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For an overview of Tesla cannon models in the Fallout series of games, see Tesla cannon. |
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The Tesla-Beaton prototype is a weapon in Fallout: New Vegas. It is a unique variant of the Tesla cannon.
Contents
Background[edit | edit source]
The Tesla cannon is a pre-War designed shoulder-mounted heavy directed energy weapon, designed to replace conventional anti-tank weapons.[1] Based on Nikola Tesla's designs, the weapon entered limited production before the war and remains a rare sight in the wasteland. However, it remains a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled user, as the focused energy blast will not only deliver massive damage to the target, but the nature of the blast will also deliver a potent electric shock.
Near the end of the war between the Brotherhood and the Enclave in the Capital Wasteland, the Brotherhood's scribes under the Order of the Sword worked to build their own Tesla cannons to more effectively counter the Enclave's Vertibird fleet. To do so, the Lone Wanderer was tasked with retrieving a PPE Tesla coil from Olney Powerworks, an experimental piece of pre-War technology.[2][3]
The modified Tesla cannon employed by Lyons' Brotherhood of Steel is far more powerful than the pre-War Tesla cannon. Discharging a large electrical impulse upon impact with a much larger area of effect. This explosive damage makes the Lyon's model far more suitable for anti-Vertibird use.[4]
Characteristics[edit | edit source]
The Tesla-Beaton prototype appears to be similar to the Tesla cannon, but with an orange glow instead of blue, and a fully encased energy emitter. It also has several exposed wires and various lights attached to the casing, giving it a more makeshift appearance. Prior to patch 1.3.0.452, each shot expended 45 electron charge packs, but it now expends six electron charge packs per shot, with a magazine capacity of 24. Also, the patch removed the prototype's AOE blast damage. Unlike the original Tesla cannon, it only has half the HP. This is likely due to it being in the prototype stage. Because of this issue, the need for constant repair makes it a less practical weapon for repeated use.
Durability[edit | edit source]
The Tesla-Beaton prototype can fire a total of about 195 times using standard packs, the equivalent of 49 reloads, from full condition before breaking.
| Ammunition type | Durability | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | Reloads | |
| Standard | 195 | 49 |
| Bulk | 231 | 58 |
| Optimized | 177 | 45 |
| Over charge | 129 | 33 |
| Max charge | 75 | 19 |
Variants[edit | edit source]
- Tesla cannon - The common variant found throughout the Mojave Wasteland.
- Elijah's jury-rigged Tesla cannon
- Another unique variant found at Elijah's Watch in the Big MT.
Comparison[edit | edit source]
| 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 | |||
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla cannon | 80 | 127.4 | +20 /2s | 1.34 | x2 | 40 | 37 | 3.2 | 0.1 | 20(4) | 395 | 8 | 8700 | 1087.5 | 100 | 8 |
Elijah's jury-rigged Tesla cannon  | 85 | 154.2 | +20/2s | 1.58 | x2 | 45 | 37 | 3.4 | 0.00 | 30(6) | 245 | 8 | 13500 | 1687.5 | 100 | 8 |
| Tesla-Beaton prototype | 90 | 145.8 | +25/2s | 1.34 | x2 | 45 | 37 | 3.8 | 0.08 | 24(4) | 195 | 8 | 12525 | 1565.6 | 100 | 8 |
Location[edit | edit source]
The Tesla-Beaton prototype can be found at the crashed vertibird next to a skeleton, near the old nuclear test site far southeast. Use caution, however, as there may be up to six Hardened Mister Gutsies and four hardened sentry bots standing guard.
Notes[edit | edit source]
- The Tesla-Beaton prototype is one of the most expensive weapons to repair to 100% from poor condition at over 20,000 caps, rivaling Gatling lasers and plasma casters.
- The glow on the outside shows the arcing electricity to be orange in color, but if looking down the barrel in the third person, it looks green.
- Even though the Tesla-Beaton uses six electron charge packs per shot, it's only possible to get a single drained electron charge pack from firing it.
- Due to it previously firing only one shot per reload, it ejects electron charge packs every shot, which is strange, considering only one is loaded. Also, the electron charge pack will not appear after one shot is fired, and the end of the cannon is retracted, but it still ejects another per shot.
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
- The Tesla cannon was originally to be featured in the canceled Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2, bearing no resemblance to the weapon in Broken Steel. Described as a "high-powered mass-cannon throwing tessellated plasma forward in an orgy of death and destruction" in the Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel 2 design document, it was to be the so-called "uber-weapon" of player character Maxus. "Uber-weapons" were to be unique weapons for each player character which had to be assembled from 5 parts over the course of the game, or the player could have a NPC assemble one for them. One of the five parts for this weapon was a Tesla coil.
- Nikola Tesla really did try to create a directed energy weapon but it would have been a particle beam weapon called a "Teleforce," something that would be immensely complicated to create.
 | The following is based on unverified behind the scenes information and is speculative and may not be accurate. |
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- The weapon's name is a reference to Kate Beaton, a webcomic artist whose comics have featured Nikola Tesla several times.[5][6]
| End of information based on unverified behind the scenes information. |
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Bugs[edit | edit source]
- Sometimes the robots surrounding the crashed vertibird will not appear. If reloading a save near the crash site after picking up the weapon the robots will spawn all around you. [verified]
- In some cases, the clear encasing on the cannon will not show the Tesla coil animation and instead always stay glowing orange, reloading a saved game or fast traveling will fix this. [verified]
- After patch 1.5/1.3.0.444, when looking from the third person, the Tesla-Beaton prototype will eject the electron charge pack in the back of the cannon after the first shot, and then seemingly eject electron charge packs out of nowhere during any shots after the first one. This can be remedied by reloading after each shot, though it is not recommended. [verified]
Sounds[edit | edit source]
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Gallery[edit | edit source]
Add a photo to this gallery
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Future Weapons Today
- ↑ Plot of Shock Value.
- ↑ The Lone Wanderer: "Olney Powerworks? What's there?"
Tristan: "Hopefully you'll be able to find a Tesla coil, an experimental device from before the war. Our scribes need it to complete a little surprise they've been preparing for the Enclave. Get there, get the coil, and get back as safely and quickly as possible. Any questions?"
(DLC03Tristan.txt) - ↑ Gameplay differences between the Tesla cannon in Broken Steel and the Tesla cannon in Fallout: New Vegas, as well as Tristan's dialogue confirm this as the modification necessitating the Tesla coil.
- ↑ Hark! A Vagrant - comic by K.Beaton featuring Tesla. Hark website
- ↑ Beatonna website
