BattleTech Weapon Heat Comparison
Base tabletop heat per shot, from Machine Gun at 0 to Clan ER PPC at 15. Pick any two.
Visual comparison
All values
Click any row to load it as Entry A.
| Name | Value | Context | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Gun Lowest here. Shoots free. | 0 heat | Ballistic heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: Machine Gun heat 0 (Total Warfare) |
| Small Laser Ties AC/2, AC/5 and Gauss at 1. | 1 heat | Energy heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: Small Laser heat 1 (Total Warfare) |
| AC/2 Ties Small Laser. | 1 heat | Autocannon heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: AC/2 heat 1 (Total Warfare) |
| AC/5 Ties Small Laser. Five damage per heat. | 1 heat | Autocannon heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: AC/5 heat 1 (Total Warfare) |
| Gauss Rifle Ties Small Laser. Fifteen damage per heat. | 1 heat | Ballistic heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: Gauss Rifle heat 1 (Total Warfare) |
| LB 10-X One over Gauss. | 2 heat | Autocannon heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: LB 10-X heat 2 (Total Warfare) |
| Flamer Ties Medium Laser and AC/10 at 3. | 3 heat | Energy heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: Flamer heat 3 (Total Warfare) |
| Medium Laser Ties Flamer. | 3 heat | Energy heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: Medium Laser heat 3 (Total Warfare) |
| AC/10 Ties Medium Laser. | 3 heat | Autocannon heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: AC/10 heat 3 (Total Warfare) |
| Medium Pulse Laser One over Medium Laser. | 4 heat | Energy heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: Medium Pulse Laser heat 4 (Total Warfare) |
| AC/20 Three over Medium Pulse. Twenty damage punch. | 7 heat | Autocannon heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: AC/20 heat 7 (Total Warfare) |
| Large Laser One over AC/20. | 8 heat | Energy heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: Large Laser heat 8 (Total Warfare) |
| Large Pulse Laser Ties PPC at 10. | 10 heat | Energy heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: Large Pulse Laser heat 10 (Total Warfare) |
| PPC Ties Large Pulse. Ten heat sinks to break even. | 10 heat | Energy heat, Total Warfare | Sarna: PPC heat 10 (Total Warfare) |
| Inner Sphere ER PPC Two over PPC. | 12 heat | Energy heat, Tech Manual | Sarna: Inner Sphere ER PPC heat 12 (Tech Manual) |
| Clan ER PPC Top here. Fifteen Machine Guns. | 15 heat | Clan energy heat, Tech Manual | Sarna: Clan ER PPC heat 15 (Tech Manual) |
About this converter
BattleTech weapons generate fixed base heat from 0 to 15. Machine Gun opens at 0, Small Laser, AC/2, AC/5 and Gauss Rifle tied at 1, LB 10-X at 2, Flamer, Medium Laser and AC/10 tied at 3, Medium Pulse Laser at 4, AC/20 at 7, Large Laser at 8, Large Pulse Laser and PPC tied at 10, Inner Sphere ER PPC at 12 and Clan ER PPC at 15. That makes one Clan ER PPC equal fifteen Machine Guns of heat. Every value here is the base per-shot figure with sinks left out.
How to use it
Pick two weapons and a unit in the top row. The three boxes below stay linked. Change any box and the other two update. One box holds a count of the first, one holds the matching count of the second, one holds the total in heat. Try 1 Clan ER PPC against Machine Guns.
Movement and engine hits add heat on top of these rows in play. Damage for the same weapons runs on the companion damage page, since punch and heat measure different things. Double heat sinks clear 2 each and stay out of base math. Flamers also set terrain ablaze in some rules.
FAQ
What runs hottest here?
Clan ER PPC at 15 heat. Inner Sphere ER PPC follows at 12.
What is PPC heat?
10 base. Ten stock sinks break even.
What is Medium Laser heat?
3 base for 5 damage. The efficiency king.
Why no missiles?
Launchers vary by rack size, so this ladder pins direct-fire guns.
Sources
- Sarna BattleTechWiki citing Total Warfare (Machine Gun 0, Small Laser 1, AC/2 1, AC/5 1, Gauss Rifle 1, LB 10-X 2)
- Sarna BattleTechWiki citing Total Warfare (Flamer 3, Medium Laser 3, AC/10 3, Medium Pulse 4, AC/20 7, Large Laser 8, Large Pulse 10, PPC 10)
- Sarna BattleTechWiki citing Tech Manual (Inner Sphere ER PPC 12, Clan ER PPC 15)
- Total Warfare heat tables (base heat, sink dissipation, movement heat noted)
Last verified: 2026-09-28 · 16 entries
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