Boomshot Grenade Launcher
From Gears of War
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The Boomshot Grenade Launcher is a single-shot grenade launcher primarily used by Locust Boomers in Gears of War and Gears of War 2. The Boomshot fires a delayed-fuse high-explosive shell that creates a large explosion upon impact, followed by the detonation of about three to five small "bomblets" that create a series of secondary explosions (comparable to a cluster bomb). The shell is loaded into the Boomshot via a drum magazine. While Boomers are exclusively equipped with the Boomshot, Drones and Gears are also capable of using the Boomshot.
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[edit] Gameplay
Utilizing the Boomshot is more of an art than an exact science; the weapon's gunsight is woefully imprecise, and it takes a while to get a feel for its unique aiming. Once you get dialed in, it's murder. To use the Boomshot, the user must, ideally, be within a medium to long range of fire, though with practice you can often land a shell even out to extreme range with fair accuracy. Because of this, it's a weapon of choice for clearing out Longshot-armed Snipers in areas that would otherwise be difficult to access.
The Boomshot is quite capable of taking down multiple enemies at once. Even a near-miss can still kill or down an enemy. The Boomshot has little recoil, but fires in a slight arc as the shell starts to pull downward the farther it travels. The Boomshot is capable of firing over cover with a vantage point. The number of bomblets is doubled with a Perfect Reload, which increases the damage of the secondary explosions.
Because of the weapon's high power and considerable splash damage, Boomers pose a huge threat to Gears in the field. Surprisingly, in spite of the weapon's bulk, it can be aimed and fired to good effect by a human-sized wielder; the Boomshot, being a grenade launcher, generates surprisingly little recoil and isn't terribly difficult to get the hang of; unfortunately its sheer mass means that its ammunition count is quite limited (a mere 12 shots, counting the one in the chamber). The Boomshot can close Emergence Holes.
The Boomshot will easily take down its target in one shot; while the weapon is, as stated, imprecise, the splash damage allows for more lenient targeting. The area of effect can be bolstered by obtaining a Perfect Reload, which increases the number of secondary bomblet explosions. Unfortunately, as an explosive weapon, the Boomshot is more than capable of killing the wielder should they fire it too close.
The Boomshot is fundamentally a large, heavy length of steel, so it does a very heavy amount of damage if you hit someone with it as a melee weapon. In fact, its melee damage is second only to the Torque Bow, so it's not only a powerful ranged gun, but a lethal close-combat tool as well.
The Boomshot's effectiveness and sheer raw power make it a highly contested weapon on most multiplayer maps that include it. It's among the few weapons that can score a one-shot-kill on Execution, and though its ammo capacity is very small, the fact that you can wipe out a cluster of enemies with a single shot means that it is almost invariably in high demand. On several maps, such as Jacinto, it isn't quite as popular due to the availability of a Mortar and Torque Bow both located close to the action, but the Boomshot remains a powerful and effective weapon, so it's a given that at some point, someone is going to make a run for it. Be wary, especially if an enemy gets to it before you or an ally does.
In the original Gears of War, the Boomshot was rather hard to maintain in single-player. It was dropped only by Boomers, which were rather rare, and you could not find additional ammunition for the
[edit] Multiplayer
This weapon appears on most multiplayer maps, and if used properly, it can kill at medium to extreme range. However, it should never be used at close range, as the explosion will tear the user apart as well. This weapon should be used for setting up ambushes that can seriously hurt an enemy, followed by Lancer bursts to finish him/them off. This is one of the weapons that can be recommended to switch with the Shotgun. After the recent patch the Boomshot has increased splash damage, making kills far more efficient and the weapon itself deadly. On the map Gridlock, there is a central bell tower with a small tunnel through it, in which the grenade launcher is located, referred to by some players as the "Boomshot Tunnel". The Boomshot kills instantly with a direct hit, but that is somewhat difficult. Therefore, most players tend to aim for the ground around an enemy's feet. This will ensure maximum damage done to the player and in some cases can kill multiple players, if others are nearby.
[edit] Advanced Tactics and Countermeasures
Most often in multiplayer, the player who wields the Boomshot can easily get a kill with it every round. However, with proper tactical use, the grenade launcher can prove a much more deadly weapon. For example, most players know that the Boomshot does plenty of splash damage, but few are aware of the fragmentation effect of the grenade upon impact. You can hit a player on higher ground behind cover by using an active reload shot to hit the nearby walls or ceiling. The explosive effects of the grenade after impact gravitate downwards, easily downing the unsuspecting opponent if done correctly. This technique works very well on Gridlock against snipers taking cover in the central raised platform.
Another technique used by more experienced players is baiting. Many players, even the more astute ones, will rush to a downed teammate's aid if they do not appear to be in danger. A useful tactic with the boomshot is to down an opponent with some non-Boomshot weapon, then retreat to a distance and watch for approaching teammates. Once some unsuspecting fool goes to revive their squadmate, a well-timed Boomshot can take them both out with one shot, so long as the projectile hits directly. It is also helpful if the shot is timed to impact after the player is revived. In this way, the shooter gets 15+25+25=65 points for the whole ordeal, as opposed to 15+10+25=50 for killing the downed player before he gets back up.
As with any weapon, of course, there are counter-tactics to the Boomshot as well. When a player with a Boomshot has an advantage in position, sometimes the best defense is to stand in plain sight and appear as an easy target. If the opponent has not the discipline to wait for the more certain shot, they will likely waste an attempt at a direct hit, which can be easily evaded if anticipated, a side roll can often dodge an oncoming grenade. If the opponent attempts to advance through taking cover, the best defense is to get in their faces as fast as possible with well-timed maneuvers. That way, if you do go down, they will likely explode along with you. One caveat - don't get to melee range unless you're packing a Lancer or Torque Bow. The Boomshot is one of the beefiest melee weapons around, and only those two weapons are stronger. Make note and fight smart.
The Torque Bow's superior range and accuracy over the Boomshot make it a good counter-weapon for dealing with it. The Gnasher is a good choice when you get up close. At extreme range, the Longshot works, but is fairly risky; many Boomshot users are veterans and skilled in busting Snipers with the weapon, so if you do use the Longshot, pick at them from unexpected angles.
One last thing to make note of: The Boomshot has 4 distinct affiliation lights on the front of it in Gears of War 2, so you can see when the weapon is aimed in your direction. If you see those lights, and they're not from your team, get away.
Finally, make note that the Boomshot, much like the Torque Bow, has an unusual system in regards to kills and suicides. If you blow yourself up when trying to take down an enemy, the game tabulates the kill differently depending on who died first. If the explosion kills you before your opponent, the victory goes to the enemy, whereas if the explosion kills the opponent first, it's yours. This will rarely come up outside of Warzone or Execution, but it's vital to know regardless.
[edit] Trivia
- The Boomshot has two small "affiliation lights" located on either side of its magazine. These will change blue or red depending on whether the wielder is a Gear or Locust, respectively.
- In Gears 2, the Boomshot has 4 more Affiliation Lights on the barrel, near the muzzle. These make the weapon quite visible from the front, a not-so-subtle clue to get the Hell behind cover!
- Going by measurements of characters (Benjamin Carmine, for example, is about 6' tall), and scaling it to put it on-par with other modern-day grenade launchers, the Boomshot's massive barrel has at least a 60mm Bore.
- Oddly, the Boomshot has a large magazine with at least four grenades in it, yet you change magazines after each shot.
- Even though as mentioned, it's not safe to fire at close range since you can commit suicide, and Boomers do melee, they only melee if reloading. Otherwise, they will even fire their Boomshots at point blank due to their stupidity. They somehow don't seem to be affected at all by this suicidal move.
- Look closely, Boomers can be seen pumping it as if it is a shotgun.
- A clever trick sometimes used by players in multiplayer is, while having no ammunition left, aiming the boomshot at an enemy because whether or not the boomshot has ammo doesn't affect its intimidation towards players.
| Weapons of Gears of War | ||
|---|---|---|
| COG | Lancer Assault Rifle · Gnasher Shotgun · Longshot Sniper Rifle · Snub Pistol · Bolo Grenade · Smoke Grenade · Hammer of Dawn · Chain Gun · Mortar · Longspear | |
| Locust Horde | Hammerburst Assault Rifle · Hammerburst II · Boltok Pistol · Boomshot Grenade Launcher · Torque Bow · Troika Heavy Machine Gun · Gorgon Burst Pistol · Ink Grenade · Boom Shield · Mulcher · Scorcher | |
