Return to Castle Wolfenstein - Arms Overview Part 1

Home\HappyFPS\Return to Castle Wolfenstein - Arms Overview Part 1

Happy Gamers' Arms Overview Part 1

For those of us who are familiar with RtCW this may already be old news. But for the few who have just purchased this wonderfully solid game or are new to FPS titles in general, then this may prove interesting. This article’s intent is to provide an overview of those weapons mainly used in multiplayer mode. Not covered are the fixed weaponry or special abilities of different character classes.

Good Huntin’
Usually when one of these fragfests start many of us are shooting at each other from a distance. An excellent choice for shooting at great distances has to be the Mauser. It offers a moderate amount of damage with each shot, plus allows you get up close and personal with the scope. The gun of choice for those campers you love to hate. The main con of this weapon is the small amount of ammunition you begin with—10 rounds. Also, pray that you don’t find yourself stuck in close quarters with three or more enemies.

If you do happen to run into a room full of baddies then go with the Thompson or MP40. The Venom might also do the trick, provided you can get it to spin up soon enough. No other weapon in the game slings so many bullets so fast. It gives you 500 rounds of ammo to boot, but then game balance comes into effect. It’s next to impossible to run with and overheats after firing 37-42 rounds. The Thompson and MP40 are so similar in capability that to choose one is really up to personal preference. They both offer at least 30 rounds per clip and at least 60 rounds total. They don’t overheat which is why they are well suited for fighting in close quarters. The Thompson’s rate of fire is slightly slower than the MP40, but packs a bit more of a punch.

For those of use who need a little help firing short controlled bursts, so we don’t waste too much ammo, there is the Sten. It holds 32 rounds per clip and comes with 64 rounds total. It will overheat after firing 10 rounds in a constant burst (thereby, stopping the wastage of ammunition) and takes 3 seconds to cool down. A nice bonus is that it’s somewhat silenced. It is a capable weapon for small confined areas with multiple enemies if you have good aim and strafing skills.

Look Fireworks…
Ah, the Panzerfaust. What can we say about it? It inflicts heavy damage and is good for blowing up a group of bunched together enemies in one shot. If you want to get blowed up good-like, make yourself a target by bunching up with your teammates while being shot at by someone with a Panzerfaust. Bunching up while getting hit with an air strike works just as well and in some cases, even better! The downside to using the Panzerfaust (such a neat word I just have to keep typing it!) would have to be the amount of time it takes to fire another shot off---15 seconds! That’s an eternity in multiplayer combat. Oh, and after you fire off a shot with the Panzerfaust the game auto switches to another weapon acting as if you’re out of ammo. This is obviously not a good weapon to use in a small room.

What else is good for blowing up bunched together enemies? Grenades. They have a four second delay so timing is key. Something fun to do is to throw them into the trenches of the beach map from the upper bunker. Speaking of bunkers and other walled passageways; not sure what’s around the corner? Use a Flamethrower and find out! This is a really great weapon for running around tunnels and such, but horrible in an open field because of its short range. It inflicts heavy damage and is great to use to clear out a room, but watch out for friendlies.

Last Resort
So you’ve run out of ammo and there is no Lieutenant in sight. You know that the knife is practically worthless (you don’t bring a knife to a gunfight). What about these pistols? Well, it’s difficult but not impossible. They have 8 rounds per clip and a total of 24 rounds and with some well-placed shots you just might frag someone enabling you to pick up their weapon. Just don’t forget that it takes approximately one second to reload those pistols.

Below is a chart listing some pros and cons for each of the above weapons. It might come in useful for selecting the best weapon for your playing style.

Knife	No delay to use it Obviously a knife doesn’t overheat or need reloading	Have to be really close to attack with it Does little damage	Good luck if this all you have left
Luger/.45 Colt	They don’t overheat Short reload time of approximately 1 second	They don’t do much damage per shot	8 rounds per clip/24 rounds total
Mauser	Perfect weapon for the sniper Inflicts considerable damage per shot	Very limited ammo ½ second delay between shots Horrible weapon to use if caught in a close quarters combat situation with multiple enemies	10 rounds total
MP 40	Does light damage per shot but rate of fire helps inflict damage fairly quickly Good for close quarter gunfights	Takes 2 seconds to reload leaving you vulnerable to enemy fire. Learn to use force reload before running into a new room.	32 rounds per clip/64 rounds total Fires slightly quicker than the Thompson while inflicting slightly less damage per shot
Thompson	Does slightly more damage per shot than the MP 40 with a good rate of fire making this a good weapon for close quarters combat	Like the MP 40 it takes 2 seconds to reload	30 rounds per clip/60 rounds total
Sten	Great gun to teach the discipline of short controlled bursts Good for close quarters combat only if you have good aim and strafing abilities	Overheats after 2 seconds of sustained fire and then requires 3 seconds to cool off Takes 2 seconds to reload	32 rounds per clip/64 rounds total Its silenced Inflicts the same amount of damage per shot as the MP40
Venom	Has the an insane rate of fire You can squeeze off 37-42 shots before overheating-more than an entire clip for the Thompson, Sten or MP 40 No reloading/changing of clips Looks cool and menacing	Overheats in approximately 3 seconds of sustained fire and then requires 5 seconds to cool off Takes a few seconds just to spin up to speed Simulates running the same way an 800 lb gorilla on your back would	Comes with 500 rounds of ammunition
Grenades	Great damage potential	When using, timing is key	Start with 4 grenades total
Panzerfaust	Inflicts lots of damage	Approximately 15 seconds of delay between shots Very limited ammunition Has that same 800 lb gorilla on the back effect as the Venom	3 shots only, better have a Lieutenant nearby Auto switches to a different weapon after firing which can be good or bad depending on the situation you’re in and is totally unexpected the first time you use this weapon
Flamethrower	Heavy damage potential Good for clearing small rooms or getting through tight areas It doesn’t need to change clips or load shells and it doesn’t overheat	Goes through fuel quickly if you keep the trigger hammered down Short range when compared to ballistic weapons Damage inflicted can vary widely sometimes inflicting very little	200 fuel total Careful not to get too close to your own flame when clearing those small rooms