Plasma Accelerator

File:Class-4-Plasma-Accelerator.png

Class 4 Plasma Accelerator

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), and 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 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
• Focused
• Lightweight
• Long range
• Overcharged
• Rapid fire
• Short range
• 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

• Class 2 Plasma Accelerator
  Class 2 Plasma Accelerator
• Class 3 Plasma Accelerator
  Class 3 Plasma Accelerator
• Class 4 Plasma Accelerator
  Class 4 Plasma Accelerator
• Class 4 Plasma Accelerators on a Fer-Der-Lance and a Federal Corvette
  Class 4 Plasma Accelerators on a Fer-Der-Lance and a Federal Corvette
• Class 4 Plasma Accelerator
  Class 4 Plasma Accelerator

Specifications

Maximum range is 3500m, but Damage Falloff begins at 2000m.

Another variant is the Advanced Plasma Accelerator.

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, DPS, and Thermal Load are all based upon the in-game display which is basically an "out of 10" scale thus the values for these sections should be assumed as approximations.
• Damage Type for all Plasma Accelerators is divided as follows:
  • Absolute: 60%
  • Thermal: 20%
  • Kinetic: 20%
• Absolute Damage ignores shield 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 Fighter variants.