Hammerburst II
From Gears of War
- This article refers to the Hammerburst of Gears of War 2. For the Hammerburst in Gears of War, see Hammerburst Assault Rifle.
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The Hammerburst II is the Locust standard-issue high-powered battle rifle featured in Gears of War 2. Regarded as the Locust counterpart to the COG Lancer Assault Rifle, the Hammerburst II possesses a semi-automatic fire mode and a 17-round (15 AR) magazine capacity. Currently, the Hammerburst II has largely replaced the previous model, the Hammerburst Assault Rifle.
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[edit] Overview
The Hammerburst II is a result of a number of improvements made on the Hammerburst Assault Rifle, such as the addition of an extensive recoil control systems, a longer barrel with a larger bore for higher caliber bullets, a completely reworked action for receiving and ejecting cartridges, and a rudimentary iron sight on top of the receiver.
The Locust use the Hammerburst II extensively. Although lower-ranked soldiers such as Drones are often equipped with the Hammerburst II, higher-ranked Locust such as Theron Guards and Palace Guards also use the Hammerburst II.
COG Gears have also been known to use the Hammerburst II because of its relatively high Stopping Power and effective range.
On the top right of the screen where the ammo is shown, it's indicated that the displayed magazine decreases by one, and then by two rounds per shot alternatively. The 2 rounds are so close to each other that they combine to look like 1 larger round.
[edit] Gameplay
The Hammerburst II possesses both an automatic (engaged when the trigger is held down) and semi-automatic (engaged by pulling the trigger after each shot) firing modes, and has the unique distinction of the only Rifle in Gears of War 2 (excluding the Longshot Sniper Rifle) to have a zoom-in function.
The automatic firing mode has a slow rate of fire (compared to the Lancer Assault Rifle's rate of fire), but maintains constant accuracy with little recoil. The semi-automatic firing mode allows players to fire as fast as they can pull the trigger, resulting in higher damage in a shorter amount time when compared with the automatic firing mode. However, the recoil increases significantly as the rate of fire increases. The zoom function on the Hammerburst II is not as powerful as the Longshot Sniper Rifle, but does provide increased aim at medium to long range.
When measured bullet-for-bullet, the Hammerburst II has superior firepower and Stopping Power when compared with the Lancer Assault Rifle. However, longer combat ranges usually favors the Hammerburst II because of the zoom-in function and high bullet damage. The Hammerburst II is also an ideal support weapon because of its ability to provide accurate suppressing fire on enemies. The Hammerburst II also has a longer effective range than any pistol, excluding the Snub Pistol and is also capable of headshots. However, the Hammerburst II bullets are somewhat slow, and are capable of being dodged at long range. Headshots are also rather hard to accomplish on anything but a completely stationary target.
Like the previous Hammerburst Assault Rifle, the Hammerburst II is not as effective at close-range combat. Although the Hammerburst can deal a high amount of damage when rapidly fired, the Gnasher Shotgun, Boltok Pistol, and Gorgon Pistol can usually outmatch a Hammerburst II in terms of damage at close range. The relatively small magazine capacity of the Hammerburst II can also leave players vulnerable. The magazine can be drained quickly when fired rapidly. At melee range, the Hammerburst II is particularly vulnerable to the Chainsaw Bayonet.
Despite the lack of a Chainsaw Bayonet and combat niche in ranged combat, the Hammerburst II can be used in close-quarters combat. Players can melee an enemy standing behind cover with the Hammerburst II, which the Lancer Assault Rifle Chainsaw Bayonet cannot do. While the damage of a Hammerburst II melee attack is not very high, it can be enough to down an enemy if combined with several shots beforehand. Rapidly firing half a clip with a Perfect Reload can also down a enemy before he/she can deal the killing blow from a weapon more suitable at close range, such as the Gnasher Shotgun.
[edit] Tactics
Successful use of the Hammerburst takes practice, patience, and knowledge of both the gun's strengths and weaknesses. The Hammerburst II is one of the most versatile guns in Gears of War 2 when used correctly. However, when compared with the Lancer Assault Rifle, which is relatively easy to use and contains more than 3 times the ammo capacity of the Hammerburst II, the Hammerburst II is undoubtedly harder to use. The Hammerburst II requires exceptional accuracy and handling, particularly in close quarters combat. The higher firepower and accuracy and longer range of the Hammerburst II makes it superior in some respects when compared with the Lancer. The high Stopping Power of the Hammerburst II, combined with the rapid fire semi-automatic mode, is easily capable of downing a rushing enemy player.
The Hammerburst II firing rate is only limited by the speed at which the user can pull the trigger; therefore, it is crucial to utilize a certain style of shooting to achieve optimum speed. "Riding the Trigger" is a technique in which you keep your finger on the gun's trigger ("RT") pulled just barely above the point of firing, instead of letting it stay at it's natural rest. Then, as you pull the gun's trigger to fire, you do not pull it all the way (letting it hit the border of the controller), but instead you just pull it past the point of firing. This greatly increases your firing rate if used in succession, as your finger does not have to make such long strokes. The only drawback, however, is that you may "Ride the Trigger" too hard or soft midfire-fight, and, repectively, this will cause you to either use the Hammerburst's comparably-sluggish automatic firing rate or to stop shooting.
The Hammerburst II excels at maps with wide, open expanses such as Day One and Blood Drive. The high firepower and accuracy of the Hammerburst II is best used against the Lancer by downing the enemy before the Lancer's superior ammo capacity and rate of fire tips the balance. Downing an enemy with more than a single clip of ammo at close range with the Hammerburst merits more training on accuracy.
Using the Hammerburst II effectively means managing the automatic and semi-automatic firing modes. Firing single shots can be useful for picking at enemies in cover and as a counter-sniper versus players using the Longshot Sniper Rifle or a Torque Bow.
It can also be used at close range by taking an enemy side on and hitting the enemy with a melee and followed by rapid firing on the stunned opponent. If the enemy has a lancer and is using the chainsaw the player can easily shoot to stagger the opponent and follow with a melee to easily down the opponent.
When fired from the hip, the Hammerburst II tends to buck wildly left-and-right, as well as the usual muzzle-rise effect. This makes it wildly inaccurate; however, firing from the hip can be more advantageous than aiming when the opponent is aware of your presence or when you need to take evasive maneuvers. This is because you can turn much faster and recover faster from rolling or sliding if you then shoot from the hip, and these maneuvers are useful if your opponent is close with a Gnasher shotgun or a Scorcher flamethrower. The more skilled you become at knowing where the barrel is pointing (when not aiming) and how to properly compensate for recoil, the more likely you are to down a shotgun-wielder before he can disembowl you.
[edit] Gold-Plated Hammerburst
On the November 6, 2008 midnight release of Gears of War 2, Gamestop, Game Crazy, and other retailers hosting the midnight launch participated in an special promotion event called "Midnight Mayhem". People who attended the "Midnight Mayhem" event received a Xbox LIVE Marketplace code to unlock a Golden Hammerburst. The code was only available to people who attended the Gears of War 2 midnight launch. The codes are similar to Xbox Live trial codes, and are unique in that once it is used,the code cannot be used again to prevent sharing.
[edit] Golden Hammerburst Code Bugs
After the November 6, 2008 midnight launch for Gears of War 2, there were reports of players who were not able to successfully register the code and download the Golden Hammerburst. The bug has been addressed; to fix the problem:
- Log on and go to the Xbox 360 dashboard
- Go to the the Xbox LIVE Marketplace
- Go to the Account Management menu and select Download History
- If the code is valid, re-download the Golden Hammerburst downloadable content
| 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 | |
