Components affect Railjack defenses, speed, and avionics ability.
When you have finally finished your Railjack and have access to the Configuration Console in your dry dock, you will find that the first tab manages your "components". These three elements - the Shield Network, Engines, and Reactor - are all associated with your Railjack's non-offensive stats. While the majority of your power will come from avionics (the mod version of Railjack IE), these three pieces of equipment will form the skeleton of your ship. There are three houses that a component can come from (Lavan, Vidar and Zetki), each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
The first is the shield network, which will increase your shield capacity, reduce shield recharge time, and even increase shield recharge rate. Personally, I would say this is the least important of the three, as Railjack armor and hull (that's health) are more important than shields. You certainly shouldn't be sleeping on your shield network, but when it comes time to fix the wreckage, you'll want to prioritize the latter.
Second, the motors, which will increase the top speed and increase the Railjacks motor. The faster you are and the bigger your boost, the more evasive you can be. This will be critical when you have a flock of enemy rams hitting you like meteors full of malicious Grineer.
The third and final is your Reactor, which is arguably the most important part of your Railjack. You see, avionics work similarly to mods, which means you'll have an ability cap to bypass. Each Railjack has 30 Avionics as a base capacity, but a good jet engine will increase that cap, up to a maximum of 130 Avionics (including base 30, so a God-Roll jet engine can provide up to 100 Avionics).
Since avionics are the real power of your Railjack, a good jet engine can be the difference between brutal explosive success and failure. It can also increase your flow ability (your Railjack's energy for ship abilities, which are unlocked via - you guessed it - avionics), and forge ability (where you replenish mid-mission: more about that here), but you need to focus on your Avionics Ability from the start.
Any changes made by a new component to your Railjack can be seen in the table to the right, with stat increases in green and reductions highlighted in red. You'll want to prioritize engines for repairs when you start, given the importance of avionics, then tracking your engines, then finally your shields. Wreckage can be found in Railjack missions, but you can also look for upgrades in your dry dock to basic sigma components that will provide you with some flexibility while you achieve your perfect fall.
That said, each research level takes three days and you cannot go back until the previous level has been researched. Basically: You won't be making MK III Sigma gear overnight. Additionally, the wreckage swings with the Proxima you're in, so Earth will drop MK I, Saturn MK II, and Veil MK III components. Personal Recommendation: Ride on Tenno's other Railjacks until you can farm the Veil and save resources to repair these components.
This will conclude the components guide. For other guides, come back with the Railjack Guide Hub, where we cover everything from blacksmithing to piloting, and the best way to farm materials.
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