Breach Cutter

"The Breach Cutter releases directional blasts of sonically-charged plasma powerful enough to deal with most any alien in your path. Originally a mining tool, it's now been frequency-tuned to crack open flesh and bone rather than the sediment deposits it was designed for - often with quite spectacular results!"

The  is an unlockable secondary weapon used by the Engineer. Once used as a mining tool, it has since been converted into a weapon. Batteries are loaded into the top of the weapon which fire horizontally expanding plasma blades, focused by the barrel on the front of the weapon. The Breach Cutter is among the biggest weapons in the game in terms of size.

When fired the plasma blade will expand and travel as a long purple line, then close up a second and a half later. The plasma blades deal damage for every tick they come into contact with an enemy.

The plasma blades are infinitely piercing and can cleave through as many enemies as they like, as well as passing through any terrain without damage losses, allowing the user to hit targets behind walls.

Understanding the Weapon

 * Damage is the total amount of damage that is dealt over the course of one second against any enemy that is within contact of the beam.
 * Damage (per tick): 11.5
 * Damage type: Electric
 * Tick interval: 0.02s
 * Projectile Lifetime is the amount of time that the beam is able to travel before dissipating.
 * Projectile velocity: 10m/s


 * Creatures hit by the line have a x0.3 movement penalty.
 * There is a bonus of 50 Fire damage upon first contact with a creature (does not happen when Spinning Death OC is equipped).

Explosive Goodbye
Explosive Goodbye causes the Breach Cutter's shots to explode at the end of their life span, dealing 40 damage to the target. The explosion occurs once the beam has fully retracted into its epicenter or can be manually triggered by firing again (only after 0.4s of the line leaving the weapon), which will leave a plasma field that periodically damages any enemy that comes into contact and slows them (8 Fire Damage every 0.2-0.25s, and x0.8 Movement speed).

Plasma Trail
Plasma Trail causes the Breach Cutter's shot to temporarily leave a trail of plasma as it travels along in any direction, which will periodically damage any enemy that comes into contact.


 * Damage: 5
 * Damage type: Fire
 * Interval: 0.2 - 0.3 s
 * Duration: 4 seconds default duration, with an additional +0.6 seconds added only one time if any enemies either enter or leave the field.

Triple Split Line
Triple Split Line causes two extra beams to appear in parallel with every shot. Triple Split Line itself will not cause more damage to be dealt, however will increase the surface area for contact of each shot. Increased surface area means each shot can potentially deal the maximum number of damage because of how long the beam stays in contact with each creature. Increased surface area also means more contact for the shot to destroy armor.

Roll Control
Roll Control is a Clean Overclock

Return To Sender
Return To Sender is a Balanced Overclock This Overclock causes the beam to return to the point it has been shot from.

When you hold down the trigger, the plasma beam will emerge from the breach cutter like normal. When you release the trigger, the beam will reverse. This is very useful because you can deal twice the damage with one beam. If you want to spam fire or fire the weapon normally, you have to tap the trigger. This will cause the beam to continue its path until it breaks, like without the Overclock.

High Voltage Crossover
High Voltage Crossover is a Balanced Overclock
 * Electrocution Chance: 100% (4 Electric damage every 0.25s)
 * Duration: 4s

Spinning Death
Spinning Death is an Unstable Overclock This unstable overclock causes the plasma beam to spin on its y axis.

When you shoot, the plasma beam emerges and moves at 5% of the default speed (0.5m/s instead of 10 m/s). Then the beam starts spinning around its y axis very quickly and deals moderate amounts of damage to whatever is in it. The first impact bonus damage is also reduced to 0.

Inferno
Inferno is an Unstable Overclock Apart from doing damage, the line will also deal Heat every second, the Heat is 90% of the DPS value. In addition to the usual 50 Fire damage on first contact with a creature, the line will deal 75 Heat. The creatures touched by the line have a hidden DoT applied that deals 7 Heat and 7 Fire damage every 0.5 second for 5 seconds.

Mastery
Each modification that is purchased advances a mastery bar by one unit.

Mastery unlocks:
 * Three modifications – First Stripe Weapon Paintjob Icon_Skin_First_Stripe.png
 * Seven modifications – Deepcore Weapon Paintjob Icon_Skin_Deepcore.png
 * All (12) modifications – The Company Special Weapon Paintjob Icon_Skin_The_Company_Special.png

Skins
Full gallery of skins can be seen at Weapon Skins.

Trivia

 * According to the Breach Cutter's description, it was originally a mining tool used to clear sediment deposits before eventually being converted into a weapon. Mission Control remarks upon this when the weapon is unlocked, joking that Planet Hoxxes "sure does breed innovation".

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