Energy Weapons

Energy Weapons is a Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout Tactics and Fallout: New Vegas skill.

This skill relates to the care and feeding of energy-based weapons, and how to arm and operate weapons that use laser, plasma, Tesla, or alien technology.

Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics

 * $$\text{Initial Level}=10\%+(1\%\times\text{Agility})$$

Example: A starting Agility of 5.


 * $$10\%+(1\%\times5)=15\%$$

Energy weapons, depending on the character, are the most versatile and powerful weapons in the Fallout universe. Unfortunately, they're also rare, hard to get and/or expensive. Ammo is rare and pricey so usually an Enclave or supermutant patrol needs to be sacrificed (if you can do it) to feed your hungry gun. However, a character wielding a laser gatling gun, alien blaster or other energy weapons whilst encased in power armour is all but undefeatable. If you can survive the early game until you can get an energy weapon, a PC can use these weapons to great advantage.

In addition, energy weapons have very spectacular "overkill" animation; that is, if you manage to score an instant-kill damage multiplication critical hit or have the Bloody Mess trait. Laser weapons cut the enemy in half at the waist or burn them to ash, plasma weapons disintegrate the enemy into a pile of goo, while pulse weapons cause an effect comically similar to massive electrocution, after which the victim turns into a skeleton then falls to the ground into a pile of dust.

Tactics
Energy weapons almost always must be tagged to be effective. There are practically no books or other easy ways to raise Energy Weapons in Fallout (In Fallout 2 there's the elusive Cat's Paw Issue No.5). So a good combination is Energy Weapons, Small Guns and a non-combat skill. With this configuration, the PC can defend themselves until an energy weapon is found (try the Glow or Sierra Army Depot). Remember, like all weapons, energy guns come useful and useless so find one that suits you and stick to it. Remember, a character doesn't have to aim energy weapons as they are devastating even prior to a critical hit. To really make a fight one-sided, take perks such as sharpshooter and more criticals to really start the plasma flying.

Fallout's energy weapons
See Fallout weapons.

Fallout 2's energy weapons
See Fallout 2 weapons.

Ways to increase Energy Weapons in Fallout 2

 * Join Family Salvatore in New Reno. Mason, one of Salvatore's men, can teach you how to use the lightbringers. Inceases Energy Weapons by 5%.
 * Get the Cat's Paw Issue No.5 from Miss Kitty in New Reno. Increases Energy Weapons by 10%.

Fallout 3

 * $$\text{Initial level}=2+(2\times\text{Perception})+\left\lceil\frac{\text{Luck}}{2}\right\rceil$$

Example: A starting Perception of 5 and Luck of 5.


 * $$2+(2\times5)+\left\lceil\frac{5}{2}\right\rceil=15$$

Energy Weapons have become more commonplace by Fallout 3, with the smaller Laser Pistol available early on at the Super Duper Mart. Making friends with the Brotherhood of Steel and making scrap out of Protectrons should net you some ammo. Although energy weapons are more commonly seen in Fallout 3, they are also much less powerful in comparison to conventional weaponry. A conventional Assault Rifle is more than capable of going toe-to-toe with a Laser Rifle in terms of damage, and can hold its own even against the more powerful Plasma Rifle. However, Energy Weapons are for the most part, more accurate, more durable, and have higher criticals, and the Alien Blaster is still the paragon of Energy Weapons everywhere, outclassing almost every other weapon in the game although its ammo is rare.

The plethora of exceptional and unusual Energy Weapons such as the Alien Blaster, Firelance, and Mesmetron seem to make up for the fact that there are no homemade weapons or schematics for the Energy Weapons enthusiast while there is one or more for every other weapon skill.

If you do not wish to use Energy Weapons, they can be turned in to Protector Casdin (see: The Outcast Collection Agent) at Fort Independence, south of Megaton, and adjacent to Fairfax Ruins. In return, you get your choice of 5.56mm Rounds, Frag Grenades, Rad Away, or Stimpaks.

An interesting quality about energy weapons in Fallout 3 is that if you get a critical hit on an enemy with a laser weapon (the Gatling laser works too) and the enemy dies from it (it doesn't matter if the enemy is a robot or not), then your target will disintegrate into a pile of ashes. If you do the same with a plasma weapon (including plasma grenades), then your opponent will turn into a goo pile. Neither one affects what the enemy drops, though they can no longer be cannibalized afterwards.

Energy Weapons-based Perks
Perks that improve V.A.T.S. accuracy:
 * Gunslinger improves VATS accuracy for pistols (or similar one-handed weapons).
 * Commando improves VATS accuracy for rifles (or similar two-handed weapons).
 * Sniper improves VATS accuracy when targeting the head.
 * Wired Reflexes improves VATS accuracy for all weapons by 10%.
 * Concentrated Fire increases VATS accuracy against a body part by +5% each time it is targeted.

Perks that improve damage:
 * Black Widow improves damage by 10% vs. male humans/ghouls.
 * Lady Killer improves damage by 10% vs. female humans/ghouls.
 * Entomologist improves damage by 50% vs. insects.
 * Robotics Expert improves damage by 25% vs. robots.
 * Bloody Mess improves damage by 5% against all targets.
 * Finesse increases the chance of getting a critical hit by 5%.
 * Better Criticals increases the damage of critical hits by 50%.
 * Survival Expert increases the chance of a critical hit by 1, 2 or 3%.
 * Ghoul Ecology improves damage by +5 against ghouls (bugged and effects all targets).
 * Superior Defender improves damage by +5 when standing still.

Consumables that improve damage:
 * Yao Guai meat improves damage by 10%.
 * Psycho improves damage by 25%.

Ways to increase Energy Weapons

 * Bobblehead - Energy Weapons (permanent +10)
 * Nikola Tesla and You (permanent +1 or +2 with Comprehension)
 * Cyborg (permanent +10)
 * Tag! (permanent +15)
 * Armored Vault Suit (temporary +5)
 * Tesla armor (temporary +10)
 * Colonel Autumn's uniform (temporary +5)
 * Enclave Officer uniform (temporary +5)
 * Enclave Officer hat (temporary +5)
 * Mentats (temporary +2-10 depending on perception, a perfect perception of 10 will see no benefit)
 * Metal master armor (temporary +10, requires The Pitt)

Fallout 3 Energy Weapons
See Fallout 3 weapons.

Fallout: New Vegas

 * $$\text{Initial level}=2+(2\times\text{Perception})+\left\lceil\frac{\text{Luck}}{2}\right\rceil$$

Example: A starting Perception of 5 and Luck of 5.


 * $$2+(2\times5)+\left\lceil\frac{5}{2}\right\rceil=15$$

Energy weapons are perhaps more abundant in New Vegas than they are in Fallout 3, with plasma weapons being drastically more obtainable earlier in progress. Even to the point of finding a Laser Pistol in the starting location. The downside of this new found abundance, is that lower end energy weapons are almost entirely useless against most enemies sporting any considerable armor, laser equipment more so.

This deceptively obvious weakness of energy weapons, again more pronounced with lasers, masks the effectiveness of maximizing a characters base critical attack rate. With Laser Commander, Plasma Spaz, Meltdown, Better Criticals, and many other perks and traits aimed at increasing the quantity and the quality of critical hits, players can find themselves quickly enveloping even Nightkin and Deathclaws in electrical death.

Energy Weapons are also an excellent choice to use if playing in Hardcore mode, as all ammo has weight; because there's only three (not including MF Breeder) types of energy weapon ammo, it can reduce the need to carry multiple weapons to deal with a different and separate event. Carrying weapons that share the same ammo is an invaluable tactic to keep the weight down. (For example, a Gauss Rifle eliminates the need to carry an Anti-Materiel Rifle with a Sniper Rifle or Hunting Rifle, and Microfusion Cells can be used for sniping with the Gauss Rifle or assaulting with a Plasma Rifle, saving you weight). In addition, recycling ammo (especially if the Vigilant Recycler perk is taken) is much more effective than remaking conventional ammunition.

Weapons such as the Gauss Rifle and Plasma Caster will prove effective without overthought player customization, while the Pulse gun will dominate robots and power armor with ease with a minimum of energy weapons skill, although with a significant drain on small energy cells.