Bolt Repeater

Last modified by Kajar on 2024/07/14 18:39

Bolt Repeater

BoltRepeater.jpg
TypeMain Gun
Available FromARG ANT PAR HOP TEL MIN ALI TEM TRI YAK RIP VIG QUE
Fitted ToSmall and Medium ships
RoleAnti-Fighter
Required LicenseMilitary License (+10)

In-game Description

The Bolt Repeater's average damage output and cooling make it an excellent choice for the indecisive military pilot. It is often considered the logical next step after having familiarised oneself with the Pulse Laser. Its prolonged bursts can easily tear apart targets of a similar size, but the projectiles are larger and move at a slower pace than Pulse Laser particles. This means that the pilot needs to have experience in gauging when to expend their burst, and when to let the weapon cool down and wait for a better opportunity. When facing off against this weapon, nimble ships may be able to dodge its stream of bullets by strafing and making spiral movements. Against capital ships, the Bolt Repeater is a suitable choice for destroying surface elements such as turrets and shields, though it struggles to leave a lasting impact on the ship's hull.

The modern-day Bolt Repeater is the result of a development path taken by Argon military scientists from old Mass Driver designs; a weapon which first saw use during the era of the Kha'ak threat. By stripping out the original weapon's ability to penetrate shields, and instead maximising the force of its continuous bullet output, they created a robust all-rounder that was soon adopted by the Federation's allies because of its sheer brutal efficiency.

The Mk2 variant uses even larger projectiles while maintaining the same projectile speed, resulting in a lower rate of fire but an increased level of overall trauma to the target's hull and shields.

Tactical Overview

The Bolt Repeater is the big brother of the Pulse Laser, offering more firepower at the cost of worse heat efficiency. The in-game description of the Bolt Repeaters' performance is very much on point.

As the description mentions, the Bolt Repeater doesn't perform as well in a dogfight as the Pulse Laser due to the slower projectile. Recommended is a boom-and-zoom approach where you pick a target from a distance, close in rapidly, unload your damage, and then boost away again before lining up for another strike. This gives the target little time to dodge while managing your heat.

Heat management is a genuine concern for this weapon, unlike the Pulse Laser, as it only offers about half the damage potential in a heat cycle. Firing discipline is a must; otherwise, you will struggle to do damage while you constantly overheat.

Interestingly, the Small Bolt Repeater is much more accurate than the Pulse Laser. In contrast, the Medium sized variant is slightly less accurate.

If you fit this weapon, your primary targets should be Heavy Fighters, Corvettes, and Gunboats. Light Fighters are rather hard to hit with the slow projectile unless you surprise them.

In the hands of an experienced pilot, the Bolt Repeater can rapidly destroy enemy S and M targets, using the increased firepower to its full potential.

 

Advantages:
- Small variant is very accurate

- Relatively high damage output

- Effective against most fighters and lesser protected mediums

- Available from most factions

 

Disadvantages:

- Slow projectiles make dogfighting more difficult

- Medium variant struggles at range due to reduced accuracy

- Heat management can be troublesome

 

Specifications

 Small Mk1Small Mk2Medium Mk1Medium Mk2
Damage Per Second111220198387
Sustained Damage Per Second92179155297
Damage Per Shot15323378
Shots Per Second 7.45/s6.9/s6/s4.97/s
     
Bust Clip Size18202124
Burst Clip Shots Per Second12/s10/s8/s6/s
Burst Clip Reload Time1s1s1s1s
     
Projectile Speed2400m/s2400m/s1920m/s1920m/s
Maximum Range3000m3000m4800m4800m
Dispersion0.17°0.14°0.34°0.26°
Rotation Speed124°/s124°/s71°/s71°/s
     
Heat Generation Per Second335/s379/s450/s497/s
Heat Generation Per Shot455575100
Heat Dissipation Per Second2000/s2000/s2000/s2000/s
Maximum Damage Until Overheat3345582444227800
Cooldown Delay When Overheating1.13s1.13s1.13s1.13s
Reactivates At After Overheating9500950095009500

Construction Cost

Universal Build Method

 Small Mk1Small Mk2Medium Mk1Medium Mk2
Credits23.928 - 29.245119.121 - 145.59243.055 - 52.623214-756 - 262.480
Energy Cells510510
Weapon Components1260315
Advanced Electronics15840

Closed Loop Build Method

 Small Mk1Small Mk2Medium Mk1Medium Mk2
Credits23.928 - 29.245119.121 - 145.59243.055 - 52.623214-756 - 262.480
Energy Cells11517563147
Hull Parts1575737
Claytronics21316

Terran Build Method

 Small Mk1Small Mk2Medium Mk1Medium Mk2
Credits23.928 - 29.245119.121 - 145.59243.055 - 52.623214-756 - 262.480
Energy Cells5010050100
Metallic Microlattice449653145
Silicon Carbide513822
Computronic Substrate213424