Laser Rifle (Fallout: New Vegas)

The laser rifle is a weapon in Fallout: New Vegas.

Background
The AER9 was not considered cutting-edge technology before the war, being an older model than the state-of-the-art AER12 laser rifle, used in a handful of specialty units. The redeeming feature of the AER9 was its reliability - the focusing crystal array was housed in a titanium casing, rather than the gold alloys used in later models, which allowed it to withstand years of exposure to the environment without loss in array focus.

Characteristics
This variant of the AER9 laser rifle can be upgraded beyond the factory standard. Close to the breach (just behind the muzzle) there appears to be a bright light and the body of the rifle has been painted red.

A unique AER14 prototype with a green beam can also be found in the game.

The markings on theses rifles as well as their descriptions in game hint at the types of lasing mediums used in each variant. The 1064nm wavelength (frequency converted to green, 532nm) of the AER14 prototype strongly indicates that it is a Nd:YAG (neodymium-doped yttrium aluminium garnet) laser while the ~650nm wavelength of the AER9 laser rifle indicates that it is likely a Ruby, InGaAs or HeNe laser.

Modifications

 * Laser rifle beam splitter: Causes rifle to fire two grouped beams per shot, with greater total power than a single beam, at the cost of reducing per-beam damage.
 * Laser rifle focus optics: +3 Damage
 * Laser rifle scope: Increases zoom when aiming

Using the beam splitter and focus optic together creates a weak tri-beam laser rifle with a damage of 5.7x3 at 100% condition whereas a tri-beam will have 15x3 damage, on the other hand a fully modded laser rifle will use only one MF cell per shot instead of three, like the tri-beam rifle.

The scope is large and may obstruct your vision, so be mindful if considering modding the rifle.

A Laser Rifle modified with focused optics will have a weathered red casing as opposed to the usual black.

Locations

 * Nipton in the trailer park next to the body of a dead Wastelander and an ash pile.
 * Can be purchased from Silver Rush or the Brotherhood of Steel if you join them
 * Can be found on some Brotherhood of Steel soldiers if killed
 * Numerous laser rifles can be found in Silver Rush and are very easy to steal with impunity.
 * Is often carried by members of The Fiends outside Vault 3, as well as the surrounding areas (especially at higher levels).

Appearances
The laser rifle appears in Fallout: New Vegas.