
According to the Fallout demo, the plasma rifle was originally going to be called "Plasma Caster".Simplified diagram of a multistage coilgun with three coils, a barrel, and a ferromagnetic projectileĪ coilgun, also known as a Gauss rifle, is a type of mass driver consisting of one or more coils used as electromagnets in the configuration of a linear motor that accelerate a ferromagnetic or conducting projectile to high velocity.
Elder Owyn Lyons mentions the P94 plasma rifle when in dialogue in Fallout 3, but it is not in the actual game, being replaced by the urban plasma rifle. Since its in-game name was appropriated for another model of plasma weapon in Fallout 3, the Winchester P94 was renamed to Plasma caster for inclusion in Fallout: New Vegas. Carried by few Enclave soldiers in Navarro. Carried by some Enclave members in Enclave patrols. One example also exists in the secure testing labs of the Glow. Bought from the Gun Runners, Zack sells one for $3225. Certain super mutants can be looted for these. In the Mariposa Military Base and the Cathedral. Unlike the laser rifle, the plasma rifle is rare in Fallout. It averages 47.5 Hit Points per non-critical attack on unarmored targets, and 21.5 HP on medium-armored targets, sometimes exceeding 200 HP in a good Critical Hit.Ī superior version of this weapon exists, with a hotwired plasma bolt chamber, called the turbo plasma rifle. With its stats unchanged from the predecessor, the Winchester P94 remains a potent energy weapon in Fallout 2, with the same drawback of a relatively short range.
At 25 hexes, however, the plasma rifle's range is still only about half that of many other higher-end single-shot weapons. Its large damage output is only beaten by the alien blaster, though that only has 10 hexes of range. The Winchester P94 is a powerful single-shot energy weapon, roughly doubling the damage per shot of even the best conventional rifles available in the game, capable of taking out nearly any bipedal enemy with a single critical to the eyes. The superheated plasma bolt forms in a special chamber then sent down a superconducting barrel and stabilized by electromagnetic claws upon exiting it.
The P94 is a bulky, industrial-grade energy caster powered by microfusion cells.