FTL: Faster Than Light Wiki
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FTL: Faster Than Light Wiki
For the tables of all weapons, see Weapons (tables).
For the tables of weapons featured on enemy ships, see Enemy ships' weapons (tables).
For the system, see Weapon Control.

Weapons: general information[]

Weapon shots can collide with each other, or with asteroids, drones, and hacking drones. These collisions can be accidental or planned (example). Beams and ASB shots do not collide with anything. "Friendly" objects cannot collide; for example, you cannot accidentally shoot down your own drones.

Crew damage depends on the weapon type used: beams only damage crew when hitting the tile the crew is standing on, while all the other weapons do damage to everyone in the room they hit. Every 1 point of system damage from a weapon deals 15 damage to crew. Fire Bomb and Breach Bomb 1 do 30 crew damage, despite only doing 0 and 1 system damage respectively; Anti-bio Beam does 60 crew damage. On-board drones take half the regular crew damage.

Weapons are much more effective when fired in a well-timed volley. Badly-timed shots are wasted on enemy shields: the shield may regenerate before your next shot reaches them.

Different weapons also have different effects, and therefore suit different roles in combat. For example, while a Heavy Laser can be used to drop a shield bubble, it is better used for 2 system damage and a high chance of fires or a breach. Similarly, beam weapons are best used when the enemy shields are down.

The travel time of projectile weapons is affected by their position on your ship. Weapons mounted farther to the left of the screen will take longer to reach their target. The travel time is also slightly randomised, as weapons approach the enemy ship from random directions. Different weapons also have different travel speeds: for example, an Ion Blast shot moves at half the speed of a Burst Laser shot.

Missile and bomb weapons ignore shields, and can therefore be used more independently of other weapons.

The best firing order will depend on the situation. For example, an ion weapon could be fired first to help reduce shields for other weapons; or last, to switch off an enemy weapon — even a four-power weapon! Understanding how each weapon works, especially ions, will allow you to get the most out of them.

Weapon types[]

Lasers[]

Lasers are general-purpose energy weapons. Each laser shot temporarily removes a shield layer. Once all shields are down, lasers can hit rooms and deal system, hull, and crew damage.

Like any projectile, lasers can miss. They can only be shot down by Mark II Defense Drones.

Flak[]

Flak weapons fire waste debris in a shotgun-like blast. Each flak projectile temporarily removes a shield layer. Once all shields are down, flak can hit rooms and deal system, hull, and crew damage.

Flak weapons use area targeting, making them less accurate at hitting the targeted room (especially a small room). Like any projectile weapon, they can also miss. Flak can be shot down by Defense Drones (Mark I and Mark II).

Missiles[]

Missile weapons consume 1 missile ammunition each time they fire, but completely ignore shields. They deal system, hull, and crew damage in the targeted room.

Like any projectile, missiles can miss. They can be shot down by Defense Drones (Mark I and Mark II).

Bombs[]

Bombs teleport themselves directly into rooms, bypassing shields and defense drones. They cost 1 missile ammunition each time they fire, and they are the only weapons that can be fired at your own ship.

Bombs deal no hull damage, but can damage or disrupt enemy systems and crew. They can miss, but not when targeting your own ship.

Ions[]

Ion weapons disable systems by forcing power out of them. They do not damage hull, systems, or crew.

Like any projectile, ions can miss. They can only be shot down by Mark II Defense Drones.

Beams[]

Beam weapons cut across multiple rooms, allowing them to damage several systems and deal large amounts hull damage. They are the only weapons that never miss.

Beams do not deplete shield layers, and a beam's damage is reduced by 1 for each shield layer present, making them ineffective without support.

Crystals[]

Crystal weapons fire shards of crystal that pierce one layer of shield, going straight through it to damage systems, hull, and crew. When a ship has multiple shield layers, a crystal shard will deplete a layer instead (just like a laser).

Crystal shards can be shot down by Defense Drones (Mark I and Mark II).

Weapons: additional information and tools[]

Weapons timing and travel times[]

Enemy weapons timing calculator by Mike Hopley
Weapon travel times by Mike Hopley

Weapons tier lists[]

Video by Crowrevell
Spreadsheet by Holoshideim
Image by Neozar a.k.a. Argyle_Raccoon

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