Plasma Accelerator

2019-01-04T20:53:48Z

74.136.70.216:

[[File:Class-4-Plasma-Accelerator.png|thumb|300px|Class 4 Plasma Accelerator]]

{{quote|Energy projectile weapon on fixed mount.|In-Game Description}}

Plasma Accelerators are mounted on one of your ship's hardpoints and need assigning to a fire group before they can be used. They are very large and powerful weapons. After firing, they take a few seconds to recharge. Unlike its cannon counterpart the plasma accelerator is always fixed and doesn't have a gimballed variant.

Military battleships, cruisers and also space stations are often equipped with this weapon. They're also fitted to large trading ships and passenger liners operating in the more dangerous regions of space.

Even a Small Plasma Accelerator will destroy a well armed hundred tonne ship with a single shot. The large version has been known to be used as a planetary assault weapon, destroying selected areas of cities from orbit. This has a devastating effect on the local population, because the terrifying noise of the beam cutting through the atmosphere can be heard for hundreds of kilometers, and will deafen anyone unprotected in the vicinity.

In use, their projectiles move relatively slowly (875 m/s), this and the lack of gimballed variants make them challenging to use, especially against smaller targets. However, they have among the highest raw damage ratings of any weapon and much of this damage ignores the various resistances of shields, hull and armoured [[Bulkheads]]; it also completely ignores [[Armour Hardness]]. On top of all that, it is also a thermal attack (not to be confused with thermic), meaning it adds to the heat of any ship it hits.

The drawbacks include the high level of pilot skill required to use them effectively (especially against smaller targets), and their huge energy requirements and thermal load. The latter make them inadvisable to use alongside other energy weapons such as [[Beam Laser|beam lasers]] and can force a pilot to limit their rate of fire.

They are available for class 2, 3 and 4 hardpoints and are among the most expensive weapons to purchase and operate.

==Munitions==
Spent ammunition must be replenished once used. Any station that is equipped with a "Restock" service will be able to replenish ammunition. Once docked at the station, ammunition can be purchased from the Munitions menu in the Starport Services. Ammunition costs 200 CR per unit.

== Engineers ==
This weapon can be modified by [[Engineers]] to enhance its abilities.

=== Modifications ===
The following modifications can be applied to this module:
* [[Efficient Weapon|Efficient]]
* [[Focused Weapon|Focused]]
* [[Lightweight Weapon|Lightweight]]
* [[Long Range Weapon|Long range]]
* [[Overcharged Weapon|Overcharged]]
* [[Rapid Fire Weapon|Rapid fire]]
* [[Short Range Weapon|Short range]]
* [[Sturdy Weapon|Sturdy]]

=== Possible Experimental Effects ===
Modifying this module can sometimes result in any one of the following special effects also being applied:
* [[Dazzle Shell]]
* [[Dispersal Field]]
* [[Phasing Sequence]]
* [[Plasma Slug]]
* [[Target Lock Buster]]
* [[Thermal Conduit]]

Any Plasma Accelerator (regardless of size) using Plasma Slug requires approximately 110 kilograms (0.11 tons) of fuel per reload (where one reload is five shots).

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
wpn_c2_plasma.png|Class 2 Plasma Accelerator
wpn_c3_plasma.png|Class 3 Plasma Accelerator
wpn_c4_plasma.png|Class 4 Plasma Accelerator
File:003s.jpg | Class 4 Plasma Accelerators on a Fer-Der-Lance and a Federal Corvette
Class-4-Plasma-Accelerator.png|Class 4 Plasma Accelerator
</gallery>

==Specifications==
Maximum range is 3500m, but [[Damage Falloff]] begins at 2000m.

Another variant is the [[Advanced Plasma Accelerator]].
{| class="article-table sortable" style="text-align: center;" border="1"
|-
! Class
! Rating
! Mass (T)
! Integrity
! Power Draw
! Weapon Mode
! Damage Type
! Damage
! Armour Piercing
! ROF/s
! DPS
! Thermal Load
! Ammo Clip Size
! Ammo Maximum
! Value (CR)
|-
| 2|| C || 4.00 || 40|| 1.430 || Fixed|| Absolute, Thermal, Kinetic || 54.3|| 100|| 0.3 || 17.9|| 15.6|| 5 || 100 || 834,200
|-
| 3 || B || 8.00 || 51|| 1.970 || Fixed || Absolute, Thermal, Kinetic
|| 83.4|| 100|| 0.3 || 24.2 || 21.8 || 5 || 100 || 3,051,200
|-
| 4 || A || 16.00 || 80|| 2.630 || Fixed || Absolute, Thermal, Kinetic
|| 125.3 || 100|| 0.3 || 31.31 || 29.5 || 5 || 100 || 13,793,600
|}
* Damage Type for all Plasma Accelerators is divided as follows<ref>[https://forums.frontier.co.uk/showthread.php/?t=320627 Elite Dangerous 2.2.03 Patch Notes]
</ref>:
** Absolute: 60%
** Thermal: 20%
** Kinetic: 20%
* Absolute Damage ignores [[Shield Generator|shield resistances]] and [[Bulkheads|armour resistances]].

==Notes==
* The Plasma Accelerator fires a ball of plasma every 3 or 4 seconds, and is only good for direct fire.
* 3 shots will take out a [[Type-9]] shield and another 3 shots for the hull. Damage per shot is upwards of 35% to 14% depending how it hits.
* Main problem is overheating after just 3 or 4 shots, best used with a few projectile weapons as if you use lasers the ship heats up too fast and then you can't fire the Plasma Accelerators.
* Hard to hit very maneuverable ships; especially smaller ones.
* Plasma Accelerators should not be mistaken for Plasma Repeaters, which are a small projectile weapon exclusive to the [[Scarab]] [[SRV]] and various [[Ship-Launched Fighters|Ship-Launched Fighter]] variants.

== References ==
<references />{{WeaponNavbox}}
[[Category:Weapons]]

Elite Dangerous Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Plasma Accelerator