When diving into the depths of Abyssus, your loadout defines how far you’ll get in a run. Every weapon, fire mode, Aspect, and Charm creates new possibilities, but no matter your preferences, your journey begins with the Engine Rifle. This starting gun may seem straightforward at first, but with the right setup, it becomes one of the most reliable tools for mowing down crowds of enemies and keeping damage output high.
This guide dissects how the Engine Rifle works, its optimal fire modes, skills, Aspects, and Charms — putting you in a build that takes advantage of its strengths.
How the Engine Rifle Works
The Engine Rifle works like a machine gun: quick, relentless, and designed for prolonged fire. It ships by default with:
- 40 rounds of primary ammunition
- A secondary fire that lasts four seconds and then must be cooled off for five seconds
Its best asset is its rate of fire, which lets you pin down enemies relentlessly and disperse damage across groups. The drawback is that its unmitigated damage per bullet is middling — so you’ll frequently have to lean on upgrades and synergies to maximize it.
Overall, increasing your fire rate decreases your damage per shot, but decreasing it does the opposite. So if you just want straight up power, then other guns such as the Shotgun or Brine Revolver might surpass it. If you like to go with speed, however, the Engine Rifle cannot be beat at suppressive fire.
Best Primary and Secondary Fire
The Engine Rifle excels when you build on what it does best: high fire rate and crowd control.
Primary Fire – Gatling
The Gatling upgrade increases your fire rate consistently the longer you keep the trigger depressed. This allows for the potential to achieve ridiculous rates of bullet production within a matter of seconds. The downside is constant reloading, but the payoff is well worth it — particularly if you get the reload reduction upgrades down the line.
To unlock Gatling, you will have to kill 15 enemies without reloading. You should use it as your standard choice once unlocked if you like playing with rapid fire.
Secondary Fire – Split Shot
The Split Shot upgrade turns your secondary fire into a spread-shot. This is a great fit with the role of the Engine Rifle as a crowd-control gun, allowing you to move through clusters of mobs and clear them rapidly. Better still, it works well with elemental Aspects such as Lightning, as a larger spread will hit more mobs with effects.
Split Shot can be unlocked by killing 30 enemies with explosions while with the Engine Rifle.
Although there are other flame modes that do per-shot increases to damage, they tend to slow the rifle’s natural pace. If you like precise bursts and single-target damage, you might be better off changing to a different weapon entirely.
Best Ability
The Frag Grenade is the perfect supporting ability to pair with the Engine Rifle. Its explosive potential maintains your overall damage output in check and offers a welcome burst option for against grouped mobs or elites. Because the rifle itself is already capable at grouping, the grenade amplifies this action, making crowd encounters much less daunting.
Of course, other abilities can work, but Frag Grenade offers the most synergy with this weapon’s strengths. To unlock additional abilities, keep an eye on your Logbook for achievement requirements.
Best Aspects for the Engine Rifle
Aspects are the real pillar of power in Abyssus, and the Engine Rifle is particularly great when paired with builds that give bonuses for continuous fire and spread effects. Although runs are RNG-based, these are the Aspects to focus on if possible:
- Barrier Aspect (Primary Fire): With Gatling, you’ll be firing nonstop, and therefore your Barrier charges really fast. This gives you a great defensive buffer, keeping you alive longer when encountering messy fights.
- Lightning Aspect (Secondary Fire): Split Shot tends to hit multiple enemies automatically, which makes it a natural pairing with Chain Lightning upgrades. Blasts can distribute shock effects to huge groups, doubling your damage potential.
- Spirit Aspect (Ability Slot): Equipping Frag Grenades with Spirits provides you with additional follow-up damage for each explosion. Although it’s not always sure to happen, the combination is deadly when it does.
Best Charms for the Engine Rifle
Charm are luck-based, but two are particularly strong with this weapon:
- Marksman – This builds damage per subsequent hit. As the Engine Rifle fires a practically constant stream of bullets, you’ll reach the maximum damage level almost immediately and remain there.
- Piercing Rounds – Passing bullets through enemies are phenomenally effective at crowd control. Paired with Split Shot, you can cut through entire crowds in one blast.
