Volt Driver

"The Volt Driver dispenses high voltage, conductive copper Energy rounds that can leap between enemy targets causing damage to multiple groups of enemies."
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"The Volt Driver dispenses high voltage, conductive copper Alien rounds that can leap between enemy targets causing damage to multiple groups of enemies."
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"The Volt Driver dispenses high voltage, conductive copper Plasma rounds that can leap between enemy targets causing damage to multiple groups of enemies."
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"The Volt Driver dispenses high voltage, conductive copper Blight rounds that can leap between enemy targets causing damage to multiple groups of enemies."
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Stats
Note: The level 4 version is only available to the faction with the corresponding damage type: Altairian for Alien Damage, Umbra for Blight Damage, Pharmakon for Plasma Damage.

General
The Volt Driver shoots a projectile, which, on impact, splits into 3 subprojectiles (5 for the level IV version) evenly across 90 degrees, travelling for 4,000 m at 2,400 m/s. The subprojectiles themselves can Ricochet (Count: 2, Range: 300 m, Max Angle: 180 deg), if they hit an enemy.

Advantages
The Volt Driver combines the ricochet ability of the Glance Cannon together with the long range of a Driver Weapon. It is the perfect weapon for a Ranger Hull, and it allows them to bombard and destroy multiple foes from afar without fear of retaliation. Its projectile can split into five separate projectiles which are capable of ricocheting between each other, further multiplying the amount of damage the weapon can deal from the primary projectile itself. This is also ideal for spreading Status Effects that apply on hit.

The Ricochet ability also further allows it to attack foes from beyond the maximum range of the ship itself, allowing it to damage valuable targets such as a particularly damaged ship, or the bridge or ship factory of a base. The elemental versions add each faction's special damage type into the mix, making the highest level of the Volt Driver particularly lethal against any hull that does not have any damage resistance of that type.

It does not have a charge time, unlike the Nova Driver and Astral Driver, so it can get the first shot against enemies at long range. It also has the longest potential range without any modifiers, as its subprojectiles can reach 12,000 m away from where it was originally fired.

You can use range-extending specials such as the Beam Capacitor to increase the Energy version's targeting range beyond 8,000 m on dreadnoughts.

Disadvantages
The Volt Driver's damage is packed into a single shot, and thus there is a tendency for ships to overcommit the amount of damage, especially towards hulls that are already on the verge of being destroyed. The Volt Driver is also the first energy weapon to have a minimum range, and thus enemy ships can take advantage of its blind spot to blow away ships with this weapon from close range. This minimum range also makes the weapon equally unsuited to be placed on ships such as fighters or titans.

The damage from this weapon can be further mitigated using resistances from resistors or armor, and the weapon is also locked to Tier 8 Hulls only, and the elemental variants to their respective factions.

Trivia

 * The Volt Driver deals 100% DPS for the primary projectile and 7.7%/6.9%/6.0%/3.0% for each secondary projectile, resulting in a total of 123%/121%/118%/115% DPS (by level, not counting ricochets).