ARCHIMEDES II



 is a deadly orbital laser superweapon powered by HELIOS One and targeted with Euclid's C-Finder in Fallout: New Vegas.

Characteristics
Before can be used, it must be activated by choosing to divert the power of HELIOS One to it at the end of the That Lucky Old Sun quest.

Triggering it by "firing" Euclid's C-Finder at a target causes three laser beams to converge on the target, followed by a massive blue laser beam from the sky which causes massive damage. It can only be used once in each 24-hour period. To determine if another strike is possible the player can check the ammo for Euclid's C-Finder - it will be 1 if the weapon is ready to fire, or 0 if the proper amount of time has not passed.

should be distinguished from ARCHIMEDES I, a related weapon that acts as a security system for HELIOS One.

Behind the scenes

 * The ancient writers Lucian and Anthemius of Tralles wrote that the Greek scientist Archimedes built a 'heat ray' weapon using mirrors to focus the sun's energy on enemy ships It was purportedly used at the Siege of Syracuse. Most scientists are skeptical that such a device would be practical or efficient.

Bugs and glitches

 * When leaving the Brotherhood of Steel Bunker in Hidden Valley, and being confronted by its members in Veronica's quest, using this may cause the game to freeze.
 * When using at long range, the weapon may show the opening "target" lasers, but never fire.
 * Solution: This can be fixed on the XBOX by saving with the gun out, turning off the console, turning back on, loading save and wait for the laser to fire.  Similarly, the same can be done on the PC by saving after pressing fire, exiting and restarting the game, then loading the save.

Appearances
appears in Fallout: New Vegas.