Energy Weapons

Learn about Fallout 3's Energy Weapons skill, their pros and cons, and how they compare to Small Guns. Discover which expansions make them more viable.

Hey there! So, you're looking into Energy Weapons in Fallout 3, huh? Let's break it down. This skill basically decides how good you are with guns that shoot lasers or plasma, like the Laser Pistol, Laser Rifle, Plasma Rifle, and Plasma Pistol.

Now, in the base game, these weapons are… well, kinda meh. They're not exactly common, they cost a fortune to keep running, and honestly, they usually don't hit as hard as your standard Small Guns. For instance, the Plasma Rifle can do up to 58 damage and is worth about 1799 caps when in perfect condition. Compare that to the Combat Shotgun, which can deal up to 68 damage but only costs around 200 caps. So, if you're sticking to just the original Fallout 3, you might want to skip investing heavily in Energy Weapons.

Things get a bit more interesting in the expansions, especially with Mothership Zeta. You'll find more ammo for weapons like the Alien Blaster, and some really cool unique Energy Weapons pop up, like the MPLX Novasurge. Even then, they still generally fall short compared to Small Guns. So, if you're going to dabble in Energy Weapons, think of it as a late-game thing, maybe if you've got some spare skill points and want to try something different.

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