Fusion Ball Launcher

The Fusion Ball Launcher is available after research is completed on the Blaster Launcher and Blaster Bomb.

Fusion Balls are without a doubt the most devasting weapon available for use on X-COM craft. They also have the greatest range of any X-COM craft weapon, standing at 65 km.

However, the drawbacks associated with Fusion Balls far outweigh the advantages. There is only enough room on each hardpoint to load two fusion balls into the launcher, for a total of four shots. Against most UFOs this is more than adequate, but against alien Battleships your craft will likely run out of ammunition before bringing it down.

The other major drawback is the outstanding range of the weapon, believe it or not. Even though it has the greatest range of all other craft weapons, it is equal to the range of the main weapon on an alien Battleship. Given that the next best craft weapon (the Plasma Beam) can outrange all other UFOs except Battleships, has a greater number of shots per use and a much faster reload time, there is no practical advantage to using Fusion Balls as a craft weapon.

Quite apart from all of that, the manufacture of Fusion Balls for use with the launcher requires Elerium-115, a very rare and valuable resource. Each Fusion Ball manufactured requires 4 Elerium units.

Manufacturing Requirements