The microwave emitter is a unique energy weapon added to Fallout 3 in the Point Lookout add-on as the final reward of the add-on's main questline.
Characteristics[]
The microwave emitter uses the same in-game model as the Mesmetron. However, unlike the relatively rare mesmetron power cells made by Implied Hypnotics which are intended as non-lethal and to merely daze and confuse a target, the microwave emitter is modified to use the much more common military microfusion cells which are used by standard, lethal-force energy weapons.
Therefore, the emitter is intended as a lethal version of the Mesmetron which burns, sets on fire, explode, or disintegrates a target with blasts of intense and concentrated microwave radiation. Limb shots may cause gibbing even without the Bloody Mess perk, and headshots will cause heads to explode. Fatal critical hits will not turn enemies into piles of goo as with plasma weapons but will turn enemies into piles of ash, like with laser weapons.
The microwave emitter ignores Damage Resistance which, coupled with its rather large damage, makes it ideal for use against heavily armored foes.
Durability[]
The microwave emitter can fire a total of about 375 shots, the equivalent of 75 reloads, from full condition before breaking.
Variants[]
- Mesmetron - An experimental weapon that can be given to the player character by Grouse, the Mesmetron will confuse and daze an enemy instead of disintegrating them but is visually identical to the microwave emitter.
Comparison[]
| Legend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | - Weapon name (melee or unarmed) |  | - Attacks in V.A.T.S. | |
 | - Weapon name (gun, energy or explosive) |  | - Action point cost | |
 | - Damage per attack (damage per projectile) |  | - Damage per action point | |
 | - Damage per second |  | - Weapon spread | |
 | - Area of effect damage |  | - Magazine capacity (shots per reload) | |
 | - Effect damage & duration |  | - Durability (number of attacks before breaking) | |
 | - Bonus effects |  | - Weight | |
 | - Attacks per second |  | - Value in caps | |
 | - Critical chance % multiplier |  | - Value to weight ratio | |
 | - Critical damage |  | - Skill required | |
 | - Critical effect damage & duration |  | - Strength required | |
 | - With all mods attached | |||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesmetron | 1 | 1 | Chance to mesmerize(50%), frenzy(30%), or head explode (20%) | 1.03 | x1 | 0 | 65 | 0 | 0.0 | 5 | 2500 | 2 | 500 | 250 |
Microwave emitter  | 60 | 62.1 | Ignores DR | 1.03 | x2 | 100 | 30 | 2 | 0.2 | 5 | 375 | 8 | 500 | 62.5 |
Location[]
The microwave emitter is found at the end of the quest A Meeting of the Minds, in the reward vault behind Professor Calvert's brain in his underground lab beneath the Point Lookout Lighthouse. This is the final reward in the Point Lookout main questline.
Notes[]
- When this weapon is reloaded, the animation will show the player character loading a Mesmetron power cell instead of a microfusion cell. However, microfusion cells are still loaded as normal.
- The microwave emitter can double as a torch or light source. Like with the Mesmetron, sometimes the lighted-up display of the microwave emitter will not turn off when the weapon is holstered back onto the hip. This usually happens after using it in V.A.T.S., or sometimes unholstering it and holstering it again quickly. In these instances, its blue-white light may be brighter than the Lone Wanderer's green Pip-Boy light in darkened places, although the light is directed down towards and around the player character's feet instead of all around them as with the Pip-Boy light.
- Note that there is a slight delay between pulling the trigger and actually firing the weapon. Keep this in mind when firing on moving targets and adjust accordingly. The emitter is much more effective as a V.A.T.S. weapon for numerous reasons:
- It is more difficult to use free-aim in first-person view with this weapon due to its bulk blocking a good portion of the screen. The view-obscuring bulk of the weapon added to the fact there is no targeting aimer or scope on it and the sometimes unreliable direction of the microwave beams, can also make it unwieldy in first-person-perspective. Keeping it holstered when not in use will obviously get around the obscuring factor, and fortunately, it doesn't take long to unholster and enter V.A.T.S. with.
- Furthermore, the weapon has a relatively slow rate of fire outside V.A.T.S. compared to other energy weapons, and the microwave beams travel to their targets much more sluggishly outside V.A.T.S. However, inside V.A.T.S. the emitter has a rate of fire compared to other energy weapons, and the microwave beams will travel very quickly and more accurately.
- It is more difficult to use free-aim in first-person view with this weapon due to its bulk blocking a good portion of the screen. The view-obscuring bulk of the weapon added to the fact there is no targeting aimer or scope on it and the sometimes unreliable direction of the microwave beams, can also make it unwieldy in first-person-perspective. Keeping it holstered when not in use will obviously get around the obscuring factor, and fortunately, it doesn't take long to unholster and enter V.A.T.S. with.
- The blue, spinning balls of microwave radiation are visually similar to that of the head-crippling sonic attack of the robobrain and the mirelurk kings.
- Unlike most energy weapons, the microwave beams will not ignite explosive gases, at least from a distance, since the microwave energy seemingly dissipates or becomes less potent over distance. However, if one shoots the microwave emitter in the middle of the gas leak, it will ignite it in entirety.
- Although the microwave beams will not travel through solid walls, they have a spread-like nature similar to a shotgun (any living thing or its appendage within the blue beam will be hit) and so are effective at hitting slight or partial target exposure around corners, or through mesh or bars, etc. However, this also makes the emitter less practicable as a long-range weapon and more effective at short to medium range.
- The ash pile left behind is more reminiscent of the ash piles left by alien weapons rather than standard energy weapons.
Sounds[]
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Gallery[]
The emitter
Microwave emitter in action
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