If you’re looking to farm Lunacy 500 Rifts in Everspace 2 for Legendary items, this Gunship build provides a perfect balance of survivability and damage output. Since Rifts require both durability and fast kill times, this guide will cover a non-Legendary setup and a Legendary-enhanced version, along with tactical advice and synergy breakdowns.

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1. Understanding the Build Philosophy

In Rifts, you need a ship that can withstand heavy fire while still dealing consistent, high damage. A pure tank build won’t work because if your kill speed is too low, the Rift will fail. This Gunship build maximizes armor, weapon energy efficiency, and damage output, making Rift farming reliable and accessible for casual and mid-core players.

If you’re aiming for higher Lunacy levels (1000+), specialized builds may perform better, but this guide provides a practical, effective build for most players.

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2. Ship and Equipment Selection

Ship: Gunship (Armor Tanking & Firepower Focus)

The Gunship is ideal for Rift farming due to:

• Double weapon hardpoints (double the damage output)
• Strong armor tanking potential
• Excellent synergy with passive abilities

Gunship Passives:

1. Coil Gun Turret – The best turret variant due to its range and balanced damage split.
2. Turret Attacks Mines – Useful for Rift modifiers that spawn mines on enemy deaths.
3. +30% Bonus Damage Against Drones – Helps clear smaller enemies faster.
4. +15% Boost Speed – Improves mobility in heated battles.

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3. Non-Legendary Build: Weapons & Equipment

Weapons:

1. Primary: Starforged Penumbra Flak – Great for ranged splash damage, compensating for imperfect aim.
2. Main: Starforged Coil Gun – High range, solid damage, and easy handling.
3. Fallback: Powerful Auto Cannon – Used for close-quarters combat and when ultimate is active.
4. Alternative: Starforged Beam Laser (if available).

Secondary Weapons:

• Homing Missiles – For tougher enemies.
• Unguided Rockets – Best for shredding Rift bosses.

Armor & Equipment:

• Starforged Nano Plating (Best-in-slot for Gunship survivability).
• Starforged Tuned Energy Core (Maximized weapon energy output to sustain heavy firepower).
• Superior-quality equipment for the remaining slots (shields, boosters, etc.).

Consumables:

• Large Nanobots (Restores armor due to companion perk).
• Energy Shield (For emergencies).

Mainframe Expansions:

• Prioritize Firepower, Utility, and Expertise.
• Avoid over-investing past 4 points per attribute due to diminishing returns.

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4. Perks & Devices for Rift Efficiency

Personal Perks:

• Level 5: 25% Reduced Damage While Boosting (Most useful for Rifts).
• Level 10: Downtime Warrior (15% reduced weapon energy consumption per device on cooldown).
• Level 15: Relentless (+60% Weapon Energy Capacity with three support devices equipped).
• Level 20: Ulterior Motive (Faster ultimate recharge for armor tanks).
• Level 25: Retaliation (Extra passive damage output to soften targets).
• Level 30: Overkill (Boosted weapon damage after ultimate expires).

Devices:

1. EMP (Hard Reset) – Reduces cooldown significantly when used against multiple enemies.
2. Teleporter (Scurry) – Helps reposition and triggers Downtime Warrior for energy savings.
3. Nano Recompensator (Resurgence) – Restores 100% armor when timed correctly.
4. Missile Defense System (Sustenance) – Essential for Rift combat, destroying incoming missiles.

Tactical Playstyle:

• Maintain mid-range engagement (2km) with Flak and Coil Gun.
• Teleport out of danger when overwhelmed.
• Keep devices on cooldown to maximize Downtime Warrior’s weapon energy savings.
• Use Nano Recompensator as a panic button for instant armor regeneration.

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5. Legendary Build: Upgrading to Endgame Power

Adding two key Legendary items transforms the Gunship into an aggressive, close-quarters brawler:

Legendary Equipment:

1. Casio’s Protection (Armor Plating)
   • Spawns two invulnerable decoys when shields break.
   • Absorbs enemy fire, allowing for aggressive play.
2. Omnimanos (Legendary Plating)
   • Highest armor rating in the game.
   • Alters Missile Defense System to act as a secondary ultimate.

Weapon Adjustments for Close Combat:

• Flak swapped out (Avoid self-damage in melee range).
• Blaster or Beam Laser added for high DPS.
• Closer engagement playstyle recommended.

Tactical Adjustments with Legendary Setup:

• Dive aggressively into enemies (Casio’s Protection decoys take the heat).
• Missile Defense System acts as an offensive AOE tool.
• Omnimanos boosts armor for tanking damage up close.

This version of the build lets you rush through Lunacy 500 Rifts effortlessly, thanks to decoys soaking enemy fire and the missile defense system turning into an offensive powerhouse.

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6. Rift Combat Strategy: Execution & Synergies

• Always use Ultimate on cooldown.
  • Gunship’s turret levels the battlefield fast.
  • Can often activate twice per Rift stage.
• Teleport strategically.
  • Use it to reposition and keep Downtime Warrior active.
• Maintain high kill speed.
  • The more enemies you kill, the faster armor regenerates.
• Use Missile Defense System aggressively.
  • With Omnimanos, it becomes a secondary AOE attack.
• Focus fire on priority threats.
  • Take down heavily armored enemies first.

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7. Conclusion: The Ultimate Rift Farming Build

This Gunship build offers a perfect balance of firepower and survivability for Lunacy 500 Rift farming. Whether using the non-Legendary setup or the Legendary-enhanced version, this build makes Rift farming efficient, reliable, and rewarding.

If you’re struggling with Rifts, try this setup and see how much smoother your runs become. Fly safe, pilot!