Weapons have many variables governing their behavior and have been distilled to four:
Damage per Second (DPS)
There are two important components to this metric:
Your DPS (to use the weapon)
Weapon DPS (the weapon's potential)
Damage per Shot (D/Shot)
Damage per Volley (D/Volley)
The two components to this metric are actually the equation that creates the weapon's DPS, damage / duration:
D/Volley Damage (total damage a weapon can produce before pausing)
D/Volley Duration (it takes to unload all firepower including pausing)
Accuracy
Measures your ability to place your weapons fire where you to intend.
Weapon Families
You will find plenty of weapons in Ancient Galaxy. After you scrap a weapon and if your Weapons Skill is high enough, you will be able to manufacture unlimited numbers of that weapon. There are 7 families of weapons.
Firearms
Hand weapons that fire a physical bullet, includes pistols, revolvers, gauss, cannons, and machine guns. Some handguns have more kickback than others causing the weapon's aim to move upward while firing. All have a clip containing the bullets and will require reloading.
Lancers
Discharges a energy bolt and are named based on their bolt's type from Rho to Omega. These weapons have little kickback and use an energy clip to store the bolts which requires reloading.
Reflexors
Discharges 2 to 4 energy balls in a burst. These balls have the ability to reflect once off of objects allowing the shooter to potentially shot around obstacles. These weapons discharge are rated based on their frequency with higher frequency causing more damage ranging from Kilohertz to Zettahertz. These weapons do not have a clip but do require a brief recharge time between bursts.
Higgs
Discharges a fiery bolt that explodes on impact causing an additional splash damage ranging from 3 to 7 meters. Weapons come in pistol, blaster, and cannon varieties. All use a clip requiring reloading.
Arcs
Lobs an bomb that only explodes if it is in proximity to a life form. There are two varieties of Arcs, a Bomber which explodes causing splash damage throughout an area of 4 to 6 meter radius; and, a Beamer that when it explodes shoots out a single laser beam to hit a single target within its 4.5 to 6.5 meter radius area of effect. Bombers use a clip of two bombs; Beamers do not have a clip but do need to recharge between uses.
Plasmas
Quickly discharges a single plasma ball which causes additional splash damage in a 1 to 2 meter radius and a relatively quick recharge time. Weapons' strength is rated based on the discharges strength ranging from Kilojoule to Exajoule.
Spikers
Accurately discharges powerful energy particle spikes. Weapons' strength are rated based on their particles' weight ranging from Photons to Atoms. All use a clip requiring reloading.
Your spaceship is equipped with two important facilities to aid in the construction of weapons. A Crafting Bench to make weapons (and other tools) and a Weapons Scrapper which disintegrates weapons, providing two benefits: it gives your Weapons Crafting Bench the schematics to reproduce the weapon and it yields Composite Metals which can make other weapons more powerful.
Composite Metals are found in weapons you destroy in your spaceship's Scrapper and in most mineral deposits you scan with your PDA. Weapon reload speeds can be improved using additional Composite Metals:
5 hectograms = 10% faster reload time 10 hg = 20% faster reload time 15 hg = 30% faster reload time
Scrapping a weapon already made on your bench yields no Composite Metals. Only weapons you find on a level will have Composite Metals.