Talk to the (Barnacle) Hand: Opposing Force Weapon Guide

So you've trained on the tau, gone gluon giddy, and otherwise owned the 14 weapons of Mother Half-Life? Its bastard son OP4 presents an all-new challenge with its own set of unique weapons--some intensely lame and effeminate enough to make the Hive Hand look manly, others extraordinarily deadly when used properly. So, got a grip on the grappler, and down with the Desert Eagle? We didn't think so--else you wouldn't be here look for advice from us. Here's the lowdown.

SUCK IT UP: THE GRAPPLE

The grapple, basically a barnacle-sucker from single-player HL that you wear on your fist, is a very effective close-range weapon. Simply point the grapple at an enemy and hold down the trigger. The "tongue" sticks to any organic matter it hits and latches on, pulling you toward the target. Close in on your enemy to put on the big hurt. Generally, just a second or two of contact with the toothy grapple mouth is enough to take out even the strongest-willed opponent--that is, if you can tolerate that lurid slurping noise the grappler makes, much like that of an overzealous St. Bernard downing a Big Gulp.

The grapple is best used when you have the long-jump pack--this allows you to cover ground fast to close with your enemy quickly and get hit less. It also helps to duck while grappling an opponent close-up--it can buy you that second or two you need to consume him in your portable fist-maw.

You can also use the grapple for transport. Look for patches of organic matter (usually growing around the spawn points for spore-gun ammunition), and latch on with the grapple to be taken for a ride upwards. Mastering this technique is especially essential for thriving in some maps, especially the inexplicably popular suck-fest Meanie.

The sniper rifle is similiar to the original Half-Life's crossbow: slow to fire and reload, but devastating under the right circumstances. Each shot fires a high-velocity bullet that will drop your opponent like a weighted sandbag with one shot if he doesn't have armor. The rifle's secondary-fire mode, which brings up a telescopic sight, enables long-distance accuracy, but it's a bad idea to use it when enemies are close by because of its very narrow field of vision. (See Top n00b Mistakes Tip #16)

If you're desperate, the sniper rifle can make an effective skirmishing weapon when used in primary-fire mode, but you must not miss. The between-shot pause time as you bolt up another round is dismal. Still, one hit generally takes out your opponent, which is well more than can be said for most other single-shot HL weapons. It takes skill, but learn the sniper rifle if you want to dish out no-doubter "WTF!" kills.

Another fist-replacement candidate (what is the Valve/Gearbox obsession with augmenting the human fist with gross mutant animals?), the spore gun sports a primary-fire mode that shoots a single green spore ball; secondary fire shoots a slower, bouncing spore ball.

The spore launcher is ineffective in most map areas--you usually have to hit an enemy directly with two or three spore balls to take him out, unless you manage a headshot. Where the map has low ceilings, however, look out!. In these places the spore launcher becomes as devastatingly deadly a weapon as they come.. Simply aim the spore launcher at the ceiling above your opponent's head, fire, and watch him dissolve into bloody debris. No skillz required!

When someone tries to spore-bitch you in a low-ceilinged room or hall, run--don't walk--outdoors or to an area where the ceilings are higher. Few weapons are as flat-out to-be-feared as the spore launcher in the hands of a knowing player in a hallway. Play it safe, or you'll get to know that patented death-crack sound reaaaal well.

ANY TELEPORT IN A STORM: THE DISPLACER

Secondary fire on the displacer, which eats up a whopping 60 ammo units per jolt, teleports you to a random spawn point and (hopefully, but by no means always) out of danger. Which brings us to a neat displacer trick: When someone is very close to you and you use secondary fire to teleport, you will kill them from the residual energy blast you leave behind. So snuggle up with an enemy before you teleport to set them awash in your warm green glow of D.E.A.T.H.

The shock roach, another in a long, noble HL line of nasty handheld vermin weapons, comes charged with 10 shock bursts. As you fire, you lose all of your charges quite quickly, but the mother roach recharges almost as quickly. It's best not to fire while the roach is charging because this slows down the recharging process.

Each shot does 15 damage, making the shock roach a mediocre weapon of necessity, at best. But one big, blinkin’ WARNING: Don't fire this weapon when you are under water, unless you're suicidal--you'll die in an electrified instant. Conversely, the most effective use for the shock roach is to destroy players while they're submerged in water.

The HMG also does its best work at close range, with an important caveat: keep the fire concentrated on one spot. Spraying HMG ammo only drains the clip quickly and greatly diminishes the effect of the fire. Note that the HMG is deadly slow to reload, so be prepared to switch to a new weapon in the midst of an intense firefight if it doesn't finish the job. A bigger clip would have made the HMG a real force to be reckoned with in OP4; as it is, it’s merely an average weapon.

The less said about these hand weapons, the better. Both are poor cousins of the venerable crowbar, and you should stick with that well-proven hunk o' iron should the need for a hand-to-hand confrontation arise--it provides the best balance of damage and swing time. The wrench suffers from a dismally slow swing time--damage is significant, though very easily dodged--and an incredibly useless right-mouse attack, which draws back the wrench and holds it tense there until released. If you miss (and you will), you lose precious seconds re-raising the wrench for another go--good luck, you’ll need it!

The knife is a much faster implement to attack with, but damage is middling and you have to close in with your opponent even more than with the other two handheld weapons to use it. Use it only to kill a hated opponent in humiliating fashion, or for menancing n00bs. (Circle them brandishing the knife, purring “I’m gonna cut you, man!” Um, then again, maybe not.)

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Thanks to Op4 stalwart [mm] trent for contributing on this article. Pay a visit to [mm] trent’s clan website here.