Starfield: Best Particle Beam (PAR) ship weapons, ranked

Shred hull and shields with these weapons.

A ship sits at a dock at New Atlantis in Starfield.
Screenshot by Dot Esports

In Starfield, your spaceship’s weapons are your first and only line of defense against the various hostile Spacers and Starborn that you will likely encounter while traveling across the Settled Systems. Particle Beam weapons are the single best tools in your ship’s arsenal, though it can be difficult to decipher the best particle weapons to equip.

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Whereas ballistic ship weapons are better suited for knocking down hull health and energy weapons can quickly deplete shields, particle beam weapon modules deal equal amounts of damage to both health bars. This equal distribution of damage makes particle beams the single best weapon system in Starfield, as less energy needs to be devoted to your weapon systems.

Below is our list of the best particle beam weapons in Starfield.

The best Particle Beam Ship Weapons in Starfield

3) PB-175 Helion Beam

Image of the Starfield ship builder menu showing the Helion particle weapon on a ship.
The PB-175 Helion is an excellent choice for range and power | Screenshot by Dot Esports

The PB-175 Helion Beam is a massive damage dealer that can shred through both hulls and shields with 29 damage to both systems. It also boasts an impressive range of 3,000, meaning that you can likely start dishing out damage to your enemies before they can get a shot off at you.

My only personal issue with the PB-175 is the rather low rate of fire. At only 2.5, it has a slightly slower-than-average rate of fire. Despite the fact that it makes up for this lower stat in damage-per-shot, the sheer DPS found from the other options on this list quickly outpaces the PB-175 Helion.

2) Obliterator 250MeV Alpha Beam

Image of the Starfield ship builder menu displaying a Obliterator weapon on a ship.
The Obliterator is a massive damage dealer, though with a slow fire rate | Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Obliterator does just as the name suggests. It can completely obliterate enemy ships with a massive 55 damage on hulls and shields. This Light Scythe module requires slightly more ship power than the normal particle beam; however, the extra energy is worth it if you want its sheer power.

Throughout most of the end game in Starfield, the Obliterator was my primary ship weapon and I found very little use for the other weapon systems on my custom ship. Once again, the rate of fire on this weapon is low, however, you are hard-pressed to find a weapon module with more power than this, outside of missile launchers.

1) Vanguard Obliterator Autoprojector

Image of the Starfield ship builder menu showing the Vanguard Obliterator.
You can unlock the Vanguard Obliterator with the Vanguard quest chain | Screenshot by Dot Esports

The Vanguard Obliterator is simply unmatched when it comes to particle weapon systems. You might notice that it deals significantly less damage than the previous additions on this list. But its staggeringly high rate of fire makes it the best option. With a 6.65 fire rate, it can deplete enemy shields and health in a matter of moments.

The Vanguard Obliterator also offers the lowest energy cost for any particle beam weapon on this list as well, requiring only 20 percent power. This means that you can invest more of your ship’s energy into shields or movement to make you a fast and deadly opponent for enemy vessels.

Author
Image of Blaine Polhamus
Blaine Polhamus
Staff Writer for Dot Esports. Avid gamer for two decades and gaming writer for three years. I'm a lover of anything Souls-like since 2011. I cover everything from single-player RPGs to MMOs.