Descent 2 Weapon and Enemy FAQ
Descent 2: Counterstrike
Descent 1: First Strike
PC
Contents:
1- Introduction
2- Robots
2.1- Descent 1 Robots
2.2- Descent 2 Robots
2.3- Descent 2 Bosses
3- Player Weapons
3.1- Primary Weapons
3.2- Secondary Weapons
4- Equipment
5- Robot AI Types
6- EULA
1- Introduction
Well, you now have Descent 2, the second game in the Descent series. The mines
are seemingly easier to navigate, but the pesky predators are more cunning and
vicious, the accursed thief especially. The bosses are more powerful, as are
the pesky predators that haunt the mines, many of them capable of firing more
than one type of weapon.
I’ll also be covering Descent 1: First Strike. It is possible, after patching
the snot out of Descent 2, to replay (or play for the first time) Descent 1.
Don’t ask me how, it’s a very long and complex process. There will be some
glitches and some MASSIVLY messed up AI, but it's possible.
2- Robots
Well, along with some old favorites, Descent 2 has its own host of pesky
predators that haunt the mines. They range in size and toughness from the
lowly PEST to the ever frustrating Thief Bot. Descent 1’s robots will be
covered as well, seeing as it’s possible to replay Descent 1 with a patch
for Descent 2. If more than one threat rating is displayed, it pertains
to that particular robot when it’s grouped with others of the same kind.
2.1- Descent 1 Robots
A warning about the old robots, some of the sounds have changed, but the big
change is the AI. Many of the old AIs have been lost and some of the less
vicious robots are now more powerful than ever before.
Name: Class 1 Drone
Appearance: Orange with Red Eyes and Weapon Arms
Weapon: Pulse Cannon (2x)
Threat: Minor/Low
Description: The rather skittish AI that once lived within these in D1 has
been replaced by the PEST’s rather irritating AI which insists on closing the
gap between the robot and player. While not much of a threat singly, these can
be dangerous if there are more than 2.
Name: Class 2 Drone
Appearance: Blue with Green Eyes and Wedge-Shaped
Weapon: Argon Welding Laser (2x)
Threat: Minor/Low
Description: Another case of damaged AI, these have gone from circling you at
a distance to rushing you firing blindly. Still not much of a threat, they’re
still an nuisance at best.
Name: Small Hulk
Appearance: Green and Bulky
Weapon: Argon Laser (2x)
Threat: Low/Medium
Description: Their AI was damaged as well, but to a far lesser extent, making
this bot a danger to your shields. Still capable of dodging most “dumb”
ordnance, Concussion Missiles will be useless, most surprisingly, it has the
ability to dodge Mercury Missiles on occasion as well. Use weapons that home
if you can.
Name: Medium Hulk
Appearance: Light Brown and Bulky
Weapon: Concussion Missile (2x)
Threat: High
Description: Finally! An intact AI. These are still slow to move, but will
fire at you if given the chance. These are very dangerous if you have a wall
anywhere near you because the splash damage from their missiles hurts, a lot.
As I’ve said before, if you’re fighting these, get the hell away from the
walls!
Name: Cloaked Medium Hulk
Appearance: Cloaked and Bulky
Weapon: Concussion Missile (2x)
Threat: Very High
Description: Dead silent compared to a normal Medium Hulk, these love to wait
until you’re distracted to attack. If you’re taking missile fire and don’t
know from where and there’s no homing indicator, these are probably to blame.
Name: Super Hulk
Appearance: Red and Bulky
Weapon: Homing Missile (2x)
Threat: Very High
Description: Of the nasty robots in the mines, you’ll face these the most
often. Usually employed as guards for high security areas, these have Homing
Missiles and will snipe at you with them. Unlike the player’s version, they
hurt quite a bit.
Name: Mini-Boss
Appearance: Violet and Huge
Weapon: Fusion Cannon (2x)
Threat: Very High
Description: Slow, but amazingly tough, these take 2 Mega Missiles to kill.
Other than the bosses, these are the single toughest bot in the game. It’s
fortunate that they’re usually faced singly. In rare cases you’ll encounter
them in groups, such as on S1 guarding the Yellow Key.
Name: Mega Hulk
Appearance: Yellow and Giant
Weapon: Homing Smart Missile (2x)
Threat: Impossible
Description: The first boss you encounter in D1, this bot is equipped with
Homing Smart Missiles, and because they’re Smart Missiles, even if the main
missile misses, you have about 10 powerful Homing Plasma Globs to dodge.
Unlike its Descent 1 original, upon patching Descent 2, this bot becomes
unable to cloak and teleport, removing PART of its nastyness.
Name: Uber Hulk
Appearance: Flashing Red and Yellow with a Giant Eye and Giant
Weapon: Mega Missile (4x)
Threat: Impossible
Description: The final boss of D1, it's considerably less evil than it was
because its weapons are toned down from doing 150-190 shield damage to
45-80 shield damage. Unlike the original AI in D1, it doesn’t fire at
random if it can’t see you. Still dangerous though. Due to patching, this
bot is unable to use its cloaked teleporting ability AND its robot
generating ability.
Name: Medium Lifter
Appearance: Green with Claw Arms
Weapon: Diamond Swing Arms (2x)
Threat: Low/High
Description: Even with damaged AI, these are annoying at best. They rush
toward you because their weapons are melee only. If they get close though,
they claw away at you until you kill them. They’re surprisingly fast as well.
Name: Advanced Lifter
Appearance: Red with 4 Claw Arms
Weapon: Tungsten Swing Arms (4x)
Threat: High/Very High
Description: Dead silent as always, these like to sneak up on you and rip
you to pieces. They work in groups of 3-5 and love to gang up on you. Kill
them from a distance if you can.
Name: Cloaked Lifter
Appearance: Cloaked with Claw Arms
Weapon: Swing Arms (2x)
Threat: High
Description: While these aren’t terribly common, they usually take the time to
stealthily sneak up on you and tear into the Pyro GX without hesitation.
Though rarer than their visible cousins, they’re still just as dangerous.
These might look like an x-wing with the wings closed in a well-lit room.
Name: Secondary Lifter
Appearance: Red with a Claw Arm
Weapon: Argon Laser (1x)
Threat: Medium
Description: It doesn’t really fall into the Lifter family like the rest of
them as it doesn’t try to claw you. It instead rushes you while blindly firing
its laser. Usually found in groups of 3-5.
Name: Spider Processing Robot
Appearance: Red and Spider-like
Weapon: Pulse Cannon (3x)
Threat: Medium
Description: Its cannon really packs and a punch and it fires in three-shot
bursts. Upon death it usually breaks into 3-5 Mini Spiders that have little
more than a light laser to use against you. Keep firing a little after its
death to eliminate these.
Name: Mini Spider
Appearance: Red, Small, and Spider-Like
Weapon: Argon Laser (1x)
Threat: Minimal/Low
Description: These normally spawn from a dead Spider Processing Robot, but
they can also be found in hidden rooms where they’re hiding as a trap. While
not armed heavily, they can be a problem in groups larger than 3.
Name: Supervisor Robot
Appearance: Blue and Spherical
Weapon: none
Threat: Varies
Description: These can do one of several things when they die, most frequently
they spawn 3-4 additional robots (Usually Class 1 or Class 2 Drillers.) While
not much of a threat to begin with, they alert other bots in the area to your
presence. Kill them quickly, but watch out.
Name: Class 1 Driller
Appearance: Silver with an Under-Slung Rotary Cannon
Weapon: Uranium Mass Driver (1x)
Threat: High
Description: These will chew through your shields very quickly. This bot is
very aggressive and will usually chase after you should it hear fighting in the
general area. Be careful to watch your back.
Name: Cloaked Class 1 Driller
Appearance: Cloaked with an Under-Slung Rotary Cannon
Weapon: Uranium Mass Driver (1x)
Threat: Very High
Description: With the change in AI, these went from passive to very aggressive
these will now chase after you and shoot until you’re dead. For some reason
these also seem able to see through cloaking devices. Watch your back.
Name: Class 2 Driller
Appearance: Dark Brown and Crystalline
Weapon: Plasma Cannon (2x)
Threat: Very High
Description: Usually found in groups of 2-3, these are very powerful and very
dangerous. They happily chase after you while firing until you either destroy
them or they destroy you.
Name: PTMC Defense Prototype
Appearance: Silver and Light Brown
Weapon: Argon Laser (4x)
Threat: High
Description: Usually found in pairs, these bots fire 4 shots before having to
wait for their weapons to recycle. While not terribly accurate, the Argon
Lasers hurt quite a bit. Be sure to have lots of room to dodge.
Name: Laser Platform Robot
Appearance: Peach and Sleek
Weapon: Argon Laser (3 shot burst) (1x)
Threat: Medium
Description: An unusual design for a robot, these are usually stationed such
that there’s a wall behind them to keep them from being snuck up on. While the
cannon they have isn’t terribly powerful, they fire it in rapid bursts, but
they don’t overheat like other bots do. Usually found in groups of 2-3.
Name: Missile Platform Robot
Appearance: Green and Sleek
Weapon: Concussion Missile (3 shot burst) (1x)
Threat: Very High
Description: Standard nasty robot, these will fire their missiles rapidly
without regard for their safety at all. While they prefer to fire from a
distance and keep it that way, they will not hesitate to fire at short range
either.
Name: Gopher Robot
Appearance: White and Wedge-Shaped
Weapon: Proximity Mines or Argon Laser (2x)
Threat: Minimal/Low/Medium
Description: Normally little more than an nuisance because they fly all over
laying mines and generally annoying you. Some of the ones in D2’s remake of D1
have argon lasers installed on them, increasing their threat and combat range.
The ones that have lasers usually are found in groups of 3-7.
2.2- Descent 2 Robots
Well, finally, Descent 2’s robots have come up. Many of them are far more
dangerous that anything in Descent 1’s inventory of enemies. Many of them
are capable of firing more than one kind of weapon, and most usually fire
in bursts of 3-5 to start with.
Name: Guidebot
Appearance: Light Blue and Hexagonal
Weapon: Flares
Threat: Minimal
Description: Yes, it has a threat rating because it is capable of hurting you.
The little bastard will usually pop you from time to time with a flare or two
as it frantically tries to open doors to get to the keys, generators, and
whatever else you tell him to find. If you press Shift + 7 he’ll go away until
you summon him again with Shift + 1-0.
Name: Portable Equalizing Standard Transbot (PEST)
Appearance: Green and Wedge-Shaped with Weapon Arms
Weapon: T1 Stream Rock Cutter (2x)
Threat: Minor
Description: While not terribly powerful, these can be a nuisance if there’s
more than one of them. They only take a few hits from nearly any weapon to
kill them.
Alternate Form: This bot is sometimes converted to a mine laying variant.
Name: Internal Tactical Droid (ITD)
Appearance: Blue and Disc Shaped
Weapon: Light Vulcan (2x)
Threat: Minimal
Description: While these don’t pack much of a punch, they’re rather likely to
go summon a more powerful robot to come and squash you. Their weapon isn’t
very accurate, acting more like a shotgun than a Vulcan.
Name: Preliminary Integration Groundbot (PIG)
Appearance: Red and Cone-Shaped with Weapon Arms
Weapon: Xenon Laser (2x)
Threat: Low
Description: While their weapon isn’t powerful, they can fire it rapidly. Not
agile, but they can take a beating.
Name: Thief Bot
Appearance: Brown with Three Claw Arms
Weapon: Flares and Flash Tractor System
Threat: Very High
Description: The only bot in the game capable of seeing through a Cloaking
Device, this one is very dangerous because it can steal any weapon, piece of
equipment, or power-up you might have picked up, including Invulnerabilities
and Cloaking Devices. Kill it quickly if you can. It can take a pounding,
and homing weapons don’t work against it as it dodges them quickly.
Name: Smelter
Appearance: Light Orange and Brick-Shaped
Weapon: Repulsion Smelter
Threat: High
Description: Large and fairly fast for its size, its weapon is powerful.
Similar to the Phoenix Cannon in appearance and power, the shots from the
Repulsion Smelter bounce off walls twice before coming to a stop. If you think
you’ve dodged it, think again as it might have bounced back at you. Usually
fires in 3 shot bursts, it sometimes fires in bursts of up 10.
Alternate Form: This bot is sometimes conveted to a mine laying variant
Alternate Form: This bot is sometimes cloaked as either a standard variant or
a cloaked mine layer.
Name: Diamond Claw, Second Generation
Appearance: Brown with 4 Claw Arms
Weapon: Diamond Swing Arms (4x) and Short-Circuit
Threat: High
Description: A vicious rusher much like their cousin the Medium Lifter, but
they’re equipped with a Short-Circuit system that causes them to release Homing
Plasma Globs when stuck with Energy Weapon fire. Kill them with Missiles or
the Vulcan or Gauss Cannons to prevent them from Short-Circuiting.
Alternate Form: This bot is sometimes cloaked.
Name: Sidearm
Appearance: White and Blue and Boxy
Weapon: Phase Pulse Cannon (3x) and Flash Missile (1x)
Threat: Medium
Description: What it lacks in mobility it makes up for in toughness. Its
ability to rapidly fire Phase Pulses AND Flash Missiles at the same time
give this bot a bit of an edge, but isn’t much cause for worry because it’s
a rather poor shot. The other thing about this bot is that should you fail
to destroy the small bots it spawns on death it’ll reassemble itself and keep
fighting.
Name: Sidearm Modula
Appearance: White and Blue and Small
Weapon: Flash Missile
Threat: Low
Description: The minibots that spawn upon the death of the Sidearm. A
nuisance at best, these are skittish and love to fire away and dance backward
off the recoil. Kill these fast or the Sidearm will respawn. These are
often found singlly too, and are unable to assemble to create a new Sidearm.
Name: Lou Guard
Appearance: Green and Bulky
Weapon: Homing Missile
Threat: High
Description: Similar to the Mega Hulks from D1, these fire Homing Missiles at
you. Kill them as fast as you can to preserve your shields. They can take a
beating, but they’re not very agile either.
Name: Internal Tactical Security Control Robot (ITSC)
Appearance: Blue and Cylindrical
Weapon: Concussion Missile and Light Vulcan
Threat: Low
Description: This is the bot most likely to be summoned by the ITD bot. It’s
skittish and usually fires and dances backward as it does so, making it a
difficult target from time to time. They like to hide and ambush you as well.
Name: Fox Attack Bot, External Operations (FAB, EO)
Appearance: Hexagonal with Claw Arms
Weapon: Spreadfire Cannon (2x)
Threat: Medium
Description: These prefer to ambush you when possible, otherwise they like to
snipe at you with their Spreadfire cannon. Not very strong, but their cry
is likely to confuse you for a few moments before you open fire on them.
Name: Seeker
Appearance: Blue Egg-Shape Body with Large Dark Brown Weapon Arms
Weapon: Mercury Missiles (2x)
Threat: Medium
Description: Fairly tough with a fast powerful weapon, this bot actually has
some degree of danger to it. Kill it from a distance or from around corners
with Guided Missiles if you can. Its Mercury Missiles don’t travel nearly as
fast as yours do, so don’t worry about them too much.
Name: Red Hornet
Appearance: Red and Wasp-Like
Weapon: Small Laser
Threat: Low/Medium
Description: Irritatingly agile, these bots pose a reasonable threat in
groups. While not very tough, they’re very fast. Usually fires in 3 shot
bursts, but on some levels, it bursts can reach up to 10.
Name: TRN Racer
Appearance: Cylindrical with Claw Arms
Weapon: T1 Stream Rock Cutter (4x)
Threat: Low
Description: Not very powerful, even though it can keep up a steady rate of
fire. It only takes a couple of missiles to kill this bot, and as it has low
agility, any kind of missile will work.
Name: Omega Defense Spawn (ODS)
Appearance: White with Red Highlights
Weapon: Self Destruct
Threat: High
Description: This bot homes in on you and explodes when it finally comes in
contact with you. The explosion is pretty powerful and will frequently throw
you a short distance. It also hurts your shields quite a bit. Even killing
them nearby will throw you a short distance, but it won’t damage you. However
should you use missiles to defeat this bot, the explosives this bot is laden
with will detonate.
Alternate Form: This bot is often converted to a mine laying variant
Alternate Form: This bot is often converted to lay mines and carry keys
Name: E-Bandit
Appearance: Gold with Large Paddle-Shaped Arms
Weapon: Energy Siphon System
Threat: Very High
Description: This bot rushes toward you and siphons energy from your generator
and from your shields. It eventually will drain you dry if left unchecked.
The upside to them is if you let them siphon a little energy from you, upon
death they’ll usually drop 3-4 energy boosts.
Name: Bulk Destroyer
Appearance: Dark Brown and Blocky
Weapon: Gauss Cannon (2x)
Threat: Medium
Description: This bot will usually take the time to snipe at you from long
range instead of rushing you and firing away. Nothing really special about
them otherwise.
Name: Ice Spindle Defense Robot (ISDR)
Appearance: Blue Spherical Body with Three “Legs”
Weapon: Helix Cannon (2x)
Threat: Medium
Description: Large in size and unusually mobile, this bot fires rapidly and
can cause much damage to you very quickly. Use a powerful weapon so take it
out quickly as it can take a lot of punishment.
Name: BPER Bot
Appearance: Dark Brown with Claw Arms
Weapon: Plasma Core and Phase Pulse Cannon (2x)
Threat: Very High
Description: The BPER’s cannon is very powerful, capable dropping your shields
very quickly. It also has a Plasma Detonation Core, so it damages you badly
upon death at short range. Kill them from a distance if you can.
Name: Boarshead
Appearance: Dark Brown and Dark Green and Shaped like a Head
Weapon: Plasma Cannon (3x) and Smart Missile (1x)
Threat: Extreme
Description: This is probably one of the most dangerous bots you’ll encounter,
it has the ability to fire several Plasma shots in rapid succession and fire
its Smart Missile at the same time. Locate and kill it quickly or you risk
death. Hiding around a corner will not save you because even if its Smart
Missiles miss they’ll break into Plasma Homing Globs and strike you from behind.
Name: Spider
Appearance: Dark Green and Dark Brown and Spider-like
Weapon: Rapid Fire Concussion Missile System
Threat: Very High
Description: Very high on the list for nasty bots, this one will unleash a
hail of up to 5 Concussion Missiles at once as it closes on you. Upon death it
breaks into 5-6 of the bot called Spawn, making it a danger even in death.
Kill it from a distance if you can, but be prepared to keep firing after it
dies.
Name: Spawn
Appearance: Green and Wasp-Like
Weapon: Medium Laser
Threat: High/Very High
Description: These work well in groups with each other, making them difficult
to fight because they swarm around you. Deceptively powerful for their size,
depending on the situation, they’ll either swarm you or use hit-and-run tactics
to try to destroy you.
Alternate Form: This bot sometimes lays mines.
2.3- Descent 2 Bosses
These are the baddest of the bad robots in the game. These will chew your ship
up and if there's anything left, spit it out only to descent-igrate the rest.
Much like the Diamon Claws, these have the ability to short circut when struck
with energy weapons. These also generate robots at random when they're struck
with weapons fire.
System: Zeta Aquilae
Name: The Red Fatty
Weapon: Flash Missile (2x) and Homing Missile
Vulnerabilities: All weapons
Threat: Low
Description: Released once you reach the middle of the boss chamber, this bot
isn't much of a threat. The only thing to worry about is the homing missile it
fires simutainusly with twin flash missiles.
System: Quartzon
Name: The Water Boss
Weapon: Mercury Missiles (3x) and Mines (Smart and Proximity)
Vulnerabilities: All weapons
Threat: Very Low
Description: Easily the weakest boss in the game, this boss is quickly picked
apart with whatever weapons you have, Mega Missiles finish the job the fastest.
System: Brimspark
Name: The Fire Boss
Weapon: Mega Missile and Extra-Rapid Phoenix Cannon
Vulerabilites: Ammo Weapons Only
Threat: Medium
Description: While not terribly powerful, the Phoenix Cannon it has is very
nasty. It's more powerful and has a MUCH higher rate of fire than the one
availible to you. Use of a cloaking device is recommended to assist in
defeating this boss, as the Mega Missiles it fires hurt.
System: Limefrost Spiral
Name: The Ice Boss
Weapon: Homing Flash Missile and Omega Cannon
Vulnerabilities: Ammo Weapons Only
Threat: High
Description: The Homing Flash Missiles it fires aren't the real threat this
boss has, as they're fairly simple to avoid. The Omega Cannon it has is the
real punching power this boss has. Make use of a cloaking device or the
Pyro GX's afterburner in order to eliminate this boss.
System: Baloris Prime
Name: The Desert Boss
Weapon: Gauss Cannon and Mercury Missile
Vulnerabilities: Energy Weapons Only
Threat: Low
Description: Because this boss forces you to use energy weapons against it,
you have the added challenge of avoiding Short Circuts. As its weapons
don't home in on you, you have the run of the place pretty much.
System: Tycho Brahe
Name: The Alien Boss
Weapon: Rapid Fire Homing Earthshaker Missiles (2x)
Vulnerabilities: Weakspot on its Back Only
Threat: Impossible
Description: This is easily the most difficult boss in the game unless you
make use of cloaking devices and invulnerabilities. The Earthshaker Missiles
this boss fires home, so a direct hit strikes you with both the seperation
charge and the homing flachets at once. A good stratagy with this boss is to
get a cloaking device, then slam an Earthshaker Missile into the wall behind
him (or his back if he's facing away from you at the time.) On the Trainee
setting, 3 Earthshakers will turn this boss into scrap. On the Insane setting
it takes 10 or more, depending on how good of a shot you are.
3- Player Weapons
Foregoing the damage tables, I’m just going to jump into the weapons. Anything
in ( ) is for the Quad Lasers power-up. *’s indicate new weapons.
3.1- Primary Weapons
These are the weapons that appear on the left-hand side of the screen when
you’re in the cockpit. Mostly energy weapons, these will be your main means
of killing most of the pesky predators in the mines.
Weapon: Lv. 1 Laser
Appearance: Orange
Attack Power: Very Low (Low)
Firing Rate: Average
Firing EN Consumption: Very Low (Low)
Description: Same as Descent 1, not dramatically powerful, but they get the job
done. Find power-ups quickly.
Weapon: Lv. 2 Laser
Appearance: Violet
Attack Power: Low (Medium)
Firing Rate: Average
Firing EN Consumption: Very Low (Low)
Description: More powerful than the Lv. 1’s, but still underpowered as far as
the weapons go.
Weapon: Lv. 3 Laser
Appearance: Blue
Attack Power: Medium (High)
Firing Rate: Average
Firing EN Consumption: Very Low (Low)
Description: More powerful that the Lv. 2’s, getting more powerful, but only
half-way there. 3 more levels to go.
Weapon: Lv. 4 Laser
Appearance: Green
Attack Power: Medium (High)
Firing Rate: Average
Firing EN Consumption: Low (Low)
Description: It changed between 1 and 2, more powerful, more EN consumption.
Two more levels.
Weapon: *Lv. 5 Super Laser
Appearance: Gold
Attack Power: High (Very High)
Firing Rate: Average
Firing EN Consumption: Low (Low)
Description: New weapon, more powerful, new sound. If you find a Super Laser
power-up, it automatically your lasers to Lv. 5 regardless of level.
Weapon: *Lv. 6 Super Laser
Appearance: White
Attack Power: Very High (Very High)
Firing Rate: Low
Firing EN Consumption: Low (Low)
Description: The epitome of laser weapons. Powerful and able to dispatch many
enemies in just a few shots. The quad laser power-up makes these hurt. Firing
speed drops a little between 5 and 6, but the firepower more than makes up for
it.
Weapon: Vulcan Cannon
Appearance: Impacts
Ammo Appearance: Box of Bullets
Attack Power: Very Low
Firing Rate: Very High
Firing EN Consumption: none
Description: The firing rate more than makes up for the lack of attack power.
If there happens to be lava around, you can shoot it as the lava is explosive.
In that case, you may as well have a flamer installed on the Pyro GX. The
ammo was doubled between Descent 1 and Descent 2, you have 20,000 rounds
availible instead of just 10,000, but with the ammo rack power-up, you can
have a whopping 40,000 rounds!
Weapon: *Gauss Cannon
Appearance: Small Explosions
Ammo Appearance: Box of Bullets
Attack Power: Medium
Firing Rate: Low
Firing EN Consumption: none
Blast Radius: Small
Splash Damage: Low
Description: This is a little more like a shotgun than a rotary cannon. It
can dispatch many robots in just a few shots, ripping them apart with a
collection of high-speed slugs. Overall it consumes ammunition a much slower
rate than the Vulcan Cannon does. It works a little less effectively than the
Vulcan if you shoot lava with it, but it really makes little difference when it
comes to destroying robots.
Weapon: Spreadfire Cannon
Appearance: 3 Blue Energy Globes (Horizontal then Vertical)
Attack Power: Medium
Firing Rate: High
Firing EN Consumption: High
Description: A good weapon for narrow tunnels, but not much good for sniping.
It soaks up EN pretty fast and its overall downsides easily outweigh its strong
points. Only use for small tunnels at short range.
Weapon: *Helix Cannon
Appearance: 5 Green Energy Globes (Rotates 8 Times)
Attack Power: Medium
Firing Rate: Very High
Firing EN Consumption: High
Description: Burns EN pretty fast, just behind the Plasma for consumption.
its wider shot pattern and higher firing rate make this a much better weapon
than the Spreadfire. While it’s still limited to a relatively short range,
it works very well against clustered enemies. It also works well in narrow
tunnels because it practically floods the tunnel with energy blasts.
Weapon: Plasma Cannon
Appearance: Plasma Globes
Attack Power: Medium
Firing Rate: Very High
Firing EN Consumption: Very High
Description: Same old Plasma as Descent 1. The high firing rate and attack
power easily outweigh the EN consumption. It still burns EN fast though, so
try to avoid using it if you have less than 100 EN.
Weapon: *Phoenix Cannon
Appearance: Orange Globes
Attack Power: Very High
Firing Rate: Very High
Firing EN Consumption: Extreme
Description: This weapon has several unusual characteristics. Its first being
that it bounces twice after hitting walls, giving you the ability to ricochet
shots around corners. The other is that it has the ability to kill the player
should said player misdirect the Phoenix’s line of ricochet. On the EN
Consumption list, this is at the top, soaking up around 1 point of EN per shot,
so be careful not to fire in long bursts.
Weapon: Fusion Cannon
Appearance: Violet Fusion Globs
Attack Power: Very High
Firing Rate: Very Low
Firing EN Consumption: Varies
Description: Still among the most powerful weapons in the game. It still
penetrates multiple enemies and grows in destructive power with each one it
passes through. The ship still jumps involutarily when you use this weapon.
Weapon: *Omega Cannon
Appearance: White Lightning
Attack Power: Extreme
Firing Rate: Extreme
Firing EN Consumption: Varies
Description: Easily the most powerful primary weapon in the game. It has
a reservoir of 100 before it needs to cool and recharge. This limits the
destructive power of it somewhat, but it’s still a devastating weapon.
3.2- Secondary weapons
These appear on the right side of the screen when you’re in the cockpit.
You’ll mainly use these to back-up your primary weapons or simply to take out a
bot that would otherwise use up too much of your precious Vulcan/Gauss ammo or
if you’re low on energy. All of them are explosive weapons with a blast radius
of some kind, so be sure to keep your distance if possible when you fire these.
Weapon: Concussion Missile
Appearance: Silver Missile
Ammo Appearance: Silver Missiles with White Bands
Firing Rate: Average
Attack Power: High
Blast Radius: Small
Splash Damage: Low
Description: Standard rocket, point and shoot. Careful not to slam them into
the walls or floor near you. Most robots will dodge this weapon.
Weapon: *Flash Missile
Appearance: Silver Missile with Red Bands
Ammo Appearance: Dark Silver Missiles with Dark Red Bands
Firing Rate: Average
Attack Power: Very Low
Blast Radius: Medium
Splash Damage: none
Description: These are a little trickier than standard Concussion Missiles.
These stun enemy robots and other players (and you if you’re not careful.)
They turn the player’s screen white and cancel sound for a few seconds if used
Carelessly.
Weapon: Homing Missile
Appearance: White Missile with Blue Bands
Ammo Appearance: White Missiles with Blue Bands
Firing Rate: Average
Attack Power: High
Blast Radius: Small
Splash Damage: Low
Description: Point and shoot, and it homes. Only faster robots will be able
to dodge it, the only robot completely immune to it is the Thief Bot, but then
again, that robot is capable of dodging all but the fastest of weapons.
Weapon: *Guided Missile
Appearance: White Missile with Green Bands
Ammo Appearance: White Missile with Green Bands
Firing Rate: Low
Attack Power: Very High
Blast Radius: Medium
Splash Damage: Medium
Description: As the name implies, you guide this missile with the mouse,
joystick, or keyboard depending on which you’re using. It’s a little tricky
to get the hang of, but once you do, these work well for scouting, hitting
hidden switches, and general sniping. Press fire once to launch, then guide it
with your preferred method, then press fire again to turn it into a regular
homing missile. Most robots will shy away from this weapon if they’re stuck
with it once and it fails to kill them. You'll find yourself using this one
very often just to explore the mines.
Weapon: Proximity Mine
Appearance: Red Orb with Silver Spikes
Ammo Appearance: Red Sphere in a Silver Cage
Firing Rate: Average
Attack Power: High
Blast Radius: Large
Splash Damage: Medium
Description: These work well for if something is chasing you or if you plan on
laying a trap for the Thief.
Weapon: *Smart Mine
Appearance: Gold Orb with Silver Spikes (breaks into 8-10 homing particles
when struck.)
Ammo Appearance: Gold Sphere in a Silver Cage
Firing Rate: Average
Attack Power: Very High
Blast Radius: Small
Splash Damage: none
Description: Another good weapon for laying traps or dumping on hapless robots
dumb enough to pursue you. You can also drop them then shoot them to release
the homing particles and use them as a weapon as well. With some skill, these
can be used in a "dive bombing" manuver that's usually fatal because of getting
hit with both the homing particles AND the seperation charge.
Weapon: Smart Missile
Appearance: Large White Missile with Green Bands
Ammo Appearance: Large White Missile with Green Bands
Firing Rate: Average
Attack Power: Very High
Blast Radius: Small
Splash Damage: none
Description: These start as a standard rocket, but when they strike anything,
they instantly break into 5-8 Homing Plasma Globs. Useful for shooting around
corners an through doors into robot infested rooms. These can also be used in
the same way as a Concussion Missile. You fire it directly at a target, so
instead just the homing globs hitting it, the target gets hit with the fairly
high damage seperation charge as well. Usually fatal, but not always.
Weapon: *Mercury Missile
Appearance: White Missile with Copper Highlights
Ammo Appearance: White Missile with Copper Highlights
Firing Rate: Low
Attack Power: High
Blast Radius: Small
Splash Damage: Low
Description: Easily the fastest traveling of all the missiles and one of the
few the Thief is unable to dodge. In terms of velocity it’s only outpaced by
the Vulcan and Gauss Cannons. The missile cam barely has time to show an image
before impact when this missile is fired.
Weapon: Mega Missile
Appearance: Large Red Missile with White Bands
Ammo Appearance: Large Red Missile with White Bands
Firing Rate: Very Low
Attack power: Extreme
Blast Radius: Huge
Splash Damage: Extreme
Description: Good for grouped robots and bosses alike. It homes and has an
enormous blast radius for good coverage. Between D1 and D2, they adjusted both
the recoil and the damage dealt to the player. While it is no longer fatal to
slam this missile into the floor or walls near you, it still hurts A LOT.
Weapon: *Earthshaker Missile
Appearance: Large Blue Missile with White Bands
Ammo Appearance: Large Blue Missile with White Bands
Firing Rate: Very Low
Attack Power: Overkill
Blast Radius: Giant
Splash Damage: Overkill
Description: The single most powerful weapon in the game. There is no rival
to this weapon. It’s so powerful that it causes the mine to tremble and lights
to flicker when it strikes something. It works like a Smart Missile at first,
being sent out as a single missile, but upon striking anything, it breaks into
8-10 large homing missiles with giant blast radiuses. It makes a good
room clearing weapon, but you have to be prepared for the earthquake that
follows. These can be used in the same way that the robots use them in game.
Fire it AT something instead of just near it. Whatever you fire it at will get
hit with the powerful seperation charge AND the homing flachets at the same
time. It's ALWAYS fatal to whatever gets hit.
4- Equipment
There’s a number of additional power-ups than you can find that don’t exactly
fall under weapons or ammo.
Name: Ammo Rack
Use: Doubles ammunition capacity for all ammunition based weapons EXCLUDING
the Omega Cannon.
Name: Headlight
Use: If you press ‘H’ you activate/deactivate this power-up. It lights up
dark areas and causes confusion among the bots if you have a cloak and the
Headlight running. The downside of it is that it soaks up energy at a pretty
good clip.
Name: Converter
Use: By pressing ‘T’ you can recharge your shields at a rate of 1 shield for
every 2 energy. Not a real popular thing for the Thief to take, but then again
the Thief steals things that random.
Name: Afterburner
Use: By pressing and holding ‘S’ you can give yourself a massive burst of
speed for about 30sec. It only works for going forward though, not reverse.
It’s useful for outrunning missiles and dodging bots. The thief often takes
this.
Name: Quad Laser
Use: As the name implies, it allows you to fire 4 lasers instead of 2.
One of the more useful power-ups in the game. The thief often takes this.
5- Robot AI Types
You’ll encounter a number of diff types of AI and frustrating tactics to go
with them.
Rusher: Probably the most common AI, the bots will rush you firing blindly.
Sniper: The bots will hang back out of harm’s way and snap shots off at you
from a distance.
Hit and Run: The bots will pop out of hiding, snap a few shots off, then
retreat. Be warned though, this tactic can also be used to lure you into a
trap.
Hide and Seek: This is the term I liked to use for the game that the Thief-Bot
plays with you. He’ll steal a piece of your gear, then run off and hide for a
while, then when you’re in the middle of a firefight or something, he’ll come
and steal something else from you.
Mine Layer: A number of bots throughout the game will be converted to mine
layers. The PESTs, Smelters, and Omega Defense Spawn are the usual ones.
They’ll lay a string of mines, or more likely lay several mines within a group
of bots then you’ll chase after something and fly right into the mines.
6- EULA
Thx to GameFAQs for hosting this and Parallax Software and Interplay for
creating the Descent series. You can contact me at
[email protected]
if you need to ask about something. Please don’t e-mail me damage tables
because they’re not accurate and I’ll deleted them.
