Troika Heavy Machine Gun

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Troika Heavy Machine Gun
Product information
Manufacturer	Locust Horde
Type	Mounted Heavy Machine Gun
Technical specifications
Size	Extremely Large
Damage Per Hit	Medium-High
Magazine Size	Unlimited
Maximum Ammunition	Unlimited
Fire Mode	Automatic
Ammunition Type	Cartridge
Rate of Fire	Extremely High
Accuracy	Low to Medium
Range	Short to Medium
Usage
Era(s)	Lambent Pandemic Locust War
Counterpart	Chain Gun Mulcher Vulcan Cannon
Counterweapon(s)	Longshot Sniper Rifle
Affiliation	Locust Horde

"TROIKA!"

—The standard COG cry when a Troika starts firing at them

The Troika Heavy Machine Gun was a mounted, double barreled heavy machine gun designed and used by the Locust, almost exclusively by the Gunner class of Drone.

Background

As with most Locust weapons, little is known of the Troika's origins or engineering, but some information has been confirmed through field usage. The weapon itself is a modified form of the minigun, equipped with two rotary ammunition drums and active cooling to allow virtually continuous firing.

The weapon's mount has a horizontal spread of approximately 100 degrees and a vertical spread of approximately 80 degrees, and is equipped with active recoil compensation. The Troika as mounted includes frontal armoring, though this provides no cover from side or rear attacks, leaving the user's legs partially exposed and most notably lacks total head coverage.

Aiming is assisted with an infrared scope (so as to accommodate the Locust visual range), though manual aiming tends to be preferred by COG forces.

RAAM holding his version of the cut down Trokia

The mighty General RAAM used what appears to be a cut-down variation of the Troika, which lacked a shield and had a grip and an amunition drum similar to the rear half of a Boomshot.

By A.E 16 the resources for Troikas have been largely exhausted and the Locust Horde was unable to manufacture new Troikas, they could only use old ones. In response, the Horde created the Multi-Turret.

Game Strategies

The Troika is a very powerful weapon, capable of ripping through standard infantry armor in a few shots. However, the Troika's mounting stand has an extremely slow turning speed, and the aiming should be kept unzoomed when taking on multiple enemies. It should also be noted that the Troika provides protection only in the front, so attacks from the side should be watched out for.

Countering Strategies

A Locust Gunner using the Weapon.

Methods of attacking Troika emplacements include the use of grenades, aerial bombardment with the Hammer of Dawn or a close-range shotgun blast from behind. Alternatively it is possible to use a longer-range weapon (Longshot Sniper Rifle or Torque Bow for example) to attack the user's head through the viewing gap in the Troika's frontal shield. Leg shots tend to be instantly fatal with a Longshot, especially with a perfect active reload. One final strategy is to peg the user's exposed legs with a Torque Bow. The stationary user will have a lot of trouble dodging the attack, but be sure to fire before the gunner does. Another strategy is slowly advancing on the gunner with the Boomshield, and utilizing the Bolotk Pistol to remove the gunner's head. The Gorgon Burst is surprisingly ineffective close range, as the bullets go to the side from each muzzle, sometimes missing their target completely.

Multiplayer

The Troika currently appears in only one of the Multiplayer maps, "War Machine". Troikas cannot turn behind the user, so having another player guard their back is often the best defense. In practice, the weapon is generally useless, providing next to no protection from fire and allowing excessively easy sniper rifle and Torque Bow kills due to the wide assortment of angles it can be attacked from.

Behind the Scenes

• If you use a Longshot to scope in on the Troika's targeting display, at the bottom, in white letters, you can clearly read the word "Target". This is a joke by the developers about how easy it is to snipe a stationary person using the turret from the many diffrent angles.
• In Gears 2 and 3, the Troika can overheat if fired for too long. Using the RB button can release the captured heat quickly.
• The Troika has a unique ability to "mulch" enemies no matter how far you are.
• Of all the Troikas, only two can rotate 360 degrees, the first being in Gears of War 1, which is the first encountered, and the final one being in Gears of War 2, on the level Free Parking.
• In Gears of War 3, Horde 2.0, it is unknown why the COGs use Troikas since they are Locust weaponry and not the Chain Gun since it is COG weaponry. Also, it is unknown why the Locust don't know how to use the Troikas in Horde 2.0 since they're Locust weapons.
• "Troika" literally means "group of three" or "triad" in Russian, making it a puzzling name for a double barrelled gun.