Half-Life How to use the weapons

1. Crowbar

 
Even though it’s the trademark weapon of Half-Life, crowbar doesn’t have many uses other than killing headcrabs and destroying loot crates. You can use the crowbar to quickly fend off headcrabs that come into close contact. If you face a larger group of headcrabs of if they are further away from you, try using the pistol instead (section below). 
 
 
 

2. Pistol

 
As I mentioned in the last section, pistols can be used to terminate headcrabs from a safe distance. If necessary, you can use them against houndeyes and bullsquids as well. It wouldn’t work very well for the Vortigaunts though, for that you’ll need a shotgun (see the next section). 
 
 
 

3. Shotgun

 
Shotgun is by far one fo the most useful weapons in the game. Even though it’s obtained quite early, it can easily kill many enemies from the game; houndeyes, vortigaunts, bullsquids, barnacles and headcrabs being the easiest targets. Use the secondary fire only against the stronger enemies, such as bullsquids and vortigaunts. I wouldn’t recommend you to use it against the Marines though, for that we’re gonna need the submachine gun/assault rifle (see the next section). 
 
 
 

4. Submachine gun/Assault rifle

 
If you ever want to beat Half-Life you’re gonna need this gun. It’s perfect for killing HECU Marines; its primary fire allows you to quickly and safely fend off smaller groups of soldier, as for the larger groups though, you’re gonna have to use the secondary fire (grenade launcher), especially if they’re dispersed across the area. Grenades can also be used to quickly kill alien grunts and female assassins. Aim for the head as much as possible, make sure to fire in small bursts for maximal precision (this thing has a lot of recoil). Even if you can’t see the marines, hand grenades can! (see the next section). 
 
 

5. Grenades

 
Grenades are powerful explosive weapons that can be used to kill Marines from a safe distance (or any other enemy in general, especially in large groups) as well as the Gargantua, only bulletproof enemy in the entire game (if you don’t count tanks as enemies. You’ll need them in “We’ve got hostiles!” to disable the turrets (this can be done with other weapons as well, but grenades are the most practical) and “Blast Pit” to pacify the Tentacles. What a useful weapon, but can tripmines compete with them? (see the next section). 
 
 
 

6. Trip mines

 
Trip mines are pretty much just grenades, but mounted onto a wall. Use them to kill Marines and Assassins scouting the area. 
 
 
 

7. Satchel charges

 
I don’t know they’re just… explosives, a bit harsher than grenades. Use them when trip mines seem too impractical. 
 
 
 

8. Revolver

 
Revolver can be easily utilized in situations where pistol or shotgun might be impractical or inaccessible. This weapon can instantly kill almost any enemy, including houndeyes, vortigaunts, bullsquids, Marines and Assassins. Alien grunts and alien controllers can be killed with 2 shots. Even though it’s a powerful weapon, it has a reletively small ammo supply, small clip size and slow rate of fire, so you should mostly use it as a substitute for other weapons. 
 
 
 

9. Crossbow

 
Crossbow is undisoutably the most overpowered weapon in the game: its magazine holds 5 bolts which can instantly kill almost any enemy, scoping allows you to kill enemies from a large distance, you can carry more than 100 bolts at once, so don’t be afraid of depleting this weapon. I find it handy against vortigaunts, alien grunts, alien controllers, Marines and even barnacles. 
 
 
 

10. Tau cannon/Gauss gun

 
Tau cannon is by far the coolest looking weapon in the game, with lots of interesting uses and mechanics. In fact, it’s so awesome that it’s even gotten it’s own theme song (“Nuclear Mission Jam” by Kelly Bailey, make sure to take a listen it’s a fire song). Tau cannon fires yellow rays which can reflect off of walls and kill enemies without you getting in direct contact with them. The secondary is charged by holding the alt key, when letting go the key it fires a powerful white ray which pushes you backwards (this can be used for traversing large distances, a popular method used by speedrunners. Be careful ’cause it can kill you if it overcharges). This attacks instantly kills most enemies, disentigrating them depending on the charge. For a prototype, it’s quite a decent weapon! Use it against alien grunts and bosses. 
 
 
 

11. Rocket launcher

 
You though grenades were cool? This weapon can quickly defeat the strongest armored vehicles US army has to offer, from apache helicopters to large tanks. It has 2 firing modes: primary one fires a single rocket that passes in a straight line. Pressing the alt key activates the laser guider which allows you to manipulate the rocket’s movement (this is especially useful against apaches). DO NOT use this against the tanks though, as this requires you to point at the tank, putting you at risk of taking heavy damage. If all the other options are unavailable, you can also use it against Marines and Alien grunts. 
 
 
 

12. Snarks

 
Whose idea was ro turn alien bugs into a weapon? Snarks don’t have as much reputation as other weapons, but that doesn’t render them completely useless. You can use snarks to kill enemies from a safe distance, usually to preserve health or ammo. All you have to do is deploy a snark, make sure there’s an enemy in its line of sight and quickly throw it to the ground. After being thrown, Snarks will start attacking the nearest enemy, killing them in no time. Be careful, ’cause Snarks will start attacking YOU after they killed the original target or if there’s no enemy target in the first place. Don’t worry though, just stay away from them untill they explode. 
 
 
 

13. Hivehand

 
It’s pretty much just another bug weapon: it fires small hornets that will follow the enemy and deal moderate damage to them. This weapon SUCKS and I wouldn’t recommend you to use it at all. You’d be better off with the Tau cannon and Snarks. By the way it’s used by Alien grunts, it can be quite annoying when they’re attacking in large groups. 
 
 

14. Gluon gun

 
This is definitely the most powerful weapon in the entire game. This gun is the only weapon in the entire game that can INSTANTLY desitigrate any enemy other than bosses (it still deals high damage to them though). If you ever want to get past the Gonarch or Nihilanth, you’ll definitely gonna need this. It still has its downsides though: it uses the same ammunition as the Tau cannon, which means you wouldn’t be able to get equally as much use from each weapon. Other than boss fights, use it ONLY in risky situations where you might have to rapidly proceed through the area in order to save ammo or health. You can also use it if you don’t have time to switch between weapons or reloading slows you down. Always make sure you have enough ammo though… yeah, it isn’t as easy to use as it seems, but you’l definitely find some use from it. 
 
 
 

*Bonus*

 
Here’s a link to a very interesting video made by Whomobile explaining the origins of Half-Life weapons. 

The End

 
Thanks for reading this guide, I hope it was helpful to you! 
 

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