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The Plasma Rifle is a weapon in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

In-Game Description

This modified assault rifle fires a jet of ionized gas through a focused magnetic field — an extremely effective plasma-based weapon.

– Engineering description, XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Availability

The Plasma Rifle becomes available for production in Engineering after completing the Plasma Rifle research. Following the research, soldiers can also use any Plasma Rifles acquired by capturing live aliens, primarily Mutons and Heavy Floaters.

Production Cost:

XCOM: Enemy Unknown, all difficulties: XCOM: Enemy Within, Classic & Impossible difficulties:

Specifications

  • Effective Range: Medium
  • Base Damage: 6-8
  • Critical Chance: 10%
  • Critical Damage: 11-13

Tactical Info

▪  Highly efficient and deadly primary weapon
– Tactical Info, XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Notes

  • The best assault rifle that XCOM can acquire.
  • The Plasma Rifle is the most powerful general-purpose weapon that can be given to Rookies as well as Support Class team members. It can also be used by Assault Class soldiers if XCOM does not possess any Alloy Cannons, as the power of the Plasma Rifle exceeds that of the Scatter Laser
  • The first time a Plasma Rifle is produced in Engineering, a cut scene plays, depicting an XCOM scientist test-firing the weapon at a cardboard cut-out target using the "live Muton" image from the original UFO: Enemy Unknown/X-COM: UFO Defense.
  • Assault Class Soldiers that have defense oriented skills are ideal for being equipped with Plasma Rifles; the weapon has a longer effective range than the Alloy Cannon, when combined with a tough suit of armor and good cover can make an Assault soldier very difficult to dislodge from an entrenched position while simultaneously being able to reliably deal damage from a distance.


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