Equipment progression

Wasteland 3 early and mid-game equipment guide. Find Perkele Model 85, Mega Scope, Black Star, and Nooka Zuka.

Early Game Equipment:

During the early stages of Wasteland 3, focusing on equipping your snipers with the Perkele Model 85 (Tier 3 Level 10) sniper rifle is crucial, as it's the most powerful 6AP sniper rifle available. Also, acquire Scout Rifles (Tier 2 Level 9) for their Risky Shot (a special ability) ability. For your Incendiary sniper, the Negotiator (Tier 3 Level 10) unique energy sniper rifle can be purchased and later replaced with the Mega Scope (Tier 3 Level 11). The Mega Scope is highly effective, costing only 4AP to shoot, emitting a small cone ray that damages (cover (press the cover button to crouch behind walls or objects)), hits multiple opponents, and boasts a 100% base hit chance. Visit Liberty's room in Patriarch Palace to obtain the Guardian (Tier 6 Level 21) pistol for Lucia Wesson.

Early Game Looting Guide:

• Veteran's Ranger Star (+1 Hard Ass): Looted from Jarret Dorsey's corpse after a fight at the Ambush Site, atop the dam.
• Toaster Repairman's Badge (+1 Toaster Repair): Looted from a level 3 toaster in the mess hall at Ranger HQ.
• Tool Kit (+1 Mechanics): Purchased from Jimmie Longhaul at the Arapaho garage in Colorado Springs Downtown.
• Stethoscope (+1 First Aid): Reward for helping Doc Parker at the Arapaho garage in Colorado Springs Downtown.
• Perkele 85, Scout Rifle and Army Revolver: Purchased from Taiwan Jones at the market square in Colorado Springs Downtown.
• Save Scum Opportunity (e.g., Perkele 85): Found in a dumpster near Sans Luxe Apartments in Colorado Springs Downtown.
• Save Scum Opportunity (e.g., Perkele 85): Found in a chest on a cliff near Bellamy Ward in Garden of the Gods.
• Save Scum Opportunity (e.g., Perkele 85): Found in a chest in the hidden room behind the generator at Sans Luxe Apartments.
• Machine Shop Helmet (+1 Mechanics): Found in a chest near the generator at the Machine Shop.
• Negotiator and Scout Rifle: Purchased from the armory at Ranger HQ after finishing the Big Trouble In Little Vegas quest.
• Save Scum Opportunity (e.g., Perkele 85): Found in a locker in the barracks next to a computer at Patriarch Palace.
• Guardian and Lightweight Barrel: Looted from a vase in the dining room at Patriarch Palace after decoding a map in Liberty's room (requires Weird Science level 7).
• HE Fuse Linkage: Looted from a container in the bunker's bedroom at Hoon Homestead.
• Scrap Helmet (+1 Hard Ass): Looted from a container in the first building of the Arapaho Caravan.
• Murdercross Helmet (+1 Speed): Looted from a dead corpse in a workshop at the Arapaho Caravan.
• Grooming Brush (+1 Animal Whisperer), Monocle (+1 Barter): Purchased from Ananda Rabindranath at Bizarre Exterior.
• Trooper Helmets: Purchased from Gwyn Talbot at Bizzare Interior.
• Modders Kit (+1 Weapon/Armor modding), Incendiary Linkage, Red Dragon: Purchased from The Sanctified Piscitelli at Bizzare Interior.
• Mega Scope: Stolen from Quarex's Museum at Bizzare Interior.
• Binoculars (+1 Survival): Looted from a box on a bridge near the Inflatable Gorilla at Bizzare Exterior.
• Oversized Mag (+8 mag capacity): Looted from Panzón's corpse after a fight in a tent at the Clown Museum.

Mid Game Equipment:

After completing the Full House quest and upgrading your Kodiak's radiation shield to Level 2, you gain access to locations with high-tier weapons. Before heading to Denver, acquire your first ultimate Black Star (Tier 5 Level 19) sniper rifle from Cheebus, a world map merchant found southwest of Bizarre at the entrance to Southern Dunes. Concurrently, you can save scum for the SR2000-Argent (Tier 6 Level 21) sniper rifle for your remaining snipers from locations like Patriarch Palace, Ranger HQ Secret Vault, and Massacre Site. Also, look for Red Dragon (Tier 4 Level 15) sniper rifles for their Risky Shot ability; a critical hit from a Red Dragon deals more damage than a normal shot from an Argent. 6AP sniper rifles can still be viable in an off-hand depending on your skills and equipment. For your Rocketer, you can obtain a Javelin (Tier 6 Level 21) missile launcher and a Nooka Zuka (Tier 6 Level 27) tactical nuke launcher from East Plains. These acquisitions are possible before reaching Denver, where the mid-game officially begins. Once in the Denver area, you can quickly acquire the Quickfire Mag (reduces AP to fire) and Chemtek Chest, along with the Neutron Projector (Tier 6 Level 22) energy sniper rifle for your Incendiary. Note that the Black Star sniper rifle cannot be looted from random containers, so obtaining more copies is a late-game endeavor.

Mid Game Looting Guide:

• Save Scum Opportunity (e.g., SR2000-Argent): Found in a safe in Liberty's room at Patriarch Palace (requires Lockpicking level 10). A specialized recruit can be created for this purpose.
• Save Scum Opportunity (e.g., SR2000-Argent): Found in a chest in the vault at Ranger HQ if you choose to help the La Perla slavers.
• 1st Black Star: Purchased from Cheebus, a world map vendor spawning directly southwest of Bizarre at the entrance to Southern Dunes.
• Save Scum Opportunity (e.g., SR2000-Argent): Found in one of the hidden stashes at Massacre Site.
• Save Scum Opportunity (e.g., SR2000-Argent or Javelin): Found in the Honey Badger's nest at Massacre Site.
• Nooka Zuka: Found in the Bunker in East Plains, south of Abandoned Oil Well, within a heavily radiated area (requires Explosives level 8).
• Quickfire Mag (-1 AP to fire): Looted from a box inside Bulb's house at Tellurium Mine.
• Save Scum Opportunity (e.g., SR2000-Argent or Javelin): Found during a Scorpitron encounter in the area between Denver and Tellurium.
• Wide Spectrum Light (+10% H: (Source text cut off here)