SWS Motorized Pulse Rifle

The SWS Motorized Pulse Rifle was a military-grade, triple-barreled, rapid-fire service rifle and the standard arm of the Marines of the Earth Defense Force. Built for the close confines of shipboard combat, it was also carried widely by EarthGov security, corporate security officers and even civilians, which made it one of the most common weapons in the hands of survivors during the Necromorph outbreaks. (Dead Space; Dead Space 2; Dead Space 3)

Design and operation#

The Pulse Rifle was a triple-barreled weapon that discharged ultra-low caliber rounds, each carrying a tremendous amount of kinetic energy. The rounds were designed to squash, or mushroom, on impact, transferring their energy into the target and causing severe localized trauma. The effect was immediate against unarmored victims, liquefying soft tissue and fracturing bone; those not killed outright were left incapacitated by grievous wounds and hydrostatic shock. (Dead Space; Dead Space 2)

The low caliber of the rounds made the rifle particularly well suited to fighting aboard ships and stations, as they lacked the penetrative power to rupture a hull. The same quality limited the weapon against hardened threats, since the rounds simply bounced off the mining suits still worn by some Slasher Necromorphs and the chitinous armor of Brutes. The stock may well have held kinetic shock absorbers, since users experienced little to no recoil even during sustained fire. When reloaded, the rifle's entire front end hinged forward to eject the spent cartridge before a fresh one was seated. (Dead Space; Dead Space 2)

Variants and the Pulse Pistol#

Several variants of the SWS Motorized Pulse Rifle appeared across the outbreaks. Though they shared an identical primary mode of fire, they were distinguished by their secondary functions: one model could turn its three barrels outward to spray fire in all directions around the user, another fired charged flechette blasts in a wider configuration, another launched high-explosive grenades against clustered targets, and the model in the 2023 remake could place its grenades as proximity charges that detonated when enemies drew near. (Dead Space; Dead Space: Extraction; Dead Space 2; Dead Space (2023))

A miniaturized single-barrel version of the weapon, the SWS Pulse Pistol, was also produced. It used the same or very similar components as the rifle, including its firing mechanism, trigger, hammer and grip. The Pulse Pistol was carried by Kendra Daniels and by P.C.S.I. security personnel. (Dead Space; Dead Space (2023))