Charge lance

Charge lance

A pulse-charged rail-assisted lance weapon. It fires a single shot at high velocity, charging it with unstable energy as it leaves the acceleration rail.

Base Stats

Type

Equipment – Weapons

Tech Level

Spacer

Weapon Class

Spacer

Market Value

1355 

Mass

8 kg

Ranged Combat

Mode

Single-Shot

Damage

30 dmg (Bullet)

Armor penetration

45%

Warm-Up

102 ticks (1.7 secs)

Cooldown

162 ticks (2.7 secs)

Range

29.9 tile(s)

Accuracy

65% - 85% - 85% - 75%

Velocity

120 (m/s)

Burst Count

1 (per burst)

DPS

6.82

Stopping power

1.5

Melee Combat

Melee Attack 1

Stock
9 dmg (Blunt)
13% AP
2.0 seconds cooldown

Melee Attack 2 

Barrel
9 dmg (Blunt)
13% AP
2.0 seconds cooldown

Melee Attack 3 

Barrel
9 dmg (Poke)
13% AP
2.0 seconds cooldown

Melee Average DPS

4.5

Melee Average AP

13%

Creation

Crafted At

Required Research

Pulse charged munitions

Skill Required

Crafting 9

Work To Make

60,000 ticks (16.67 mins)

Resources to make

60 + 3

Technical

weaponTags

Gun, SpacerGun, MechanoidGunMedium

thingSetMakerTags

RewardStandardLowFreq, RewardStandardQualitySuper

The charge lance is a heavy, single-shot ranged weapon which deals a high amount of damage per shot with commensurate AP, a longer time between shots, an above-average range and high overall accuracy.

Acquisition

Charge lances can be produced at a fabrication bench with a minimum crafting skill of 9 once the pulse charged munitions research has been completed for  60 Plasteel,  3 Advanced components and 60,000 ticks (16.67 mins) of work. Charge lances can also be found in ancient shrines or purchased from outlander and orbital combat suppliers, as well as outlander settlements.

Lancers are the only enemy in the core game to use charge lances, but they aren't dropped when the lancer dies. Therefore, there is no way to acquire charge lances from raiders in the core game. With the Royalty DLC enabled, however, Janissaries, Cataphracts, and Stellic Defenders from the Empire have a possibility to spawn with a charge lance equipped.

Analysis

The charge lance deals the highest damage per shot of all non-explosives, so has gained a reputation for dismembering and outright killing people (along with the pila and sniper rifle). It also has the highest armor penetration of all wieldable weapons, and it can stagger humans and slightly larger targets like megaspiders. Range is also above average, just below the assault rifle.

But, for an endgame weapon, the charge lance's overall DPS is actually quite low. Charge rifles only have 4 tiles less range, and outdamage the charge lance against any reasonable target. As both weapons cost the same and are unlocked from the same research, the charge rifle is the preferred option.

Moreover, the lance faces heavy competition with the assault rifle. The assault rifle has more range, and greater unarmored DPS at any range. Armor is relevant; against centipedes, charge lances end up having 17% more DPS from medium range (assuming equal quality). However, the AR is much cheaper. The range advantage allows the AR to outrange lancers and more easily kite centipedes. And, If the assault rifle is of a higher quality, then the analysis skews heavily towards the AR; it'd be roughly equal vs. armor and much better vs. unarmored.

The high damage per shot means that it can quickly dismember pawns. Not a great quality against human raiders, as higher DPS kills faster on average (through pain shock) than organ loss. However, it is an very dangerous property when used against your colony, as raiders far outnumber colonists. You can kill hundreds of raiders, but just 1 shot can permanently cripple an important colonist. As a result, lancers should be priority targets, especially before you have easy access to artificial parts. This also makes it a great hunting weapon, though a sniper rifle remains better.

Stats

Against a human target with 45% or lower armor on all layers, a normal-quality charge lance can kill with 2 hits to the torso, 1-2 hits to the head, or 1 hit to the neck or brain; cripple or destroy limbs with a single hit; and destroy eyes and digits with a single hit. It'll generally take around 3 hits (~16.6 seconds average) to incapacitate that human from pain shock. A legendary-quality charge lance can 1-shot any body part or organ in a human pawn's body, and with an armor penetration of 67.5%, can do so against even quite heavily armored targets.

A charge lance is best paired with a trigger-happy pawn at shorter ranges and a careful shooter at longer ranges. The exact range transition depends on shooting level, being as low as 4 cells at Shooting level 5 and as high as 24 cells at Shooting level 20. At its maximum range of 30 cells, a charge lance is always better in the hands of a careful shooter than a trigger-happy pawn, or one without either trait, regardless of Shooting level.

Attack table

Ranged

Charge lance			Accuracy (Touch)	Accuracy (Short)	Accuracy (Medium)	Accuracy (Long)	DPS (Optimal)	DPS (Touch)	DPS (Short)	DPS (Medium)	DPS (Long)	Market value
Quality	Dam.	AP
Awful	27	40.5%	52%	68%	68%	60%	6.14	3.19	4.17	4.17	3.68	675
Poor	30	45%	58.5%	76.5%	76.5%	67.5%	6.82	4.02	5.25	5.25	4.64	1015
Normal	30	45%	65%	85%	85%	75%	6.82	4.43	5.8	5.8	5.12	1355
Good	30	45%	71.5%	93.5%	93.5%	82.5%	6.82	4.91	6.41	6.41	5.66	1695
Excellent	30	45%	78%	100%	100%	90%	6.82	5.32	6.82	6.82	6.14	2030
Masterwork	37.5	56.25%	87.75%	100%	100%	100%	8.53	7.5	8.53	8.53	8.53	3355
Legendary	45	67.5%	97.5%	100%	100%	100%	10.23	10.03	10.23	10.23	10.23	4355

^{For the full effects of qualities, see Quality. Values shown in Red indicate the weapon is out of range at the reference point for this range band.
The value is provided due to the interpolated nature of accuracy between range points.}

Melee

Feature	Toggle
Attacks

Charge lance			Stock (Blunt)					Barrel (Blunt)					Barrel (Poke)					Human: Left & rigth fist (Blunt)					HP	Value
Quality	DPS	AP	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance	Dam.	Cool.	AP	DPS	Chance
Awful	3.98	11.6%	7.2	2s	10.4%	3.6	8.33%	7.2	2s	10.4%	3.6	8.33%	7.2	2s	10.4%	3.6	8.33%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 37.5%	100	675
Poor	4.07	11.82%	8.1	2s	11.7%	4.05	20%	8.1	2s	11.7%	4.05	20%	8.1	2s	11.7%	4.05	20%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 20%	100	1015
Normal	4.4	12.75%	9	2s	13%	4.5	25%	9	2s	13%	4.5	25%	9	2s	13%	4.5	25%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 12.5%	100	1355
Good	4.74	13.73%	9.9	2s	14.3%	4.95	25%	9.9	2s	14.3%	4.95	25%	9.9	2s	14.3%	4.95	25%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 12.5%	100	1695
Excellent	5.08	14.7%	10.8	2s	15.6%	5.4	25%	10.8	2s	15.6%	5.4	25%	10.8	2s	15.6%	5.4	25%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 12.5%	100	2030
Masterwork	5.92	17.14%	13.05	2s	18.85%	6.53	25%	13.05	2s	18.85%	6.53	25%	13.05	2s	18.85%	6.53	25%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 12.5%	100	3355
Legendary	6.59	19.09%	14.85	2s	21.45%	7.43	25%	14.85	2s	21.45%	7.43	25%	14.85	2s	21.45%	7.43	25%	8.2	2s	12%	4.1	2× 12.5%	100	4355

^{For the full effects of qualities, see Quality.}

Version history

• Beta 19 - received a slight damage buff (27 --> 30), a slight reduction in time to aim and increase in attack cooldown, leaving fire rate more or less the same. It also received a crafting recipe, allowing humans to use them.
• 1.1 - range and long range accuracy was nerfed (37 --> 30; 80% --> 75%).

• 

  Original charge lance sprite

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Breach axe • Club • Ikwa • Knife (Jade) • Spear

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Ultra

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Improvised

Beer • Elephant tusk • Thrumbo horn • Wood

Ranged | Neolithic

Greatbow • Pila • Recurve bow • Short bow • Flamebow

Medieval

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Industrial

Assault rifle • Autopistol • Bolt-action rifle • Chain shotgun • Heavy SMG • Launcher (EMP, Incendiary, Smoke, Toxbomb ) • LMG • Machine pistol • Minigun • Pump shotgun • Revolver • Sniper rifle • Hellcat rifle • Incinerator

Spacer

Charge lance • Charge rifle

Consumables

Doomsday rocket launcher • Triple rocket launcher

Throwables

EMP grenades • Frag grenades • Molotov cocktails • Tox grenades

Mechanoid

Heavy charge blaster • Inferno cannon • Needle gun • Thump cannon • Beam graser • Charge blaster turret • Hellsphere cannon • Mini-flameblaster • Mini-shotgun • Slugthrower • Spiner • Toxic needle gun

Structures

Autocannon • Mini-turret gun • Mortar (Weapon) • Uranium slug cannon • Auto-mortar • Inferno cannon (Turret) • Light charge blaster • Mini-slugger • Tactical turret gun