The Tesla Rifle

A guide going over the new Tesla Rifle, and picking through the modifications to see which one is best. At least, in my opinion.

Introduction

With the Automatron DLC, we not only got the ability to craft our own robots, but also 4 new weapons. Arguably, the most interesting one is the Tesla Rifle. For those who don't know, it shoots arcs of electricity that can travel throughout targets, damaging multiple enemies. The downside? Really poor range, so don't expect to use this as a sniper rifle. Modifications for the Tesla Rifle really just come down to barrel types, all of which serve different purposes. So, which one is the best? After thoroughly testing each barrel under the same conditions, I have arrived to a conclusion.

The Testing Process

To ensure that the test results were constant, and not just based on luck, circumstance, et cetera, I did each test 3 times. For every test, it was me and my Tesla Rifle agaisnt 5 Raider Survivalists (Level 30). The same battleground was used for each test, as well. Also, I made sure to use both V.A.T.S and free-fire in all the tests. My character is level 131 and has all the ranks in Rifleman and Commando, as well as the Energy Weapons bobblehead and all the Tesla Science magazines, so I'm dealing the most damage with the gun as I can.

Semi-Auto Barrel

First is the standard Semi-Auto Barrel. This is the state in which you will find the Tesla Rifle, but is it worth keeping it this way? Well, in all 3 of my tests with it, I'd have to say no.

The Tesla Rifle holds 15 shots with this barrel, and is capable of shooting a fair amount of rounds in V.A.T.S. However, in free-fire, the weapon is not so good. It isn't the most accurate gun in the game, not by a long shot. In every test, I found myself having to constantly use Stimpacks to prevent death. Also, each of the engagements were prolonged, and felt as though they could've ended sooner. That is likely due to the relatively low damage of this barrel. 92 with max possibility.


The fact that it's semi-automatic and has a slow rate of fire makes this a burden, as you can't get high amounts of damage off in a few pulls of the trigger. Instead, you have to shoot, wait, shoot, wait, and repeat until your enemies are dead.


I also felt as though the arcing effect wasn't really taking place at peak efficiency either. The length of the fights enabled the raiders to scatter before I could get some good chaining bolts on them.


All in all, the Semi-Auto Barrel is mediocre at best.

Automatic Barrel

As it's name suggests, the Automatic Barrel gives the Tesla Rifle a very high rate of fire, but at the exspense of damage. Well, sort of.

This modifications has 45 shots per Cell, and can fire fewer shots in V.A.T.S than the Semi-Auto Barrel. But, do not let that deter you from using it.



In free-fire, the Automatic Barrel is more than efficient. All trials with this barrel lasted little more than 20 seconds, 45 at most. Why? Well, part of the reason is its rate of fire. Also, when I said "sort of" about reduced damage, it was only reduced by 3 points from the Semi-Auto Barrel. So, this barrel is capable of shooting more rounds per minute than the Semi-Auto Barrel while dealing about the same damage. The weapon also had an opportunity to use its arcing effect, meaning that I could take down all the raiders while shooting only at 1 or 2. And, since it has a high rate of fire, they didn't have the time to scatter around.



Though it does have a short range, the Tesla Rifle with an Automatic Barrel is an efficient tool.

Charging Barrel

The Charging Barrel makes the Tesla Rifle shoot like the Gauss Rifle, in that you have to hold down the 'fire' button for maximum damage. However, that maximum damage isn't too much.


Granted, 316 damage is more than formidable, and it seems to be balanced with only 8 shots per Cell. It is capable of shooting as many rounds as the Semi-Auto Barrel in V.A.T.S, and this speaks volumes to the Charging Barrel.



For me, the problem with the Charging Barrel is the fact that it doesn't do much to improve the range of the weapon. I don't know about you, but I prefer to use the Gauss Rifle as a sniper. Since I'm at a far range, I don't have to worry about enemies shooting me and rushing my shots, meaning I can be as accurate as I want and can charge for as long as I want. The same goes for the Charging Barrel, minus the luxury of the range. And precision.



Due to the short range, you have to get in close to your enemies to fire the weapon, meaning you have to worry about getting shot, which is likely to reduce you accuracy and make you shy away from max-charged shots in favour of quick pot-shots. But, using it like that means you aren't getting full damage off. Think of it as an improved Semi-Auto Barrel, which isn't saying much.

Charging Shotgun Barrel

Think the Charging Barrel with less range and more damage.


Just like the Charging Barrel, the Charging Shotgun Barrel holds 8 shots and can shoot as many rounds in V.A.T.S. However, they are not the same weapon.


The improved damage is a welcome addition, as it fixes an issue with the Charging Barrel. No, not the range, but the playstyle. You see, as a shotgun, the Charging Shotgun Barrel is meant for close range, so if you don't have your reticle exactly on your target, you'll stil probably hit them. Also, with more damage, that means that those little pot-shots you'll be taking due to an inability to fully charge will be much more effective and more damaging.



Fights were still a bit long with this gun, however, so the acring was minimal. But still happening in some instances.


Overal, a vast improvemet on the Semi-Auto and Charging Barrels.

Charging Lob Barrel

This barrel shoots like the other charging barrels, but instead of shooting a standard projectile, it shoots a ball of electricity that damages anyone who nears it.


This may sound cool, but you would be wrong. Holding 8 shots and being able to shoot as many rounds in V.A.T.S as the other charging barrels, you'd think it would be better. But no. It's not.



The range on the Tesla Rifle is laughable, I'll admit, but the range on the Lob Barrel? Absolutely deplorable. It shoots the trap about a metre in front of you, unless you aim way up, in which case you might be able to acieve 3 metres. Might.



But I get it, the point is to set traps down that enemies walk into, right? Wrong. It can only place one trap at a time, and they only last about 5 seconds. This was semi-useful in V.A.T.S, as it meant that as I shot an enemy, they would take a little more damage before the trap disappeared, but it was so negligible.


A cool concept, but without some sort of rebalancing, a very poor choice of weapon.

Conclusion

So, after all those tests, all those blue ash piles that were once people, I can safely say that the Automatic Barrel is the best one. Hell, I even use it as my main weapon now, it's that effective. I feel that with the Automatic Barrel, you fully capitalise on the Tesla Rifle's strength: arcing electricity. With this barrel, you can quickly get off those decent damage shots at a fast pace, giving enemies little time to react. You don't even need to shoot directly at them either, because sometimes, the continuous arc of electricity will arc towrds the enemy, a trait almost unique to the Automatic Barrel. Range reduction doesn't really matter, since the Tesla Rifle has a poor range anyways, so you're not realy giving much to get a ton.



At second place would have to be the Charging Shotgun Barrel. It is nearly as effective as the Autoatic Barrel, but without that high rate of fire, you're not getting as much out of the Tesla Rifle as you can. Nonetheless, it is a more than decent choice to use. All the other barrels are passable.


Granted, this is al my opinion (after much testing), so if yours differs, let me know in the comments. I would really like your input. Maybe I was just using the Lob Barrel the wrong way, and it could really be super effective. Either way, thank you for reading through this guide and letting me put in my two caps on one of the coolest weapons in Fallout 4.

[Fumo Bnnuy n Frends]

I'd say charging barrel is better with sneak attacks

they never see it coming and the extra damage can kill an enemy. how much depends


but i agree with the rest.

[Ice]

thank you alot, i apreciate your help

[BeardedSniperII]

Go into the console, type 'help tesla 0' and press Page Up to scroll through the text until you find the item codes, then type in 'player.additem #######', the # being the item code

[Ice]

hey, i ran into a very odd glitch where my telsa armor completly disapeared. since cheats is a lost resort i wasnt looking forwards to using them but if you possbibly have the item id's for such pieces of armor i would greatly apreciate your help