Module choice has two parts: the automatic attack and the active ability. Read them separately. Side Ballista is a clear example: its active was improved in 0.9.9 while its auto-attack was reduced. The reference below groups confirmed changes by the job you need a module to do.
Current module effects and balance changes
Force Mage’s row describes an ability effect. The other rows record changes in the named patch; they are not complete current damage values.
On a small screen, swipe the table sideways to compare all columns.
| Need | Module: effect or historical change | Decision it helps with |
|---|---|---|
| Hit more targets with an auto attack | Electric Mage: base targets increased from 5 to 7, with larger target-count gains from upgrades (0.9.14). | Recheck older crowd-control advice; this is a target-count buff, not a published damage or stun-duration change. |
| Deal with incoming projectiles | Force Mage: active cancels incoming projectiles (0.9.9). | Compare against projectile threats; the note does not say it cancels melee hits or every area effect. |
| Use an active attack | Side Ballista: active increased, auto-attack reduced (0.9.9). | Choose with your actual use of its active in mind, rather than treating the patch as an improvement to both attacks. |
| Revisit a previously unreliable upgrade | Front Barracks: diminishing upgrade damage fixed; active improved (0.9.9). | A poor result before the fix may not represent the corrected upgrade. Exact present damage still depends on the displayed level. |
| Compare Side Arm variants | Side Arm: rarity-based active and automatic damage increased (0.9.10); base auto-attack speed improved from 3.0 to 2.5 seconds (0.9.13). | Compare the rarity being offered and recheck older attack-speed assumptions; the notes do not publish a complete current damage table. |
| Recheck attack-speed expectations | Back Turret: maximum attack-speed boost reduced (0.9.10). | Older speed-focused advice may be out of date. The announcement does not give the new cap. |
Looking for external modifications rather than equipment? See Wanderburg mods and the Damage Stats overlay.
Wizard Crew is a separate loadout choice
Hotfix 0.9.9 gives Wizard Crew’s automatic attacks a three-second slow. Crew does not occupy a vehicle’s Top, Front, Side or Back module slot. This matters when assembling the reported Ram loadout: selecting Wizard Crew supplies the slow while Ram remains the weapon choice. The patch does not specify slow stacking.
Choose a module for the problem you need to solve
When an upgrade offers damage, control or movement, compare it with the failure you are trying to prevent. A projectile-canceling active is useful to investigate if incoming shots end your runs; it is not a substitute for damage when enemies simply survive too long. A slow can create more time to turn or attack, but it is not the same effect as deleting an incoming projectile.
- Check the slot first. A named unlock is useful only if the vehicle accepts its category. For the two-Top layout and missing-slot warning, see the Spiderburg guide.
- Check which attack the upgrade changes. An active-ability improvement does not automatically strengthen the automatic attack you rely on while driving.
- Check the next bottleneck. Upgrade an attack you can actually bring to bear. If turning or surviving the approach is the issue, another damage upgrade alone may not change that outcome.
Ram: a reported starting setup
A September Steam run report names Duelist, Wizard Crew, Ram and Four Leaf Clover as its starting choices in Dark Forest 1. See the attributed build and upgrade priorities for the example. This identifies the player-equipment meaning of Ram; it is not a claim that every enemy with a front weapon is the same object.
The practical trade-off is the approach: Wizard Crew’s documented slow provides control, while Duelist’s documented penalty applies when boosting. Leave room to recover after contact. We do not have a verified collision-damage formula or an all-vehicles slot table, so the loadout example should not be read as either.
What does an extra charge mean?
A charge is described by one player as a stored use: an extra shot you can hold before reloading. In the Reddit charges question , ImBonRurgundy gives that explanation and the original questioner accepts it. The discussion was checked October 27, 2026; it does not name the module or game version, and a later participant still asks how to fire twice.
When comparing upgrade cards, separate stored uses from time to regain a use. An extra-charge description is a reason to inspect the ability’s available-use indicator; it does not by itself establish faster reloads, a damage increase, or which button repeats the ability. Compare the current card and on-screen prompt for the module you actually equipped before choosing it over a cooldown upgrade.
This answers the term using one attributed report. A current module-specific firing sequence, recharge formula and stacking rule remain unverified; no repeated-shot test is claimed here.
How do extra rerolls unlock?
Hotfix 0.9.14 gives every run two Artifact rerolls from the start. The unlock bonuses published in 0.9.10 remain separate: each six unlocked Modules adds one new-Module reroll, and each six unlocked Artifacts adds one more Artifact reroll. Do not add Artifact unlocks to the Module count.
Example: eleven module unlocks contribute one extra module reroll; the twelfth reaches the next threshold. Six artifact unlocks contribute one artifact reroll but do not turn eleven module unlocks into twelve. Count unlocked entries, not the level of an equipped module.
Calculate your extra rerolls and next unlock target
Enter the permanently unlocked entries in each category. The calculator applies the 0.9.10 unlock rule separately: divide each count by six and round down. For Artifacts it also shows the current total by adding the two starting rerolls introduced in 0.9.14. It does not infer a starting Module allowance, equipped-module levels or cross-category unlocks.
Use the next threshold to plan an unlock, not to predict an offer. At 11 Modules and 6 Artifacts, one more Module unlock raises the Module bonus from one to two; the Artifact side already has three total rerolls—two starting plus one from unlocks. One more Artifact does not change that total. This compares distance to a threshold, not Silver cost or which item is strongest. If every entry in a category is already unlocked, the next mathematical threshold is not a promise that another item exists.
Looking for the Harvester / Ernter quest target?
The Harvester named in the reported kill-five objective is an enemy, described by players as a slow vehicle with a long spiked front roller. Use the Harvester identification and quest-counter guide to distinguish it from treasure vehicles. That enemy objective is separate from choosing a module for your own fortress.
Mortar Tower quest or Top Mortar equipment?
If you are trying to increase a Golden Dunes enemy kill counter, use the Mortar Towers target and quest guide. A player module and an enemy objective are different tasks.
Turn the reference into a run plan
For active-attack choices and alternatives, continue to the build guide. Before selecting a Captain that alters recharge or Nitro, compare the Captain trade-offs.
Official references
Randwerk’s official Steam announcements — named hotfixes cited above. Named effects come from 0.9.9, 0.9.10, 0.9.13 and 0.9.14. The starting Artifact allowance and unlock thresholds are separate official rules; examples are arithmetic, not measured drop odds.
Latest official update signal
Titles and dates are synchronized automatically; this does not re-verify the guide. See the Updates & Hotfixes index for the source list. Latest source date detected: .
- 0.9.14 — Hotfix 0.9.14 is live! — published 2026-09-21.
- 0.9.13 — Hotfix 0.9.13 is live! — published 2026-09-19.
- 0.9.10 — Hotfix 0.9.10 is live! — published 2026-09-12.