Line Gun
The Heavy-Duty Ore Slicer
The IM-822 Handheld Ore Cutter Line Gun was a wide-beamed mining tool built to shear apart heavy ore that lighter equipment could not cut. Survivors of the Necromorph outbreaks repurposed its broad horizontal beam and its laser mines as a weapon.
The IM-822 Handheld Ore Cutter Line Gun, known simply as the Line Gun, was a wide-beamed mining tool of the same broad family as the Plasma Cutter, built to cut heavier ore than lighter equipment could manage. Like the cutter, it was carried as an improvised weapon by survivors of the Necromorph outbreaks, including Isaac Clarke aboard the USG Ishimura. (Dead Space; Dead Space 2; Dead Space 3; Dead Space (2023))
Function and design#
The Line Gun was built for heavy cutting work. Where the Plasma Cutter was suited to softer minerals, the Line Gun was made for the heavier ore the cutter could not get through. Its primary function fired a broad horizontal beam of energy, working on the same principle as the cutter's sideways mode but across a far wider line, capable at full width of spanning around two meters, with the beam narrowing or widening to suit the space available. (Dead Space; Dead Space 2; Dead Space (2023))
Surfaces struck by the beam were left with a red-orange glow that faded after a few seconds, and pushing the tool harder shifted the beam's colour from blue toward orange, which suggests heat did the cutting. The beam traveled at a speed visible to the eye, slower than the near-instant bolt of the Plasma Cutter, and it could carry through narrow gaps or dissipate against a space too tight to pass. (Dead Space; Dead Space 2)
The mine function and use#
The Line Gun's secondary function deployed a laser device. In the 2008 game and Dead Space 2 this was a timed mine that, when it detonated, threw out a display of lasers that cut through anything nearby, a tool a miner could set amid loose rock or debris. The mine took time to arm, so it was best laid ahead of where it was needed. In the 2023 remake the secondary function was reworked into a stationary laser trap that damaged whatever crossed its beams and could be set with multiple beams to cover an area, the device recoverable afterward if it went unused. (Dead Space; Dead Space 2; Dead Space (2023))
Carried as a weapon, the Line Gun put its width to obvious use. The broad horizontal beam could pass through several Necromorphs at once and, against a charging Slasher or a Pregnant with its arms raised, could cut through both arms and the head in a single shot, which made it a favored tool for clearing a crowded corridor or for bringing down the regenerating Ubermorph when its limbs needed to be taken quickly. Its laser mines were equally hazardous to the user, and a survivor had to take care not to step into the beams of a device of his own. (Dead Space; Dead Space 2)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Line Gun in Dead Space?
- The Line Gun, fully designated the IM-822 Handheld Ore Cutter Line Gun, was a wide-beamed mining tool built to cut heavier ore than lighter equipment like the Plasma Cutter could manage. Survivors of the Necromorph outbreaks, including Isaac Clarke aboard the USG Ishimura, carried it as an improvised weapon.
- How does the Line Gun work?
- Its primary function fired a broad horizontal beam of energy that worked on the same principle as the Plasma Cutter's sideways mode but across a far wider line, spanning around two meters at full width. The beam left a fading red-orange glow on what it struck, which suggests heat did the cutting.
- What is the Line Gun's secondary function?
- The secondary function deployed a laser device. In the 2008 game and Dead Space 2 this was a timed mine that detonated in a burst of cutting lasers, while the 2023 remake reworked it into a stationary laser trap that damaged anything crossing its beams.
- Why was the Line Gun effective against Necromorphs?
- Its broad horizontal beam could pass through several Necromorphs at once, and against a charging Slasher or a Pregnant with its arms raised it could cut through both arms and the head in a single shot. This made it a favored tool for clearing crowded corridors and for quickly removing the limbs of the regenerating Ubermorph.
- How could you tell the Line Gun used heat to cut?
- Surfaces struck by the beam were left with a red-orange glow that faded after a few seconds, and pushing the tool harder shifted the beam's color from blue toward orange. Both effects pointed to heat as the cutting mechanism.
Gallery
Images via Dead Space Wiki
Sources
- GameDead Space, EA Redwood Shores, 2008
- GameDead Space (2023), Motive Studio, 2023 (remake)
- GameDead Space 2, Visceral Games, 2011
- GameDead Space 3, Visceral Games, 2013
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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