Welcome to the Best Cannons of FreeSpace 2 section. Zarathud started comparing the weapons in FreeSpace 2 to determine, based on the specifications, what is the "best" choice of firepower for various situations. Be warned, these weapon choices may not fit into your dogflighting technique. When push comes to shove, forget the statistics and choose the gun that's right in your experience. But if you're looking for which weapons will help you do a better job by the numbers, then you need to look no further.

Standard Cannons
In a heated dogfight, you want a weapon that will make every shot count. The following weapons will do the most damage with each shot.

Most Damage to Hull, Per Shot

1. Kayser - 28.0/ea
2. Prometheus Standard - 27.0/ea
3. Maxim - 26.0/ea

Most Damage to Shields, Per Shot

1. Circe - 45.0/ea
2. Prometheus Standard - 30.0/ea
3. Kayser - 25.2/ea

Most Damage to Hull and Shields, Per Shot

1. Prometheus Standard - 57.0/ea
2. Kayser - 53.2/ea
3. Circe - 45.0/ea

Cannons are a great primary weapon, with an infinite supply so long as your energy holds out.  Calculated on the number of damage per second, the best standard cannons are listed as follows:

Most Damage to Hulls, Per Second

1. Maxim - 173.3/s
2. Kayser - 112.0/s
3. Prometheus Standard - 77.1/s

Most Damage to Shields, Per Second

1. Circe - 112.5/s
2. Kayser - 100.8/s
3. Prometheus Standard - 85.7/s

Most Damage to Hull and Shields, Per Second

1. Kayser - 212.8/s
2. Maxim - 199.9/s
3. Prometheus Standard - 162.8/s

The above results aren't too suprising, after all, the Maxim is listed as an anti-hull cannon and the Circe is classified as an anti-shield weapon. Based on solely damage per second, the Kayser/Maxim combination looks very tempting.

However, one thing in common for the above weapons is that they drain a significant amount of energy. That energy could be diverted to your shields and thrusters, which are also critical in most situations. On fighters with a significant number of primary weapon slots, pilots using the above weapons will typically find themselves running low on energy. Sometimes, it's more important to efficiently use your energy to cause damage, so that you can come home in one piece. Based on damage per unit of energy, these weapons performed highest:

Most Efficient Cannons, Damage Per Energy Unit

1. Menku - 680/unit
2. Subach - 600/unit
3. Maxim - 199.9/unit

This should give everyone a little pause before loading up on the highly inefficient, but powerful, Kayser and Prometheus Standard. The Menku and Subach have an extremely high fire rate, which makes them around three times as powerful as a Prometheus standard in the overall damage per second. If you're not as accurate or prefer to spray the area, then the Menku and Subach are very sensible weapon choices.

Dogfight Cannons
The dogfight cannons have been "balanced" to create a more level playing field for dogfight missions. This gives us another category of weapons to choose, and the overall results are very suprising. First, let's see how the weapons were balanced based on damage.

Most Damage to Hulls, Per Shot

1. Kayser - 16.8/ea
2. Mekhu - 16.8/ea
3. Maxim - 16.0/ea
4. Prometheus - 16.0/ea

Most Damage to Shields, Per Shot

1. Prometheus - 20.0/ea
2. Mekhu - 18.0/ea
3. Kayser - 25.2/ea

Most Damage to Hull and Shields, Per Shot

1. Prometheus - 36.0/ea
2. Mekhu - 34.8/ea
3. Kayser - 33.6/ea

Calculated on the number of damage per second, the best dogfight cannons are listed as follows:

Most Damage to Hulls, Per Second

1. Mekhu - 112/s
2. Maxim - 106.6/s
3. Subach - 75/s

Most Damage to Shields, Per Second

1. Mekhu - 120/s
2. Subach - 75/s
3. Prometheus - 66.6/s

Most Damage to Hull and Shields, Per Second

1. Mekhu - 232/s
2. Subach - 150/s
3. Maxim - 133.2/s

The above results are quite suprising in comparison with our first results. However, it is important to remember that quite a few of the specialized tactical cannons, such as the Circe, do not have "dogfight versions" and, thus, are not included in the above list. The Mekhu and Subach weapons look to be the best choice for dogfights due to their high fire rate.

But did the energy efficiency of these weapons change? The only way to be certain was to run the numbers. Based on damage per unit of energy, these weapons performed highest:

Most Efficient Cannons, Damage Per Energy Unit

1. Mekhu - 1160/s
2. Subach - 750/s
3. Maxim - 299.75/s

Again, the Mekhu, Subach and Maxim are the most efficient weapons. Compare the massive damage per energy unit of the Mekhu, which is nearly 50% more than the Subach. Both completely surpass any other weapon by more than 250%. That's an impressive variance, one which makes me suggest the Subach or Mekhu to everyone playing dogfight missions.

And remember, always choose the weapon that is best suited for your piloting style. The above weapons lists are a guide only, they won't guarantee you a better score. The task of lining up and shooting the target is yours. The best I can do is guide you to some of the statistically better weapons that are available.

I hope that you found the above results as interesting as I did. Don't believe my numbers? Well, you can check them against the Weapons Statistics Chart in the FRED 2 Help section. Let me know if I've made any errors or omissions.

Back to FreeSpace 2 Weapons Section