Combat
The Good, the Bad, and the Gibbed.
The best way for new players to understand the mechanics of combat is to start out on The Range.
Aiming & Firing
The Reticle
A player's aim direction is indicated by a reticle, which is controlled by the input method of choice (gamepad joystick, mouse, etc.). Generally, projectiles and thrown weapons will be directed toward the reticle. Not every shot/throw will have perfect aim, however (see below). In the event that the accuracy of a shot is predicted to change, the reticle will respond to this by changing size. A larger reticle indicates a larger "spread", while a smaller circular reticle correlates to a more accurate shot.
Above: The reticle (circle) for the shotgun expands as it gets further from the player; thus spreading the 'shot' out wider. When the reticle reaches the range-limit of the weapon, a white arc appears.
Accuracy
Firearms possess an accuracy property. Some firearms are very accurate, and others less so. For example, a shotgun fires multiple projectiles in the general direction of the reticle, randomly distributed in a cone shape. A sniper rifle, on the other hand, will always deliver a shot perfectly on target (unless something interferes - see below).
Recoil & Movement
The accuracy of a firearm can be negatively affected by a number of factors, mainly movement and recoil. Firing a weapon consecutively will cause a recoil effect, applying an accuracy penalty to any shots fired without first pausing to stabilize the weapon. The degree to which recoil affects accuracy varies from weapon to weapon. Moving while firing also has a negative impact on weapon accuracy. Like recoil, the strength of this effect varies between weapons.
Travel Time
Some weapons fire projectiles which have a measurable travel time, meaning that hitting an enemy in motion may require "leading the target", or firing ahead so that the projectile will (hopefully) intercept. Other weapons have zero travel time, meaning that the shot either hits or misses in the same instant it's fired.
Range
Weapons typically have a maximum effective range, which varies from one weapon to another. For most firearms, this range is indicated either by a UI element (an arc which appears when the reticle is beyond the weapon's range - see image above) or by a laser/line effect on the weapon itself. Certain weapons, such as the RPG and Flamethrower, have special range considerations that depend on other factors.
Damage
Generally speaking, hitting an enemy with a weapon will deal damage. In many cases, weapon hits which are directed closer to the center of an enemy will deal more damage than those which strike further from center. In the case of explosive weapons, more damage is dealt to targets near the center of the explosion than to those further away (sometimes called "falloff").
Debuffs
Certain weapons and attacks provide debuffs beyond typical health damage.
| Debuff | Effect | Details |
|---|---|---|
Damage-over-time | Potent damage-over-time effect, with a set duration. Roll to extinguish faster. | |
Slows player movement, damage-over-time | Players must escape the green smoke to end the effect. | |
Damage-over-time (stacking) | Each instance of the debuff will cause damage-over-time while the player is moving. | |
Slows player movement | Certain weapons will cause varying amounts of stagger to their targets. |
For details on all weapons and pickups: Weapons & Pickups
For combat and other in-game tips: Tips
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