The Tesla Gun is as strange a weapon as Abyssus has. It lacks the sheer deadliness of the Engine Rifle or Brine Revolver, but if it falls short in damage, it more than compensates in convenience and flexibility. Its wide spread, consistent beam, and simple handling make it extremely welcoming for players who want a gun that’s forgiving of aim.
This article will cover unlocking the Tesla Gun, how it operates, and the best builds to unlock its potential.
Unlocking the Tesla Gun
You can unlock the Tesla Gun in the Gardens, which is world two of Abyssus. After you’ve slain the mini-boss of the area, you will notice the weapon resting next to the portal out. Pick it up to unlock it permanently in subsequent runs.
Keep in mind that newly unlocked weapons don’t become immediately usable. You’ll need to wait until your next expedition, then equip the Tesla Gun at a workbench in the lobby.
How the Tesla Gun Works
The Tesla Gun uses a shared ammo pool of 100 energy for both firing modes. Unlike most weapons in Abyssus, its damage comes from constant pressure and spread rather than precision:
- Primary Fire – Continuous Beam: Shapes a charged beam onto a target, always causing damage. Excellent for wearing elites down or hitting bosses’ weak points without worrying about aiming accurately.
- Secondary Fire – Projectiles: Fires spheres that deal damage along their course of moving through enemies. They cost 20 ammo each, so you’ll only get to fire five per entire energy bar.
The Tesla Gun excels in sustained damage during mid-fight combat, making it safer for players who don’t like relying on aiming. The downside: its overall damage rate lags behind other guns.
Best Primary and Secondary Fire
While the Tesla Gun lacks a lot of high-damage alternatives, two fire modules are beneficial to compensate for its weaknesses.
Primary Fire – Charge Beam
The Charge Beam raises the damage your Tesla stream does on weak points. This makes the gun significantly more fun to use against bosses, where pressure otherwise feels too slow.
- Unlock Requirement: Deliver 100 Damage Over Time with the Tesla Gun.
Secondary Fire – Magnetic Storm
The Magnetic Storm showers down a chain lightning barrage across the battlefield. It is a crowd controller, giving the Tesla Gun something it wishes it had when there are groups of enemies descending upon it.
- Unlock Requirement: Hit 7 enemies at the same time.
Best Ability
Because the Tesla Gun displaces you into close to mid-range, you’ll want a defensive ability which allows you to maintain your space in check. The Brine Field fits the bill. It slows down attacking mobs as much as it protects you, giving you some room to breathe and keep your beam locked or get your secondary projectiles lined up.
This pairing remedies one of the Tesla Gun’s biggest flaws — lack of safety in up-close battles.
Best Aspects
Aspects are chosen randomly, but some categories fit well into the Tesla Gun’s fire pattern:
- Barrier (Primary Fire): The steady stream of damage quickly refills your shields, and you stay alive longer when up close.
- Blood (Secondary Fire): Provides health and has hemorrhage effects. Since your projectiles already deal damage over time, Blood makes them even more effective.
- Tentacles (Ability Slot): Brine Field doesn’t deal damage, so activating it with Tentacles ensures that enemies pay when you vacate your defense zone.
If you are more dependent on projectiles than the Magnetic Storm, Blood will scale better — but Barrier is safest always for Primary Fire.
Best Charms
Charms are rune-dependent, but two of them enhance the Tesla Gun’s performance:
- Fan – Provides two extra projectiles, effectively doubling the impact of your Secondary Fire.
- Marksman – Deals more damage on subsequent hits, stacking up to 50%. This synergizes incredibly with the beam’s repeated tick damage.
Both synergize well with the Tesla Gun’s attrition-style, sustained gameplay.
