Cutting Beam

A Cutting Beam is the primary weapon of the starships used by the NOT-Squats called the Demiurg. It is basically a giant HYLas laser weapon, possibly the largest one of its category, mounted spinally on both the Bastion-class Commerce Vessel and the Stronghold-class Commerce Vessel.

Cutting Beam.

Overview

The Cutting Beam is used primarily to drill and blast apart asteroids to get into the juicy beats. It is similar to the Lascutter by function, just on an obviously much larger scale. Despite being a laser weapon, the Cutting Beam is actuall short-ranged, which is weird since one of the advantages of a laser weapon is due to its literal light-speed ranges.

Although it is primarily a civilian tool, the Demiurg are known to use it as a weapon. What can easily drill through asteroids could also do the same with starship hulls in lethal effects.

Because it is powered up via a giant scoop sucking up stardust, it can be argued that the Cutting Beam is a hydrogen-powered laser. This interesting fluff bit is surprisingly utilized in the game as further explained below.

In Battlefleet Gothic: Armada II, the Cutting Beam is a weird weapon, and when we mean weird, we mean fucking Bullshit. One of its 'quirks' is that the weapon could only charge up to its max if it Derps around near an asteroid or a shipwreck, before unloading its juice. Granted, the damage of this weapon is lethal as it deals a shit ton of damage per click. But its shit range and weird charge up, means that this weapon is very situational and should be reserved for the biggest of ships.

Weapons of the Tau Empire
Sidearms:
	Directed-Energy:	Pulse Pistol
Basic Weapons:
	Directed-Energy:	Pulse Blaster - Pulse Carbine - Pulse Rifle
Special Weapons:
	Ballistics:	Rail Rifle
	Directed-Energy:	Ion Rifle - Neutron Blaster
Battlesuit Weapons:
	Ballistics:	Airbursting Fragmentation Projector - Flechette Discharger - Heavy Rail Rifle - Missile Pod
	Directed-Energy:	Burst Cannon - Cyclic Ion Blaster - Cyclic Ion Raker - Fusion Blaster - Fusion Cascade Fusion Collider - Heavy Burst Cannon - Phased Ion Gun - Plasma Rifle
	Incendiary:	Tau Flamer
Heavy Battlesuit Weapons:
	Ballistics:	Fragmentation Cluster Shell Launcher - High-Yield Missile Pod
	Directed-Energy:	Heavy Burst Cannon - Ion Accelerator - Ionic Discharge Cannon Long-Barrelled Burst Cannon - Pulse Submunitions Cannon Pulse Submunitions Rifle
	Incendiary:	Phased Plasma Flamer
Vehicle-mounted Weapons:
	Ballistics:	Railgun - Seeker Missile - Smart Missile System
	Directed-Energy:	Ion Cannon - Tau Plasma Cannon - Pulse Bomb Generator Quad Ion Turret - Fusion Cannon
Super-Heavy Weapons:
	Ballistics:	Cluster Rocket System - Destroyer Missile - Heavy Rail Cannon Array Heavy Railgun - Nexus Meteor Missile System
	Directed-Energy:	Ar'Ka Cannon - Fusion Eradicator - Pulse Blastcannon Pulse Driver Cannon - Pulse Ordnance Multi-Driver Tri-Axis Ion Cannon
Ship Weapons:
	Ballistics:	Torpedo - Starship Railgun - Heavy Starship Railgun - Gravitic Launcher
	Directed-Energy:	Cutting Beam - Heavy Ion Cannon
Non-Firearm Weapons:
	Melee Weapons:	Bonding Knife - Dawn Blade - Equaliser - Honour Blade - Onager Gauntlet
	Grenades & Explosives:	EMP Grenade - Photon Grenade - Fusion Grenade