Grenade Launcher

The Grenade Launcher is a weapon that appears in BioShock and BioShock 2 multiplayer. In the BioShock 2 single-player campaign the Launcher serves a similar function.

BioShock


The Grenade Launcher is the fourth ranged weapon obtained in BioShock. It is located in Neptune's Bounty. It fires grenades that do high damage and have a wide splash damage radius. They are fired at an arc, making targeting at long range require some estimation. Its main weaknesses are a low ammo cartridge capacity, a slow rate of fire, and the potential for collateral damage. However, the damage can be increased and immunity to collateral damage can be gained with upgrades at a Power to the People station, further increasing the usefulness of the Grenade Launcher. There is no hit location damage bonus when using this weapon; the same amount of damage is done no matter where the target is hit.

Power to the People Upgrades

 * Immunity to Splash Damage
 * 25% Damage Increase

Ammunition Types - Grenade Launcher

 * Frag Grenades - standard ammunition for the Grenade Launcher, inflict a high amount of (piercing) damage at a radius.
 * Proximity Mines - rare ammunition for the Grenade Launcher, inflict a very high amount of (piercing) damage at a radius upon impact or upon detonation. Can be deployed on the scenery, where it will stick and explode once an enemy enters its blast radius.
 * Heat-Seeking RPGs - inventable ammunition for the Grenade Launcher, inflict a very high amount of (fire) damage at a radius and ignite the blast area. Home in on the enemy closest to them.

Strategy

 * The upgrades for this weapon can be purchased in any order: If the player wishes to use the Grenade Launcher in close quarters, it is recommended they first immunize themselves against their own splash damage. If this is their main anti-Big Daddy weapon or if the player has advanced substantially through the game, however, it is recommended they first upgrade their damage output.
 * This weapon is very effective against groups, but also if the player isn't very accurate. Explosives deal extreme amounts of damage over a large area, and most enemies fall to a single unit of ammunition from the Grenade Launcher.
 * Frag Grenades can also be fired around corners. This is useful is the player is trying to make an escape or if they are shooting from cover.
 * The Proximity Mine is one of the game's most versatile weapons. It has many different possible uses, all of which will be detailed here:
 * It can be used as a defensive trap (obviously). If the player is trying to kill a Bouncer and wishes to conserve ammo, stacking several barrels together and placing a single Proximity Mine will either seriously injure or even kill the Big Daddy, depending of how many barrels were stacked.
 * It can be used offensively, like a Frag Grenade. However, it has more uses than that. By attaching several Proximity Mines onto a single object (preferably an explosive), one will have created an "Anti-Big Daddy Bomb". It is named so because launching such a projectile (using Telekinesis) at one of the aforementioned Big Daddies will deplete most, if not all, of their health in a single shot. Even if the Big Daddy is not dead afterwards, they will be severely weakened, making it easier for the player to finish them off.
 * It can be attached onto friendly Security Bots, turning them into kamikazes. Security Bots have a tendency to approach the enemy at point-blank range, so while it will cost the player a Bot it will grant them the ability to easily dispatch one or several tough enemies while keeping one's distance from the fray.
 * The player can also place Proximity Mines in hotspots. Notable hotspots include Health Stations and water, if the player has ignited any Splicers. Note that laying a Proximity Mine near a Health Station will destroy it upon detonation, so use sparingly. If the player has hacked the Health Station, do not lay Mines near it, as the station will poison any injured Splicer who goes to heal there, which usually kills them in seconds.
 * Heat-Seeking RPGs are a useful tool for sniping, and causing mayhem among groups. They home in on targets, so the player doesn't require any aim to hit a faraway enemy. These explosives also ignite everything around them, in addition to the usual blast. This means that when dealing with tough Splicers a single RPG is all it takes to dispose of a entire group of them, even if the initial explosion didn't kill them. RPGs also deal more damage than Frag Grenades, so if the player is sure of their resources they may use the former as a replacement for the latter.
 * This weapon isn't particularly useful for ambushing, first of all because the player risks getting injured in close quarters, lest they upgrade; and secondly due to the huge amount of chaos caused by the Grenade Launcher. It's not recommended against machinery either, since lesser weapons are already capable of destroying Security Devices in one shot.

Recommended Plasmids

 * Winter Blast can help the player quickly and painlessly dispose of a Big Daddy when using this weapon. Usually, one freeze and around two to three explosives is enough to kill one of them, although the player would be missing out on the high amount of cash carried by Big Daddies. Avoid freezing if low on Dollars. This strategy also applies to tough Splicers.
 * Telekinesis and Sonic Boom can be used to "boost" Frag Grenades: By firing the grenade, quickly switching to one of the two aforementioned Plasmids and using it on the projectile will send it much farther than it would normally go. This strategy is only useful if the player does not possess any Heat-Seeking RPGs, since those can already travel long distances. Telekinesis can also be used to throw an object rigged with multiple Proximity Mines (also called an "Anti-Big Daddy Bomb"), exploding on impact.
 * Placing a Cyclone Trap under a Proximity Mine will allow it to kill any Splicer on any difficulty and on any level.

Recommended Tonics

 * Damage Research will significantly increase damage against enemies researched using the Research Camera. This is particularly useful against Splicers in the later levels of the game.
 * The Human Inferno line of Tonics will increase the amount of damage dealt onto enemies ignited by a Heat-Seeking RPG.
 * The Armored Shell line of Tonics will reduce the amount of damage received by the player if they detonate an explosive too close to them. However, once the player upgrades against this, this Gene Tonic type is made redundant for this particular use.

BioShock 2
The Launcher, similar in function to the Grenade Launcher, is available to players in BioShock 2's singleplayer campaign. Unlike the one from the first game, it seems to be commercially produced rather than cobbled together from spare parts. It uses the same ammo as the Grenade Launcher from the first game. However, the Frag Grenades look manufactured, and not like sardine cans with fuses.

BioShock 2 Multiplayer
The Grenade Launcher returns as a usable weapon in multiplayer, and is unlocked at Rank 6.

Multiplayer Upgrades

 * Heat-Seeking RPGs: unlocked at rank 17. Converts the Grenade Launcher's Frag Grenades into Heat-Seeking RPGs, which zero in on the target closest to the reticule. Also reduces the projectiles' explosion radius.
 * Velocity Boost: unlocked at rank 33. Greatly increases the speed of the Grenade Launcher's Frag Grenades.
 * Faster Firing: unlocked at rank 6 with Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack. Upgrades the weapon's clip size to 4 shots and increases its fire rate, at the cost of a decrease in each shot's damage output.

Strategy

 * The Grenade Launcher is the best weapon against groups, as it is capable of killing a squad of tight-knit players in three shots.
 * When faced against a single target, aim for the feet. Even if one doesn't achieve a direct hit, the splash damage will severely weaken them.
 * Headshots are difficult to achieve with this weapon, but if one can master the Grenade Launcher's arc a single headshot will almost completely drain the victim's health.
 * Avoid using the Grenade Launcher at close ranges, as the player is likely to kill themselves with their own splash damage.
 * This weapon is capable of dealing great bursts of damage against Big Daddies, but isn't very useful against them in the long run as the entirety of the weapon's magazine isn't enough to kill a single Rosie.
 * Avoid firing the Grenade Launcher at random, since the weapon holds little ammunition and has the slowest fire rate of all the player's arsenal.
 * Take cover between shots to avoid receiving too much damage.
 * The Grenade Launcher's Heat-Seeking RPG upgrade is recommended only for those with low aiming capabilities. For anyone else, the small blast radius and unpredictable rocket path will severely decrease this weapon's destructive capabilities. One good thing that may come from this upgrade, though, would be that it allows the user to "fire and forget" the Grenade Launcher in the hope of getting kills.
 * The Grenade Launcher's Velocity Boost will allow the player to use this weapon reliably at long ranges. In addition, its decreased arc makes headshots with this weapon slightly easier.
 * The Grenade Launcher's Faster Firing upgrade makes it more potent in single combat, as it decreases the penalty for missing. On the other hand, a Grenade Launcher without this upgrade is capable of killing enemies just as fast, and in less shots.

Complementary Weapons

 * The Shotgun will cover the Grenade Launcher's weakness in close combat.
 * The Tommy Gun's ability to lay down a continuous stream of damage, coupled with its large clip size, make it an ideal backup weapon for the Grenade Launcher.
 * The Nail Gun's high ammo count recommends it as a side weapon with the Grenade Launcher. In addition, both weapons are strong against groups and versus Big Daddies.

Recommended Plasmids

 * Electro Bolt will temporarily lock the enemy in place, making direct hits (and headshots) much easier.
 * A charged blast of Incinerate!, coupled with a single Frag Grenade, will kill any enemy by itself.
 * Geyser Trap can be used to give the player a height advantage, thus increasing the Grenade Launcher's splash damage radius.
 * Insect Swarm wil momentarily confuse enemies, preventing them from retaliating as well as making it easier for the player to shoot them.

Recommended Tonics

 * Big Game Hunter will increase the player's potency versus Big Daddies, allowing the player to take away almost a quarter of a Big Daddy's health in one clip.
 * Headhunter will allow the player to kill any enemy in a single headshot with this weapon.
 * Leg Up can be used as an EVE-free replacement for Geyser Trap.
 * Resurrection may come in handy if the player has a tendency to blow themselves up with this weapon.
 * Speedy Recovery will allow the user to quickly heal any self-damage as well as survive better in protracted fights.

Trivia

 * The Frag Grenades, as well as the weapon itself, look to be constructed almost entirely of common household and industrial items. This is proven in BioShock 2 Multiplayer as the description names it "The Ultimate in Do-It-Yourself Weapons".
 * Nitro Splicers in BioShock and Leadhead Splicers in BioShock 2 throw grenades which bear resemblance to the improvised Frag Grenades fired by the Grenade Launcher.
 * The Launcher's weapon wheel symbol looks like a manufactured rocket launcher instead of the actual weapon.

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