Weapon Varieties

Despite the sheer volume of different weapons, every one ultimately falls into a number of different behaviours, each with its own particular niche and purpose. Most weapon types deal either Energy Damage or Laser Damage, though this rule holds far less true as the weapons' power levels increase. In addition to their base nature, each weapon may have one or more Special Properties. Note that many of the rarer weapons in the game may not be explicit as to which group they belong to and may even be a hybrid of two or more groups.

Varieties

Pulse

A pulse weapon fires one or more projectiles straight ahead. They tend to be average in terms of power, and begin travel at the speed of the firing ship (inherits velocity). Most pulse guns have a small amount of tracking which can make hitting a target difficult, unlike a MagCannon where the turning of the projectile is much higher. Enemies with high agility will usually dodge the shot, unless flying directly towards the shooter, whereas larger, slower moving targets have a harder time getting out of the way. Pulse weapons typically deal Energy Damage, but some variants deal Physical Damage for increased energy efficiency and lower DPS.

Examples: Pulse Gun, Paint Abuser

MagCannon

MagCannon weapons are similar to pulse weapons in that they fire one or more projectiles, though they do not inherit the velocity of the firing ship. The main feature of this weapon type is its improved tracking, allowing it to home in on its target with greater ease. This is paid for with reduced DPS, higher energy costs and slower bullet speeds compared to its more straightforward counterpart. The MagCannon usually deals Energy Damage.

Examples: MagCannon IV, Excommunicator

Torpedo

Torpedo weapons behave in a similar manner to Pulse weapons and generally have an average amount of tracking. What sets a torpedo apart from Pulse weapons is the way they fire. A torpedo will fire a shot that sits in place for a moment of time before rapidly accelerating at the target. The amount of time before they launch off can be seen on the stat card as "Engine Delay" or better known as "spool time" or "spooling" to many players. Higher engine delays can make hitting a target difficult as they may move out of range or behind an obstacle while the torpedo is arming. It should be noted that if an enemy makes physical contact with the torpedo while arming, it will destroy the projectile and no damage will be done. With these limitations, they have incredibly high DPS but have a similarly high elec cost making it difficult to sustain a barrage indefinitely. The torpedo typically deals Energy damage. Examples: Torpedo II

Thorax

Thoraxes are a type of torpedo but perform slightly different. Similar to a torpedo, they are vulnerable to physical contact while spooling but suffer from a much longer engine delay and shorter range. They also have a lower degree of tracking which makes hitting with one a harder task compared to their brother. Their DPS is slightly lower than a torpedo but they have much higher elec efficiency which makes it far more effective over long fights or on ships with less energy charge. If the firing ship can maintain the optimal range, these weapons are very effective.

Examples: Bronze Thorax, Jade Thorax

Retreater

A retreater weapon functions like a Pulse weapon but fires backwards instead of forwards, making pursuit more difficult. Their use isn't for combat but rather pushing you forward to either escape an enemy or move around the universe faster.

Examples: Retreater, Radish Torch

Sebastapol

Sebastapol weapons, often referred to as vervs, are essentially "shotguns" but with a twist. They fire 3, short range, self damaging projectiles with no tracking in a wide cone in front of your ship. They have insane DPS, notably for their tech level, but at a high cost. Their self damage, and Damage Type of the self damage, should be taken into decent consideration when using. Weaker ships may find these weapons unwieldy and too dangerous to use and end up killing themselves. Higher resistances reduce the amount of self damage taken from these weapons, but extra damage from mods or skills will increase it as well. There are vervs of all damage types except mining and radiation.

Examples: Sebastapol, Vervaardiger 'Berhinger III' EX-T

Laser

Laser weapons are commonly used as they are effectively instant: they travel up to to their maximum range instantly and deal damage, making it difficult to miss. Most lasers have a tracking cone, where the heading of the laser will shift to hit the target if it is inside. They have better DPS than Pulse weapons of a similar tech level and rarity, but are far less power efficient. Lasers generally do Laser damage, surprisingly enough, but they also have the most diverse array of damage types early on, being home to the Mining Laser line (Mining), the Neutron Laser line (Radiation) and the Surgical Laser line (Surgical) as well as various kinds of Heat laser. These variants have considerably lower DPS but offer the early utility of these damage types.

Examples: Medium Laser, Shade Beam, Really Big Laser

Special Properties

Special properties are abilities that weapons have that do not completely redefine the behaviour of a weapon. An Ethereal, Full Tracking Laser still behaves like a laser, despite its additional properties.

Ethereal

Found only on lasers, notably the Ethereal Laser series, a weapon with this property will ignore physical objects between the firing ship and the target where normally a shot may be intercepted by a planet, sun or hostile ship. The Seer class has a special interaction with Ethereal weapons, gaining considerable bonuses to damage.

Multi-Projectile

Weapons with this trait fire more than one projectile per firing. They are denoted by a multiplier on the damage stat (2x100, 3x100 etc.).

Full Tracking

A property generally found only on large sized laser weapons intended for freighters or capital ships, a weapon with this property will fire towards the target regardless of where the firing ship is facing.

Splash

Found in laser or projectile forms, this property causes the weapon to fire additional shots from the point of impact that strike enemies within the (usually short) range of the effect.

Chain

Similar to Splash, but each additional target hit may fire at one or more targets as if within range of the original impact point.

Transference

Transference weapons effectively heal damage taken on the target while removing the same amount from the firing ship's shields. Both of these are instances of Transference Damage. This effect is almost always on lasers, though there are "healing burst" weapons available towards the endgame which follow a Pulse configuration. Certain classes, ships or modifications can improve the ratio of damage healed by the target to shields lost by the user, notably the Shield Monkey class, who specialises in this form of weapon, as does the Engineer as a secondary role.

Parasite

Weapons with this property place an item in the target's cargo hold which confers some sort of negative effect. The simplest form of Parasite merely does damage over time (Fire), but others can weigh down a ship, affect turning or even multiply to fill a cargohold. Parasites cannot be unequipped normally, but can be removed by docking at a station or using an Exterminator.

Tweak

Weapons with this property confer some form of temporary negative effect on the target in addition to doing damage. Unlike Parasites, these effects are short term debuffs that expire over time as opposed to when the parasite is removed.

Splitter

Weapons with this property fire projectiles which split into more projectiles upon impacting a target.

Bounce

Weapons with this property fire projectiles that, when striking a target, bounce to other nearby targets.

Knockback

Weapons with this property fire projectiles that alter the speed and heading of the target marginally towards their own on a successful hit. All Physical Damage weapons come with knockback.

Self Damage

Weapons with this property cause damage to the firing ship when fired. They are usually found on Pellet guns (Sebastapol), but there are a number of exceptions.