Laser rifle (Fallout 3)

The AER9 laser rifle is a weapon in Fallout 3.

Characteristics
The laser rifle is a military-grade weapon used by the Brotherhood of Steel and the Enclave, instead of the Wattz 2000 laser rifle used in previous Fallout games.

As with all energy weapons, the AER9 can suffer from poor performance if not properly maintained. The crystal arrays and non-mechanical components are delicate and if not properly serviced can lead to a loss of beam intensity, overheating, and energy regulation failure. Given that laser weapons were still in their infancy as regular military weapons, parts can be hard to come by in the wasteland. However, its lack of moving parts (aside from the microfusion cell holding latch and trigger mechanism) means it is resilient against extended use. By nature of firing a beam projectile, its shots will instantly hit, negating any need to lead the shot.

In combat, the laser rifle is an exceptional weapon. It performs admirably at medium and long ranges where its accurate semi-automatic fire combined with its large ammunition capacity makes short work of most opponents. However, its semi-automatic nature prevents it from being a viable close quarters combat weapon. As such, the laser rifle is a good weapon for traveling through the open wastelands where dispatching enemies at a distance is a frequent opportunity. Although its damage output is only comparable to the hunting rifle and lower than the sniper rifle, its rapid semi-automatic action, sizable magazine, minimum spread of 0 (meaning potentially perfect accuracy), extreme effective range, and exceptionally low AP cost allows the laser rifle to really stand out. A deadly critical hit from this weapon, as with other laser weapons, will not only kill enemies but also turn them into a pile of colored sparkling ashes, which can still be looted as normal.

A fully repaired laser rifle can fire 1086 bolts, about 46 full cells, before breaking.

Variants

 * Wazer Wifle, a unique variant of the AER9 that has higher damage and durability, as well as a larger magazine.
 * Metal Blaster, a unique variant of the AER9 that fires nine beams at once, while using one microfusion cell similar to the Protectron's Gaze laser pistol.
 * Tri-beam laser rifle, a variant of the AER9 that fires three high-powered beams per shot - similar to the Metal Blaster - though it requires three microfusion cells every time the trigger is pulled.


 * The Operation: Anchorage add-on includes an unused add-on-specific version of the laser rifle. It is identical to the normal laser rifle in both statistics and appearance. Its intended purpose in the add-on is unknown and it was cut from the final release, rendering it accessible only through the use of console commands.
 * A "demo" version of the laser rifle is included in Fallout 3, presumably left from the game's E3 demo. It does one point less damage per shot and less than half the critical damage than the standard variant, but has a much higher critical chance percentage. It is not used anywhere in the game and is only accessible through the use of console commands.

Locations

 * Enclave soldiers typically have laser and/or plasma weapons equipped (usually at about 1/3 condition) so plenty of laser rifles can be found inside of the Enclave Headquarters at Raven Rock.
 * Laying next to a dead Brotherhood Initiate in the north office building off of Falls Church (the one without Initiate Pek).
 * In a cabinet in the Talon Company Camp.
 * On a shelf in the Overseer's Office of Vault 92.
 * In a tent near a wrecked army truck north east of Smith Casey's Garage, guarded by a level adjusted robot, but sometimes patrolling Brotherhood Outcasts will destroy it.
 * One in a cabinet in The Family's home.
 * Can be discovered in a room next to some skeletons during the Stealing Independence quest.
 * Carried by some Talon Company mercs at higher levels.
 * Sarah Lyons carries one.
 * Brotherhood of Steel members use it.
 * Found in the equipment rooms in Vault 112, with a science skill of 75.
 * One can be found in the storage room behind an average locked door on the southwestern side of the catwalk level of the Vault 87 living quarters.
 * Willow uses the laser rifle on her patrols.

Behind the scenes

 * On the barrel, there is a warning: "Caution: laser radiation". It's also rated as a "Class 6" laser, which may be a subtle reference to the internationally used laser class rating system, which currently rates the strongest industrial lasers as "Class 4".
 * A 'clip' levelled list that remains buried and unused in both Fallout 3 and New Vegas implies that the laser rifle was originally designed with a 30 round capacity.

Sounds

 * JamVB.png
 * Wpn riflelaser jam.ogg