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Dax Bashar and Ben Grendal
Delia Wendo
HIVE
Elek
Tareen
Khala
Everspace 2 offers players a ton of different ways to customize their build and strengthen their ship, and one great example of this is the game's perk system.
In Everspace 2, players can acquire two different types of perk: Player Perks and Companion Perks. Player Perks are tied to the player's level, while companion perks are tied to resource investments. In this guide, players can learn about companion perks, and get some suggestions on which to prioritise. Each set of Companion Perks is tied to a specific story character, so there are some spoilers ahead.
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Dax Bashar and Ben Grendal
Acting as Mission Control for Adam, these two offer perks relating to improving the base and core features of the ship, such as the tractor beam and cruise drive. Their first perk, Reactor, is acquired as part of the main story and serves as an introduction to the companion perk system.
Repairs
The Repairs Perk comes with three levels, each costing increasing resources, as is typical for Companion Perks.
At rank 1 it drops the cost of Hull Repairs to 70% of the normal cost. Rank 2 does the same for equipment repairs, and Rank 3 allows free Hull repair up to 30% of the Hull's maximum HP when docking, if the ship is below 30% HP.
Ranks 1 and 2 are definitely worth grabbing, since repairs will be a constant drain on the player's funds throughout the game. The total investment for two ranks is 4,080 Credits, 70 Iron, 30 Scrap Metal, and 7 Supra Gel, which can be racked up by exploring thoroughly and mining whenever it's possible. Rank 3 is a lot more situational, and costs 4,440 Credits, 60 Iron, 25 Scrap Metal, and 10 power Cells, so players may want to hold off on that until resources are more plentiful.
Tractor Beam
The tractor beam perks are fantastic quality of life improvements that will help players amass resources. At level 1 the tractor beam base range is increased to 800 m, double its original value. At level 2 multiple objects can be pulled at once, for more efficient collecting. Finally, level 3 boosts the speed at which items are pulled in.
Grabbing Levels 1 and 2 as soon as possible is a solid decision, making item collection much easier and far less tedious. It costs a total of 90 Aetheum Crystal, 30 Iron, 2 Power Cells, 2 Crystal Diodes, and 6 Wiring Kits, along with 4,800 credits. A worthwhile investment. Level 3 should also be grabbed when possible, since the speed boost makes item collection all the easier.
Cruise Drive
The cruise drive perks reduce the amount of time it takes to activate the ship's cruise drive, which can be handy when exploring the large open spaces of the game world.
The first level drops the activation delay to 1.5s, and only costs 2,500 credits, 3 crystal diodes, and 2 plasma. Well worth the trouble for sheer convenience.
Once players have started acquiring Power Unit HX-1s, they should look into buying level 2 and level 3 to drop the activation delay to 1.2s and 0.9s, respectively.
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Delia Wendo
A G&B Doctor found early in the game's story, Delia offers only two perks, one with 3 levels and another with 6, which assist with healing damage to the ship and generating energy during combat.
Nanotechnology
This perk provides buffs to nanobot usage, with the first level doubling their repair speed. At level 2 using nanotech will repair nearby allies, and at level 3 it will repair armor equal to half the amount of hull it repairs.
Maxing out on these perks as early as possible will provide players with a major boost to their survivability, as long as they remember to bring nanobots with them on their adventures. Players will have to get hold of pure titanium and quantum conductors for the third level though, so it might take some time before it's possible to completely unlock Nanotechnology.
Energy Orbs
The Energy Orbs perk has 6 levels, which all revolve around the generation of energy orbs. At level 1 the perk causes destroyed ships to sometimes release energy orbs that restore weapon and boost energy. At level 2 those orbs gain the ability to replenish armor, and level 3 adds the ability to replenish shields too.
At level 4 a chance is added for destroyed ships, especially elites, to release a rare orb. This orb grants extra weapon and boost energy, and a 10-second buff that boosts handling by 20%.
Level 5 causes the orbs to move towards the player's ship from a greater distance, making it easier to collect them, and level 6 causes the rare orbs to charge the ships ULT.
These perks can be incredibly valuable, and going up to at least level 4 as soon as possible is a fantastic strategy for boosting ship power and survivability. Levels 5 and 6 might take a little longer, due to requiring some rarer components to complete 5, but maxing this perk early can be a huge boon to any playstyle.
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HIVE
Returning from the first game, the Human Interface Virtual Entity provides assorted ship management and resource gathering benefits.
Autonomous Cargo Dispatcher
This fantastic perk allows players to send any excess cargo collected right to their home base, allowing players to amass huge stores of items without worrying about running out of inventory space. This should be acquired as soon as possible, so players don't need to leave anything behind, though it costs 15 Power Cells, 7 Power Unit HX-1s, 7 Dark Matter, and 3 Neutron Membranes.
Mining Tracker
The Mining Tracker perk makes it possible to check possible mining yields from any location on the star map. This means that players can plan out their excursions and more easily acquire the resources they need for perks or crafting. Another must-have perk that should be aimed for as soon as it becomes available, this requires 4,000 credits, 3 crystal diodes, a heat detector, and 10 pure copper.
Startup Delays
The only HIVE Perk with multiple levels, Startup Delays level 1 reduces the startup delay of secondary weapons and consumables to 20.0s. This is the delay that prevents players from immediately utilizing an item equipped to a quickslot or secondary weapon slot from the inventory. Essentially, players must wait 20.0s after changing their secondary weapon or adding a new item to the quickslots before it can be used.
At level 2 this perk completely removes Startup Delays when not in combat, allowing players to freely swap around their secondary weapons and items and immediately use them, as long as they aren't currently in combat.
At level 3 the Startup Delay further reduces to 15.0s.
This perk isn't a high priority, but it can be useful to get it to rank 2 if players find themselves swapping around their consumable items or secondary weapons frequently.
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Elek
This Coalition Pilot/Councilor is an old friend from the first game, and only has one perk with three ranks. This perk is tremendously helpful, but reliant on a bit of luck.
Fire Support
Elek will jump in during combat and assist Adam sometimes, if he's in the mood, once the first level of this perk is unlocked. Fortunately, this only requires 5,000 Credits and 10 liquor.
Players can purchase level 2 using 7,000 Credits and any Equalizer Coil Gun. This gives Elek a powerful Equalizer weapon when he jumps in to help.
Supply him with a further 9,000 Credits and any EMP Missiles to upgrade his ship with EMP Missiles and further strengthen him.
These perks can periodically provide the player with excellent support in combat, as Elek splits the enemy's attention and guns them down with his weaponry, though the random activation chance might put off some players.
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Tareen
Another returning character from the first game, Tareen is an independent trader whose perks provide improvements to Homebase storage and the availability of ships at shops.
Storage Size
This perk boosts the Homebase storage size to 60 at level 1, then 75 at level 2, and then 100 at level 3. This can be really handy for players who collect tons of raw materials, which can be crucial in the later stages of the game.
This is an expensive perk to upgrade, requiring 20,000 Credits, 27 Titanium, 40 Scrap Metal, and 17 Wiring Kits just to reach the second level, but fortunately it doesn't require too many rare materials, so players should be able to level it up with enough time and effort.
Hangar Size
The Hangar Size perk allows players to store more ships in the Homebase Hangar, allowing them to keep additional ships around equipped for different situations.
At level 1 it expands the hangar to hold 7 ships, for the price of 10,000 Credits, 8 Crystal Diodes, 10 Titanium, and 5 Supra Gel.
At level 2 the hangar is upgraded to hold 9 ships, costing 25,000 Credits, 14 Diodes, 20 Titanium, and 10 Supra Gel.
Upgrading this perk as needed can be useful, especially to players who enjoy swapping out their ships for the situation, but it can be expensive to upgrade, so players might want to wait until they've got reliable access to the funds and resources needed before splurging on this.
Ship Dealers
The Ship Dealers perk enhances the number of ships offered at Ship Dealers at level 1, allowing players a greater range of options when purchasing new ships.
Level 2 adds a small selection of ships to the Flying Dutchess shop near the Homebase, allowing players more convenient access to a ship vendor. Level 3 adds an alternate set of passive skills to each ship for further customization and versatility.
Level 4 increases the number of ships available at the Flying Dutchess, and level 5 allows players to replace the offered ships with a new selection once every 10 minutes, making it easier to find specific ships there.
Ship Dealers is an excellent perk that gives players access to more ship options and greater ease of access to Ship Dealers, as long as they're willing to shell out the huge amount of resources needed to upgrade it. Getting to level 3 once it's possible to do so is a good target, to gain access to alternate sets of passives for ships and greatly enhance build variety.
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Khala
Khala the Navigator is the final companion who offers perks, and provides players with perks that improve their ability to navigate the game world, while also providing additional information about any locations on the map.
Spatial Bypass
Khala's first Perk requires a set of unique "Spatial Bypass Components", and is unlocked by completing the main mission "Picking Up the Pieces."
In exchange for these items, players gain the ability to create Spatial Bypasses, which allow for instant teleportation between each other. This serves as the game's fast travel system and is a crucial tool in exploration.
Location Scanner
This second perk unlocks additional information about locations on the star map.
At level 1 it reveals the completion ratio of a location, making it easier to tell when a location is finished, while level 2 provides specifics on the number of secrets and type of secrets at each location.
Unlocking both ranks with 10 Heat Detectors, 6 Power Unit HX-1s, and 2 Echo Cancellers, is a fantastic investment for players who wish to track down every last secret the game has to offer.
Everspace 2 is available now for PC and is coming soon to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
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