Understand Piercing Caliber
Useful when…
- Add Puncture damage to a compatible rifle.
- Choose a Puncture-focused standard rifle mod.
Effect and compatibility
The standard Rifle mod has Naramon polarity and base drain 6. It adds +20% Puncture at rank 0, +80% at rank 3, and +120% at rank 5. The listed bonus is specifically Puncture damage; it should not be read as a +120% increase to all damage or as final damage.
Ranking and alternatives
Piercing Hit is a Common standard rifle mod with the same Naramon polarity and a lower base drain of 4, listing up to +90% Puncture. Flawed Piercing Hit is a Flawed variant with a lower listed maximum of +12% Puncture and base drain 2. These alternatives trade listed bonus and drain; neither changes Piercing Caliber’s own rank effects.
Investment and limit
The mod reaches rank 5. The listed rank 4-to-5 step costs 480 Endo and 23,184 Credits. It occupies a standard rifle mod slot, so weigh that investment and slot against other effects you could fit. Ripper Rounds is a Conclave variant describing conversion of 20% of damage into Puncture, not the same standard-mod bonus.
Limitations and tradeoffs
- Targets Puncture damage rather than all damage.
- Higher ranks require additional fusion resources and mod capacity.
- The Conclave conversion mod is a different variant and effect.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating +120% Puncture as +120% total rifle damage.
- Confusing the standard mod with the Conclave damage-conversion variant.