211-V Plasma Cutteredit

From Dead Space wiki

Plasma Cutter
Damage	10 (Maximum=18)
Capacity	10 (Maximum=20)
Reload Time	1 (Minimum=0.5)
Firing Speed / Charge	1 (Minimum=0.6)
Empty Nodes	8 (17 Total)
Cost	Free, found by player near beginning of the game
Ammunition	1,200 credits for 6 shots
Ammunition Stack Size	25
Secondary Fire	90 degree blade rotation (Horizontal)

The 211-V Plasma Cutter is a high-energy mineral cutter, first found shortly after arriving on the USG Ishimura, and your most useful weapon. In primary fire mode, it has three blue laser reticules when aiming and one superheated plasma shot. When switched to secondary fire, the projectiles shoot out horizontally. Since it can deliver powerful blasts of energy, the Plasma Cutter is the perfect weapon for cutting through enemies' limbs.

The weapon also appears in Dead Space: Extraction and functions in much the same way. Both Nathan McNeill and Gabe Weller are able to use it.

[edit] Combat Tips

• The Plasma Cutter is your staple weapon for the early parts of the game, and should be considered your trusty standby. It's recommended to keep at least one spare full cartridge of ammunition (which consists of 25 rounds) or more for those situations where you may run out of ammo for your other weapons. Keep your Cutter loaded and ready at all times.
• Using stasis and the Plasma Cutter is extraordinarily effective. Put an enemy in stasis, then take your time and tear the enemy to shreds with the Cutter.
• This weapon is one of the most precise in the game; the gun has virtually no recoil when fired, so you will not have to worry about your aim being thrown off after firing. When facing enemies like Pregnants, this will be essential to your survival.
• Being one of the most precise weapons in the game also requires that the handler be precise when aiming it. Remain calm, and line up your shots.
• Even when the firing speed is upgraded to maximum, the Plasma Cutter is not a good weapon for crowd control. It is best used in situations where you are facing only 1-2 enemies, or when engaging enemies at a distance. Those attempting the "One Gun" achievement (see below) should attempt use stasis extensively in crowded situations.
• Finishing the game using only the Cutter will give you the "One Gun" Trophy/Achievement for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game.
• When fully upgraded, this gun is extremely effective. It gets a good kick in its power level, and has a good rate of fire (bested only by the Pulse Rifle and the Flame Thrower). Reloading time is decreased significantly as well.
• Against Slashers, Pregnants, or Twitchers it is recommended you use the vertical aim for the arms and the horizontal for the legs.
• The ammunition fired from the Plasma Cutter moves extremely quickly, making this gun useful for engaging far-off and/or fast-moving enemies.
• The Plasma Cutter has virtually no splash damage, making it ineffective against Swarmers. Unless you have a lot of ammo to burn, use a different weapon or try to avoid the Swarmers.

[edit] Trivia

• Some fans consider the Plasma Cutter the 'pistol' of Dead Space; it is the first weapon found in the game, is given to the player immediately or near immediately at the start, and is relatively weak in its non-upgraded form. With upgrading, however, it is more than possible to complete the game using only the Plasma Cutter.
• The unupgraded Plasma Cutter has a base cost of 0. This is, presumably, to cover the possibility that a player might have sold all their weapons and made poor purchasing decisions (such as spending all their money on power nodes) with the gains; thus, once Isaac finds his first plasma cutter, he should never actually be without a weapon.
• Isaac is shown wielding the Plasma Cutter in most of the promotional material for Dead Space and Dead Space 2.
• In Extraction, the alt-fire action for the Plasma Cutter is, physically, the most realistic of all the weapons: turning the gun 90 degrees. However, since the nozzel rotates on it's own, as seen in Dead Space, this holds no real merit, only an interesting real-world application.

[edit] Gallery

The Plasma Cutter being aimed in-game.

Poster for the Plasma Cutter.

List of Weapons and Abilities
Weaponry		211-V Plasma Cutter · Arc Welder · C99 Supercollider Contact Beam · Divet · Force Gun · IM-822 Handheld Ore Cutter Line Gun · Javelin Gun · Laser Pick · PFM-100 Hydrogen Torch Flamethrower · Plasma Saw · Rivet Gun · RC-DS Remote Control Disc Ripper · SWS Motorized Pulse Rifle
Abilities		Stasis · Telekinesis