Guardian Shard Cannon

EDFM // Guardian Technology

A short-range, fixed-mount Guardian weapon that fires a cluster of shards, most effective up close.

!

Needs review

Some information in this article still needs to be checked for accuracy.

Uncertain: Exact damage figures and optimal range are not stated here and should be checked in-game before being treated as current

Status

Needs review

Last reviewed

2026-08-20

Reviewer

EDFM Engineer link-graph pass

Game mode

Both

Version coverage

Elite Dangerous, current Live and Legacy

Source quality

Well-established community consensus (INARA outfitting/engineering database), cross-checked against this wiki's already-cited Engineer articles

Known uncertainty

Exact damage figures and optimal range are not stated here and should be checked in-game before being treated as current

Guardian Shard Cannons are fixed-mount, short-range weapons built from Guardian technology, firing a cluster of shards similar in spirit to a shotgun.

Overview

Alongside the Guardian Gauss Cannon and Guardian Plasma Charger, the Shard Cannon is one of the three weapons reverse-engineered from Guardian ruins. Its shard spread makes it hit hardest at close range and fall off quickly at distance, so builds using it typically favour aggressive, close-in engagement over long-range poking. See Guardian and Guardian Tech for the broader technology background.

As with the other Guardian weapons, unlocking the base weapon for purchase requires collecting Guardian materials and unlocking it through a Guardian Technology Broker, separately from the Engineering coverage below.

Engineering

Engineer	Maximum grade
Ram Tah	Grade 1 (Live only)

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