I'm guessing we won't get to use the combo 'water + several enemies' until FO4. :sadvaultboy:

Curse you, Gamebyro!!

Hopefully in the next game the Tesla Cannon and Missile Launcher get new running animations, because the perfectly upright running they do now is really ugly

But some weapons are just meant to be the best in there category or in this case game and it it can take down a vertibird so really it should be the best EW in terms of pure damage so i don't see how it would be this big dramatic failure you so speak of.@Gab thank god the gamebyro is dead R.I.P . .

And Mr sawyer you talked about diversity between weapons this new tesla cannon is just a carbon copy of the holo rifle (well not literally ) i really don't see why the tesla cannon from fo3 wasn't just used to begin with and thank you for you're work on :fallout: non the less it has crippled my social life .

I agree. It should have some sort of knockdown effect. Not with every hit though, that'd be way too easy.

Indeed, But it should at the very least cause the person to stagger for a moment

A couple hundred thousand volts is enough to turn a Deathclaw from a charging menace to a bewildered and Confused Christmas tree

There is a few of us who do. I for one thinks with halves the cell Telsa Cannon consumes should make it worth while, as it can surely create a chain Meltdown! against packed enemies.


Although I would like to point out Heavy Incinerator is "indirect fire", decent RoF with large clip, AoE&DoT; while Telsa Cannon was "direct fire", single shot & AoE.

And really, what's does a slow RoF weapon have over single shot weapon if they are at the same damage range? the later even get more RoF with better reload via Perk or Agility! In case of Gauss it have a strong projectile force which can briefly stop DeathClaw charging and buying some time for reload.

I guess what I am trying to say is: you forgot the measure twice, cut once instead of vice versa.

I just picked it up, for the the first time.

Took a long trip through ghoul and rad scrop territory to get there....then took out all these hardened robots to get to! a glorified EW that I used a couple of times before going back to my AER14 prototype and YCS/186. Im not sure why it really exsists...other then something cool to put on a self. I have my AER14 to take out week targets, my YCS/186 to take out powerful targets, and my Gatling laser to take out large groups that are low armored (aka cazadors). I just took it back and stuck it on my self for display.


Reading through all the stuff people are saying, if it indeed is supposed to over load the engine on a vertibird (in regards to fallout 3), wouldnt a great effect it could have is a EM field. It wouldnt have ot be super high damage, but an small EM field like pulse grenades would be a great effect as it would give some sort of competion to the pulse gun (like having a weaker more avaiable pulse weapon). It would give the gun a purpose again (to take down robots). That way the damage to non robots could even be nerfed, if it's an effective weapon against robots. I dont see why this couldnt happen, fits perfectly with lore.


Also, not to complain, but it only weights 8lb? Its a cannon, shouldn't it weigh more?

An AoE is pretty important for the TC and TBP. Gauss Rifle and YCS should be good for sniping (getting massive sneak attack criticals, maybe even being silent?), but for large groups, a Tesla Cannon or Tesla-Beaton should be the king. I hope sawyer and the other developers at least consider this.

That is Bad Design™, especially in an RPG because it implicitly tells the player: whatever other choice you make with regards to your weapon selection is the wrong one. If you design a weapon to be the best of a skill type -- even worse, the best in the game -- all characters either wind up using the same weapons or being punished by design for choosing anything else (or simply not finding that weapon). The Tesla Cannon, Plasma Caster, Heavy Incinerator, and Gatling Laser are all intended to be the best EWs, but even some of the Tier 4 EWs have advantages or different aspects to how they work that can make them more appealing in certain circumstances. The same goes for the Hunting Rifle / Sniper Rifle / AMR. There are aspects of the "lower level" weapons that are more appealing or suited for certain applications.

The Tesla Cannon is similar to the Holorifle, but the Holorifle is a DLC-only weapon. Part of why I set the TC up as I did is because the Holorifle felt satisfying to use. There's bound to be overlap between functionality in DLC and core game weapons, and I don't think it's bad in this case.


For people who would rather run and gun than snipe, the Tesla Cannon does more damage per shot than the YCS/186 and fires much faster.

Except, the Holorifle decimates the TBP in nearly every aspect (economically, as well as functionally). I'm sure the TBP and the regular Tesla Cannons being given an AoE isn't so bad. The Gatling Laser is the DPS weapon (also for dealing with lightly armored opponents), the Plasma Caster is the close range weapon (has DPS and power, but bad accuracy), the Gauss Rifle/Holorifle are the sniping weapons. So where does the Tesla Cannon/TBP come in? All of its roles can be performed by other weapons significantly better. Giving it AoE will make it THE crowd control weapon, and thus make EW more versatile.

The people who are using the Tesla Cannon specifically in the role I designed to excel at (including the thread author), which is long range open firefights with high DT/health targets are finding that it is a really good weapon. The commentary I am seeing from people who think otherwise either a) are not stating whether they have used it or not or b ) have stated that they used it a few times here and there, but not the circumstances/enemies which is not very compelling.

If you would like a large AoE weapon, you may consider using the also-patched and very effective high-end Explosives.

Asking why you would use the Tesla Cannon in circumstances when the Gauss Rifle is intended to be superior is like asking why you would use the Brush Gun in circumstances where the AMR is intended to be superior: you probably wouldn't. If you like low RoF, ultra-high Crit DAM sniping against isolated targets, use the weapons that are made to be awesome at it. If you would like to run-and-gun at long range against high health/DT targets, the Tesla Cannon is the EW to use. If you would like to spray assorted scrubs with low DT at all ranges, use the Gatling Laser.

The Holorifle fires more slowly, does less damage (unless modded), has a slower/lower damage DoT, and is less accurate, even when modded.

I don't think comparing EW and explosives is the best idea. Explosives are meant more as a supporting skill, not as a primary combat skill (they're just not versatile enough). EWs however, have many purposes and can fill many roles (sniping, DPS, etc.). The one thing they fail at, though, is crowd control. What would make them distinct weapons, and not just "shiny guns," would be to add a good crowd control weapon. Also, what I was trying to say was that the TBP doesn't really have one role that its really good at, that isn't already filled up by another weapon which is better suited to the task (Gauss for long range sniping, Holorifle for doing basically everything a TBP can do, plus more, Gatling Laser for DPS, and Plasma Caster to serve as the Riot Shotgun equivalent of EW).
I hope I'm not being too aggressive here, just trying to give some feedback.

Economically, the TBP is about 1/2 as effective. Also, at the ranges you'll be using the Holorifle/TBP (medium range, I'd say), that small accuracy difference won't mean too much. If you'll be attacking from a longer range, then you're better of using a YCS. Also, with the extra condition mod (the name escapes ATM), it needs no repairs, unless using specialized ammo.

Okay, I just went and had another go at it.

I realise now why it was so weak...duh, I hadnt repaired it up yet......but I can now see how effective it is, a similar power to the gauss, but with more shots and using a more plentiful energy source. Im a little stranged out on how you could really use it for anything longer the na mid-range weapon though. Without a scope, sniping with it is a little difficult.....unless the distance I'm trying to snipe at is too long. :shrug:

In any case, its looks to not be a a replacement for my YCS, but rather for my AER14, to handle the weaker mid-range fights. But on that front, it doesnt quite have the shots per reload to be any good for that in a big firefight.

Maybe this weapon isnt for me.....but seeing as the gauss two shots deathclaws (without criticals) I think that would be one of the few places where this weapon would be useful having a similar power output but more shots.



PS: it does colour match to my Enclave armor nicely though: http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4659/2011042900001.jpg

Yeah? What don't they do?

I wouldn't deny Telsa Cannon is a effective heavy hitter, however I do think it actually lose it own individuality with the latest patch's adjustment.


I use Pre-patch Telsa Cannon with conjunction of Meltdown! Perk which I can create a spectacular plasma fireworks. Explosives may cover more area, but it just doesn't happen like the Telsa Cannon.

And in case of Gauss VS Telsa Cannon, it is more like a Brush gun with a scope versus a AMR without a scope.

Okay, just tried out the Beaton vs YCS against a deathclaw.

My YCS read 121 DAM
My Beaton 91 DAM
Both had 100% health.

I dont have all the energy weapon perks yet (EW is at 100 though), these mighten be the highest values.

Using a sneak head attack on them was an instant kill...same as YCS. However with a torso sneak attack the YCS takes about 3/4 health, whereas the Beaton only half.

Using torso shots with both getting 1 critical hit, Beaton took 4, YCS took 4. However because the YCS has to reload after each shot the Beaton was much better in killing the deathclaw before it came and ripped my insides out.

From a torso sneak attack on a deathclaw, Beaton takes 3 hits to kill one, YCS thats 2 hits. Beaton is good for this cause it has 4 shots before reloading, therefore if you get unlucky and miss a shot then you still have a spare....miss with the YCS and there is a good chance that deathclaw will get close. Either one though for an experienced player is effective from a sneak attack.

In relation to a group of deathclaws, yeah....you are still screwed, neither weapon has the speed to take down more then one deathclaw at a time, and because EW have nothing that does group damage, either you pick them off one by one from afar, or lay explosives like c4 to catch the group as they run at you.


Which is better? Eh, they turn out about even when agaisnt high DT enemies like death claws. The best stratery might just be to sneak attack with the YCS, then switch to the Beaton. That way you can two kill the first deathclaw, and take out most of the second.


EDIT: Woah..woah..woah! I just reliased why the Beaton is so useful. For someone using the wild wasteland perk, it does give you a replacment weapon for the YCS, its a high end long range powerhouse weapon.....yes, I now see the pure usefulness of this weapon.

It's good strategically to give it to either Arcade or Veronica.

Yes, thats what I have just done, it fires slow enough that they dont spam out of ammo too quickly, and the ammo source is nice and plentiful.

80 damage? meh

What truly makes the holorifle superime is this perfect storm of abilites.

It deals good damage, great damage when modded, it has a decent rate of fire and is fairly accurate, due to the size of the projectile its fairly easy to hit at long range. It has low ammo consumption, a scope and most importantly. Its bugged so once the condition mod is attached it no longer takes any damage.

Exactly, Holorifle is the King of EW


They aren't good for close range/indoor (self explanatory) or long range fights (the most accurate weapon is Annabelle, which will never beat a sniper in terms of accuracy). They're good, but not very versatile.