From the 7.20 Changes;
As well as the above modifications, which essentially creates a weapon twice as large, that recharges 2.5x more slowly and costs 3x as much, the damage template of the Particle Lance is a single column of armour, rather than the Particle Beam which has a template between that of missiles and lasers. The Particle Lance retains the constant damage of the Particle Beam, creating a weapon that can penetrate enemy armour at significant range.
I have always assumed that all beam weapons have the sample penetration template, all damage applied to a single armour column like lasers.
What does the penetration look like for particle beams and individual rail gun projectiles?
