An incredibly subjective guide to the various types of murdertoys in Distant Worlds.
 
Base stats provided - All weapons can be upgraded with appropriate tech except where noted.
 
Blaster / Pulse Laser
The basic "bread & butter" gun of DW, it shoots pulses of energy at a target until it dies.
With no special abilities or weaknesses they make mediocre weapons at first, but can be upgraded to become quite dangerous.
Boring but reliable, compact and energy efficient. Use them, they won't let you down.
Modifiers:  Can target fighters
 
Prewarp:    Pulse Blaster
Size:       4
Range:      150
Power:      4
Efficiency: Good
 
Basic Tech: Maxos Blaster
Size:       5
Range:      190
Power:      5
Efficiency: Good
 
Mid Tech:   Shatterforce Laser (range focus)
Size:       4
Range:      320
Power:      7
Efficiency: Good           
 
Mid Tech:   Impact Assault Blaster (power focus)
Size:       5
Range:      220
Power:      12
Efficiency: Moderate
 
High Tech:  Titan Beam
Size:       6
Range:      390
Power:      20
Efficiency: Moderate
 
PulseWave Cannon
Unique to the Wekkaru, this is a variant of a Pulse Laser which has much better starting stats. Can be slightly awkward compared to standard guns as the upgrades are quite spread out.
Still a very recommended gun.
Modifiers:  Can target fighters
Size:       4
Range:      310
Power:      13
Efficiency: Moderate
 
Energy Torpedoes
Fires a bolt of energy which dissipates as it travels.
Has no special abilities or weaknesses, so makes for a very good general purpose weapon.
A reliable source of death, if a little bulky. Recommended.
Modifiers:  Can NOT target fighters
 
Prewarp:    N/A
 
Basic Tech: Epsilon Torpedo
Size:       15
Range:      300
Power:      11
Speed:      60
Efficiency: Moderate
 
Mid Tech:   Velocity Shard (speed and range focus)
Size:       11
Range:      630
Power:      16
Speed:      120
Efficiency: Good
 
Mid Tech:   Shockwave Torpedo (power focus)
Size:       12
Range:      430
Power:      24
Speed:      75
Efficiency: Poor
 
High Tech:  Plasma Thunderbolt
Size:       12
Range:      690
Power:      36
Speed:      125
Efficiency: Moderate
 
Shaktur FireStorm
Unique to the Boskara, this is a variant of an energy torpedo which has the ability to bombard planets which allows them to clear planets much earlier than most other races.
Again, as a unique weapon it suffers from a long wait between upgrades.
Modifiers:  Can NOT target fighters
 
Size:       12
Range:      295
Power:      36
Speed:      65
Efficiency: Moderate
 
 
Missiles
The longest ranged weapon in the game, and bar none the best tool for kiting. They do not lose damage over range, but they suffer from a mediocre level of firepower and suffer a further reduction against armour. Avoid.
Modifiers:  -50% damage vs armour
            Can NOT target fighters
 
Prewarp:    Seeking Missile
Size:       8
Range:      400
Power:      5
Speed:      80
Efficiency: Good
 
Basic Tech: Concussion Missile
Size:       10
Range:      520
Power:      6
Speed:      120
Efficiency: Good
 
High Tech:  Assault Missile
Size:       14
Range:      740
Power:      20
Speed:      110
Efficiency: Good
 
Rail Guns
Short ranged weapons which can bypass shields. Also the only commonly available weapon which can attack both ships and planets.
Bulky and unwieldy, not really all that good. But you will get annoyed by AIs armed with these as the scratch damage will cause your ships to constantly run home for repairs. Avoid.
Modifiers:  -50% damage vs armour
            -10% accuracy
            50% chance for each shot to penetrate shield
            Can target fighters
 
Prewarp:    Long Range Gun
Size:       6
Range:      100
Power:      5
Efficiency: Good
 
Basic Tech: Rail Gun
Size:       7
Range:      120
Power:      6
Efficiency: Good
 
Mid Tech:   Heavy Rail Gun
Size:       12
Range:      180
Power:      10
Efficiency: Moderate
Extra:      Can bombard planets
 
High Tech:  Massive Rail Gun
Size:       18
Range:      280
Power:      16
Efficiency: Moderate
Extra:      Can bombard planets
 
Phasers
Short ranged beams that can slice up ships and stations, but not much else. Excellent anti-armour weapon, if a little bulky and power hungry.
No low tech options, you must research pulse lasers first.
Modifiers:  +50% damage vs armour
            Hitscan - Instantly hits target
            Can NOT target fighters
 
Mid Tech:   Phaser Cannon
Size:       7
Range:      200
Power:      9
Efficiency: Moderate
 
High Tech:  Phaser Lance
Size:       9
Range:      300
Power:      20
Efficiency: Poor
 
Graviton Beams
Short ranged beams that ignore defences. Very bulky and power hungry, but incredibly annoying to fight. Avoid.
Modifiers:  Ignores armour
            Ignores shields
            Hitscan - Instantly hits target
            Can NOT target fighters
 
Basic Tech: Graviton Beam
Size:       20
Range:      150
Power:      15
Efficiency: Moderate
 
Mid Tech:   Resonant Graviton Beam
Size:       30
Range:      240
Power:      28
Efficiency: Poor
 
High Tech:  See Area weapons below
 
Area Guns
An oddity. Shoots a beam at a target which then expands into a damaging shockwave.
Powerful but flawed. Avoid.
*BUG*
The shockwave will NOT spawn if the target is destroyed by the initial beam, which vastly reduces the power and utility of this weapon type.
Modifiers:  Hitscan - Instantly hits first target
            Hits all adjacent targets therafter
            Can hit friendly ships!
            Can NOT target fighters
 
Basic Tech: Intimidator Surgewave
Size:       16
Range:      220
Power:      35
Efficiency: Moderate
 
Mid Tech:   Derasian Shockwave
Size:       18
Range:      300
Power:      74
Efficiency: Moderate
 
High Tech:  Area Graviton Pulse (crossover with graviton weapons)
Size:       40
Range:      360
Power:      40
Efficiency: Poor
Extra:      Ignores shields and armour
 
High Tech:  Area Transient Singularity (crossover with graviton weapons)
Size:       50
Range:      520
Power:      100
Efficiency: Poor
Extra:      Ignores shields and armour
 
Special Weapons
 
Ion Weapons
Does no damage, but instead disables components on the target ship. The only weapons capable of seriously damaging silvermist. Very Useful.
Modifiers:  Can NOT target fighters
 
Ion Cannon - Branch from Pulse Lasers
Size:       12
Range:      260
Power:      20
Efficiency: Good
 
Ion Pulse - Branch from Area Guns (with attendant flaws)
Size:       20
Range:      210
Power:      24
Efficiency: Moderate
 
Tractor Beams
Does no damage, but instead either pushes or pulls the target depending on relative strengths and conditions.
An excellent addition to "unarmed" ships.
No low tech option, must research graviton beams first.
Modifiers:  Can NOT target fighters
            Hitscan - hits target instantly
            Has a "firepower" rating of 0 despite having a power rating
 
Mid Tech:   Tractor Beam
Size:       10
Range:      320
Power:      10
Efficiency: Good
 
Mid Tech:   High Power Tractor Beam
Size:       10
Range:      400
Power:      16
Efficiency: Good
 
Assault Pods
Does no damage, but can be used to capture enemy ships and stations. Effectiveness is based on the troop strength of your starting race.
Can be upgraded by both pod research and troop research.
*BUG*
If the target is destroyed before any launched pods arrive, they will be stuck in space forever, and will NOT regenerate as the computer still reads them as being active and "out".
Can be worked around by refitting the ship to a design without pods, and back again.
Modifiers:  Can NOT target fighters
 
Basic Tech: Assault Pod
Size:       8
Range:      140
Power:      Troops
Efficiency: Good
 
Fighters
Special docking bays which launch a group of fighters each at a target. Very bulky, but very long ranged and flexible.
Comes in 3 flavours. Fighters, Missile Bombers and Torpedo Bombers.
Each bay will try to split between fighters and bombers equally, and will automatically replace any losses.
Torpedo Bombers are best, because they have a much better attack value and no penalty against armour. And also because they are a prereq. for the advanced bays.
Missile Bombers are just pointless as they just don't have the power to kill things with the missile armour penalty. Don't even research them as they take precedence over torpedo bombers when you have both. This is less than great.
 
Fighters are worthless barely distractions in small numbers. But an unstoppable tide of death when massed.
BEST TIP - Put a single fighter bay on your constructors to ward off irritating things. Seriously, do it.
Modifiers:  Fighters can target other fighters, bombers, ships and stations
            Bombers can only target ships and stations
 
Basic Tech: Standard Fighter Bay
Size:       50
Capacity:   4 fighters
Build Rate: Mediocre
 
Mid Tech:   Advanced Fighter Bay
Size:       45
Capacity:   4 fighters
Build Rate: Fast
 
Point Defence
Short range guns that shoot at small hostile craft. No low tech option, must research missiles first.
A ship or station equipped with point defence guns will prefer to attack any hostile fighters with those instead of it's main guns, should they be capable of doing so. This lowers energy drain and allows the ship/station to focus all it's firepower on other targets without it being diluted trying to swat flies.
Modifiers:  Can target fighters
            Can target assault pods
 
Mid Tech:   Point Defense Cannon
Size:       3
Range:      140
Power:      3
Efficiency: Good
 
High Tech:  Terminator AutoCannon
Size:       3
Range:      190
Power:      6
Efficiency: Good
 
Bombard Weapons
Purpose built for killing things on a planet, they can do nothing else.
Most of the time you will never need these as straight invasion always gives a better result, and the space required is better used for more fighting capability.
However, some worlds can be very tough and a little pre-invasion bombardment can soften it up enough to make it less of a bloodbath.
Situational.
No low tech option, must research missiles first.
Modifiers:  Can NOT target fighters
            Can NOT target ships or stations
            Can ONLY target colonised planets
 
Mid Tech:   Nuclear Devastator
Size:       8
Range:      210
Power:      3
 
High Tech:  Nuclear Exterminator
Size:       14
Range:      270
Power:      8
 
 
Super Weapons
 
Special suprises that you can not research. You can only get them by being very lucky and finding them in ruins hidden around the galaxy. (Or stealing them from someone who was.)
There are three super weapons, each with it's own quirks. All of them are powerful but demanding, and will be borderline unusable until mid game as you won't have the ability to house or power them properly until then as the firing energy demand exceeds the capacity of your reactors, and you won't be able to fit the weapon and enough reactors to meet that demand into the size limit of your ships.
Modifiers:  Can NOT target fighters
            Can NOT be researched
            Can NOT be upgraded
           
Death Ray
Just a giant gun.
Type:       Pulse Laser
Size:       140
Range:      440
Power:      1800
Special:    None
 
Devastator Pulse
This thing would be amazingly brutal if area guns weren't bugged. Can create an amusing situation when attacking pirate bases, as each frame of shockwave counts as it's own separate attack so you can easily get half a dozen "reward" events for offing a pirate base.
Type:       Area (complete with bug)
Size:       170
Range:      520
Power:      1200
Special:    None
 
Super Laser
To all you Vader haters out there, we'll blow your planet up.
Anything. Anywhere. One. Shot. (30 second recharge time though, so 1 shot is all you might get.)
Type:       Pulse Laser
Size:       640
Range:      700
Power:      30000
Special:    Turns planets into tumbling lumps of rock
            This is also the only super weapon you can get two ways, the second being recovering the "world destroyer" secret project if you have the original DW story events enabled.
 
 
I think that's everything.
If I have missed something, stop by the thread and tell me I'm a faggot. Hell, why not just do that anyway.
 
Back to Guide Index:    https://pastebin.com/hubsc3ZS