Go to shops in sector 1 & 2?

[Rufus Gorgonzola]

Most recently I discovered the importance of that early lvl2 shield and those few extra engines. My first purchase is almost always lvl2 shields, lvl3 engines, and after that, teleporter.

But of course it as always tempting to check whether or not you could get a zoltan, BL2, scrap recovery or repair arm at one of those stores. But that means getting less scrap per sector and later shields.

I think I might not even go to shops in sector 1 and 2 anymore. What do you think?

[anchoritt]

I think that long range scanners is also a good choice for the beginning of the game. Running into asteroid field with lvl 1 shields and enemy with beam weapon/drone can be deadly. And it's only a 30 scrap. Anyway I think it's best to invest into the blast doors first.

[Iranon]

Depends a bit on the ship.

On an Engi A I'd rather earn money for system upgrades - a second layer of shields means we can go for crew kills in many fights and save drone parts in the process.
Something like 2 heavy lasers and a beam is harmless once we unsync the lasers, so we can just go for the oxygen.

Very different story with Rock A or Slug B: Shops are likely to carry something that keeps running costs down and we don't strictly need incremental upgrades (because we can suppress the occasional tough enemy with missiles).

Scrap Recovery Arm and Automated Reloader are always welcome, Long-Range scanner is worth considering for blue options or eliminating misses in nebula fields... but losing income and spending money on something suboptimal for winning the next few fights can kick off a downwards spiral. I only take the chance if I'd also buy other things than the usual suspects.

[The Captain]

I agree it depends on the ship. And your priorities. Upgrading shields & engines isn't a bad way to go. But what if you don't have shields, like a stealth ship, or a medbay, like the Slug B? Checking out what's for sale might be worth the trip. Also if you're playing the Rock B, do you want to go with teleporter first?

[zeek]

But of course it as always tempting to check whether or not you could get a zoltan, BL2, scrap recovery or repair arm at one of those stores. But that means getting less scrap per sector and later shields.

Wait a minute what's repair arm doing in there? You don't buy the repair arm do you? From what I remember it take 10% of the scrap you get from a fight and gives you 1 hull repair for it. I think past sector 1 that's a worse rate than stores give you. So, the only real advantage you're getting is repairs without having to visit a store. That's not worth the price of the augment or the scrap you lose along the way IMO. Plus it still costs you scrap even if your hull is fully repaired. I'm really not a fan of that augment. I get to a store ASAP if I accidentally get one from a battle or something. That thing is chewing up my hard earned scrap!

[Twinge]

Wait a minute what's repair arm doing in there? That's not worth the price of the augment or the scrap you lose along the way IMO. Plus it still costs you scrap even if your hull is fully repaired. I get to a store ASAP if I accidentally get one from a battle or something. That thing is chewing up my hard earned scrap!

This is correct - the Repair Arm is the worst augment in the game; it's the only augment that is actively bad to have.


As for the original question, I'll re-emphasize that it depends a bit on the ship. Engi B needs to find another weapon ASAP for example. Stealth B also needs to find a 1-power weapon to supplement (ideally by the end of Sector 2). Zoltan A can manage if necessary, but would also definitely like another decent weapon before Sector 3. Meanwhile, Engi A, Kestrel B, Zoltan B, etc. are very solidly equipped from the start and aren't needed new weapon options right away.

[hybridfive]

I think you also have to react to the run you're on. Lucking into a free crew member makes me more likely to consider going to a shop early, to increase the chances of acquiring a teleporter. Lucking into a useful drone schematic will have a similar effect. Having several missile misses on a ship that is missile-dependent makes me less likely to consider it. The encounter is generally better than the shop, early on. But depending on the conditions, it might work out.

[against the trend]

the Repair Arm is the worst augment in the game; it's the only augment that is actively bad to have.

A lot of people keep saying this. And they probably play the game only on the easy difficulty setting. On hard difficulty, the scrap lost to RA is much less, because the scrap rewards are much poorer, even more so early in the game (levels 1-4 or so.) But the repair provided by RA stays the same. You can end up paying 1 scrap for 1 repair. If you get it for free early on Hard, RA is a godsend. Even buying it is not out of the question on hard difficulty, but you'll have hard time deciding what to buy on hard... because you have so little scrap.

As for Scrap Recovery Arm's payback time, that's also pretty dependent on the difficulty setting. Buying most augs on hard is just a no-no. If you only have 50 scrap saved (in sector 1 for example) and the shop has a Burst Laser I and a Scrap Recovery Arm (these two items cost the same) what would you buy?

[5thHorseman]

the Repair Arm is the worst augment in the game; it's the only augment that is actively bad to have.

A lot of people keep saying this. And they probably play the game only on the easy difficulty setting. On hard difficulty, the scrap lost to RA is much less, because the scrap rewards are much poorer, even more so early in the game (levels 1-4 or so.) But the repair provided by RA stays the same. You can end up paying 1 scrap for 1 repair. If you get it for free early on Hard, RA is a godsend. Even buying it is not out of the question on hard difficulty, but you'll have hard time deciding what to buy on hard... because you have so little scrap.

This MAY be true in Hard Mode but I doubt it. The prevalence of events that fix 5/10/15/all hull points makes paying for repair (in any form) hard to justify. I'll admit that it's an intriguing thought, though and I may not instantly sell my next Repair Arm just to see how it goes.

And remember that all the posts before yours were written back in a time when there was no hard mode and you could fairly easily make it through an entire game (Yes, on Normal) without ever repairing.

As for Scrap Recovery Arm's payback time, that's also pretty dependent on the difficulty setting. Buying most augs on hard is just a no-no. If you only have 50 scrap saved (in sector 1 for example) and the shop has a Burst Laser I and a Scrap Recovery Arm (these two items cost the same) what would you buy?

Depends on what I have. BL1 is a nice weapon but if I'm playing the Red Tail (that can easily get to sector 3 with its starting weapons and you're trading 2 seconds of charge time and a lot of convenience for a single extra shot) that scrap recovery arm pays off all game.

SRA or Flak 1, OTOH...

[itg]

the Repair Arm is the worst augment in the game; it's the only augment that is actively bad to have.

A lot of people keep saying this. And they probably play the game only on the easy difficulty setting. On hard difficulty, the scrap lost to RA is much less, because the scrap rewards are much poorer, even more so early in the game (levels 1-4 or so.) But the repair provided by RA stays the same. You can end up paying 1 scrap for 1 repair. If you get it for free early on Hard, RA is a godsend. Even buying it is not out of the question on hard difficulty, but you'll have hard time deciding what to buy on hard... because you have so little scrap.

As for Scrap Recovery Arm's payback time, that's also pretty dependent on the difficulty setting. Buying most augs on hard is just a no-no. If you only have 50 scrap saved (in sector 1 for example) and the shop has a Burst Laser I and a Scrap Recovery Arm (these two items cost the same) what would you buy?

Even on hard mode, the issue with the repair arm is that it effectively forces you to pay for repairs when you don't want them. Personally, I never repair above about 40%, and I think it's a categorical mistake to repair above about 75%. Even if you're getting a good deal on repair arm repairs (which is only likely in the first couple sectors), that's still scrap which could have gone to an upgrade which would prevent future damage.

The nice thing about getting a free repair arm is that you can enjoy the cheap repairs for 4-5 jumps, then sell it at the next shop before it overstays its welcome. Never, ever buy a repair arm, though--just spend that 50 scrap on repairs, if you have to, or better yet, buy an upgrade so you don't take damage.