History Main / KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'' plays this straight on an infantry level. For infantry, kinetic weapons are better because they're available! The only man-portable energy weapons are the electricity weapons on the Tesla Troopers (slow rate of fire and rather short-ranged, but devastating against vehicles and infantry) and the Tank-Busters who can easily carve up tanks with their plasma-cutters but do pretty poor damage against infantry. It also plays this straight for ant-air weapons, as missiles and auto-cannons are the best for shooting down aircraft. The Archer Maiden's arrows look like energy bolts but they're really ordinary arrows with a explosive shell for a tip and the Cryo Legionaire only get their anti-aircraft freeze ray if they are garrisoned in a Multi-gun Turret or IFV. For vehicles, this is trope is largely averted, all 3 factions use energy weapons for high-end units because in a world where mad science reigns supreme, energy weapons hit a lot harder. Nothing can match the firepower of the Giga-Fortress, Harbinger Gunship and the Shogun Battleship. And unlike other games, most artillery is energy-based (the Pacifier is kind of a hybrid, it fires bomblets that deliver protonic energy blasts) for reasons of heavier firepower or in the case of the Athen Cannon, better accuracy. Even for the tier 3 tanks, the Apocalypse Tanks dominates because of its "magnetic harpoon" tractor beam, in a pure gun to gun battle it'll barely survive against King Oni and only because it has a lot more health and regeneration. The Apocalypse Tank's twin 125mm cannons can't match the King Oni's particle beam for damage. And, for once, there isn't a conventional Nuclear Missile. The Soviets use what's essentially a short-lived Black Hole, the Allies have an Antimatter cannon, and the Empire uses large-scale telekinesis PoweredByAForsakenChild.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series gives the player access to energy weapons, but kinetics are the weapon of choice. And there's a wide choice, from hand-thrown spears to the electromagnetic [[GatlingGood minigun]] (''VideoGame/{{Fallout Tactics|BrotherhoodOfSteel}}'').

*** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' (without expansion packs at least) plays this trope much more straight than the previous games. Small arms are better than laser weapons, and even the late-game plasma weapons aren't a big improvement, have much more common ammo, and have a huge selection of weapons from short ranged devastators like combat shotguns to long ranged sniper rifles. The unique alien raygun is good, but so are many unique small arms like the [[UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln Lincoln's repeater]].

*** The Alien Blaster is available in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 1}}'' and ''2'' as well. Its ammunition is reasonably common in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'', and it is one of the better weapons in the game, being as fast as the Gauss pistol, with a much larger clip and a higher maximum damage (but a larger damage variance). It does adhere to the trope in that it is fairly inaccurate.

** In ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 4}}'', many radiation and energy weapons, such as the Gamma Gun and Gauss Rifle respectively, will ''appear'' to have massive damage, but so many enemies are resistant to those damage types and their resistances are so high that there's little point. They also tend not to benefit from sneak bonuses to base damage and crit, as most weapons of these types cannot be modified with silencers.

** Shipboard laser weapons do exist, and are no less powerful than kinetic weapons (plus they ignore kinetic barriers): their main disadvantage is their range. Light refraction causes lasers to attenuate rapidly, while (as explained above) kinetic weapons can keep going for damn near forever. This means that GARDIAN lasers are very effective against fighters, and in short range "knife fights" between larger ships, but have effective ranges tens of thousands of kilometers shorter than larger kinetic weapons.

** In the second game the Salvatore gang in New Reno is widely known and feared for its exclusivity of use of the energy weaponry supplied by the Enclave. People in the game even said that a one thug with a simple laser pistol wiped out an entire squad armed with regular weapons. But it's quite an opposite in the game -- early energy weapons do barely any damage, and they do almost nothing to metal armor-wearing opponents. This is evident, for example, if you start a gunfight in the Salvatores' bar -- The supposedly strong thugs with laser pistols do no damage to you, while a bartender with ye olde double-barreled shotgun does 20 times more damage than them.

* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'': Energy weapons exist, but they are obtained too late in the game to be commonly used, and their ammo is so limited, it is advisable to only use them for certain situations. [[spoiler: For one thing, the Laser Rifle can be used to finish the last boss fight in seconds.]] Despite their power, they take up a lot of inventory space, compared to kinetics.

* [[EnforcedTrope Enforced]] InUniverse in ''[[FanFic/SovereignGFCOrigins Origins]]'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[[spoiler:[=/=]''[=Borderlands=]''[=/=]''[=Halo=]'']] MassiveMultiplayerCrossover. The AppliedPhlebotinum used to make [[EnergyWeapon turbolasers]] and other ''Star Wars'' tech work is more like {{Unobtanium}} in most galaxies. So if you want your ship to have any staying power, you can't really use those technologies, which requires a fallback to physical weaponry whose principles are universal across civilizations.

** Slugthrowers are also a good choice for anyone expecting to fight Jedi. Using their preferred method of [[ParryingBullets deflecting blaster bolts]] against a lead slug would only result in you getting a faceful of molten lead, as it is highly unlikely that the lightsaber would instantly vaporize the slug, and even if it did, the ensuing blast of searing vapor wouldn't be significantly more pleasant than the molten lead. In the Expanded Universe, more than one Jedi has been on the receiving end of this, including Obi-Wan in the ''Obi-Wan and Anakin'' comic. ''VideoGame/DarkForces'' even included a weapon with a SecondaryFire mode that was explicitly designed to fight Jedi, by firing three bullets at once in a triangular spread - even if they

** Blasters (which fire particle beams) are overwhelming the most common weapon, particularly in millitary applications. "Slugthrowers" do still exist and are used for civilian applications like hunting (for instance, Luke's weapon that he tries and fails to use against a Tusken Raider in ''Film/ANewHope''). There are some obvious advantages to blasters, like minimal recoil, more shots before reloading, and the logistical advantage of all using the same power source, although [[DependingOnthewriter the reasons given aren't always consistent]]. It's also worth noting that ''Star Wars'' firearm technology seems to have stagnated, resulting in slugthrowers most closely resembling [=WW1=] era technology which gives an obvious advantage to blasters which are more similar to modern firearms in terms of effectiveness.
** Slugthrowers are also a good choice for anyone expecting to fight Jedi. Using their prefered method of deflecting Blaster bolt against a lead slug would only result in you getting a faceful of molten lead, as it is highly unlikely that the lightsaber would instantly vaporize the slug, and even if it did, the ensuing blast of searing vapor wouldn't be significantly more pleasant than the molten lead. In the Expanded Universe, more than one Jedi has been on the receiving end of this, including Obi-Wan in the ''Obi-Wan and Anakin'' comic.
** The [[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Scatter_gun scatter gun]] proves to be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOVOz75TgZ4 very effective]] in ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefront''. It's basically just a [[AKA47 double barrel shotgun]]. Despite firing pellets, it can one-shot armored Stormtroopers at a pretty decent range, and is even very effective against the personal DeflectorShields you can get. In the same game, the slugthrower Cycler rifle (which looks and acts like a beaten-up mid 19th century breechloader) is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo-6Ar6Mi58 very powerful]]. It's highly accurate and will generally one-shot the target, the main weakness being that it is single-shot.

** Various literature tried to explain how this was averted by the fact that plastoid armor could NoSell most bullets, yet not blasters. This [[InformedAttribute was almost never shown]], in fact [[DependingOnthewriter in some instances this is directly contradicted]] (see below). More often than not if a firearm was used on page it was explicitly capable of piercing plastoid armor. For example, the [[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/.48-caliber_Enforcer_pistol#cite_ref-AIR_0-2 .48 caliber Enforcer pistol]] was stated as capable of piercing heavy body armor. While this would be a relatively high calibur pistol, heavy modern body armor would certainly be able to stop such a round. [[note]]For comparions, a Desert Eagle in .50 AE masses about the same and fires a slightly larger round with similar recoil, indicating similar muzzle energy. Class IIIA body armor (the highest rating for soft body armor) can generally stop such a round, although ther could still be considerable injuries depending on where it was hit. Class III or IV body armor (hard armor intened to stop rifle rounds) would ceratainly be able to stop such a round[[/note]]. Even [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Protector_revolver the Protector]] Revolver, which is noted as a relatively primitive firearm, is ''still'' deadly against light and medium armor. RevolversAreJustBetter, even in the ''Star Wars'' verse.
*** It's been said that the ubiquity of blasters also increased the use of slugthrower by making heavy body armor useless. If the vast majority of people are using blasters there isn't really any benifit to carrying around heavy armor to try and be bulletproof. Of course this directly contradicts the concept above that plastoid armor is highly effective against slugthrowers
** The novel ''Literature/{{Shatterpoint}}'' also suggests that Slugthrowers in general are more rugged and reliable. Presumably reparing a blaster takes considerable expertise and equipment, while conventional firearms are relatively simple to maintain or reapir. This is noted on the wiki's page quote for [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Slugthrowers slugthrowers]]:
--->'''Phloremirlla Tenk:''' Slugthrowers. I hate 'em. But they're easy to maintain. Day or two in the jungle and your blaster'll never fire again. A good slug rifle, keep 'em wiped and oiled, they last forever. The guerrillas have pretty good luck with them, even though they take a lot of practice -- slugs are ballistic, y'know? You have to plot the trajectory in your head. Shee, gimme a blaster anytime.

** The novel ''Literature/{{Shatterpoint}} also suggests that Slugthrowers in general are more rugged and reliable. Presumably reparing a blaster takes considerable expertise and equipment, while conventional firearms are relatively simple to maintain or reapir. This is noted on the wiki's page quote for [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Slugthrowers slugthrowers]]:

* ''Literature/TheAngloAmericanNaziWar'': After the titular war has ended, the Atomic Four (A4), an alliance made of America, Canada, the UK, and Australia, begins building mass-drivers and eventually construct [[spoiler: a kinetic bombardment weapon system on the moon. This is put to use to stop a pro-German unification insurgency in Stettin using three kinetic strikes, each with an equivalent yield to 57.5 kilotons. Most of its 275,000 citizens are wiped out and the insurgency collapses.]]

* In ''Literature/LegendsOfDune'', both the [[RobotWar Thinking Machines]] and the [[TheAlliance League of Nobles]] (and later the [[ChurchMilitant Butlerian Jihad]]) almost exclusively use kinetic weapons, bombs, and missiles for aerial, space, and ground combats. While it is revealed that [[FrickinLaserBeams lasguns]] were popular during the days of the [[TheEmpire Old Empire]], they didn't have the destructive capability of kinetic weapons. Plasma bombs are mentioned to be used occasionally by the [[HumongousMecha cymeks]], but those cases are rare.

** ZigZagged in ''Literature/HammersSlammers'', some armies use railgun rifles because thy have better armor piercing capabilities than [[PlasmaCannon powerguns]]. However, railguns are no cheaper, since they [[EnforcedTrope require]] [[BlingBlingBang diamond barrels]], and don't [[{{BFG}} scale up]] the way powerguns do. [[FrickinLaserBeams laser guns]] can't be made in man-portable sizes because they require a 400 pound fusion reactor to reach killing power, and explosive bullets are just as likely to vaporize a leaf as kill an enemy.

* The ''Literature/StarCarrier'' series uses kinetic weapons heavily, though in conjunction with nuclear warheads and FrickinLaserBeams. In particular two capital ships in the ''America'' battle group are described as using [[MagneticWeapons railguns]] for their primary weapons, and in addition to their other armaments SG-92 Starhawks are armed with [[MoreDakka Gatling railguns]] that fire steel-jacketed[[note]]so the magnetic fields have something to launch it with[[/note]] depleted uranium slugs. ''America'' herself sometimes uses her fighter launch catapults to accelerate slugs instead. And of course there's the non-standard tricks [[AcePilot Lt. Trevor Gray]] has used with AMSO canisters, fighter-scale anti-missile countermeasures filled with "sand" (actually nodules of degenerate matter).

* Played with in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', where due to the SchizoTech setting, FrickinLaserBeams coexist with more conventional firearms. Lasguns are easier to mass-produce, more reliable, and are easier on logistics since their "ammo" is rechargeable and robust power packs. Autoguns are easier to fire on full-auto, don't draw a line to your hidden position, and allow for different ammo types to adapt to different enemies and situations. Lasguns are good assault weapons, and autoguns can make good tactical weapons. But on the tabletop, the two are both interchangeable and among the weakest weapons available.

* ''VideoGame/{{Descent}}'' arguably falls into this; the vast majority of primary weapons ARE energy-based, but most secondary weapons are rockets, and ''Descent II''[='s=] Gauss Cannon is regarded as a GameBreaker for good reason, mostly damage and [[MoreDakka fire]] [[GatlingGood rate]]-partially because the kinetic primary weapons here are {{hitscan}} and the [[FrickinLaserBeams "lasers"]] are '''not'''. (Except the Omega Cannon, but its range is ''very'' short.) Same goes for ''Descent 3''[='s=] Mass Driver, which functions much like a ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' railgun in {{hitscan}}, damage, and fire rate, with that last point balancing it out compared to the Gauss Cannon, now {{Nerf}}ed into the weaker Vauss Cannon.

* The Alt Eisen of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsCompact2''. In a setting where most HumongousMecha are powered by AppliedPhlebotinum, tinkered with by aliens, shoot FrickinLaserBeams and {{Sphere of Destruction}}s and other unworldly powers, this RealRobot uses solely solid-based weapons. Unfortunately, it's an AwesomeButImpractical unit, due to its specifications and difficulty in handling in-story. However, it functions on RuleOfCool, due to its pilot having been BornLucky and in his hands, is able to take it to a point where it rivals {{Super Robot|Genre}}s in damage capabilities. Demonstrated [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDZ9jBfbBso here]] in ''[[VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsOriginalGeneration 2nd Super Robot Wars Original Generation]]''. OUCH!

* ''VideoGame/TreasurePlanetBattleAtProcyon'': The cannon type weapons: Carronades, Laser Cannons and Plasma Cannons (which despite their names, [[{{Non Indicative Name}} function like and appear to be kinetic weapons]]) all deal much higher damage per shot than the game's true energy weapons ([[{{Frickin Laser Beams}} Lancers]]) when they are of the equivalent weight class, as well as being cheaper (with the exception of Plasma Cannons), making kinetic weapons a more cost effective option. Averted with Heavy Lancers however, which as as effective (if not quite as powerful) as their kinetic counterparts.

* When you take ballistic weapons UpToEleven, it turns out that an inert metal slug striking a sufficiently dense target at even a small fraction of light speed releases a phenomenal amount of energy. At a mere 3 km/s -- one thousandth of a percent of light speed -- any object contains as much energy as an equivalent mass of TNT. Firing anything at even one percent light speed turns it into a nuclear-scale destructive device. Of course, accelerating it to that speed involves its own brand of speculative technology, but at least they're not firing FrickinLaserBeams.

* ''VideoGame/{{Descent}}'' arguably falls into this; the vast majority of primary weapons ARE energy-based, but most secondary weapons are rockets, and ''Descent II''[='s=] Gauss Cannon is regarded as a GameBreaker for good reason, mostly damage and [[MoreDakka fire]] [[GatlingGood rate]]-partially because the kinetic primary weapons here are HitScan and the [[FrickinLaserBeams "lasers"]] are '''not'''. (Except the Omega Cannon, but its range is ''very'' short.) Same goes for ''Descent 3''[='s=] Mass Driver, which functions much like a ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' railgun in HitScan, damage, and fire rate, with that last point balancing it out compared to the Gauss Cannon, now {{Nerf}}ed into the weaker Vauss Cannon.
** To top it all off, the most feared DemonicSpiders in the series are Class 1 Drillers, which are equipped with Vulcan Cannons just like yours. That means ''they're the only enemy with HitScan weapons.'' OhCrap.

* ''Videogame/MechWarrior'', like its ''Tabletopgame/BattleTech'' source material, has lasers, missiles, and kinetic projectile weapons all co-existing and being fairly balanced with respect to each other. Lasers are easier to use as they're lightweigh, HitScan, and have infinite ammo, but cannot hope to match ballistic weapons in pure damage. Kinetic weapons in ''Mechwarrior Living Legends'' are particularly horrifying to fight at both close and long range; while lasers require the gunner to keep the beam on target, Gauss Rifle slugs smash through armor with no warning and can deal catastrophic damage. Autocannons and Ultra Autocannons cleave through torso armor at alarming speed. LB-X shotguns swat {{Space Plane}}s and [[PoweredArmor Battle Armor]] out of the sky. The most powerful "gun" is kinetic - the Long Tom Artillery Piece, a [[{{BFG}} 30+ ton high explosive cannon]] carried by only a single tank, which is so massive that it requires the tank to [[DualModeUnit deploy anchors]] in order to fire, and has a range long enough [[OneHitKill gib battlemech]] from close to two kilometers away, requiring a TargetSpotter.

** There was also the secret experimental beam weapons in ''Front Mission 3''. One of which was on an enemy mech, the other could be gotten through a secret code used on the in-game Internet. It did tremendous damage, but the fact is you wouldn't be very skilled with it due to how late in the game you got it and it was difficult to fire due to it's high AP cost. Pretty though.

* Played with in ''Franchise/StarWars''
** "Slugthrowers" exist and are popular for civilian applications like hunting (for instance, Luke's weapon that he tries and fails to use against a Tusken Raider in ''Film/ANewHope''), but have mostly been replaced by blasters in military applications, likely because blasters are much simpler logistically. It helps that ''Star Wars'' firearm technology never seemed to advance to modern levels - we never seen any chemically-propelled firearms that couldn't be duplicated with [=WW1=] era technology.
** Slugthrowers are also a good choice for bounty hunters and mercenaries facing off against Jedi, to prevent the Jedi tactic of deflecting blaster fire back at their opponent. More so, attempting to block a lead slug with a LaserBlade would only result in you getting a faceful of molten lead, as it is highly unlikely that the blade would instantly vaporize the slug, and even if it did, the ensuing blast of searing vapor wouldn't be significantly more pleasant than the molten lead. In fact, in the Expanded Universe, more than one Jedi has been on the receiving end of this, including Obi-Wan in the ''Obi-Wan and Anakin'' comic.
** One of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOVOz75TgZ4 more effective weapons]] in ''VideoGame/StarWarsBattlefront'' is the [[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Scatter_gun scatter gun]], which is just a [[AKA47 SPAS-12]] with a different name. Despite firing pellets, it can one-shot armored Stormtroopers at a pretty decent range (which is logical; armor designed to mitigate the thermal effects of blasters wouldn't be designed against kinetic penetrators). In the same game, the slugthrower Cycler rifle (which looks and acts like a beaten-up mid 19th century breechloader) is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lo-6Ar6Mi58 also pretty powerful]] - its main issue being that it's single-shot.
** The main guns of AT-TE walkers ''look'' like energy weapons, but are actually stated in the technical books to be [[MagneticWeapons mass drivers]] (the blue glow of the rounds is presumably superheated air). They're quite effective, even being powerful enough to destroy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywBZNZEr8q8 capital ships]].

** Various literature tried to explain how this was averted by the fact that plastoid armor could NoSell most bullets, yet not blasters. This [[InformedAttribute was almost never shown]], and a variety of firearms were introduced that were stated to be capable of piercing plastoid armor despite their stats giving them pretty poor ballistic effects. For example, the [[https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/.48-caliber_Enforcer_pistol#cite_ref-AIR_0-2 .48 caliber Enforcer pistol]] was stated as capable of piercing heavy body armor.[[not]]A Desert Eagle in .50 AE, by comparison, masses about the same and fires a slightly larger round with about the same recoil (indicating similar muzzle energy), and like most handgun catridges it's totally incapable of doing more than scratching the paint on modern class III body armor.[[/note]]
** [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Protector_revolver The Protector]] Revolver. Yes, RevolversAreJustBetter in the ''Star Wars'' verse, as it is very easy for this revolver in particular to pierce modern armor. Why would it be able to pierce armor? Well, it's often been said of the blaster that it increased the use of the slugthrower by making heavy body armor useless, thus dissuading people from making themselves bulletproof. Slugthrowers in general are also apparently more rugged and reliable, cause according to the wiki's page quote for [[http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Slugthrowers slugthrowers]]:

** The aforementioned quote is from the novel ''Literature/{{Shatterpoint}}'', which also features the DOKAW (De-Orbiting Kinetic Anti-emplacement Weapon), a hundred-kilo hunk of durasteel that falls from space to hit the ground at ten kilometers per second.

*** The Incinerate power from ''2'' actually ''is'' a directed-energy weapon, namely a plasma round that primarily deals thermal damage. While it is both extremely powerful (enough to gib people on a direct hit) and ''homing'', it is of limited use compared to kinetic weapons against shielded foes, because plasma still has mass, and thus kinetic barriers can block it with little trouble. Its negligible kinetic energy means it doesn't tax the barriers to do this.

*** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' explains that the weapons Sovereign uses ''look'' like energy weapons but actually aren't either -- they instead operate somewhat like coilguns, only firing an elongated projectile of superheated metal at the target instead of a solid slug so that not only does the target suffer the impact of the jet, but the jet itself burns through the target like a torch. It took less than a year after the end of ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' for the normal races to build a prototype of the same type of weapon, and you can upgrade the ''[[CoolStarship Normandy]]'' with one [[WaveMotionGun (two cannons, actually, which fire together to look like one big weapon)]]. And boy, oh boy is it effective! The one time they're actually used, the Normandy [=SR2=] proceeds to utterly vaporize a much heavier and (ostensibly) more advanced warship with a mere two shots. Suddenly, your Frigate hits like a Dreadnought!
** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' also features an exposé on kinetic weapons by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLpgxry542M an ornery drill sergeant bringing a couple of cadets up to speed on coil guns]]. 20kg of solid metal flung at 1.3% of the speed of light impacts with a force of 38kt, and due to the lack of friction in space, should one happen to miss their target, it's ''certain'' to ruin ''someone's'' day somewhere, sometime. Sir UsefulNotes/IsaacNewton is the deadliest son-of-a-bitch in space!

** [[{{Precursors}} The Protheans]], apparently used to abide by this trope. They later developed laser like weaponry in order to avoid supply problems; the rifle in question is very useful and practical, provided you can keep it from {{Overheating}}.
** It runs out that [[spoiler:the Derelict Reaper]], the only known [[spoiler:Reaper]] to have been killed in combat by a civilisation before [[spoiler:Sovereign]], was gunned down in a single shot by an ''[[WaveMotionGun enormous]]'' Mass Accelerator. The round proceeded to cut ''through'' the target and sliced a ten-thousand-kilometre long gash in the side of a planet ''in a completely different solar system''.

* ''VideoGame/Battlefield2142'' aside from the floating [[AirborneAircraftCarrier Titans]], the other air vehicles, hover tanks, speeders (for the PAC at least) the Goliath, the anti-ground vehicle and anti-aircraft emplacements, and gadgets you could unlock, the guns still slung lead. Hell, the side arm for the EU was a revolver which had a speedloader cylinder. The developers stated in interviews that a gun firing bullets "felt more real to them" than just "pew pew you're dead."

* Played with in ''Franchise/StarWars'' and the ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse''.
** "Slugthrowers" exist and are popular for civilian applications like hunting (for instance, Luke's weapon that he tries and fails to use against a Tusken Raider in ''Film/ANewHope''), but have long been out of favor in military applications because commonplace body armor works beautifully against bullets but not as well against blasters. For example, the [[{{Unobtainium}} plasteel]] armor worn by the clone army and stormtroopers is basically impervious to kinetic penetrators (though not to blunt force, as [[Film/ReturnOfTheJedi the troops stationed on Endor]] can attest). On the other hand, slugthrowers are cheaper and easier to manufacture than blasters, so insurgent forces have come up with ways to make them useful, such as an explosive-tipped bullet capable of blowing holes through stormtrooper armor.[[note]]The bit about kinetic energy is TruthInTelevision: no matter how advanced your armor is, the premise of it still relies on soaking up the kinetic energy of the weapon. That's why a headshot can be deadly even if the helmet stops the bullet cold, because it's still got the kinetic energy of a baseball going at 100 miles an hour, and can crunch your brain even if it never touches it.[[/note]]
** Slugthrowers are also a good choice for bounty hunters and mercenaries facing off against Jedi, to prevent the Jedi tactic of deflecting blasterfire back at their opponent. Moreso, attempting to block a lead slug with a LaserBlade would only result in you getting a faceful of molten lead, as it is highly unlikely that the blade would instantly vaporize the slug, and even if it did, the ensuing blast of searing vapor wouldn't be significantly more pleasant than the molten lead. In fact, in the Expanded Universe, more than one Jedi has been on the receiving end of one of the few remaining advantages of slugthrowers.

*** Subverted in the AcendedFanfic "[[https://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Rocks_Are_Not_Free! Rock Are Not Free!]]", where a starship captain figuring he'd just drop an asteroid on the planet (admittedly a time-honored tactic, among orks) is sent to remedial accounting because it ended up costing almost three times as much as a standard orbital bombardment.

*** [[TabletopGame/BattlefleetGothic In space]] things are a bit more muddled. On the one hand, a laser "Lance" weapon is more reliable at dealing damage than a [[SpaceIsAnOcean broadside]] of more conventional guns. But a shell from a Nova Cannon fires a massive, exploding shell at relativistic speeds, and is capable of destroying entire squadrons of kilometre-long spacecraft, thousands of kilometres apart, in a spectacular explosion.
*** [[GaidenGame Spinoff game]] ''TabletopGame/{{Necromunda}}'', by virtue of its slum-style setting, makes armour and energy weapons hard-to-get elite gear. Ordinary slug-throwers and shotguns are the predominant weapons in the game.

*** ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' explains that the weapons Sovereign uses''look'' like energy weapons but actually aren't either -- they instead operate somewhat like coilguns, only firing an elongated projectile of superheated metal at the target instead of a solid slug so that not only does the target suffer the impact of the jet, but the jet itself burns through the target like a torch. It took less than a year after the end of ''VideoGame/MassEffect1'' for the normal races to build a prototype of the same type of weapon, and you can upgrade the ''[[CoolStarship Normandy]]'' with one [[WaveMotionGun (two cannons, actually, which fire together to look like one big weapon)]]. And boy, oh boy is it effective! The one time they're actually used, the Normandy [=SR2=] proceeds to utterly vaporize a much heavier and (ostensibly) more advanced warship with a mere two shots. Suddenly, your Frigate hits like a Dreadnought!

Compare RockBeatsLaser, BoringButPractical, ModernStasis, BreakOutTheMuseumPiece and VideoGameFlamethrowersSuck. Usually goes hand in hand with OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture. Contrast WeWillUseLasersInTheFuture, where energy weapons are more prevalent than kinetic weapons. For cases where certain ''specific'' kinetic weapons are preferred, see RevolversAreJustBetter or ShotgunsAreJustBetter.

* In the episode "Shore Leave" of ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', an energy field coming from the planet they're studying drains power from multiple ship systems aboard the Enterprise, and also affects the handheld phaser weapons of the landing party, making them useless. When a knight attacks the landing party, Kirk uses an old earth revolver to take it down.
* In ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'', Starfleet developed a projectile weapon known as the [[http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/TR-116_rifle TR-116 rifle]], in the event that personnel were in environments where phasers would be undesirable; {{EMP}}-like areas, or simply atmospheres that might be ''ignited'' by phasers. The rifle had some interesting uses; [[spoiler:Chu'lak]] modified it with a mini-transporter, allowing it to beam its bullet to ''other rooms'' only a few centimeters from its target, and a high precision visual sensor, allowing for lethal targeting up to the maximum range of the micro-transporter (plus the effective range of the rifle). The rifle never entered service due to the invention of newer technologies. In some of the ''Deep Space'' novels, however, the rifle is said to be quite useful, especially against the Borg. It is also implied that another reason Starfleet doesn't use the weapon is because it is ''too good'', since one can modify it to transport bullets, allowing potential assassins to do their work with little effort. Whether or not it has a semi or full auto function isn't mentioned... but all things considered, it can be assumed.
** It's been established in the expanded Trek universe that the Borg drones have a distinct, specific weakness to kinetic weaponry, since their personal shield technology does not include particle shielding. It is unknown if their ships suffer the same fault.

** Played straight in ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamIronBloodedOrphans'', where all mobile weapons in-universe uses physical ammunition, and at first glance there is no beam weaponry in Post Disaster technology. [[spoiler:As it turns out, though, beam weaponry isn't nonexistent, just mostly [[LostTechnology forgotten]], and previously the main armament of most mobile weapons until the invention of nanolaminate armor made it less popular. While beam weapon does not deal much damage against nanolaminate armor thanks to the latter's ability to minimize the damage, it is still treated as extremely dangerous and can destroy ammo stores and non-armored targets effortlessly. The explosion alone can also melt away the nanolaminate armor, making the suit or ships vulnerable to conventional attacks]].
*** There is also the Dáinsleif, a type of railcannon capable of firing special kinetic penetrator ammunition that can even pierce nanolaminate armor; it is so dangerous that its use is formally banned. [[spoiler:They start popping up in the second season, first with Iok framing the Turbines for possession of such weapons [[{{Hypocrite}} and then using them against the Turbines]], then later with Iok's commander Rustal Elion doing an enhanced version of the same plan. Tekkadan's Gundam Flauros is equipped with railcannons capable of using Dáinsleif, but because they use more conventional warhead, it falls into a legal gray area in term of ban; during the final battle with Arianrhod fleet, Shino uses a Dáinsleif warhead in a failed attempt to take down Rustal's flagship.]]