Changes: Laser Blade

Revision as of 23:01, 1 December 2010

Laser Blades are weapons that can be affixed to the arm units of Armored Cores. Blades usually fall into two categories; long and weak or short and strong, however, some exceptions do exist. Crafts that use Laser Blades are often designed for speed and quick turning, as they are required to close quarters against enemies who often use ranged weapons, often combining the strongest laser blade with the longest reach.

The Moonlight series of Laser Blades serves as a fixture of the Armored Core Series, and has appeared in every game to date. Currently, as of Armored Core: For Answer, its newest form is the Rayleonard-manufactured 07-Moonlight. Moonlight blades are usually blue or purple and have both a high attack power, and a long range at a cost of heavy weight.

Until Armored Core 4, Laser Blades could only be fixed to the left arm. Since Armored Core 4, laser blades have been capable of being equipped on both arms. This has made AC's designed purely for blading become more popular with players, usually light in weight allowing for high speed to counter the limiled range.

Function

95956420091023790screen — Moonlight laser blade in Armored Core 3

As its name implies, the Laser Blade is a sword like laser weapon attached to the left arm (up until Armored Core 4 and For Answer) designed to deal moderate to high levels of damage in close quarters. They also serve as an effiicient way to take on other Armored Cores as well as lesser enemies with no ammunition cost.

The Laser Blade is unique in that it lasts for barely a second when activated, only long enough for an AC to make a sweeping striking, and fading almost immediately. All Laser Blades operate in this manner no matter how strong or weak they are.

Another unique aspect of the Laser Blade is that when it is activated, the AC is automatically boosted forward a short distance, separating it completely from the parrying blade in terms of effectiveness; this acts as a form of "lock on" and makes the Laser Blade a reasonably accurate weapon when used correctly. Some Laser Blades also carry a "secondary" mode called wave blading, in which the blade launches a "wave" of energy that heads in the direction the blade is activated in. This increases its use from only short to medium range capablity.

This ability was demonstrated in the first Armored Core after obtaining HUMAN-PLUS and in later games OP-INTENSIFY. By Last Raven, All Laser Blades share this function when boosting forward before using the Laser Blade. Armored Core 4 and For Answer does not have the wave blade function.

Another capability of the laser blade was later seen in Armored Core 4 and Armored Core: For Answer that allowed it to not only penetrate Primal Armor, but also take away large chunks of it, weakening a NEXTs defense.

List of Laser Blades

Introduced in Armored Core

LS-2001
LS-200G
LS-3303
LS-99 MOONLIGHT

Introduced in Armored Core: Master of Arena

LS-1000W

Introduced in Armored Core 2

Emeraude ELS-2772
Emeraude ELS-3443
Zio Matrix ZLS-400/SL
Zio Matrix ZLS-T/100
Balena LS-MOONLIGHT

Introduced in Armored Core 2: Another Age

Emeraude ELS-7880

Introduced in Armored Core 3

Crest CLB-LS-1551
Mirage MLB-LS/003
Crest CLB-LS-2551
Kisaragi KLB-TLS-SOL
Mirage MLB-MOONLIGHT

Introduced in Armored Core 3: Silent Line

Crest CLB-LS-3771
Mirage MLB-HALBIRD

Introduced in Armored Core: Nexus

Crest CR-WL69LB
Mirage WL01LB-ELF
Crest CR-WL79LB2
Crest CR-WL88LB3
Mirage YWL03LB-TAROS
Mirage WL14LB-ELF2
Mirage WL-MOONLIGHT
Kisaragi FUHJIN
Kisaragi RAIJIN

Introduced in Armored Core: Last Raven

Crest CR-WL06LB4
Mirage YWL16LB-ELF3

Introduced in Armored Core 4

Omer Science Technology EB-0600

Omer Science Technology EB-0305

Rayleonard 02-DRAGONSLAYER

Rayleonard 07-MOONLIGHT

Trivia

Laser Blades first came into use on Battle MTs, and were later developed furthere to be used on ACs.
In Armored Core: For Answer, an Arms Fort produced by ORCA was shown to be able to use massive laser blades that swept around and could eliminate an NEXT in a single strike.
The MOONLIGHT is one of the few weapons that has been in every single title without a name change; It boasts both impressive blade range and usually has the highest attack power.
The laser blades in AC4 and ACFA are noticeable in that the distance in which the AC is boosted is enormous in comparison to older games. Whereas older versions propelled the AC a short distance, A NEXT wielded laser blade could (with the right Boosters and enough energy) propel them across the map if held long enough.
Solid blades have also been present in later Armored Core games, having an even higher attack power with no energy cost, but a shorter range and limited use.

@@ Line 86: / Line 86: @@
+*Laser Blades first came into use on Battle MTs, and were later developed furthere to be used on ACs.
-*In Armored Core 3, Certain MT's were shown to equip laser blades as well, albeit weaker
-*In Armored Core: For Answer, an Arms Fort produced by ORCA was shown to be able to use massive laser blades that swept around and could eliminate an NEXT in a single strike.
+*In [[Armored Core: For Answer]], an [[Arms Fort]] produced by [[ORCA]] was shown to be able to use massive laser blades that swept around and could eliminate an NEXT in a single strike.
+*The [[MOONLIGHT]] is one of the few weapons that has been in every single title without a name change; It boasts both impressive blade range and usually has the highest attack power.
-*Almost every single boss who used an AC utilized a laser blade (discounting the pulverizers, who had spear/sword like arms).
+*The laser blades in AC4 and ACFA are noticeable in that the distance in which the AC is boosted is enormous in comparison to older games. Whereas older versions propelled the AC a short distance, A NEXT wielded laser blade could (with the right [[Boosters]] and enough energy) propel them across the map if held long enough.
-*The MOONLIGHT is one of the few weapons that has been in every single title without a name change.
-*Why the laser blade can only be used for a second or so is never explained, but it is inferred through gameplay that leaving it on for prolonged periods would drain energy massively.
-*The laser blades in AC4 and ACFA are noticeable in that the distance in which the AC is boosted is enormous in comparison to older games. Whereas older versions propelled the AC a short distance, A NEXT wielded laser blade could(with the right [[Boosters]] and enough energy) propel them across the map if held long enough.
-* Throughout the Armored Core series, different types of laser blades have been differently coloured, allowing them to be identified easier.
 *Solid blades have also been present in later Armored Core games, having an even higher attack power with no energy cost, but a shorter range and limited use.
 [[Category:Equipment]]