"i'm starting to have a hard time deciding which parts to take and which to leave behind" I like that :)
You are right, the shield chips doesn't work to well. I'll also take a look at the energy drain weapon. I'll make sure to fix it in the next version.
There's a mini boss that also gives a higher change of rare items. I want to change the map UI to make it a bit more obvious what each planet are doing so we can plan our path a bit more.
I'm currently working on all the tooltips, they aren't working to well and I think they are important.