I am hoping that vendors, loot things, and npc's will have randomly modded weapons. That would add another layer to the game, which would greatly help imo.

He also said something like "You can mod it into anything you want" while showing that laser pistol being turned into many different weapons.

Would you also say that the pipe pistol, rifle, LMG, carbine, sniper rifle, are all individual base weapons? Since it worked on the same menu tree as the laser pistol. Adding a stock made it a rifle. Adding a long barrel makes it a sniper rifle. And so on and so forth.

Edit: The Laser Pistol was also a single inventory item that was then turned into a laser rifle. I don't think the difference between the Laser Pistol and Laser Rifle is the exact same between a Laser Pistol and 10mm Pistol.

We really don't know. It's all speculation really. We don't even know if EVERY weapon can be modified. We know there are 50 base weapons to modify but we don't know if there are others. The laser musket seems like it would be kind of a one type weapon and not be able to be changed at all. Or it could only get scope, bayonet, etc.

Sounds more like Borderlands than anything...which was rubbish in my book. 50 base weapons sounds awfully low, especially if the mod system is not quite as exciting as they're trying to make it.

Excuse me when I don't get excited about playing Fallout with a pipe gun, and the 'awesome' tunnel scope I get to put on it, when I've played the previous game with an antimateriel rifle,assault carbines, and 1911s. I've actually fired pipe guns and they're pure garbage compared to an AR 15 or AK. Screw that, give me an M-14 (which apparently is actually in the game if the wanderer trailer is any indication). Sorry, the weapon mod system hasn't got me excited from what we've seen (maybe I'll be surprised and those base weapons will actually include proper realistic weapon types like Thompsons, M1s, BARs, 1911's, AR and AK variants, and a badass long-action sniper rifle). Otherwise, send me back to the Mojave so I can tap back into that Gunrunner's supply and get my Antimateriel Rifle back and everyone who's satisfied playing FO with a pipe gun can have it their way as well.

If im reading the system right we've only seen a lot of the lower level weapons. Although you are right that there will not be a Glorious Avtomat Kalashnikova or a lot of the real world weapons that were in New Vegas. I think you're really selling the game short by thinking that the pipe rifle is all there is to it.

We've seen a Thompson already, and something that looks like a cross between a M14 and a BAR. Both in the Atom Bomb Baby video. Also that chunky assault rifle that looks like a really weird version of the Lewis Machine Gun. As much as I love my AKs, they're going for original designs this time around, but I have no doubt we'll eventually get ourselves a high quality AK mod at some point.

I believe the laser musket is not a laser weapon in the same vain as a laser pistol core.

It does not use emc pack laser ammunition. It uses self charging laser ammunition.

Probably the same way plasma and alien blaster both shoot plasma but are different bases.

The pipe rifle is clearly a very beginning gun like the varmint was in NV. You can likely ditch it pretty early on and not have to think about it again. As you said, it's likely we'll get an M14 so idk why it would be out of the question to get similarly realistic weapons

SS is carrying an M-14 in the Wanderer trailer. Take a close look at the rifle he shoots the radroach with. Clearly it's a near identical silhouette of an M-14. The flash suppressor of an M-14 is fairly iconic, and there it is in plain sight.

Compare here:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/M14_rifle_-_USA_-_7,62x51mm_-_Arm%C3%A9museum.jpg

I honestly am not trying to sell the game short. I've waited a long time for this game, and their weapon focus hasn't headed in the direction I was hoping...I'll caveat that with....from what little we've seen.

Like I said, I am hoping to be surprised and that the good stuff has been kept under wraps. I honestly think this is the case. I'm just hedging my disappointment bet right now.

this is my assumption as well, Todd said " the laser pistol one of our BASE weapons" and that laser pistol was the base for all those different mods, look at all the different combinations we saw and tell me you won't have enough weapons, I'm really liking what I've seen so far...and of course as doc roll out we will get more and more cool equipment

That seems to be style. You have the pipe rifle and the assault rifle. Both have the same purpose of firing bullets at a target, but on seems to be made with scraps while the other looks like it was made at a factory. The Laser Musket looks like the low tech version of laser weapons.

Yeah, we saw the M-14 in the Atom Bomb Baby video, shooting up some raiders, although it looked like it had some mods made to it to look more BAR-like.

Or maybe its just the in game model looking slightly different from what was in the live action trailer because production reasons. I think that whatever happens, when the GECK comes out we'll be seeing modders going crazy with the weapon mods system. There was a AK made within days of the New Vegas launch, I don't think its going to be any different for Fallout 4.

The way I am interpreting what we know so far is that weapons that were once base weapons are now considered modded weapons. In New Vegas, the Laser Rifle, RCW, and Tri-Beam are each base weapons. In Fallout 4, I believe that Laser Rifle is still a base weapon, but the RCW (Automatic Laser Rifle) and the Tri-Beam (Scattered Laser Rifle) are now considered modded weapons. I think the key is to look at the wording of the weapon titles. If they have adjectives such as Automatic, Focused, and Bladed, then they are modded weapons. If they lack these words, they are base weapons. Here are more detailed examples of what I mean:

Base Weapon: Laser Pistol

Modded Weapon Variants: Long Laser Pistol, Short Laser Pistol, Focused Laser Pistol

Base Weapon: Laser Rifle

Modded Weapon Variants: Laser Sniper Rifle, Scattered Laser Rifle, Automatic Laser Rifle, Focused Laser Rifle

Base Weapon: Baseball Bat

Modded Weapon Variants: Aluminum Bladed Baseball Bat, Spiked Mahogany Baseball Bat

Base Weapon: Assault Rifle

Modded Weapon Variants: Automatic Assault Rifle, High Capacity Assault Rifle, Silenced Assault Rifle

Base Weapon: Plasma Pistol

Modded Weapon Variants: Plasma Thrower

Base Weapon: Plasma Rifle

Modded Weapon Variants: Automatic Plasma Rifle, Plasma Sniper Rifle, Plasma Scattergun

Now if the Laser Pistol is the base weapon for all Laser Pistol and Rifle variants however, then that is even more impressive as there will be loads more weapons than I predicted. If much of the modded weapons differ greatly from the base weapons, then I would believe the variety would be more than enough for players to use. Besides, how many base weapons can you add before they become monotonous?

I think you've got it wrong. It's more like

Laser pistol=Laser rifle=Scattering laser rifle= Automatic laser rifle= Laser sniper rifle.

Only the laser pistol is considered a base weapon because all of the other weapons are made with the laser pistol.

The big problem with this is that we've already seen a laser pistol become a laser rifle/sniper/scattergun

There were no 'base weapons' in Fallout 3 - there were just Weapons, since weapon mods weren't a thing.

So yes. They turned a Laser Pistol into a Laser Rifle, and these are the same base weapon. Absolutely, definitely, positively, guaranteed.

Changing a base weapon changes what weapon mods are available. Changing a laser pistol to a laser rifle DOES NOT change the weapon mods that are available. Ergo, they are the same base weapon.

Considering the amount of customization, I can take five of one type of gun, and turn them into five different guns for different purposes.

When you have that kind of power of customization to turn a revolver into a sniper rifle, 50 weapons almost seems like enough. At least to me.

Some of the weapon mods also have Elemental Damage,so their that too.

Yeah types of weapons is one of the few things NV got right. Probably the onnly real thing. I'm not worried about weapons in 4 though because we will be ablle to put a decent amount of weapon parts on most of them.

Possibly. Either way, the amount of weapons should be massive.

indeed. if most weapons can make 4-6 others. Then there's more like 200 weapons in the game.

The reason I believe the Laser Musket to be different is due to the components and its ammunition system. The Laser Pistol and Rifle are refined metal weapons, while the Laser Musket is more of a homemade or makeshift weapon with a wooden build composed of various electrical components. Also, its ammunition is used differently from the Laser Pistol and Rifle. While the Pistol and Rifle uses disposable Microfusion Cells to generate power, the Musket appears to make its own energy by turning the crank.

I believe your math is off there. That assumes 50 base weapons with only 1 mod slot with 700 mods.

In the e3 footage there are 5 mod slots, so if we assume that total mods are evenly distributed amongst slots, that's:

50 base weapons x (700/5)^5 = 2,689,120,000,000 (almost 2.7 trillion weapon combinations, assuming that none of the mods are exclusive to their respective base weapon)

Of course, my math might be off too. And obviously the melee weapon mods and ranged weapon mods will be mutually exclusive.

Imo the laser and plasma are unique in this regard.

I certainly hope we cant turn our 9mm pistol into a shotgun or visa versa.

I agree with you OP, I think people are going to be disappointed.

Also, a lot of people seem to think that the Laser Pistol is considered a base weapon, and that the Laser Rifle, Laser Sniper Rifle, Laser Scattergun etc are all just variants of that "base" weapon. I'm pretty sure Bethesda have pulled a marketing blanket over our eyes, and actually consider each of those as base weapons. Sure, you can mod each weapon with different sights and additions (which is awesome), but I think there will be a similar number of guns in Fallout 4 as there was in Fallout 3, which is super disappointing.

We won't truly know until the game released. If the weapon selection ends up being as limited as you are suggesting, then it will be disappointing. At the same time however, that will not be too disheartening if the weapons themselves have the quality and distinctions to them that make up for the lower number.