I restarted the game without MesaMod and upped it to 3 instead of 2 to see if there was any difference. Outside from oh so annoying short use of after burner I don't see much difference. Granted, I've barely begun but I never seem to take any damage, the shields are rather powerful as it is.

I always thought this game was really easy. The only times I found myself in trouble was if I didn't buy the correct tier equipment before going into a new sector or if I got completely surrounded by enemies late in the game.

I took a look at the mesa mod but I don't get it. The game is boringly easy as it is, especially if you're consistent with the artifact upgrades.

I think the MesaMod is mostly used by people to get past the FLAK missions. I vaguely remember those being a pain (at least the second one) from the first time I played the game back in its release. I haven't gotten to the FLAK missions yet in my latest game, so we'll see how I fair this time around :)