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Plasma Blaster

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Anarch Cassius:
The Plasma Blaster is a very oddball weapon. Ostensibly it's the heavy weapons version of the Plasma Rifle. In practice it's crappy knock-off. I'm also not sure what's up with it firing plasma beams, is that a graphical artifact or is it beaming plasma down ionized paths or magnetic fields?

It's heavy, short-ranged and inaccurate. I'm not sure why the aliens were favoring them over the rifles unless it was to give me a sporting chance. The only good thing about it was the ball which was recently nerfed. It's more like a crappy shotgun than a heavy weapon. The only use for it seems to be for people who aren't any good with assault rifles and even then the plasma pistol is a tempting alternative, to say nothing of human weapons like the submachine gun.

Also does anything use heavy weapons any more? No weapon says so but my skill in it keeps rising for several characters implying it's being used. Is it Melee now or something applied to any type of weapon that happens to be large?

H-Hour:
The plasma blaster is a Close weapon, most similar in usage to shotguns, and should generally always be used in Ball mode. When you access it (early in the game), your heavy-hitting close-range weapon (excluding Flamer because it is unique) goes from 120 normal_medium damage with the Riot Shotgun to 180 plasma_heavy damage. This is extraordinary power early in the game and will provide a strong punch throughout most of the game.

Anarch Cassius:
Thinking of it as a shotgun helps, but it still feels a lot less accurate than human shotguns. Could be my bad luck. It does have a nice ability to punch through armor with its damage and damage type.

I think it was seeing this be the mainstay of alien forces until they brought out the needlers is what confused me. I typically have one or two of these at most and plenty of plasma rifles in a squad.

Still bringing the ball radius up to two (it's 1 now, was 3 if I recall) and/or increasing it's range or accuracy a tad might be good.

Anarch Cassius:
What it is... a near miss with a shot gun tends to get some hits in. The plasma blaster needs to impact a target or cover object to disperse properly or it just goes out to maximum range and fizzles harmlessly.

This is a good difference but it means it might need to be stronger in other areas.

H-Hour:
The Plasma Blaster is less accurate than the Riot Shotgun using Saboted Slugs. It is the same accuracy as Flechettes, but as you mention, Flechettes have 8 shots so you get a chance of hitting a little. But this is where play style will trump the raw numbers. If you are a careful swarmer, you'll be turning corners onto aliens with 2 teammates around to finish him off and you'll be happy playing the better odds of a lower-damage weapon that puts out more rounds (more chances to hit). If you're someone who often ends up facing down an enemy indoors with just 1 or 2 soldiers around, you need a 1-shot-1-kill weapon or your man is dead as soon as you press the end turn button. Not all weapons may fit your play style, but they still have their uses.


--- Quote ---Still bringing the ball radius up to two (it's 1 now, was 3 if I recall) and/or increasing it's range or accuracy a tad might be good.
--- End quote ---

A larger splash radius is actually a problem for close-quarters combat, the role this weapon is intended for. You don't want a reaction shot to go off on an alien 2 grid squares away when the splash radius is 3.

If you're firing out to maximum range with the plasma blaster, you're probably wasting ammo.

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