Pulse Rifle

Pulse Rifle
?
Cost	450 credits
Unlock	3
Magazine Size	50
Extra Magazines	5
Reload Time	2 seconds
Energy Weapon	Yes
Damage	10
Damage Per Second	90
Damage Per Magazine	450
Fire Rate	10 shots per second
Projectile Speed	Slow

Fires damaging red shots at a considerable rate, with the disadvantage of the shots being far slower than the conventional metal slugs. Up close this is likely one of the best weapons in the game, and makes quick work of alien bases.

Tips

• Lead your shots, as the plasma blasts travel quite slowly. Unless they are walking straight towards you, shoot where you think they will be next.

• Use this in vents and long corridors with low ceilings. With your rate of fire, it's likely that the alien will run off to avoid being easily shot up.

Background

The latest in a new line of plasma-based energy weapons, pulse rifles represent the pinnacle of human ingenuity in high-energy containment fields. Each cartridge contains a miniaturized tokamak, stabilizing a small quantity of searing plasma. When the trigger is held, some of the plasma is ejected down the barrel of the gun, which is surrounded by rapidly rotating magnetic fields. These fields create a sort of rifling effect that stabilizes the projectile, leading to the weapon’s name. Upon leaving the barrel, the superheated plasma gives off a great deal of light as it ionizes the air, imparting a glow as it travels along its path. The plasma chars flesh to a crisp in a small area upon contact, doing significantly more damage than conventional metal slugs can accomplish. However, some of this energy is lost as it travels through the air.

Having just left the experimental stage, the weapon is only beginning to make its presence known in the arsenals of humanity, typically being available to an assault team only after they have proven their worth with more typical weaponry. It is one of the pricier weapons, although in the right hands it can be very deadly.