Weapons

## Summary

The basic distinction for weapons in Evochron are beams, particle cannons and rockets with their own specific areas of expertise. The weapon with the widest variety is the rocket. A special category are consumeable chargepacks and the railgun, which do use weapon hardpoints instead of rockets.

## Beam Lasers

The main usage for beam lasers is in anti-shield combat. Not only does it do more damage to shields than kinetic fire, it hits all shields at the same time. However, it is entirely useless on station module shields. There is no point in using a beam weapon there.

Note: Most build beam lasers, especially if tuned to the ship types energy cores, are superior.

* Self-build Chimera/Leviathan beam laser: 57Y, 11C
	+ The real measure of a proper custom fit beam laser!

* Fusion Laser: 49Y, high cost
	+ Mid-tier solution if not self-build
* Neodymium Laser: 58Y, maximum cost
	+ Said to be the best beam laser, but self-build beam lasers reach the same margin with less energy cost (11C)

## Particle Cannons

This weapon has a very high fire rate and a huge damage focus. It is best used after the beam has taken down a shield to finish of an enemy or to ravage a station module. The energy per shot is one of the most important values.

Note: Most build particle cannons, especially if tuned to the ship types energy cores, are superior. Only cannons with special effect are truly unique.

* Self-build Chimera/Leviathan cannon: 77Y, 1720R, 15C
	+ The real measure of a proper custom fit particle cannon!

* Atlas Cannon: 70Y, 1080R, 28C
	+ This weapon is weaker for its low range and high energy cost per shot. Avoid it.
* Banshee Cannon: 40Y, 1120R, 28C
	+ Can knock targets of course to prevent aiming
	+ Weapon turrets seem to use this gun to prevent counterfire
* Phantom Cannon: 75Y, 1220R, 28C
	+ A better version of the worse Atlas cannon.
* Predator Cannon: 58Y, 1040R, 25C
	+ Extremely overpriced, short-ranged and bad.
* Trebuchet Cannon: 28Y, 1180R, 28C
	+ A decent beam laser can do the same job, often better and just as quick.
	+ Short of fighting a station module or a cap ship with an allied squad, it is not a good choice.

## Rockets

This specialized weapon comes in at least four different types; tactical rockets, cluster rockets, kinetic rockets, dumbfire rockets and classical rockets. The types may overlap.

Types:

* Classical rockets are high payloads typically delivered with an automatic aim. This makes them weak to countermeasures, but allows for guaranteed hits on non-capital or stationary targets if their countermeasures fail.
* Kinetic rockets do great hull damage, but have reduced or no effect on shields.
* Tactical rockets contain rockets designed to neutralize shields and jumpdrives, engines, weapons or other elements of the enemy.
* Cluster rockets contain the rocket pack and the excalibur and shot several at once, with the former being dumbfire and kinetic and the latter being self-replenishing.

Rocket List:

* Torpedo: 4000Y, 1400S, 5000R (available >60 economy)
	+ Kinetic damage
	+ Dumbfire, immune to countermeasures and anti-missile equipment.
	+ Primary use is the destruction of heavily shielded station parts or capital ships, despite its kinetic status.
	+ To save costs, best effect if shields are dropped first due to reduced damage to shields. Its huge damage does allow to shot shields regardless.
* Exodus: 2500Y, 700S, 8400R (available >25 economy and <60 economy as it gets replaced by high-tech tactial rockets and torpedos)
	+ Used by capital ship artillery
	+ Does full damage to shields or hull.
	+ The best rocket for base attacks to crack shields before finishing them off with a particle cannon due to its great price over torpedos.
* Starfire: 1800Y, 900S, 9600R (easily available <50 economy)
	+ Used by weapon turrets
	+ Cheap rockets useful for quick dive bomb runs on important modules during a base attack by firing all 8.

* Cyclone: 1500Y, 1000S, 9800R
	+ Kinetic, knocks targets off course or slows them down to gain some time.
* Leech: 200Y, 1000S, 10500R
	+ Needs direct contact for its effect; knocks out the entire electronic of the other ship for about 5 seconds
	+ Weaker than the anti-WPN or anti-ENG rockets. While it does disable all and allows one to escape, it comes back without a repair kit.
* Lynx: 900Y, 800S, 9000R
	+ Additional to its low yield, it fully destroys the engine of the target, forcing them to rely on steering thrusters until repaired.
* Rage Missile: 950Y, 850S, 9100R (>50 economy)
	+ Entirely disables enemy weapons until repaired (red zone) and will cause them to malfunction during their repair in the yellow range betimes.
	+ If applied on an enemy squadron piece by piece they are effectively knocked out.
* Disruptor: 5Y, 250S, 7600R (>60 economy)
	+ The rocket will always explode, even if no target is found in time and release an EMP in a 5000 radius.
	+ Dangerous to user and target if mishandled; knocks out a jump drive for minutes and knocks out all shields.

* Excalibur: 800Y x 8, 1800S, 12400R (available >60 economy)
	+ Self-replenishing after cooldown, highly agile tracking rocket that always strikes from behind, high resistance to countermeasures
	+ Primary use in prolonged 1v1 or squad v squad engagements
* Rocket Pack: 1800Y x8, 5000R
	+ Dumbfire, kinetic, next to no damage to shields, needs collapsed shields before being applied.
	+ Kills capital ships without shields instantly.

## Charge Packs

There are three types of consumeable charge packs; shield, energy, fuel. All of them spawn only in technology sectors above 50 economy rating. The fuel contains 200 units, the energy one full load and the shield 50%. Stealth fields that cloak a ship as long as its heat signature is low and it doesn't shot also fall into this group.

## Railgun

The railgun is a rare spawn in high-economy technology sectors around 80+ and do the most neutral damage of any available weapon regardless of shields or not. It takes several seconds to charge and will explode if charged too long. During the charge the entire energy is depleted, but it doesn't need energy to charge, so it is best used after the energy is already empty.