'''What are Ballistic weapons?'''
Ballistic weapons are projectile based weaponry that are either long ranged or generate a lot of damage, produce virtually no heat at the expense of weighing a lot and requiring ammunition. They can be equipped in Ballistic Hardpoints (Yellow), Direct Fire Hardpoints (Blue), Ammo Consuming Hardpoints (Cyan) and Omni Hardpoints (Grey).
There are five primary types of Ballistic weapons:
>Autocannons
Autocannons fire a stream of direct fire projectiles at a target. They come in four sizes; AC2, AC5, AC10 and AC20 with the AC2 and AC5 having low damage but long range and quick recycle rate while AC10's and AC20's trade range and recycle rate for much higher damage output. There are numerous subtypes of Autocannons such as Light, Rotary Hyper, and Ultra. Due to their weight it is far more likely to encounter the AC2 and AC5 than AC10 or AC20.
>LBX Autocannons
Although LBX Autocannons are technically a subtype of Autocannons, they function more like a shotgun doing more damage as they get closer to the target. They size in LBX5, LBX10, and LBX20. Despite having shorter range than regular Autocannons they can project more damage and one of the most popular Ballistic weapons used by players that like to brawl.
>Gauss Rifles
Gauss weapons tend to weigh a lot, but they also have tremendous range and damage while producing no heat. While Clan versions weigh less, InnerSphere can make use of Light, Heavy and even Mini Gauss Rifles. These are perhaps one of the most common Ballistic weapons to see and a favourite of players who enjoy long range combat.
>Machine Guns
Machine guns weigh virtually nothing, have ridiculously quick recycle times, and surprisingly decent range. The downside is that these weapons do next to no damage and are ammunition dependent. They are best used in groups with other weapons such as Pulse Lasers where they can strip a Mech of it's arsenal. They come in IS and Clan varieties, along with Light and Heavy versions.
>Artillery
Artillery based weapons are rather unique for Ballistic weapons. While they can do tremendous damage and inflict splash damage they also generate significant amounts of heat. They fire in an arc rather than directly at a target so any pilot must be careful with their aim. Each piece weighs a significant amount of tonnage and take up a lot of slots. The Long Tom and HEAP-AGL are designed to inflict damage while the Inferno-AGL causes significant heat buildup and the Smoke-AGL can cause a smoke screen.