Modular customization is the loadout system that lets players reshape the TARTARUS between engagements. Rather than a fixed ship with a few unlockable parts, the dreadnought is built from seven distinct equipment layers that can be reconfigured before the player commits to the next stretch of the continuous campaign. For the broader pitch, see the overview.
Seven Equipment Layers
The publicly described system has seven layers. Together they control the silhouette, the firing posture, and the tactical role the ship adopts when it advances into a new warzone.
Layer | Role |
|---|---|
Hull Structures | The top-level structural framework. Sets the overall layout and dictates where other modules can attach. |
Functional Modules | Non-weapon systems that keep the ship running in combat: sub-systems, support gear, and operational equipment. |
Main Cannons | Primary heavy weapons for long-range strikes on high-value targets. |
Missiles | Guided ordnance hardpoints for saturation fire and targets the cannons are not built for. |
Super Weapons | Reserved high-impact armaments used in moments where standard weapons are not enough. |
Carrier-Based Fighters | Smaller aircraft launched from the ship to extend its effective range. |
Support Units | Auxiliary craft and systems that reinforce the dreadnought without forming the primary attack line. |
Loadout As Route Decision
Customization is not a one-time pre-game setup. Because the campaign advances continuously across a strategic map, the loadout is tuned every time the player commits to a new route or warzone. Different zones favour different mixes: an urban defence theatre rewards a different missile and cannon balance than a deep-space line against an extraterrestrial invasion tier. Tuning the seven layers is part of the same decision as choosing where the dreadnought advances next.
Firing Modes Per Hardpoint
After a player picks the equipment that goes into each layer, every weapon hardpoint can be assigned one of three firing modes: Manual for direct control, Automatic for hands-off coverage, or Focus Fire for a coordinated salvo with other hardpoints set to the same mode. Mode selection sits alongside the loadout as a tactical lever and can be changed mid-fight.
Growth Through Reverse Engineering
The catalogue of equipment available to slot into each layer grows over the course of the campaign through reverse engineering. Intel pulled from defeated enemies feeds new armaments and modules into the loadout pool, and because there are four distinct enemy categories with different technology bases, engaging a wider spread of opposition produces a wider catalogue to choose from. A cannon recovered from one engagement can be installed before the next route is committed.
Mech as Secondary Scale
The seven layers describe the dreadnought itself. The combat mech carried in the hangar bay is a separate scale of engagement with its own deployment loop. Whether the mech shares parts with the dreadnought's customization layers or runs on a parallel system has not been publicly described.
Unconfirmed Details
Specifics about the customization system have not been disclosed. Treat the following as open questions:
Total number of named hardpoints per layer (slot counts).
Whether equipment has a rarity or tier system, or whether the catalogue is flat.
Whether installation incurs a resource cost beyond the reverse-engineering step.
Whether the player can save and recall named loadout presets.
Whether some equipment is mutually exclusive within a layer.
Whether the dreadnought's silhouette changes visually with different hull or module choices.