Energy Weapons: In deep information needed

[Sandvaks]

Hello guys !

I decided to go for energy weapon for my first run, and now that I have stats and money and so the choice of which weapon to use, I feel like I miss information and cannot find any real information...
At the moment I'm using a plasma gun II, I decided to upgrade it because it felt more powerful, but right now I'm feeling that laser gun would have been a better choice since damages are quiet close and ammo are so much cheaper.

First question: "fire type", for plasma gun you can fire plasma bowl, EMP or normal shoot. They are all doing the same damage (dunno why but it's writed like 432 damage and my weapon is only 72 Oo), I guess EMP would be better on mech, but what for the other ? Any one can explain me the pro and cons of those fire type ?
For laser gun, I guess it's only rate of fire difference ?

Second one: For each gun their is variant but except for 1-2 damage more or less I don't see the difference and don't understand their interest. Like Laser Blaster LSR-C, Laser Blaster LSR-T, Laser rifle, what difference ?

Finally, which energy gun would you suggest ? :)

Thanks for reading !

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

432 is the amount of ammo.

Why don't you use both and switch between them depending on type of enemy?

The variants differ in damage and attribute requirements, perhaps appearance.
https://game-maps.com/ELEX/ELEX-Weapons.asp?WEA=5

[Sandvaks]

Ho.... yeah ! Thx :p

Well from what I have seen:
EMP: Very small hit box and slow speed, not sure it does more damage to machine (it's hard to see during a fight)
Plasma Bold: Explosion (so bigger hitbox) who makes fall most ennemies, normal speed and damage.
Normal shoot: Normal speed, normal damage, normal hitbox

Like I'm nearly always playing with the bolt, only bad situation are in small area when ennemies are body to body, but even their, you can just dodge and use it. So I was wonderring if there is pro and con for each fire setting. Because if not, plasma bolt is way better then the 2 others.

Regarding the variant generally if you have +1 damage, it needs +1 attribute. Skin are nearly the same I think but I'll check it out when I'm in game. Wondering if it's only to give you the impression of a huge variety of weapons of if their is real changes between them making it way more interesting ^^

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

My stance with regard to weapons and fighting styles in ELEX is: You don't choose a weapon because it may be "better" but because you like it and because it gets the job done. Reason to prefer a weapon may be anything like range, AoE, damage, rate of fire, handling, weight.

That there are variants of laser/plasma weapons with descriptions is a hint that there may be even further improved variants to get somewhere in addition to the crafting based upgrades. The clerics have worked on improving their guns, so there are a few and the legendary weapons. If there were only a single basic laser rifle but found in multiple locations, that might give a misleading impression about what to expect from attribute investments related to energy ranged weapons.

[Halcyform]

If you're going to go with ranged (energy weapons), just go with the standard laser rifle (that doesn't have faction restrictions). If you have the stats to use it, you can get it very early game from traveling merchant outside of the Dome.

Also, when upgraded, it'll have pretty close to top numbers and ammo is cheap and easy to get (multiple merchants). It has a 15 round clip which is plenty to get the job done unless fighting something tankier like higher end enemies. Even then, while you might have to reload a few times, you'll have plenty of ammo to spare. Leave the weapon on semi auto fire mode.

Another thing to keep in mind is that ranged weapons like the laser rifle fire a straight projectile. You can back away from an enemy to where it mosaics and even disappears, and you can still hit it. It pretty much trivializes the game.

[Sandvaks]

Originally posted by D'amarr from Darshiva:

My stance with regard to weapons and fighting styles in ELEX is: You don't choose a weapon because it may be "better" but because you like it and because it gets the job done. Reason to prefer a weapon may be anything like range, AoE, damage, rate of fire, handling, weight.

That there are variants of laser/plasma weapons with descriptions is a hint that there may be even further improved variants to get somewhere in addition to the crafting based upgrades. The clerics have worked on improving their guns, so there are a few and the legendary weapons. If there were only a single basic laser rifle but found in multiple locations, that might give a misleading impression about what to expect from attribute investments related to energy ranged weapons.

I mean All plasma gun feel the same and all laser gun feel the same and differences bewteen laser and plasma in term of feeling is non detectable for me. So it is not question of "better" gun. It's just that I cannot figure why some are named differently. For standard plasma gun, at level 3, I cannot do special modification. I don't know if there is for other, but it is too expensive for me to try it. I just got the legendary plasma gun at 100 damages, it feels for me exactly the same than the normal one, just hit harder.

If there were only a single basic laser rifle but found in multiple locations, that might give a misleading impression about what to expect from attribute investments related to energy ranged weapons.

I don't see what you mean by this. For me it's the case you can find the same basic gun (with possible upgrade I, II, II,...) at different location or tradors it's just that the name is different with a minor difference a damage/requirements (like 1 more damage).

@Halcyform
I'm a bit further in the game I have around 65DEX and INT. But I do agree with you and I'm considering upgrading my laser gun to have a cheaper option for easy monsters and the plasma for harder one.
Yes I used that technic a bit when I was more fragile at the start of the game :p

[D'amarr from Darshiva]

Originally posted by Sandvaks BE:

I mean All plasma gun feel the same and all laser gun feel the same and differences bewteen laser and plasma in term of feeling is non detectable for me.

Well, their magazine size differs, for example. As well as their firing modes. But rather I refer to all weapon types in ELEX, including melee weapons 1H, 2H, grenades, heavy weapons, ...

Originally posted by Sandvaks BE:

It's just that I cannot figure why some are named differently.

Some of the legendary weapons have interesting descriptions that give some background - such as Archon's Might which is found early typically.

As for the lore, the clerics develop high-tech weapons, and energy rifles belong to that group of weapons. As they come up with modified or enhanced weapons, they add the revision/model/version to the name of the new weapon. Like an added Mk 1, Mk 2, Mk 3 on Earth. Is it important? Nah. Just a minor detail that they name their weapon models.

Btw, there are only two laser blasters, LSR-T and LSR-C. The Laser Rifle LT5 has a larger magazine. And that Jax can improve weapons to tier I, II and III is for gameplay reasons. It doesn't imply that other guys on Magalan (and not the skill teacher's either) improve weapons in the same way. Why would Alrik be the only berserker that can improve a cleric Laser Rifle LT5 to tier III? "Modify Weapons" is a factionless skill afterall.

Originally posted by Sandvaks BE:

I don't see what you mean by this. For me it's the case you can find the same basic gun (with possible upgrade I, II, II,...) at different location or tradors it's just that the name is different with a minor difference a damage/requirements (like 1 more damage).

Jax can improve any weapon except legendary ones and the very few unique, non-upgradeable ones (iron bar and such). So the upgrades to tier I-III don't matter here.

However, if player has found only a single one-handed axe so far in a playthrough but several times in different locations, player might develop the theory that maybe there are no other axes and that the attribute requirements for axes might not be worth investing into. On the contrary, if player finds a few different axes, that is a strong hint that there may be even more axes in the game, raising interest in a weapon type/family.

ELEX doesn't overdo it. The game does not pretend that there would be "a huge variety of weapons".

[Cursed Life]

Emp stun mechs

[Cyanmurder]

Redeemer kill everything, no need to switch nothing.