Plasma pistol (Fallout: New Vegas)

Plasma pistols are uncommon energy weapons that can be found and utilized in Fallout: New Vegas.

Characteristics
Plasma pistols are a powerful energy-based pistol, firing super-heated bolts of green plasma waste. These bolts are able to punch through most critters, as well as many types of armor with ease, when compared to the more commonly found and cheaper laser pistols.

Plasma pistols are a big step-up from the regular laser pistol; they deal more than twice the damage per shot, while remaining fairly accurate, and cheap to use in V.A.T.S. Furthermore, these pistols are considered an improved holdout weapon, and can be concealed so long as one's Sneak skill is 50 or greater.

However, similar to the other plasma-based weapons, plasma pistols suffer from common drawbacks, such as seen with their consummation of two energy cells with every shot, eating through ammunition at a much faster pace. Additionally, upon use, plasma pistols also suffer from a large green burst of plasma upon discharging the weapon, which partially obstructs the first-person view, and the plasma bolts travel at a very slow rate, resulting in the need to lead the shot.

A fully repaired plasma pistol can fire 746 shots, which roughly translates to around 23 magazine expenditures before breaking.

Variants
GRA plasma pistol, a customizable variant of plasma pistols.

Locations

 * Gloria Van Graff carries a plasma pistol on her person.
 * Goodsprings - occasionally sold by Chet.
 * Gun Runners - can be found on the far right back table in their workshop.
 * Hidden Valley bunker - one can be found in Paladin Hardin's room in perfect condition.
 * New California Republic Correctional Facility - Eddie carries one on his person.
 * Nipton - in the house with the Mister Gutsy prototype, located underneath the workbench just inside the front door.
 * REPCONN headquarters - one can be found lying on a desk, on the first floor behind a locked door.
 * Silver Rush, Freeside - one can be located on the display table, and another in an upstairs bedroom.
 * The Silver Rush crier carries one.

Bugs

 * Non-player characters who are given the plasma pistol will carry the correct ammunition (energy cells), but will carry drained microfusion cells instead of drained small energy cells.
 * When firing this weapon with an odd amount of ammunition, when you come to your last round (ammunition reads 1/0) you can fire a plasma bolt despite it normally taking two energy cells.