Pulse Ray

"The Pulse Ray is a popular Energy weapon for small ships, thanks to a simple and affordable design. Most effective at close range."

General
The Pulse Ray is the most basic ship weapon, with the first tier already unlocked at the start of the game. Higher-level Pulse Rays take longer to reload but pack a stronger punch.

It fires a small yellow bolt at targets, similar to typical laser weapons common in many science fiction genres. Like most Energy weapons, Pulse Rays home in towards their target with perfect accuracy.

Advantages
Pulse Rays have the best mass efficiency out of all beginner weapons, allowing them to deal the most damage in combat.

They are also the only beginner weapon capable of tracking their targets, making them very reliable.

Disadvantages
Pulse Rays lack range, forcing your ships to close in before attacking - meaning other ships will have an opportunity to land the first strike. While Scatter Missiles and Rail Drivers have less firepower, they can open fire first in battle.

Pulse Rays are also quickly succeeded by Disruptor Rays, which are stronger and more mass-efficient.

Trivia

 * The reload time varies by level: 0.6 s, 1.0 s, 1.6 s, 2.0 s, 2.6 s
 * The Pulse Ray was once called the Pulse Laser.