Kinetic Weapon

Kinetic weapons, sometimes considered to be 'traditional' weapons, use physical forces to hammer or penetrate their targets. Most civilizations develop kinetic weapons before other types of weapons, but it does not mean kinetic weapons are inherently inferior. Kinetic weapons often have a long history of development and refinement, and having a physical projectile allows for experimentation in shape, composition, and other features. They have a better track record at penetrating shield systems, certain armors, combined with the lack of friction in space, can them to be less effective against heavily armored targets than a Directed Energy Weapon.

Types of Weapons

• Accelerator: Often known as Railguns or Coilguns, accelerator weapons typically use magnetic forces to propel slugs, shrapnel, or 'kill vehicles' at their target. They feature high penetrating power, and can easily scale up power. More advanced forms use gravity fields or spatial manipulation to launch their projectiles. The common drawback of such weapons is their barrels wearing out from repeated use.
• Ballistic: Bullet weapons, slug throwers, firearms. Perhaps the basis of most projectile weapons, ballistic weapons use powder, gas, plasma, or other means to fire projectiles at their targets. In regards to spacecraft they are normally relegated to a point-defense role, though some cannons are still in use.
• Hardlight: While being 'energy' that is 'directed' at its target, and effectively a laser, Hardlight weapons rely on granting of mass to photons. This makes the power of the weapon more from striking the target with a small amount of mass at near-lightspeed velocities, rather than melting or disrupting the target.