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For an overview of plasma rifle models, see plasma rifle. |
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The plasma caster, formally the Winchester P94 plasma caster,[Non-game 1][1] is a weapon in Fallout: New Vegas.
Background[]
Plasma rifles or plasma casters are high tech weapons firing superheated bolts of plasma, powered by either microfusion cells, heavy energy cells, plasma cartridges, or plasma cores which find numerous applications in military and industrial fields. The bolts form into toroids in the plasma chamber, which are then sent down a superconducting barrel,[2][3][4] propelled by, and in some models stabilized by, electromagnetic claws upon exiting it.[5]
However, the plasma bolt chamber can be hotwired in order to accelerate the bolt formation process, effectively turbocharging the rifle.[6] The primary damage mechanism of plasma rifles is thermal transfer, causing serious burns to soft targets and melting hard ones. In extreme cases, the plasma can cause spontaneous dissolution of the target, including separation of soft tissues from hard ones or wholesale molecular destabilization that turns the target into a viscous green fluid.
Bulky, industrial plasma casters manufactured by Winchester Arms were once popular. While they performed admirably, they were expensive and required specialized training to use.[Non-game 2] Later developments by the United States Army would lead to a more compact design that was cheaper to produce and easier to train for, suitable for urban warfare.[7]
Characteristics[]
A powerful plasma-based energy weapon with a rather low AP cost and a high rate of fire. Compared to its rifle-based counterpart, it outclasses it in both damage and fire rate as well as ammunition consumption, using only one microfusion cell instead of two per shot. Finally, it is slightly more durable. It pays for these advantages however in weight and accuracy: its far larger base spread is compounded by the high skill and Strength requirements to handle this weapon.
At 20 pounds, it is the heaviest energy weapon in the base game, only surpassed by Cleansing Flame from Gun Runners' Arsenal. It is rare to find at even a moderate level, very expensive, and not very durable, so repairing it may be difficult without ready access to weapon repair kits or the caps to use a repair vendor.
Durability[]
The plasma caster can fire a total of 395 times using standard cells, the equivalent of 40 reloads, from full condition before breaking.
| Ammunition type | Durability | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | Reloads | |
| Standard | 395 | 40 |
| Bulk | 466 | 47 |
| Optimized | 359 | 36 |
| Over charge | 262 | 27 |
| Max charge | 155 | 16 |
Modifications[]
- Plasma caster high-speed electrode - Increases rate of fire by 25%.
Variants[]
The Smitty Special - a unique variant sold by Gloria Van Graff in the Silver Rush in Freeside.
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 | |||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plasma caster | 65 | 195 | 3 | x1 | 65 | 1 | 25 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 10 | 395 | 20 | 7000 | 350 | 100 | 8 |
| Plasma caster | 65 | 243.8 | 3.75 | x1 | 65 | 1 | 25 | 2.6 | 0.7 | 10 | 395 | 20 | 9500 | 475 | 100 | 8 |
The Smitty Special  | 35 | 245 | 7 | x0.1 | 35 | 3 | 30 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 20 | 1095 | 20 | 20000 | 1000 | 100 | 8 |
Locations[]
The plasma caster is a very rare weapon, with only three in the base game, and one of them not being guaranteed to appear. Having DLCs alleviates this to some extent as a relatively rare find on certain add-on enemies and in containers.
- Freeside:
- One can be bought at 15% to 65% condition from Gloria Van Graff in the Silver Rush. It is more likely to be in better condition when the player character is at a higher level (level 13 or over makes the max condition of 65% possible).
- One at 13% condition is also placed in the Silver Rush on the table in front of Gloria, and can be stolen. (It can also be stolen in perfect condition; see Silver Rush bugs for more information.) This plasma caster will disappear if the Silver Rush is destroyed by the suicide bomber during Birds of a Feather.
- Hoover Dam: Orion Moreno may be equipped with one during the Second Battle of Hoover Dam if the Enclave remnants supported the Legion or supported the NCR and he was convinced to stay during For Auld Lang Syne.
- Y-17 trauma override harness - May rarely carry them at higher levels, becoming the most apparent around 40-50.
- - Sometimes carried by marked men in the Divide.
- - Can be found in high-tech gun cases.
- - Carried by Colonel Royez and his irradiated NCR heavy troopers in the Long 15 (requires setting the missiles to target NCR territory during The Apocalypse).
Notes[]
- Without any add-ons, the one sold by Gloria Van Graff is the only instance of the weapon in a fixed location.
- The plasma caster in Fallout: New Vegas is ostensibly the same weapon as the plasma rifle found in Fallout and Fallout 2. Their design and functionality are nearly identical.
- Despite its name, the original plasma rifle was a heavy two-handed weapon.
- When the plasma caster is outfitted with the HS electrode, it effectively becomes the turbo plasma rifle from Fallout and Fallout 2.
- The Winchester P94 is explicitly identified as a plasma caster by Arcade Gannon.[1]
- In Fallout 3, Elder Lyons mentions the P94 when lamenting the Brotherhood's callousness towards humanity.[8]
- In Fallout 76, an earlier model of plasma caster can be acquired,[Non-game 3] and the iconic three-pronged appearance is available by modifying the barrel.
- This model was originally an industrial tool, modified for use as a weapon.[Non-game 3]
- A paintjob for the plasma caster in Fallout 76 bears the H&H Tools logo. An Army skin also exists.
- A plasma caster based on the basic Fallout 76 model was added to Fallout Shelter in a 2022 update.
- In Fallout 4, the Sentinel's Plasmacaster is a legendary plasma rifle with a name alluding to this weapon.
- When the plasma caster jams, the player character will adjust a non-existent dial, due to reusing the Gatling laser's animations.
- When viewed in third-person, depending on what armor is worn, the plasma caster may not be visible on the player character when holstered. Halfway through the holstering animation, the weapon model simply disappears, similar to the incinerator and heavy incinerator. If visible, the player character holds it in one hand with the pronged tip clipping through the ground.
Behind the scenes[]
- Joshua Sawyer came up with the idea to include the plasma caster in-game. It was implemented by model artist Paul Fish.[Non-game 1]
- Sawyer identified the plasma caster as "just the P94 Plasma Rifle from the original Fallout."[Non-game 1]
- Sawyer mentioned that it was renamed because Fallout 3 had introduced a different plasma rifle, and the weapon didn't look like a rifle in the first place.[Non-game 4]
- In the Fallout Demo, the P94 was called the Plasma Caster.[Non-game 5]
- When discussing another weapon, Sawyer noted that some New Vegas designs were adjusted from classic designs to fit existing animations. This accounts for minor design discrepancies between this model and the plasma rifle in Fallout.[Non-game 6]
- In the G.E.C.K., there is a cut critical effect for the plasma caster. In the projectiles window, the explosion effect is already set up, but is unchecked.
Bugs[]
- The weapon fails to fire a projectile properly when used in third-person view. After equipping it in third-person view, it may not work, even when switching to first-person view. Re-equipping it while in first-person view may solve this.[verified]
- Sometimes, after quick loading, the weapon is held in one hand by the handle and moves with the player character's arm movement when holstered, or appears next to the player character's arm. This can be fixed by un-equipping and then re-equipping the plasma caster.[verified]
- When using the weapon in V.A.T.S., the projectile will often not fire unless very close to the target, and if standing under a roof, the projectile may collide with the structure.[verified]
- While equipped, the weapon may become stuck to the player character's hand when changing outfits. To fix this, simply un-equip it, then re-equip.[verified]
- If one has more than one plasma caster stored in the same container, they may stack on top of each other. They can be separated but if the second one is placed back into the container, they will still stack on top of each other.[verified]
Sounds[]
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Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Courier: "What kind of prototypes?"
Arcade Gannon: "Plasma rifles. They were intended to replace the P94 plasma caster. There was some corporate espionage going on between Poseidon Energy's Project SEMELE and whatever was going on here."
(Arcade Gannon's dialogue) - ↑ Fallout and Fallout 2 item description: "{1500}{}{Plasma Rifle}"
"{1501}{}{A Winchester Model P94 Plasma Rifle. An industrial-grade energy weapon, firing superheated bolts of plasma down a superconducting barrel. Powered by Micro Fusion Cells. Min ST: 6.}"
Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel item description: "name_plasmaRifle = {Plasma Rifle}"
"desc_plasmaRifle = {A Winchester Model P94 Plasma Rifle. An industrial-grade energy weapon, firing superheated bolts of ionised gas down a superconducting barrel. Powered by Micro Fusion Cells.}"
(PRO ITEM.MSG (Fallout), PRO ITEM.MSG (Fallout 2) and Items.txt) - ↑ Fort Independence terminal entries; research terminal, research log - plasma rifle
- ↑ Research note - plasma rifle
- ↑ Chris Taylor interview for Vault13.net
- ↑ Fallout and Fallout 2 item description: "{23300}{}{Turbo Plasma Rifle}"
"{23301}{}{A modified Winchester P94 plasma rifle. The plasma bolt chamber has been hotwired to accelerate the bolt formation process. Min ST: 6.}"
(PRO ITEM.MSG (Fallout), PRO ITEM.MSG (Fallout 2) and Items.txt) - ↑ The cover of the Future Weapons Today periodical as seen in Fallout: New Vegas has a section prominently promoted entitled "Urban Plasma Rifles."
- ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "I thought the protection of humanity was a part of the Brotherhood's oaths."
Owyn Lyons: "Only in a very broad sense. The Brotherhood's oaths are to protect humanity's progress, but not necessarily every human. The Outcasts - and members of the Brotherhood in other places - consider it a waste to protect most people. 'After all,' they say, 'everyone knows how to make another human, but the secrets to making a P94 Plasma Rifle are all but lost.'"
(Owyn Lyons' dialogue)
Non-game
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Anonymous: "whose idea was it to include the plasma caster its awesome!"
Joshua Sawyer: "Mine, but it's just the P94 Plasma Rifle from the original Fallout, so I can't take any real credit for it. Paul Fish modeled and textured it."
(J.E. Sawyer on Formspring March 3, 2011) - ↑ Fallout 2d20: NPC Pack 4 - Mariposa Military Base, pg. 26: "An early form of plasma weapon, the plasma caster was regarded as an effective weapon, but the US Army disliked how costly the weapon was—and the specialized training it required to operate. As Plasma weapons technology developed further, it resulted in a variety of other, smaller, and easier-to-use weapons. However, some examples of the older Plasma Caster remained to be rediscovered after the War. This weapon is more damaging, and has a superior fire rate to a typical Plasma Rifle, but pays for these advantages with a higher weight and far less accuracy."
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tumblr, collected by JCB2077, retrieved 2/4/2024
- ↑ Anonymous: "Why did you guys change the Winchester Plasma Rifle to Plasma Caster? Was it because of F3's PR to not repeat the name or because you didn't agree with the 'rifle' classification? I understand why you removed the Winchester but not why the rifle part."
Joshua Sawyer: "Fallout 3 already had a Plasma Rifle. Additionally, it doesn't really look like a rifle, but it was mostly because of the existing name."
(J.E. Sawyer on Formspring September 3, 2011) - ↑ Fallout demo item description: "{1500}{}{Plasma Caster}"
"{1501}{}{A Winchester Model P94 Plasma Rifle. An industrial-grade energy weapon, firing superheated bolts of plasmadown a superconducting barrel. Powered by Micro Fusion Cells.}" - ↑ J.E. Sawyer on Formspring 2013-01-11. When asked about the visual differences between the Fallout 2 Avenger and the Fallout: New Vegas CZ57 Avenger: "Yes. They look different because the CZ57 Avenger in F:NV has to work with existing F3/F:NV grip, firing, and reload animations."
