Burst Shot
Burst Shot is shooting multiple bullets with a single action.
Cost and effects[]
A Burst Shot costs one more AP than a single shot and generally has a better punch, but it lacks accuracy[clarification needed] and eats ammo quickly. Since the bullets spray in a cone unknown angle, it is best when around point blank range so as many rounds as possible will strike the intended target.
This mode will use multiple rounds of ammunition. Every type of burst weapon will have a different rate of fire (ROF), which determines the number of rounds fired with a single action. Burst weapons use ammo faster, but generally have a better chance to hit overall. Every single round will get an individual chance to hit. Even with a low skill, burst weapons with a high ROF will usually hit something, where 'something' is the key word. Burst weapons not only attack the target, but any other potential target within the cone-shaped area of effect. Because increasing skill increases accuracy without modifying the cone, the higher the skill, the more damage will usually be dealt to unintended targets in the cone, and the cone is invisible; the game gives no indication of which targets may be hit.
A burst is capable of covering many hexes and hitting all targets within that area. Most of the bullets are aimed at the primary target. The rest of the bullets can strike anybody within the cone, be they friends, enemies, or neutral creatures. Each round will do the weapon's listed amount of damage (except in Fallout Tactics, where the burst deals a reduced amount of damage, usually 90% of the full damage). If all rounds hit, a burst weapon can do a lot of damage: standing right on top of a target and bursting them will leave them riddled with every round. The cone needs a minimum of a few hexes to work.
Besides potentially using a lot of ammo, burst shots may not be targeted. There is just too much recoil to focus the aim at the precise target.