4.37	2.56	2.44	2.44	0.08	0.07	0.07
GL-21 GRENADE LAUNCHER	4.97	4.47	4.47	2.87	2.58	2.58	0.18	0.16	0.16
MD-17 ANTI-TANK MINES	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.62	0.56	0.56	0.40	0.36	0.36
ENGINEERING KIT (MEDIUM)	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
EXPERIMENTAL INFUSION	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Stage 6: Support & Tactical Metrics

Support metrics (Survival, Team Support, Crowd Control) are direct scores. The Tactical score is calculated by multiplying an item's effectiveness against objectives by the weight of those objectives.

Example: Support, Objective & Tactical Metrics

Item	Survival		Team Support		Crowd Control		Base Objective Scores				Tactical
Item	Base	Factored	Base	Factored	Base	Factored	G. Ship Shield	G. Ship Body	Research	Broadcast	Base	Factored
AR-23A LIBERATOR CARBINE	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	4.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.00	0.85
LAS-58 TALON	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	2.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.50	0.45
G-50 SEEKER	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
ORBITAL GATLING BARRAGE	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	3.00	3.00	5.00	4.50	0.00	3.00	4.08	4.08
ORBITAL AIRBURST STRIKE	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	2.00	1.90	4.00	0.00	0.00	4.00	1.40	1.33
GL-21 GRENADE LAUNCHER	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	3.00	4.00	0.00	5.00	3.50	3.15
MD-17 ANTI-TANK MINES	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.00	0.90	3.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.75	0.68
ENGINEERING KIT (MEDIUM)	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
EXPERIMENTAL INFUSION	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Stage 7: Final Metrics

The final step aggregates all the calculated scores. The total metrics for the loadout are determined by summing the final scores from each item.

Loadout Totals

Metric	Total Score
Anti Light	26.68
Anti Medium	12.03
Anti Heavy	1.34
Survival	0.00
Team Support	0.00
Crowd Control	5.80
Tactical	10.54

Individual Item Power

Item	Firepower	Support	Total Power
AR-23A LIBERATOR CARBINE	6.86	0.85	7.71
LAS-58 TALON	5.39	0.45	5.84
G-50 SEEKER	6.22	0.00	6.22
ORBITAL GATLING BARRAGE	6.57	7.08	13.65
ORBITAL AIRBURST STRIKE	6.88	3.23	10.11
GL-21 GRENADE LAUNCHER	7.21	3.15	10.36
MD-17 ANTI-TANK MINES	0.92	1.58	2.50
ENGINEERING KIT (MEDIUM)	0.00	0.00	0.00
EXPERIMENTAL INFUSION	0.00	0.00	0.00

Stage 8: Total Power Metrics

This stage provides a high-level summary of the loadout's capabilities.

Metric	Total Score
Total Firepower	40.06
Total Support	16.34
Total Power	56.39

Stage 9: Adjusted Power Metrics (Penalties)

The final adjustment penalizes the Total Firepower score if the loadout fails to meet minimum effectiveness thresholds against Light, Medium, or Heavy enemies.

Penalty Calculation

Metric	Score	Threshold (Min/Max)	Penalty Modifier
Anti-Light	26.68	10 / 17	1.00
Anti-Medium	12.03	8 / 15	0.79
Anti-Heavy	1.34	3 / 7	0.50
Average Penalty Modifier	0.76

Final Adjusted Power

Metric	Final Score
Total Firepower (Penalty Modified)	30.55 (-9.51)
Total Support (Not Modified)	16.34
Total Power (Penalty Modified)	46.89 (-9.51)

Performance Metrics

Firepower

Survival

Utility

Crowd Control

Tactical

Measures effectiveness against different enemy classes (Anti-Light, Anti-Medium, Anti-Heavy).

Rating	Definition
0	Negligible damage. You would never use this against the intended target.
1	Very minimal damage. Takes over 1min to kill. Usable only if desperate.
2	Occasionally useful. Small contribution but nowhere near primary method.
3	Decent damage. Serviceable secondary option. Should be paired with another option.
4	Very strong damage and usability. Strong primary option.
5	Instakills/1-2 shot kills. Exceptional performance with minimal downsides.

Evaluates the ability to slow, stun, or incapacitate groups.

Rating	Definition
0	Zero CC output. No stun, slow, fear, flinch, or knockdown.
1	Incidental CC. Light stagger on impact, minor flinch on headshots.
2	Moderate CC. Reliable stun/slow on mediums, occasional knockdown on lights.
3	Good CC. Area denial, reliable stuns on heavies, effective crowd management.
4	Strong CC. Consistent area lockdown, fear/ragdoll effects on most targets.
5	Exceptional CC. Complete area denial, incapacitates all enemy classes reliably.

Represents contribution to personal survivability (armour, shields, self-healing).

Rating	Definition
0	Offers no direct personal survival advantage.
1	Minor survivability. Slight damage reduction or minor self-sustain.
2	Noticeable. Provides shields, smoke cover, or moderate damage mitigation.
3	Good. Reliable personal shield, strong armour passives, or consistent healing.
4	Strong. Near-invulnerability in specific scenarios, excellent self-sustain.
5	Exceptional. Virtually unkillable with proper play, complete damage immunity windows.

Measures the ability to destroy spawners, objectives, and side targets efficiently.

Rating	Definition
0	Cannot meaningfully interact with objectives or spawners.
1	Minimal. Can damage objectives given time but impractical as primary method.
2	Some capability. Can handle smaller side objectives or weaker spawners.
3	Decent. Reliable against most objectives with moderate effort.
4	Strong. Quickly destroys most spawners and objectives. Versatile tactical tool.
5	Unlimited spawner destruction potential, can destroy every side objective unimpeded.

Measures direct assistance to teammates (ammo, healing, fire support).

Rating	Definition
0	Offers no direct team support whatsoever.
1	Minor smoke cover, stuns for assisting teammates.
2	Reasonable support. Some shareables, mech support, ongoing barrage support.
3	Moderate support with shareables, mech support, some team shielding.
4	Strong support: shareables, barrage, team shielding, medical, transportation.
5	Exceptional: full shareables, mech, barrage, shields, medical, transport.

Conditional Effects

Acclimated

+0.5 loadout Survival per elemental type (Fire, Gas, Arc) present in the loadout. Covers all three element types with a single passive.

Advanced Filtration

+0.5 loadout Survival if any Gas-based item is equipped. Stacks with Acclimated but does not double-dip.

Adreno-Defibrillator

+0.3 loadout Survival per Arc item equipped. Scales with multiple Arc items unlike other elemental passives.

Barbarian

When the CQC-20 Breaching Hammer is paired with a LIFT-182 Warp Pack, all Breaching Hammer metrics are multiplied by x1.25.

B-1 Supply Pack

Normalises ammo economy for primaries, secondaries, grenades, and non-disposable support weapons. Metrics multiplied by 1/AE, effectively removing ammo economy penalties.

Desert Stormer

+0.4 loadout Survival per elemental type (Fire, Gas, Arc) present. Slightly weaker than Acclimated (+0.5) but covers all three elements.

Electrical Conduit

+0.5 loadout Survival if any Arc-based item is equipped. Stacks with Acclimated but does not double-dip.

Engineering Kit

Grenade metrics scaled by capacity bonus: (mags + 2) / mags. With 4 base grenades this is x1.50; fewer grenades means a higher multiplier.

Gunslinger

All metrics x1.15 for non-melee secondary weapons. Represents improved draw speed, reload, and recoil control.

Inflammable

+0.5 loadout Survival if any Fire-based item is equipped. Stacks with Acclimated but does not double-dip.

Integrated Explosives

Grenade metrics scaled by capacity bonus: (mags + 2) / mags. Same formula as Engineering Kit — both trigger the Demolitions Expert condition.

One-Handed Expertise

All metrics x1.20 for one-handed primary weapons when a shield backpack (SH-51 or SH-20) is in the loadout.

Peak Physique

Normalises handling for weapons with handling < 1.0 (metrics x 1/handling). Pure melee weapons get x1.40; bayonet weapons get x1.20 vs Light and Medium.

Reinforced Epaulettes

+30% reload speed for primaries (improves metrics via reload modifier). Pure melee weapons get x1.20; bayonet weapons get x1.10 vs Light and Medium.

Rock Solid

Pure melee weapons get x1.40 to all metrics; bayonet weapons get x1.20 vs Light and Medium.

Fortified

Pure melee weapons get x1.40 to all metrics; bayonet weapons get x1.20 vs Light and Medium. Same effect as Rock Solid.

Shielded Turrets

All metrics for sentries and emplacements multiplied by (1 + 0.25 × shield count). Requires FX-12 Shield Relay or G/SH-39 Shield. Scales with multiple shields.

Siege Ready

+30% reload speed for primaries and ammo economy normalisation for primaries, secondaries, and non-backpack support weapons. AE modifier = 1 / ((1 + AE) / 2).

Splash Guard

+0.20 loadout Survival when G/SH-39 Shield is equipped alongside any explosive primary, secondary, or support weapon.

Supercharged Double-Edge

When the LAS-17 Double-Edge Sickle is paired with Inflammable armour, all its metrics are multiplied by x1.50.

Tactical Mobility

Total Tactical score x1.20 when a mobility backpack (Jump Pack, Hover Pack, or Warp Pack) is equipped.

Unflinching

Firepower multiplier for non-backpack support weapons. x1.05 vs Bugs, x1.08 vs Squids, x1.10 vs Bots. Faction-dependent scaling.