Geth Plasma Shotgun: Arcing Cluster Weapon
A Three-Barreled Geth Energy Shotgun
The Geth Plasma Shotgun was a three-barreled geth weapon that fired clusters of superconducting projectiles. On impact the rounds fragmented and arced with electricity, flash-converting the surrounding air into conductive plasma to overload shields and barriers and inflict massive trauma on the unarmored.
The Geth Plasma Shotgun was a three-barreled geth weapon that fired miniature but potent cluster rounds of superconducting projectiles. With a longer reach than standard shotguns and a charge-and-release firing mode that electrified its rounds, it overloaded kinetic shields and biotic barriers and inflicted massive trauma on unarmored targets. (Mass Effect 2: Firepower Pack)
Design#
The weapon was built around three barrels that fired in concert, launching miniature but potent cluster rounds rather than a conventional spread of pellets. The projectiles were superconducting, and the design gave the weapon a longer effective range than standard shotguns, a deliberate departure from the close-quarters role such weapons usually filled. Its two-stage trigger system was central to its function: a wielder could draw on quick-fire capacitors for rapid shots, or charge the weapon and release it to electrify the projectiles as they exited the barrels, trading speed for a far heavier blow. (Mass Effect 2: Firepower Pack)
The effect on impact was distinctive. As the rounds struck a target they fragmented, and electricity arced between the scattered pieces, flash-converting the surrounding air into conductive plasma. The combination of kinetic impact, intense heat, and electrical discharge made the weapon especially destructive, overwhelming defenses and tissue alike in a single shot. (Mass Effect 2: Firepower Pack)
Effect and use#
The Geth Plasma Shotgun was at its most effective against energy defenses. The arcing plasma it generated readily overloaded kinetic shields and biotic barriers, and against unarmored targets the same discharge caused massive trauma. Its longer reach meant it could be brought to bear in engagements where a conventional shotgun would have been useless, blurring the line between a close-assault weapon and a mid-range one. (Mass Effect 2: Firepower Pack)
As a product of geth engineering, the weapon was fielded by the synthetics in their own campaigns, and the heavier Geth Hunter platforms were known to carry and exploit it, using its charge-and-release mode to deliver devastating ambush shots. In the wider galaxy it circulated as a prized and uncommon piece of geth technology, valued for the sheer stopping power packed into its compact, arcing rounds. (Mass Effect 2: Firepower Pack; Mass Effect 3)
Frequently asked questions
- What was the Geth Plasma Shotgun?
- The Geth Plasma Shotgun was a three-barreled geth weapon that fired miniature but powerful cluster rounds of superconducting projectiles. It had a longer effective range than standard shotguns and could either fire quickly or be charged for a heavier electrified shot.
- How did the Geth Plasma Shotgun work?
- A two-stage trigger allowed the wielder to fire quickly using its capacitors or to charge and release a shot that electrified the projectiles as they left the barrels. As the rounds struck a target they fragmented, and electricity arced between the pieces, flash-converting the surrounding air into conductive plasma.
- What was the Geth Plasma Shotgun effective against?
- The combined impact, heat, and electrical charge overloaded kinetic shields and biotic barriers and caused massive trauma to unarmored targets. Its unusual reach for a shotgun let it remain effective at ranges where conventional shotguns fell off.
Sources
- GameMass Effect 2: Firepower Pack, BioWare, 2010
- GameMass Effect 3, BioWare, 2012
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
Followed from this entry
Geth
The geth were a race of networked artificial intelligences built by the quarians as laborers. When they gained sentience and questioned their makers, the quarians tried to exterminate them; the geth won the resulting Morning War and withdrew behind the Perseus Veil to build their own future.
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Kinetic barriers, commonly called shields, were repulsive mass effect fields projected from small emitters to deflect fast-moving objects. They protected starships and infantry alike from mass accelerator fire while leaving slow movement and ordinary contact untouched.
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