Energy Weapons

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

The care and feeding of energy-based weapons. How to arm and operate weapons that use laser, plasma, or tesla technology.

Fallout, Fallout 2 and Fallout Tactics
Initial Level: Starting Energy Weapons skill is equal to 10% + (1% x Agility). Average characters will have a 15% skill.

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 a walking tank, all but undefeatable. If you can survive the early game until you can get an energy weapon, a PC can be a very happy person as they crisp/melt/vaporize all who stand in their way.

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.

The bottom line
Energy weapons are rare, expensive and require (usually) that energy weapons be a tag skill. A PC must set aside perks and skill points early in anticipation for these super weapons or else be unable to use them. This runs the risk of premature termination if the player has no other combat skills. However, an upgraded plasma rifle, gatling laser, alien blaster, or similar is usually capable of vaporizing most enemies (including Brotherhood of Steel & Enclave) in one hit. So, in a fight, properly prepared and armoured, it will be the PC in a field of ash and fried enemies. Power to the plasma!

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.

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
Initial Level: Starting Energy Weapons skill is equal to 2 + (2 x Perception) + (Luck/2) (rounded up). Average starting characters (Per 5, Lck 5) will have a Energy Weapons skill of 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.

Ways to increase Energy Weapons

 * Bobblehead - Energy Weapons (permanent +10)
 * Nikola Tesla and You (permanent +1 or +2 with Comprehension)
 * Cyborg (permanent +10)
 * 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)
 * Metal master armor (temporary +10, requires The Pitt)

Fallout 3 Energy Weapons

 * Pistols are affected by Gunslinger.
 * Rifles are affected by Commando.
 * Colonel Autumn's Laser Pistol fires in 2-round bursts in VATS.
 * Destabilizer, although automatic, fires only one projectile in VATS.
 * Cryolator is not listed, it was removed from the final version of the game.

Energy Weapons-based Perks
Perks that improve V.A.T.S. accuracy:
 * Gunslinger improves VATS accuracy for pistols/one-handed small guns.
 * Commando improves VATS accuracy for rifles/two-handed small guns.
 * Sniper improves VATS accuracy on headshots for all small guns.
 * 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.

Broń energetyczna Энергетическое оружие