crossbow bolts often don't hit, somehow disappearing in midair for no obvious
reason. Still, since it is a one-hit-kill weapon and since it has a great
zoom, this should be your first choice against Combine standing far away, at
least as long as they don't move around too much. If the Combine are at
medium distance or if they keep dodging your attacks, I rather recommend the
pulse-rifle.
---------
Grenades:
---------
Primary Fire Mode : Press to lob a grenade or keep pressed until you want to
lob it. It doesn't make a difference.
Secondary Fire Mode: Light throw.
Grenades either explode a few seconds after having been thrown (no matter how
long you kept in your hand) or upon contact with anything, when being picked
up with the gravity gun and hurled away.
Sadly the latter choice is too risky and the first one is rather useless in
most situations as fast enemies that try to rush in on you are too hard to
hit and as Combine most often run away from the grenades. Only throw grenades
to clear a stationary machine gun or against numerous enemies in tight places.
Secondary fire makes Gordon rather drop the grenade than really toss it, so
use it to attack close targets, but make sure to run from the explosion.
-----------------
Missile Launcher:
-----------------
Primary Fire Mode : Fire off a missile.
Secondary Fire Mode: n/a
The missile launcher is an extremely strong weapon, just as it is supposed to
be. Like in HL1 you can steer a missile after having fired it off, making it
easier to hit moving targets. The bad thing, though is that it actually isn't
a can, but rather a must. Unlike HL1, HL2 doesn't allow for turning off the
steering function, so you cannot fire and forget. Its most important use is
against gunships, which require the steering function, but still I feel like
they shouldn't have changed the weapon in the second game.
The missile launcher is crucial against gunships and striders, but it should
also be used against strong groups of Combine. Don't worry: If you definitely
need the missile launcher to proceed you will always have a missile crate
somewhere not too far away.
Also note that the blast radius isn't as effective as you might think. In
order to kill a Combine you have to hit him directly or the
ground/wall/ceiling extremely close to him.
----------
Pheropods:
----------
Primary Fire Mode : Toss a Bug Bait to determine a target for the antlions.
Secondary Fire Mode: Squeeze a Bug Bait to make all antlions follow you.
The pheropods grant you control over all antlions (except for the big ones)
even if you don't have 'em in your hands. Still you should use them for most
of the time when antlions are around as they are not only fun to use, but
also pretty effective when commanding the insects to charge in before you.
After leaving Nova Prospekt, however, the pheropods become rather useless,
since you leave your insect friends behind. The only remaining use for them
is to distract Combine by throwing the pheropods right at them. Only do this
if you need to kill a Combine desperately without risking to lose any health
and also only if that Combine has no friends around, though.
------------------
Super Gravity Gun:
------------------
Primary Fire Mode : Toss something away.
Secondary Fire Mode: Pull something to you and make it float in midair right
in front of the gun.
Ok, actually this isn't listed as a weapon on its own in the game, but I fell
like the enhanced gravity gun deserves its own section.
Basically the super gravity gun works the same way as the normal gravity gun,
but it wields so much more power than its little brother. It allows for
manipulating Combine, plasma balls, heavy computers and monitors and, of
course, all the stuff the normal gravity gun can.
Since it is your only weapon once you get it, you surely have to use it, but
let me give you the advice to mainly use the gun on the enemies directly.
Hurling heavy objects takes too long and you don't have a clear view. Plasma
balls also take a while and they are rather hard to aim with. Pulling in an
enemy directly takes him down quickly and you can hurl it at its buddies.
Alternatively, when fighting Combine over a big distance, you can pull in the
first one, drop him while he flies over to you and quickly lift the second
one and so on.
5. Enemies EEE
In this section, the first field for every enemy holds its name (or what I
believe to be its name), the second one holds my opinion on how dangerous
they are (from 1 to 5 asterisks, with five being extremely lethal) and the
third one holds its outer appearance.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-5.1 Combine-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=EE1
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Combine Soldier | ***OO | Humanoid alien wearing a blue suit and a mask|
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Pulse-rifle | 2. Shotgun / Crossbow |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|The common Combine Soldier probably is the enemy you will encounter the |
|most. They either wield a shotgun, an SMG or a pulse-rifle, all of which |
|are rather strong weapons. Furthermore they can toss grenades, smack you |
|with their gun I close-quarter and man machine guns. They also dodge your |
|grenades and sometimes hide behind objects. Definitely kill them quickly, |
|especially when being close to them as a shotgun can rip you apart in no |
|time. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Elite Combine |***OO + 1/2| Humanoid alien wearing a white suit |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Pulse-rifle | 2. Shotgun / Crossbow |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|These are pretty similar to the usual Combine Soldiers, but they always |
|carry a pulse-rifle, even employing its secondary fire mode. In addition |
|they can take a bit more of damage than the blue Combine. On the other hand|
|their pulse-rifle obviously does the same damage as the one of the normal |
|Combine and the white guys cannot throw grenades. Bottom-line is that they |
|are a bit more dangerous than their blue buddies, making them your first |
|target whenever you see one of them. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=5.2 Xen Aliens=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-EE2
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Headcrab | *OOOO | Little alien trying to jump at you |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Gravity Gun | 2. Pistol / Shotgun |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|I guess you know these pesky little creatures from HL1 or from the Alien |
|movies. Although they tend to be tedious as they can be hard to hit, they |
|are only a minimum threat as they deal few damage. Early in the game you |
|should use the crowbar, later on the gravity gun. If you want to get them |
|out of the way quickly you can also use the pistol or the shotgun. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Toxic Headcrab | *OOOO | Similar to headcrabs, but thinner and black |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Gravity Gun | 2. Pistol / Shotgun |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Like the normal headcrabs, these try to assault you with a long jump, but |
|they don't deal damage the usual way. Instead they lower your health to one|
|point as they poison you. Your health slowly restores to nearly the amount |
|it was at before the attack, so toxic headcrabs on their own can only take |
|away a bit of your life, but in combination with other enemies, they can |
|mean a quick death. If these appear together with other headcrabs, you |
|should use the shotgun, otherwise there is no need to worry. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Super Headcrab |*OOOO + 1/2| Similar to headcrabs, but thinner |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Gravity Gun | 2. Pistol / Shotgun |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Probably Valve had some other name in mind for these, but I think super |
|headcrab gives you a good idea of what they are: Better headcrabs. They are|
|a lot faster than the normal type, but that's about it. Because of their |
|speed they also do more damage in a short amount of time, but still they |
|aren't too much of a threat. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Zombie | *OOOO | Mutated human with a headcrab on its head |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Gravity Gun | 2. Crowbar / Shotgun |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Zombies are human beings that have been overtaken by a headcrab. They are |
|dumb, they move rather slowly, they only attack in close-quarter and their |
|dead after a few hits. Unless you're trapped, hurl objects at them with the|
|gravity gun or use the crowbar, but if you lack space to dodge their pretty|
|strong attacks, just give them a blast from your shotgun. Sometimes the |
|headcrab survives the death of its host, so be prepared. Sadly, you don't |
|have any effect on whether this happens or not. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Toxic Zombie | *OOOO | Fat human with toxic headcrabs on it |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Gravity Gun | 2. Crowbar / Shotgun |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|These bulky (or even fat) guys have been overtaken by toxic headcrabs, |
|three of which they hurl at you. Just kill those three headcrabs and either|
|ignore the host or take him down with the crowbar. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Super Zombie | ****O | Human with a super headcrab on its head |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Shotgun | 2. Pulse-rifle |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Super zombies are heavily mutated human beings that have been infected by a|
|super headcrab. Other than the normal and toxic zombies, these are |
|extremely fast and dangerous. Try to strafe and back off all the time while|
|aiming the shotgun at their head. Like the normal zombies, the super |
|zombies sometimes give you a second fight as the parasite can survive. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Barnacle |OOOOO + 1/2| An alien creature hanging at the ceiling |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Pistol | 2. Shotgun |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Ahh, the lovely Barnacles get a comeback. Simply avoid walking into their |
|tentacle and you should be fine. If you cannot easily get around it, either|
|kill them from below or feed them some object that lies around to quickly |
|pass by. If you still get caught by one, swiftly eliminate it on your way |
|up or else you will not only get hurt by the Barnacle directly, but also by|
|the fall. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-5.3 Bugs-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-EE3
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Antlion |*OOOO + 1/2| A big insect |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Gravity Gun | 2. Shotgun / SMG |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|These insects behave similar to headcrabs, but they keep respawning in the |
|sand and they deal more damage. Stay in your buggy as long as possible and |
|stay off the sand. Those machineries that look like oil pumps can hold them|
|off when being activated. Once you've got the pheropods, the antlions stop |
|attacking you. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Antlion Queen | ****O | An even bigger insect |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Shotgun | 2. Gravity Gun / Pulse-Rifle|
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Luckily you encounter these huge antlions only a few times. When you do, |
|keep running from them backwards and try to get solid obstacles between you|
|and it. Antlion Queens usually try to tackle you, but they can also hurl |
|loose objects at you, so keep strafing when one of them aims for a radiator|
|or a crate or whatever. |
+---------------------------------------------------------------------------+
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=5.4 Heavy Gear=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-EE4
+----------------+-----------+----------------------------------------------+
|Helicopter | ****O | Well...it's a helicopter |
+----------------+-----------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|Weapon of choice against it:| 1. Machine Gun | 2. None |
+----------------------------+----------------+-----------------------------+
|These appear only at the beginning of the game. Later on they are |
|substituted by the gunships. As you don't have the missile launcher when |
|facing the helicopters, try to avoid their heavy fire, hide and move |
|quickly. The only way of destroying them is with stationary machine guns |
|
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