Anyone familiar with science fiction will be quite familiar with the primary items categorized as Beam Weapons, including lasers, plasma weapons, phasors, and disruptors. The idea is instead of shooting them with a projectile such as with mass drivers or sending over an explosive warhead on a missile, simply focus large amounts of energy on the other ship's hull. Most things don't work well under intense heat or enormously high energy, thus causing systems to explode and other unpleasantness.
If you don't like the idea of being cooked alive in your ship, equip a few energy diffusing shields to deflect, absorb, or otherwise keep the high energy away from the vital components of the ship. Other defenses will protect a little, but you can't rely on them against heavy energy weapons.
Research progression:
Galactic Warfare
Space Militarization
Space Weapons
Beam Weapon Theory
Beam Weapon Types[]
The list below gives the types of beam weapons available. The numbers in parentheses are the cost and size efficiencies. A higher number means a higher efficiency.
Dread Lords[]
| Weapon Name | Tech | Damage | Size Equation | Size (Damage/Space) | Cost (Damage/BC) | ||||
| Tiny | Small | Medium | Large | Huge | |||||
| Particle Beam | Space Weapons | 1 | 14 + 10% | 15 (0.07) | 16 (0.06) | 17 (0.06) | 19 (0.05) | 22 (0.05) | 25 (0.04) |
| Particle Beam II | Beam Weapon Theory | 1 | 12 + 10% | 13 (0.08) | 14 (0.07) | 15 (0.07) | 17 (0.06) | 20 (0.05) | 25 (0.04) |
| Laser | Laser | 1 | 10 + 5% | 10 (0.1) | 11 (0.09) | 11 (0.09) | 12 (0.08) | 14 (0.07) | 25 (0.04) |
| Laser Mark II | Laser II | 1 | 8 + 5% | 8 (0.13) | 9 (0.11) | 9 (0.11) | 10 (0.1) | 12 (0.08) | 25 (0.04) |
| Laser Mark III | Laser III | 1 | 6 + 5% | 6 (0.17) | 7 (0.14) | 7 (0.14) | 8 (0.13) | 10 (0.1) | 25 (0.04) |
| Laser Mark IV | Laser IV | 1 | 5 + 5% | 5 (0.2) | 6 (0.17) | 6 (0.17) | 7 (0.14) | 9 (0.11) | 25 (0.04) |
| Laser Mark V | Laser V | 1 | 4 + 5% | 4 (0.25) | 5 (0.2) | 5 (0.2) | 6 (0.17) | 8 (0.13) | 25 (0.04) |
| Plasma | Plasma Weapons | 2 | 8 + 5% | 8 (0.25) | 9 (0.22) | 9 (0.22) | 10 (0.2) | 12 (0.17) | 35 (0.06) |
| Plasma II | Plasma Weapons II | 2 | 6 + 5% | 6 (0.33) | 7 (0.29) | 7 (0.29) | 8 (0.25) | 10 (0.2) | 35 (0.06) |
| Plasma III | Plasma Weapons III | 2 | 5 + 5% | 5 (0.4) | 6 (0.33) | 6 (0.33) | 7 (0.29) | 9 (0.22) | 35 (0.06) |
| Phasors | Phasors | 3 | 7 + 4% | 7 (0.43) | 8 (0.38) | 8 (0.38) | 9 (0.33) | 10 (0.3) | 40 (0.08) |
| Psyonic Beam | Psionic Beam* | 12 | 8 + 4% | 8 (1.5) | 9 (1.33) | 9 (1.33) | 10 (1.2) | 11 (1.09) | 150 (0.08) |
| Phasors II | Phasors II | 3 | 6 + 4% | 6 (0.5) | 7 (0.43) | 7 (0.43) | 8 (0.38) | 9 (0.33) | 40 (0.08) |
| Phasors III | Phasors III | 3 | 5 + 4% | 5 (0.6) | 6 (0.5) | 6 (0.5) | 7 (0.43) | 8 (0.38) | 40 (0.08) |
| Phasors IV | Phasors IV | 4 | 6 + 4% | 6 (0.67) | 7 (0.57) | 7 (0.57) | 8 (0.5) | 9 (0.44) | 45 (0.09) |
| Phasors V | Phasors V | 4 | 5 + 4% | 5 (0.8) | 6 (0.67) | 6 (0.67) | 7 (0.57) | 8 (0.5) | 45 (0.09) |
| Phasors VI | Phasors VI | 5 | 6 + 4% | 6 (0.83) | 7 (0.71) | 7 (0.71) | 8 (0.63) | 9 (0.56) | 50 (0.1) |
| Phasors VII | Phasors VII | 5 | 5 + 4% | 5 (1) | 6 (0.83) | 6 (0.83) | 7 (0.71) | 8 (0.63) | 50 (0.1) |
| Disruptors | Disruptors | 7 | 6 + 4% | 6 (1.17) | 7 (1) | 7 (1) | 8 (0.88) | 9 (0.78) | 65 (0.11) |
| Disruptors II | Disruptors II | 7 | 5 + 4% | 5 (1.4) | 6 (1.17) | 6 (1.17) | 7 (1) | 8 (0.88) | 65 (0.11) |
| Disruptors III | Disruptors III | 8 | 5 + 4% | 5 (1.6) | 6 (1.33) | 6 (1.33) | 7 (1.14) | 8 (1) | 70 (0.11) |
| Subspace Blaster | Subspace Blaster | 8 | 6 + 4% | 6 (1.33) | 7 (1.14) | 7 (1.14) | 8 (1) | 9 (0.89) | 100 (0.08) |
| Doom Ray | Doom Ray | 22 | 10 + 4% | 10 (2.2) | 11 (2) | 11 (2) | 12 (1.83) | 13 (1.69) | 150 (0.15) |
Dark Avatar[]
| Weapon Name | Tech | Damage | Size Equation | Size (Damage/Space) | Cost (Damage/BC) | ||||
| Tiny | Small | Medium | Large | Huge | |||||
| Particle Beam | Space Weapons | 1 | 14 + 10% | 15 (0.067) | 16 (0.063) | 18 (0.056) | 22 (0.045) | 29 (0.034) | 25 (0.04) |
| Particle Beam II | Beam Weapon Theory | 1 | 12 + 10% | 13 (0.077) | 14 (0.071) | 16 (0.063) | 20 (0.05) | 27 (0.037) | 25 (0.04) |
| Laser | Laser | 1 | 10 + 5% | 10 (0.1) | 11 (0.091) | 12 (0.083) | 14 (0.071) | 17 (0.059) | 25 (0.04) |
| Laser Mark II | Laser II | 1 | 8 + 5% | 8 (0.125) | 9 (0.111) | 10 (0.1) | 12 (0.083) | 15 (0.067) | 25 (0.04) |
| Laser Mark III | Laser III | 1 | 6 + 5% | 6 (0.167) | 7 (0.143) | 8 (0.125) | 10 (0.1) | 13 (0.077) | 25 (0.04) |
| Laser Mark IV | Laser IV | 1 | 5 + 5% | 5 (0.2) | 6 (0.167) | 7 (0.143) | 9 (0.111) | 12 (0.083) | 25 (0.04) |
| Laser Mark V | Laser V | 1 | 4 + 5% | 4 (0.25) | 5 (0.2) | 6 (0.167) | 8 (0.125) | 11 (0.091) | 25 (0.04) |
| Plasma | Plasma Weapons | 2 | 8 + 5% | 8 (0.25) | 9 (0.222) | 10 (0.2) | 12 (0.167) | 15 (0.133) | 35 (0.057) |
| Plasma II | Plasma Weapons II | 2 | 6 + 5% | 6 (0.333) | 7 (0.286) | 8 (0.25) | 10 (0.2) | 13 (0.154) | 35 (0.057) |
| Plasma III | Plasma Weapons III | 2 | 5 + 5% | 5 (0.4) | 6 (0.333) | 7 (0.286) | 9 (0.222) | 12 (0.167) | 35 (0.057) |
| Phasors | Phasors | 3 | 7 + 4% | 7 (0.429) | 7 (0.429) | 8 (0.375) | 10 (0.3) | 13 (0.231) | 40 (0.075) |
| Psyonic Beam | Psionic Beam* | 12 | 8 + 4% | 8 (1.5) | 8 (1.5) | 9 (1.333) | 11 (1.091) | 14 (0.857) | 150 (0.08) |
| Phasors II | Phasors II | 3 | 6 + 4% | 6 (0.5) | 6 (0.5) | 7 (0.429) | 9 (0.333) | 12 (0.25) | 40 (0.075) |
| Phasors III | Phasors III | 3 | 5 + 4% | 5 (0.6) | 5 (0.6) | 6 (0.5) | 8 (0.375) | 11 (0.273) | 40 (0.075) |
| Phasors IV | Phasors IV | 4 | 6 + 4% | 6 (0.667) | 6 (0.667) | 7 (0.571) | 9 (0.444) | 12 (0.333) | 45 (0.089) |
| Phasors V | Phasors V | 4 | 5 + 4% | 5 (0.8) | 5 (0.8) | 6 (0.667) | 8 (0.5) | 11 (0.364) | 45 (0.089) |
| Phasors VI | Phasors VI | 5 | 6 + 4% | 6 (0.833) | 6 (0.833) | 7 (0.714) | 9 (0.556) | 12 (0.417) | 50 (0.1) |
| Phasors VII | Phasors VII | 5 | 5 + 4% | 5 (1) | 5 (1) | 6 (0.833) | 8 (0.625) | 11 (0.455) | 50 (0.1) |
| Disruptors | Disruptors | 7 | 6 + 4% | 6 (1.167) | 6 (1.167) | 7 (1) | 9 (0.778) | 12 (0.583) | 65 (0.108) |
| Disruptors II | Disruptors II | 7 | 5 + 4% | 5 (1.4) | 5 (1.4) | 6 (1.167) | 8 (0.875) | 11 (0.636) | 65 (0.108) |
| Disruptors III | Disruptors III | 8 | 5 + 4% | 5 (1.6) | 5 (1.6) | 6 (1.333) | 8 (1) | 11 (0.727) | 70 (0.114) |
| Subspace Blaster | Subspace Blaster | 8 | 6 + 4% | 6 (1.333) | 6 (1.333) | 7 (1.143) | 9 (0.889) | 12 (0.667) | 100 (0.08) |
| Doom Ray | Doom Ray | 22 | 10 + 4% | 10 (2.2) | 10 (2.2) | 11 (2) | 13 (1.692) | 16 (1.375) | 150 (0.147) |