Ever wonder what weapons in Elite Dangerous are the strongest?

These are the most powerful weapons in Elite Dangerous.

1. Beam Lasers

A beam laser rips through a poor sidewinder's defenses.

Beam lasers have the highest DPS of the three laser varieties.  They also have the highest heat generation and power consumption.  They can be very deadly if tuned and used correctly. 

What makes Beam Lasers Awesome 

• Beam lasers are awesome for PvE. They take absolutely no ammo, so you can stay out in the RESdominating NPC’s for hours at a time.
• Beam lasers are great against shields.  They’re pure thermal damage so they can melt through any shield in no time.
• They can be engineered for long range which is basically essential.  Without this beams begin to lose damage at just 600 meters. This upgrade will effectively increase your damage output by a huge margin.
• The thermal vent experimental effect is very cool...no pun intended.  If you’re using lot’s of beams your ship is almost certainly producing too much heat to function for sustained firing.  Beams with thermal vent will ice over your cockpit in seconds flat leaving you free to continue destroying your enemy.
• They have access to regeneration sequence.  If you’re going to be flying in a wing with your buddies, this upgrade will allow you to heal them up quickly and keep them in the fight.  They’ll be worshiping you like the god you are for saving their skins time after time.

How to Get Beam Lasers

Beam lasers are available at almost any station in fixed, gimbaled, and turreted varieties.  You should have no problem picking up exactly what you’re looking for anywhere in the galaxy.

2. Plasma Accelerators

A hot sun and three hot balls of plasma

Plasma Accelerators fire off rounds of plasma which will melt any enemy they come in contact with.  They’re high powered but very slow and can be difficult to aim correctly. When used correctly their alpha damage is insane.

What Makes Plasma Acclerators Awesome

• These’re a PvP commander’s best friend.  Their burst damage is outstanding. When you take on other commanders you’ll soon realize that they won’t stay in your crosshairs for more than a split second.  If you want a meta PvP weapon, then plasma accelerators are an absolute must.
• They cause 60% absolute damage which ignores armor and shield resistances.  The rest of the damage is split between thermal and kinetic. This means they can be used effectively against both shields and hulls.  No defense is too strong for plasma accelerators to smash through.
• Because they’re only available the fixed variety and their slow projectile speed makes them difficult to aim, these weapons have one of the highest skill caps in the game.  This means they’ll take a lot of practice, but their potential effectiveness is the highest in the game.

How to Get Plasma Accelerators

These weapons can be purchased at just about any station.  Just remember they’re only available in the fixed variety, so you won’t find any gimbals or turrets regardless of how hard you scour the bubble.

3. Railguns 

A pair of of rails snipe at a distant threat

These electromagnetic weapons fire a high speed projectile at their target.  They’re extremely accurate, but do have to charge briefly before each shot which can make them difficult to aim.  When they do connect with their target they’ll cause immense damage.

What Makes Railguns Awesome

• These are a go-to option for many PvP commanders.  They can deal massive damage even at long ranges. With a pair of rails, you’ll be able to snipe low health enemies attempting to flee and keep your prey from slipping through your fingers. They can be upgraded with Feedback Cascade.  This experimental effect will interfere with your opponent’s shield cell bank. When struck during deployment, the railgun will damage the shield cell bank and drastically reduce the amount of shield restored. You’ve been working hard to strip away their defenses, and this will make sure it wasn’t all for nothing!
• They produce 2/3 thermal damage and 1/3 kinetic damage.  Causing mixed damage means they’re effective against both hulls and shields.  These weapons are relevant both for engaging and finishing off your enemies.
• Because they’re only available in fixed and have to charge before each shot, their skill cap is very high.  They’ll take a lot of practice, but have the potential to be very deadly.

How to Get Railguns

Railguns are available at almost every station.  Just remember they’re only available in the fixed variety, so you won’t be able to find turrets or gimbals anywhere.

4. Guardian Gauss Cannon

An elegant mix of Human and Guardian tech

Guardian Gauss Cannons are hybrid weapons that combine Human and Guardian tech.  They’re designed to be particularly effective against Thargoids. They have a charge up time which can make them difficult to aim.  When they do connect with a Thargoid heart though the damage will be massive.

What Makes Guardian Gauss Cannons Great

• If you’re looking for a meta weapon to use against Thargoids, then look no further.  These bad boys will allow you to take on even the largest alien threats. They do generate a tremendous amount of heat, so you will definitely want to pair them with a lower heat weapon.  The amount of damage these weapons deal to Thargoids is ridiculous though and well worth the hardpoint slots.

How to get Guardian Gauss Cannons

These are not a straightforward weapon to get your hands on, but luckily once you do all the leg work they’ll be permanently unlocked.  First you’ll have to head out of the bubble to the Guardian ruin site of your choosing. You’ll want to pick a ship with a good jump range that can hold at least one SRV.  At the site you’ll need to gather enough blueprints and materials necessary for the size you are trying to unlock. Remember that the medium size will need some normal materials as well.  Once you have the resources that you need, head over to a station that has a tech broker and unlock your new Guardian weapon. Now in outfitting you’ll be able to purchase and equip the Guardian Gauss Cannon to as many ships as you’d like.

5. Chaff Launcher

A firewokrs display to keep you safe and sound

Chaff launchers are actually counter measures, but no list would be complete without them.  They’re absolutely essential for any PvP or PvE fight. When fired chaff launchers produce a bright fireworks display around your ship which will interfere with your enemy’s weapon lock.

What’s Awesome about Chaff Launchers

• They make gimballed and turreted weapons utterly useless.  With their targeting scrambled, they’ll effectively deal no damage.  Commanders can untarget your ship which allows them to fire as fixed, but the damage will be a fraction of what it would have been otherwise.  They’ll also need to reselect any subsystems they want to target.That will give you time to get in a better position and gain the upper hand. Without a Chaff Launcher you won’t stand a chance against the damage of a commander running gimballed weapons.  They’re life savers, plain and simple.

How to Get Chaff Launchers

Chaff launchers are common and inexpensive.  There really is no reason for you not to have one or even two of these equipped at all times.

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