Weapon Mechanics

As a first-person shooting game, PlanetSide 2 has a slew of in-depth mechanics that dictate the firing characteristics of every gun in-game to give them unique firing mechanics to each other. Below, every stat relevant to infantry weaponry is explained in detail.

Fire Rate
Measured in rounds per minute (RPM), fire rate is the theoretical, average number of rounds a weapon can fire in one minute if it had infinite ammunition. This stat ignores a weapon's magazine size or heat capacity, and for non-automatic weapons, it assumes the trigger is pulled as fast as the weapon can theoretically fire.

Internally, PlanetSide 2 uses refire time to dictate a weapon's fire rate. A weapon that lists a fire rate of 600 RPM, for instance, has a refire time of 100ms, meaning there is a space of 100 milliseconds between each round fired if the weapon is fired at its maximum potential fire rate.

Single-shot weapons like tank cannons derive their fire rate from their reload speed.

Muzzle Velocity
The speed of the bullet, in meters per second (m/s). Bullets fired from a weapon with a muzzle velocity of 500m/s take 1 second to travel 500 meters and 2 seconds to travel 1000 meters, as an example.

Several attachments can affect the muzzle velocity of attached weapons, either positively or negatively.

Gravity
Though typically identical for all infantry weaponry, a weapon's (hidden) gravity statistic affects how much its projectiles drop while travelling. Most weaponry available to the Vanu Sovereignty have a gravity of 0—their bullets do not drop while travelling.

Rocket Launchers
Certain rocket launchers have their muzzle velocity vary based on their fire mode, as well as over time after being fired. Rocket launchers with the capability of locking onto targets, such as the Hawk GD-68, will accelerate from their starting muzzle velocity up to a much higher velocity if fired with a successful lock.

ADS Move Speed Multiplier
The multiplier applied to your movement speed when aiming down sights. Most weaponry have a multiplier of 0.5x, causing the user to move at 50% their walking speed when aiming, though some weapons have a multiplier of 0.75x allowing the player to move at 75% walking speed instead.

Damage
The damage dealt to a standard infantry target. This number exclusively describes the damage dealt to normal infantry, it does not factor in the resistances that many targets have.

Many vehicles, as well as MAXes and infantry with Nanoweave Armor, take reduced or increased damage from most weaponry.

See Vehicle armor and damage resistance for more in-depth information.

Multipliers
Depending on the area hit, infantry take increased or reduced damage from bullets as well. Various weapons also have different multipliers for headshot damage.

Head

 * 2.5x (250% damage) — NSX Tomoe, NSX-A Sesshin
 * 2.25x (225% damage) - SR-200
 * 2.1x (210% damage) — Most bolt-action Sniper Rifles
 * 2.0x (200% damage) — All other unlisted weaponry, C85 Canister, M12 Kobalt
 * 1.5x (150% damage) — Knives, Shotguns, NC MAX Shotguns, NC08 Mag-Scatter, S12 Renegade, NC05 Jackhammer, T7 Mini-Chaingun, NS-AM7 Archer and Hunter QCX
 * 1.0x (normal damage) — Rocket Launchers, MAX Anti-Vehicle, most vehicle ordnance and other explosives

Other

 * 1.0x (normal damage) — Body shots
 * 0.9x (90% damage) — Leg shots
 * 0.8x (80% damage) — Body shots with nanoweave
 * 0.72x (72% damage) — leg shots with nanoweave ? (testing required)

Indirect Damage
The damage dealt in the immediate area surrounding an explosion. Typically does less damage the further away the victim is.

If the explosive directly hits the target and explodes, indirect damage is dealt alongside the direct damage if the target is vulnerable to it.

All vehicles are immune to indirect damage dealt by most explosives, barring Anti-Vehicle Grenades, C-4, and Tank Mines. Aircraft are vulnerable to indirect damage dealt by flak explosions such as that from a Skyguard, and it will typically be the only damage they receive from such weaponry.

Reload Speed
The short reload of a weapon is the time taken, in seconds, for the magazine to be replaced if there was at least one round left in the chamber when it was initiated. It is typically shorter from the long reload.

The long reload of a weapon is the time taken, in seconds, for the magazine to be replaced if all rounds were emptied from the gun. Internally, this is the weapon's reload time plus a "chamber time".

Only the short reload time must pass before rounds are added to the magazine, even if a long reload has been incurred. Once this time has passed, the user can put away their weapon (such as by changing to another piece of equipment or using Quick Melee) and, when they equip that weapon again, the magazine will be refilled even if the animation was not passed.

Ammunition Pool
The number of rounds, in reserve, the given weapon has. If this number reaches zero, the weapon cannot be reloaded.

This can be replenished at an Ammunition Package for infantry weaponry, a Ammo Dump Tower for ground vehicle weaponry, or a Landing Pad for aircraft weaponry.

It can also be increased through various upgrades, such as Ammunition Belt.

Magazine Size
The number of rounds in the weapon's magazine. This number simply measures the amount of shots that can be fired without requiring a reload. If the magazine size reaches zero, a long reload is forced.

If the ammunition pool is empty, the magazine cannot be replenished.

Heat
Heat is a unique ammunition mechanic, available mainly to turret emplacements, support tools, and select Vanu weaponry.

A weapon with a heat-based ammo pool generates heat per shot and has a heat capacity, heat recovery rate, heat recovery delay and overheat penalty.

Heat Capacity
The raw amount of heat the weapon can generate before overheating. If the heat recovery delay is allowed to pass, this will begin to dissipate at the rate dictated by the weapon's heat recovery rate. If the weapon generates heat that causes it to exceed its capacity, it will suffer the overheat penalty.

If the heat capacity is below maximum and the weapon has not suffered the overheat penalty, it can be fired at any time even if the heat is currently dissipating.

Heat per Shot
Every time a heat-based weapon fires, it generates heat that is added to the heat capacity. This varies from weapon to weapon, and it will always be the same for that weapon. If the heat generated would cause the heat capacity to overfill, the overheat penalty is incurred.

Heat Recovery Rate
After the heat recovery delay has been waited out, or the overheat penalty has been passed, the weapon will begin to cool down and lose heat at the heat recovery rate, per second. This varies from weapon to weapon.

Heat Recovery Delay
If the weapon is not fired for the heat recovery delay, measured in seconds, then the weapon will begin to dissipate heat at the heat recovery rate. Every time the weapon is fired, this delay must be incurred again.

This delay is ignored when an overheat penalty is incurred, as that is suffered instead.

Overheat Penalty
If the weapon's heat capacity is met or exceeded, the weapon will suffer an overheat penalty. After a relatively lengthy delay, the weapon will begin to cool at the heat recovery rate, though cannot be fired until the heat capacity is fully emptied.

Example
The Betelgeuse 54-A has a heat capacity of 1000. It generates 20 heat per shot, with a heat recovery delay of 0.5 seconds and a heat recovery rate of 240. The overheat penalty is 3.28 seconds.

If the weapon is fired 12 times consecutively, it will have generated 240 heat. After a 0.5s delay, the weapon will begin to cool at a rate of 240 heat per second. After 1 second, the heat capacity will return to zero.

If the weapon is fired 50 times consecutively, it will have generated 1000 heat. This incurs the overheat penalty. After 3.28 second delay, the weapon will begin to cool at a rate of 240 heat per second, and cannot be fired until the heat capacity reaches zero. After about 7.4 seconds, the heat capacity will return to zero.

Cone of Fire
The cone of fire is a theoretical cone that extends from the centre of your screen. It dictates the area that your bullets may go when fired, though the exact location the bullet will go is entirely random.

The cone of fire is dictated by many factors, such as your movement state, your stance and how many shots you have fired recently. Unless the weapon being used is a carbine, jumping will automatically cause the cone of fire to maximise.

Hip Accuracy
The hip accuracy of a weapon dictates the base cone of fire when the weapon is not aiming down sight. This is typically larger than the aim accuracy of the weapon in the same stance. Hip accuracy is affected by the user standing, crouching and moving.

Aim Accuracy
The aim accuracy of a weapon dictates the base cone of fire weapon the weapon is aiming down the sight. This is typically smaller than the hip accuracy of the weapon in the same stance. Aim accuracy is affected by the user standing, crouching and moving.

Bloom per Shot
The bloom per shot dictates the increase of the cone-of-fire with each shot fired. This varies on most weaponry based on whether or not the user is aiming or crouching, though is not affected by movement.

Maximum Cone of Fire
At a certain size, the cone of fire will stop increasing via the bloom. This is the maximum cone of fire, and also varies based on your movement state and stance.

Recoil
The amount of "kick" weapon have, represented by degrees in angle, generally more recoil means more crosshair bounce.

Vertical Recoil
When most weapons fire, the gun will recoil upwards. The angle, in degrees, at which the weapon will kick is shown by the vertical recoil stat.

Horizontal Recoil Min/Max
When most weapons fire, the gun will recoil sideway. The angle, in degrees, at which the weapon will kick is shown by the horizontal recoil min and horizontal recoil max stats.

Horizontal Recoil Tolerance
The horizontal recoil tolerance dictates the amount of times the horizontal recoil can kick a weapon in one direction. This is measured in degrees

To put it simply, the gun can recoil no further than half of the gun's horizontal recoil tolerance, in degrees, in a single direction before it must recoil the other way. For instance, Gun X has a horizontal recoil tolerance of 0.6. If the gun recoils to the right twice with a horizontal recoil of 0.2, which is 0.4 degrees, it will exceed the horizontal tolerance (half of 0.6, which is 0.3 degrees) and the next shot will recoil to the left.

''For further reading, visit Iridar's horizontal recoil tolerance explanation. ''

Recoil Angle Min/Max
As well as horizontal and vertical recoil, the recoil angle dictates which direction the weapon will be biased in recoiling towards in the horizontal plane. If the min and max recoil angles can be added to come to zero, there will be no bias and the weapon will be just as likely to go left as right. However, if the angles add to a positive then the gun will far more likely to recoil right, and vice versa for a negative.

''For further reading, visit Iridar's recoil angle explanation. ''

Horizontal Recoil Bias
Horizontal recoil bias is not actually an in-game stat, rather a largely simplified explanation of the gun's recoil angles and which horizontal direction the recoil will be biased towards.

Recoil Decrease
Measured in degrees per second, the recoil decrease shows how fast your gun will return to the initial firing position after the trigger is released.

First Shot Recoil Multiplier
Most weapons will have a larger or smaller amount of vertical recoil on the first shot fired. The first shot recoil multiplier displays the multiplier applied to the recoil of the first shot of any given burst from the weapon. If the multiplier is 1.8x, the gun's vertical recoil will be 180% of the normal value on the first shot.

The multiplier can be less than 1, reducing recoil on the first shot fired (such as on the SABR-13), will not affect subsequent shots in a burst or during full-auto fire, and can be incurred several times per magazine via burst firing or semi-auto fire.