Star Wars: TIE Fighter/Weapons

Laser cannons
The basic armament of any starfighter craft. Always effective against other fighters, they are bursts of directed energy that can only be shot along a straight path. The laser cannons use power when you are firing them, and recharge when you are not (assuming you have directed some of your energy reserves to lasers). They can be set to single-fire mode, dual-fire, or fire-linked; the more you link together at once, the longer you have to wait in between shots.

Ion cannons
Similar to laser cannons, except that ion cannons are not used to destroy. Both lasers and ion cannons can be used to reduce a target's shields, and once an enemy craft's shields are down, ion cannons are used to disable it. These weapons are often used during missions which require you to capture enemy ships, as you must disable them first. Ion cannons can be fire-linked in the same way as laser cannons, but the energy beams travel slower meaning you usually will have to be up close to your target to make your shots effective.

Vessels disabled by an ion cannon are offline for the rest of the mission, unless repaired or captured by another vessel.

Warheads and projectiles
The warheads are limited ammunition weapons that deal significantly more damage per hit. However, all warheads in TIE Fighter can be destroyed with cannon fire, other warheads, and countermeasures.

Concussion missiles
While not very powerful, concussion missiles move very quickly and have excellent homing capabilities. They are quite effective at tracking the more maneuverable ships, and best used against other starfighters and medium sized craft. They can be fired either singly or dual-linked. Their speed makes them difficult to intercept.

Proton torpedoes
More powerful than concussion missiles but nowhere near as maneuverable. They pack a hefty punch, and are quite effective against medium-sized and larger ships. If using them against starfighters, they should only be used against slow-moving ones, or if you are very close to them.

Advanced concussions missiles
A faster and more powerful version of the standard concussion missile, with better homing capabilities. Very useful in all situations.

Advanced proton torpedoes
A faster and more powerful version of the standard proton torpedo, with better homing capabilities. Very useful in all situations, and especially against capital ships.

Heavy rockets
Extremely powerful warheads that will do major damage to anything they hit. Their guidance and homing systems are not particularly excellent, however, and they are slower than proton torpedoes. Heavy rockets are best employed against stationary platforms, as well as medium-sized or capital ships. Since their slow speed makes them easier to intercept and destroy in flight, long distance shots are not advised.

Space bombs
The most powerful warheads in the game. Their big drawback is that their speed is extremely slow and they have almost no maneuverability or homing systems at all, effectively flying in a straight line once they've been shot. They should only ever be used against large, stationary (or at least very slow moving) craft, and not fired from a great distance. Their speed is based on how fast you were moving at the time they were launched, so get your speed up high before firing.

Mag pulse
Essentially, this is the warhead version of the ion cannon, initially used by the rebels. They are used to disable enemy craft's systems, and are effective at disabling weapons systems. Unlike the ion cannon, systems are disabled only for a limited time. Against platforms and capital ships this is usually enough time to take out the target's turrets.

Beam weapons
Beams are additional weapons provided later in the game. They include their own energy supply that must be managed separately. Beam weapons have limited range and must be aimed (using the targeting reticule).

Tractor Beam
Tractor beams inhibit the targeted craft's maneuver controls. You can use this to force an enemy to collide with another ship.

Jamming Beam
The jamming beam inhibits the target craft's fire controls, preventing it from firing.