Energy vs Plasma / Boost vs Fusion - What's the difference?

Learning how to manage your energy resources is a crucial element of your racing strategy and is essential for victory.

In this article we explain the differences between the two main resources (Energy and Plasma) and the two speed thrusts available, Boost and Fusion, then give some tips on how and when to use them for maximum speed.

Energy is what you’ll need to trigger Boost, a kick of horsepower which you can activate at any time
Plasma is used to ignite nuclear Fusion, the ultimate acceleration which is 60% more powerful than fully upgraded Boost, but you need a full Plasma meter before you can activate Fusion
Starting and finishing a race with Fusion is the only way to achieve the fastest possible lap times

Watch the PAX 2020 AMA interview for the full discussion.

Resources: Energy vs Plasma

1. Energy

Energy is a resource that you collect within a race and can be used in three different ways:

To activate Boost
To upgrade your vehicle
To activate ‘Abilities’

Every player gets 75 units of Energy at the start of every race. If you use up all your Energy (i.e. zero on your energy meter) you can still drive, but you won’t be able to activate any Boost, Upgrades or Abilities until you accrue more.

You collect Energy during a race by:

Going through checkpoints (25 units)
Driving through Sectors that you’ve captured – You capture a Sector by getting the fastest sector time
Kinetic Energy Recovery (aka KERS, or ERS) via skidding and braking

Important!
Energy can only be collected and used WITHIN the active race, and it disappears at its completion. i.e. it can’t be accrued, used or traded once the race finishes.

So firstly, there’s no pay-to-win, and secondly, you’re going to want to use every last drop of Energy before the race finishes.

2. Plasma

Plasma is a whole different resource which can only be used for Fusion. It can’t directly used for any upgrades and abilities.

How to get it

The only way to collect Plasma is by winning and owning Sectors (there are 4 Sectors per track).

You’re awarded an amount of Plasma based on how many sectors you own, and how many laps you can hold onto.

Here’s how much Plasma you’ll receive if you capture all sectors in one lap:

If you own 1 Sector, you earn 1 unit every 3 secs
If you own 2 Sectors, you earn 1 unit every 1.5 secs
If you own 3 Sectors, you earn 1 unit every 1 sec
If you own 4 Sectors, you earn 1 unit every .75 secs

You’re also awarded additional Plasma per Sector if you retain your sector ownership for more than one lap. The increase in the Plasma collection rate caps at three laps.

So the more Sectors you own and the longer you can hold onto them, the faster you earn Plasma, and the more you have to burn.

Speed Upgrades: Boost vs Fusion

1. Boost

The Boosters are turbines attached to your vehicle. Energy is consumed when your boosters are activated. You can use Boost at any time if you have Energy.

Boost increases your speed, which increases your downforce, so it can also be used to increase traction and stabilise your vehicle to get you out of trouble.

Upgrading your boosters

Your boosters can be upgraded mid-race. Upgraded boosters give you more brute force but they also consume energy at a faster rate.

Each vehicle component starts at ‘Stage 0’ and has three upgrade stages, ‘Stage 1’ through to ‘Stage 3’. Each upgrade stage is more expensive than the previous, and gives you additional power to match.

How and when to use it

As with all resources, there’s a trade-off when using Energy. Are you better off using it to boost, to get a quick hit of speed to help capture Sectors, or are you better off saving up and buying a vehicle upgrade, which will give you a benefit that you’ll have until the end of the race?

Using Boost is great if you want to quickly capture, or defend, a sector time. This can be a great pay off, as you can get your Energy back when you’re in a sector that you own. However, if you use too much Energy on Boost, then you can fall behind on your vehicle upgrades, which can see your opponents flying past you without even needing to boost at all.

You’ll want to use a mix of both spending Energy on Boost, and spending it on Upgrades and Abilities.

Energy management is key to victory, so you’ll want to keep an eye on your Energy Meter, and your opponents’ strategies, at all times.

*More on vehicle upgrades in a separate article coming soon.

2. Fusion

Put simply, Fusion is like Boost, but on steroids.

Every vehicle has a compact fusion reactor installed on-board, which burns Plasma when ignited and creates nuclear fusion, which channels the massive energy hit through your boosters.

Fusion is the most powerful energy source, giving you approximately 60% more kick than a fully upgraded Stage 3 Boost, but as Plasma burns up quickly, Fusion only lasts for a short while.

Fusion can only be ignited with a full Plasma meter (100 Units). 10 units of Plasma are consumed on ignition, leaving you with 90 units of Plasma for Fusion power output. So ignite and use your Plasma wisely.

How and when to use it

You can make the most of Fusion by following a few general rules:

Keep an eye on your Plasma meter to confirm when your Plasma is at 100% capacity so you know exactly when to ignite.
Since you can’t use Plasma for anything else except Fusion, try and use it whenever your Plasma meter is full. Every drop of Plasma not collected is Plasma wasted.
There’s a cost to ignite, so you’ll get the best efficiency keeping it on until your Plasma meter is completely exhausted.
You’ll get the most out of Fusion when you’re on a nice big straightaway…
We don’t recommend using it on tight twisty parts of the track or over jumps

Want to know how to go faster?

Achieving the Fastest Lap Times

Putting all of the pieces together to get the most out of your resources and momentum is key. In this article we’ll give some tips on how and when to use your boost and fusion to make the most of your resources to achieve top speed, and set the fastest lap times. Boost is a