Having various damage types and damage options in a game creates a sense of depth and variety in the gameplay. This greatly enhances its experience and will give players a well of choices to draw from and make them feel more invested.
Starfield has many powerful weapons that come in different types — and don’t forget about their mods. Players can use these weapons on foot and for their ships. Among the choices are Particle Weapons. Though there are only 5 particle weapons to choose from, each of these 5 options has something to offer and explore, and some of them are the best weapons in the game. Just be sure to cover all the research you need to keep them upgraded and gain access to these researched mods. You should make use of some of the best early-game weapons while aspiring to own these.
Updated by Chad Thesen on October 14, 2023: This article has been updated for the purpose of modifying existing entries to give them greater clarity and to add embedded links to similar articles. This will help in navigating readers to articles of the same nature to further enrich their experience. This includes an article about researching weapon mods and a list of all the unique weapons in the game.
5 Novalight
At the bottom of the bunch is the Novalight. This particle weapon is a particle version of a pistol and has the common features associated with such a design. This weapon has the lowest value when compared to all the other particle weapons, but that does not make it a bad weapon to have. This weapon is one of only 2 that use Light Particle Fuse Ammo.
The Novalight can deal 8 Physical Damage and 25 Energy Damage with each shot, for a total of 33 damage. It has a magazine size of 12 and a fire rate of 22, so you can get several well-placed shots off in quick succession. With a range of 30, you will need to be closer to your target than with other weapons on this list. This weapon has a base value of 4620 credits and a mass of 1.35.
4 Va’ruun Starshard
The second and last Particle Beam Pistol on this list is the Va’ruun Starshard. Like the previous entry, this weapon uses Light Particle Fuse Ammo. The Starshard deals both 26 Physical Damage and 80 Energy Damage for a total of 106 damage. This means it hits significantly harder than the Novalight with each shot fired. It has a magazine size of 12 and a fire rate of 12. This reduced fire rate means you will not be emptying your magazine as quickly as the Novalight, but once you factor in the higher damage and downtime of reloading, your shots will have a much larger DPS when comparing the two side by side.
The Starshard also has a range of 30, meaning it is best to keep closing the distance from the mid-range and favoring well-placed shots over firing a large volley from a distance. This weapon has a value of 18250 credits and a mass of 1. This means it is almost 4 times the value of the Novalight and the second most expensive gun on this list.
3 Va’ruun Inflictor
This is the first Particle Beam Rifle on this list, and the first to use Heavy Particle Fuse Ammo instead of the light variant. As expected, this weapon can outperform any of the pistols on this list, making it a better primary option while it still has ammo available. The Inflictor will deal 38 Physical Damage and 113 Energy Damage for a total of 151 damage — a significant step up from the Starshard. As they are both Va’ruun weapons, they share a very similar aesthetic.
The Inflictor has a magazine size of 20 and a fire rate of 50. This allows you to churn out plenty of damage from a larger magazine and a larger rate of fire. Bundle all of this with a range of 50, and you are able to take on enemies from further away than when using either of the previous entries. This weapon has a value of 22500 credits and a mass of 3.75, which makes it the most expensive option on this list.
2 Big Bang
The Big Bang looks more like the Novalight than any other weapon on this list. In fact, you might think this thing is some form of RPG at first glance. It is in fact, a particle beam shotgun, which means it excels at close range. The Big Bang uses Heavy Particle Fuse Ammo just like the Inflictor, meaning the two share a common pool of ammo, so regularly using both of them will drastically deplete this pool. It is best to use just one of the two with another weapon for dealing with enemies at different distances. This weapon deals 32 Physical Damage and 94 Energy Damage, for a total of 126 base damage. It also has a magazine size of 8 and a fire rate of 14.
When you factor in its short range of 20, you realize this weapon does not perform well at any range other than being up close. It has a base value of 12870 credits and a stock mass of 7. When you factor in all these lower stats and a value of almost half that of the Inflictor, you may be wondering why this weapon is ranked above the Inflictor. The reason becomes instantly obvious once you apply its use in a practical environment. Using a charge-in-and-blast everything-up-close approach makes combat go by much faster, and can even keep you safer since you aren’t allowing the enemy time to fire back. There is also a unique variant of this weapon called Jake’s Hangover Cure.
1 Eternity’s Gate
On the polar opposite end of the Big Bang is Eternity’s Gate. This is a Particle Beam Rifle that strikes a nearly identical appearance to the Va’ruun Inflictor. Just like the last two entries, this weapon uses Heavy Particle Fuse Ammo, and as such, shares the same pool of ammo. It deals 17 Physical Damage and 50 Energy Damage, for a modest total damage of 67. It has a magazine size of 20 and a fire rate of 25, just like the Inflictor. However, Eternity’s Gate has a range of 60, and its scope makes it much easier to get that perfect shot.
Eternity’s Gate is the closest thing Particle Weapons have to a sniper rifle. Using it with a long-range playstyle will not only make it easier to survive than the close-range approach with the Big Bang, but will also grant players the ability to take out an enemy squad more strategically. Even with the stock model, Eternity’s Gate a peak-performing weapon, and it continues to get better from there with the right weapon mods. Finally, this weapon has a mass of 5.10 and a value of 11249 credits, making it the second-lowest value on the list. Talk about bang for your buck!