Effective Weapons

[Stun Grenade]

The aim of this thread is to tell me (and others) of what weapons are great against some aliens...

 

Sorry I can't start you off since I'm new to the game hehe!!

 

~SG

[NKF]

Hmm. Hmm. Hrrm. Umm, .. hmm. Let's see now... About the only alien you're going to have any serious trouble shooting to death are the lobsterman and some of the terror units. Every other alien, excluding the terror units, will die eventually to most weapons, even the gauss pistol.

 

In general, at the start, gas cannons are very nice all-rounders. HE shells work wonders, but the AP shells pack quite a punch too. They are also the only weapon that can fire incendiary rounds on land - and fire works very well on land. They are slower than most weapons, but trust me, the firepower is well worth it. The weight may mean that you can only carry one spare clip at a time for very weak soldiers. The Gas cannon is a major upgrade over its UFO counterpart, and I'm sure you'll find it to be well suited for most tasks.

 

Later in the game: Sonic Cannons and sonic pulsers will definitely end up being main stay weapons. Even the sonic pistol, which beats the heavy gauss in many more ways than one. Gauss Rifles (and pistols if you're a real nutter like me) are also adequate and will get you through most things. The ammo is depressingly easy to produce, so you'l never have to worry about running out. The three drills are also excellent. They're very fast and very powerful, and you'll find many encounters where these can be used (mainly terror missions and base assaults, and there are a lot of these!). The thermal shok launcher is so depressingly powerful that you'll end up using this offensively on a regular basis rather than just as a tool for capturing aliens for research. The gas cannon can still last up till now because of its versatility, although I recommend only using it in small quantities (like 1 or 2 per ship). It's good, but not that good. I keep it mainly to blast the ceiling with high explosives/fire when I can't get to an area but there's definitely an alien there.

 

Disrupter pulse launchers - kills everything unless it's on land.

 

Now for some weapon by alien notes:

 

Aquatoids, Gillmen, Deep Ones, Calcinites

 

Anything will kill these.

 

Tasoth

 

I've killed one by firing a gauss pistol in its back on full auto... They tend to have much more health than most aliens so they may take a while. I've also killed them with gas cannon HE shells.

 

Triscene (imagine a reaper with guns, and you'll have a very close approximation)

 

This terror unit is tough, but it has one major weakness. Its under armour. Even a Gas Cannon with HE shells can lay waste to these. Thermal Shok Launchers and grenades work wonders. Short of that, sonic and gauss weapons will kill these nicely. Drills work too.

 

Xarquid (same as above, but can fly)

 

This alien, oddly enough, has a lot of armour, so you're going to need hard hitting weapons to kill it. Sonic cannons, gauss rifles and up. Also, being a large unit, area effect weapons like high explosives and thermal shok bombs can really knock these guys out. Drills work too, but you'll need a standard or heavy thermic lance for the best results. Virboblades may be too weakened by the armour.

 

Hallucinoid (think: flying reapers)

 

Another heavily armoured terror unit that suffers very heavily from area effect weapons on account of its size. For gauss use the rifle and upwards. For sonic, anything'll do. For starting equipment, Gas Cannons and HE shells or Hydro Jet Cannons with HE shells, or even the torpedo launcher will work wonders.

 

If you're using drills, go for thermic lances or heavy thermic lances. The amount of armour on these things reduce the effectiveness of the vibroblade considerably.

 

 

Biodrones (mini cyberdiscs with a heavily souped up turret)

 

I've taken them out with gas cannons, so I'm pretty sure gauss weapons will kill these. I wouldn't even think of going against them with a dart gun or the jet harpoon - but that's not to say that they won't die eventually from these. Gauss and Sonic do just fine. If you can get up close to them, using the drills or the thermal tazer will allow you to disable or kill it without causing it to detonate.

 

 

Tentaculat (Chryssalids that flies ... well, floats)

 

This alien has a curiously tough front section. I think it was something like 50 armour on superhuman. That may not seem like much to you (you go up to 142), but it certainly makes a difference as to how much damage can be done to the tentaculat with certain weapons! This can be very detrimental to things like gauss rifles and sonic pistols. Sonic cannons still pack a punch.

 

It does however have a very weak spot in the back, and like almost all aliens, their underside is weak, making them very susceptible to stun and high explosive attacks.

 

For superhuman, the lowest starting weapon that I'd recommend would be either a couple of magna pack explosives, particle disturbance grenades (just to maim them on their approach) or the gas cannon with HE shells. Anything lower and you'll definitely have to face its back before even attempting to fire a shot.

 

 

Lobstermen

 

They halve (well, close to half) damage from practically everything but stun and drill damage. They don't have very much armour, but it's the resistance that makes them really hard to combat. I mean they can often take a direct hit from a PWT torpedo and still have enough hit points left to stand, or at least get stunned.

 

All Armour Piercing weapons have no effect on them mainly beause of the low damage levels. Next, gauss weapons - forget them. First time I fought them, I think I tried to kill one with a gauss pistol. I was on beginner and even then I simply got slaughtered. Although the heavy guass can do about as much damage as the sonic pistol, so it is a possibility. All sonic weapons can damage the lobsterman to some degree - with the cannon doing the best, naturally. It needs at most 2 - 3 hits to kill a lobsterman. Just imagine what you'd have to do with all the other weapons just to beat that!

 

They do have low under armour. On superhuman, it's 12. Yes, 12. So an explosive attack has quite a good chance of doing some damage. I've damaged them with GC-HE shells before. (The Gas Cannon's coming off as quite the all-rounder, isn't it? It's not the best weapon, but it can certainly last!). Sonic pulsers, when stacked can deal quite a lot of damage, especially considering armour will be lowered after each blast! Yes, unlike UFO, in TFTD, grenades are quite hardy. They won't blow up equal or greater grenades.

 

Their weakness has to be drill and stun damage. The thermal shok launcher are very effective against them. Often only needing 1 hit, although you may sometimes need a second hit as the damage is random and the game could've rolled a small number. The drills, even the vibroblade, the weakest of the drills, will maim a lobsterman very badly that it might either die outright or get stunned with very little health remaining.

 

Later in the game, I'd advise that you carry at least one drill around with you in addition to your normal weapon. In maps with tight spaces, like the cruise ship missions, your drill will be one of your most valued companions.

 

Pfft. Blast. I did another three pager. I hate it when that happens.

 

- NKF

[kai]

If you are on an easy difficulty setting (i.e. aliens have low reaction rating) then the drill/vibroblade can work wonders against heavily armoured units.

 

First time I used one in the game (against a loby) I immediately thought of Total Recall before using it "hey Benny, SCREW YOU!"

 

[Jman4117]

Gas Cannon: accurate, works on land, makes a nice explosion with HE.

 

Gauss Rifle: decent power, has auto shot, cheap to use.

 

Sonic Cannon: Heavy firepower, takes 50% TU's meaning only 1 shot in most cases.

 

Blasta Rifle: less powerful, but more likely to get a follow-up shot.

 

Drills: They can take out a Lobby in one or two jabs, have to get close though.

 

Shok Launcher: Powerful area affect stun weapon. Nice tactic is blast a group of Lobstermen with one, then throw a Sonic Pulser right in the middle of the stunned aliens.

[Stun Grenade]

Nice info guys, wd... my first mission was with lobstermen.. and i was sooo angry... the dam thing took soo many hits from a variety of weapons and it killed all of my men.. they really make me angry hehe

[Jman4117]

First?..... O_O

[Fox]

Haha for sure dude. The first time I played through TFTD my whole base area was Lobsterman. I was like, "Man if this is what the first aliens are like..." Needless to say I was discouraged.

 

Luckily I eventually started going up against Gill Men and Aquatoids later so I realized I had just gotten the unlucky start. It's weird because I'm pretty sure you can't see Mutons or Ethereals on the first mission in UFO Defense. Owell.

 

As for good weapons....

 

Later in the game when I have almost everything done and I just need to get Zrbite or raid a few bases, I make a Thermal Shok Launcher Hammerhead team. All equipped with Ion Armor or Mag, I have almost all of them equipped with TSLs (Thermal Shok Launchers). I have 2 more guys with Disruptor Pulse Launchers (DPLs) and leave a few Gauss Pistols, Rifles and Sonic Cannons on the ground. Each guy has 2 Magna Blast Grenades or Sonic Pulsers on him. This combo seriously annihilates anything in the game. The TSLs will take out anything, even Lobstermen in GROUPS. Once they are stunned, either ignore them if you think you'll finish the mission soon, or throw a Magna Blast or Sonic near them and the blast will kill them on the ground.

 

This combo is wicked deadly, and this crew is quick and powerful. If anyone runs out of Shok ammo (I usually try and put 5 or so on everyone), either send them back to the Hammerhead to get a weapon, or just pick one up off a body.

 

NEVER forget the usefulness of a particle disturbance sensor, especially in those ship missions. There always seems to be one last Tasoth or Bio-Drone hiding in a little locker or room. Particle Sensors find them quick and easy, especially if each 2 man team has one.

[Bomb Bloke]

First mission against loby men? Urgh...!

 

I use the guass rifle on most anything, as it has a can autofire. Not the best weapon, mind. Really sucks against the Tasoth (who can take a few rounds) and the loby men (who'll eat your entire supply of ammo).

 

I feel the stun launcher is worth a mention. Often, a single round from these things will drop a loby man. This brings up an interesting tactic, as often you'll see loby men CARRYING these things. The best tactic, believe it or not, is to throw one of your units at him, causing him to reaction fire at point blank range and thus knock himself out.

 

Hey, it beats using all of your ammo on him.

 

Then there's the use of MC disruptors. If you can use these, do so. Loby men have little defence against them. Try getting MC'd loby men to fire stun bombs at point blank range into walls, or getting them to use the blaster launcher equiv on themselves, etc.

 

If you MUST use you own weapons, I tend to go for the drill.

[NKF]

I'm sure we can all agree that the thermal shok launcher is truly a powerful weapon, but there is one danger to using it.

 

The soldier using it won't earn very much combat experience, and will thus not advance in stats as fast as the poor sod who has to struggle just to kill the same type of alien with a pea shooter.

 

Now, you earn the same combat experience for each shot no matter the weapon. But that's just it. You earn the same experience for each shot.

 

That's not to say you shouldn't use very powerful weapons like disrupter pulse launchers or sonic pulsers. Oh, by all means use them! Just remember that the less effort it takes to kill an alien, the less you'll advance. That's all.

 

- NKF

[Bomb Bloke]

I normally only use the thing when I MC an alien that holds it. I guess MC gives the least stats of all.

[NKF]

Well, only if you mind control an alien once and have it wipe out most of its buddies. Continuously mind controlling an alien (or several aliens) over a few rounds is much more beneficial.

 

As it is though, every successful psi attack counts the same way as hitting an enemy with a bullet/area effect weapon would. So if you have many successful attacks, you can earn just as much as you would shooting an alien.

 

The main difference being that you earn M. C. Skill instead of firing accuracy. But strength, health, stamina and TUs have a chance of going up.

 

- NKF

[Bomb Bloke]

Hrm, I didn't figure health and the like would go up. But yes, I do tend to make my MC'd aliens do most of my dirty work.

[Zombie]

I started a new campaign in TFTD recently and went down the normal route of researching the Gauss weapons first. Now, I'm not knocking Gauss or anything, but none of my men could shoot straight. (This is really odd because in EU the laser weapons have almost identical stats to gauss). So I figured that if I can't shoot, I might as well throw. Magna Blast grenades work, but I needed more punch since the aliens are tougher. So the next step was the Magna Pack with double the weight and double the strength. Not too shabby.

 

So now my recent fad has been to research up to the Gauss Pistol/Gauss Pistol Clip. In the meantime, my guys just have to fight the best they can with the conventional weapons. To help them out, I give them each a Magna Pack+Magna Blast combo. By this time I usually have to go on a mission without Gauss so the extra oomph with explosives is a big help. If I happen to recover the Sonic Pulser, I immediately start research on it (even foregoing research on the Gauss Rifle if necessary). By this time my loadout is Gauss Pistols plus the two conventional explosives. Right after the Sonic Pulser is finished, I equip my squad with as many as I have. Then all the research efforts turn to Gauss Rifles.

 

Let me tell you this: Gauss Rifles+Sonic Pulsers is a tough combo to beat. The way I have been initially equipping my soldiers is to put the grenades in the soldiers hands right away. When they get into the mission, all (yes, I said all) soldiers burn their first round doing nothing but priming grenades. The next round, one grenade goes on the shoulder while the Gauss Rifle is placed in the hands. End turn 2 and nothing has really happened yet. But then the fun begins. If a soldier steps off the craft and sees an alien, he immediately tosses the grenade in the hand, ducks back into the craft, and grabs the spare from the shoulder. Rinse and repeat for 10 or so turns. Then it's time to embark the safety of the craft and do some patrols. Works like a charm outside due to the relative lack of overhead obstructions. When I get to the inside of the craft, that's where the Gauss Rifles come in.

 

So that's my recent strategy in TFTD and it's been going good. Any of you research the Sonic Pulsers so early in the game too?

 

- Zombie

[Gimli]

Not as early, but I do like getting it quickly for the same reasons.

 

My tactic has always been to ditch the Magna Blasts for the Magna Packs immediately. My soldiers are always equipped as lightly as possible, except the two or three with the Gas/HidroJet Cannons. This way the packs don't slow them down much.

 

I hate Gauss, but the rifles are enough to take down Gillmen in one shot most of the times, saving me from reaction fire. But yes, lots of clips are a good thing.

 

I don't prime all the grenades on the first turn. It's a mistake though, now that you've mentioned it. The reason is that I don't do it in UFO, because my soldiers in the Skyranger can easily get shot, and that's not a good thing. But since the door protects them here, there really isn't a good reason.

 

Dye grenades are also useful. Not as good as their UFO counterparts, but still useful for providing cover when exiting the Triton. From here on, my current tactic is to go around the edges and try to surround the aliens. If you think about it, no matter where the Triton has landed, you are always at most one square section away from the edge (all the maps are 4x4). This allows me to set up snipers on hills and such, with less risk of them getting shot. In fact the only significant danger comes from the direction the snipers are looking at ("center" of the map), because the back is safe (edge of map) and the sides have been cleaned. I find this tactic reduces casualties a lot.

 

Toughness of the Terror Sites changes this somewhat. I tend to stay inside the Triton and take pot shots from there until I reduce the number of aliens somewhat and no new ones appear for a long time. Then I switch to the above tactic again.

[Bomb Bloke]

I'm pretty sure most TFTD maps tend to be larger then that (they vary depending on what sort of mission/USO you're up against), but it doesn't matter much anyway: The game seems to like putting your drop ship against a side of the map.