How to Mod

Check the stats first

Before you pick mods, look at unmodded crit chance, crit multiplier, and status chance. That tells you whether the weapon wants a crit build, a status build, or a hybrid. Your job is to amplify what is already there.

These are rules of thumb, not hard game tags. Borderline guns exist. When unsure, compare both styles in the Weapon Builder.

Crit builds

Best when base crit chance is already healthy (often around 20%+ before mods, sometimes much higher) and the crit multiplier rewards stacking into yellow / orange / red tiers.

Slot priority

1. Crit chance
2. Crit damage
3. Multishot
4. Base damage (one mod)
5. Elements / faction

Status is seasoning here unless you are building a hybrid. Heavy status investment is usually the wrong spend on a pure crit stick.

Status builds

Best when status chance is high and crit is weak. These guns shine as primers, slash carriers, or reliable Viral / Corrosive / Heat appliers. Procs are the point, not red crits.

Slot priority

1. Status chance and elemental weighting for your combo
2. Multishot (more hits = more procs)
3. Fire rate when it helps apply status faster
4. Base damage as needed

Hybrid builds

Best when both crit and status look usable, or when you want crit damage and still need enough status to keep Viral / Heat (or similar) up. Split the slots. Do not dump everything into one fantasy.

Typical skeleton: two crit mods, status / elements, multishot, and damage. Adjust the split toward whichever side the base stats favor.

Rules that help every weapon

• Multishot is almost always excellent on guns: more hits, more crit rolls, more status rolls.
• One base-damage mod beats two that share the same additive pool (see Basics).
• Elements should match the mission. Plan the combo. Do not spray random 90% mods.
• Faction mods are huge when you farm one enemy type. Less flexible for general use.
• Conditional / Galvanized mods need stacks. Build so you can keep them up, or use the reliable non-conditional version when stacks fall off.
• Melee adds combo and heavy attacks, but the same crit / status / hybrid read still starts from base stats. A matching-polarity Stance also adds capacity, like an Aura on a frame.