Table of Contents
Human Weapons
Remember to press “Q” when standing at the armory to access the purchase screen for these weapons. You may only carry one main weapon (those in the list below) at a time, so before buying a new weapon, you must sell the old one.
All Humans who do not choose to build will spawn with the default Rifle, Blaster, and Medkit. In order to purchase more advanced weapons, you must earn credits by killing aliens (see: Getting Started). Something to take into account when going to buy another weapon is that when selling a weapon other than the Rifle, you will receive the full credit value of that weapon back. So, if you already have a Shotgun (150c) in your hands, you only need to have 100c in reserve in order to purchase the Lasgun (250c).
All magazine-based weapons have a reload time of two seconds. Click on a weapon’s name for further information about it.
(most specs & numbers come from tremulous.h)
(DPS = damage per second)
Stage 1
| Name | Damage | Specs | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Rifle  | 5 pts./bullet (55 DPS) | Particle ammunition | Free! | The Rifle is the default human weapon. Although there is some spread, it is accurate enough for most ranges. You probably want to upgrade pretty quick, but if you are engaging in high-risk combat (for example, facing dragoons as the lead on a stage one scouting party) the rifle is a smart choice. |
Painsaw ("Psaw")  | 15 pts./buzz (200 DPS) | No ammunition | 100 | The Painsaw is the human melee weapon. It has a very high damage output, but any decent alien player will be able to stay out of its short range and kill you. The painsaw should be used to destroy enemy structures and, rarely, to take out larger aliens who are distracted by teammates or your base. |
Shotgun ("Shotty") | 8 pellets/shot x 7 pts./pellet (56 DPS) | Particle ammunition 1-second fire rate, 2-second reload | 150 | The Shotgun is ideal against close range targets, but its spread makes long-range hits nearly impossible. The shotgun is probably the most cost-effective human weapon and it excels at combating dragoons during stage one. If you are low on credits, the shotgun is a good choice. |
Lasgun  | 9 pts./shot (45 DPS) | Energy ammunition | 250 | The Lasgun is a perfectly accurate energy weapon, and a very versatile weapon. It’s a stage one basekiller that can also lay waste to dretches and even fend off larger aliens with support. The lasgun is an ideal choice for chasing down enemy builders because it has high accuracy at range and requires no reloads. |
Mass Driver  | 38 pts./shot (38 DPS) | Energy ammunition 1-second fire rate, 2-second reload | 350 | Sniper zoom mode (’Z’ key) The mass driver is the only sniper rifle in Tremulous. Like the lasgun, it has perfect accuracy and, although it appears otherwise, there is no splash damage. If you see a green “splash”, it means you missed. Since mass drivers can kill dretches with one shot at extreme range, they are most useful in early stages on maps with large, open areas or long hallways. |
Chaingun  | 6 pts./bullet (75 DPS) | Particle ammunition | 400 | The chaingun’s high rate of fire means it is very inaccurate and has powerful recoil, but can output a lot of damage very fast against larger aliens. Crouching or wearing a battlesuit eliminates kickback and increases chance of survival. |
Stage 2
| Name | Damage | Specs | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Grenade ("Nade")  | 310 pts. | 4-second timer | 200 | The grenade is an inventory item. Its huge splash radius and damage can do tremendous damage within a base. Clicking on the Grenade in your inventory will throw it, (not select it) so be careful around teammates and your base. |
Pulse Rifle  | 9 pts./bolt (90 dps) | Energy ammunition | 400 | The pulse rifle is a projectile-based energy weapon with low damage but a high rate of fire. The projectiles are fairly slow, so leading the target is required. At stage two, the pulse rifle replaces the lasgun as the ranged basekiller of choice. |
Flamethrower ("Flamer") | 20 pts./flame (100 dps) | Particle ammunition (gas) | 450 | The flamethrower’s “projectiles” (flames) are extremely slow, so kneel or walk to avoid burning yourself and avoid use in narrow spaces (vents). The flamer is excellent for killing dretches, but useless for base defense, weak against structures, and incredibly dangerous to nearby teammates. Choose a flamer only when you are sure that the aliens’ main defense is a swarm of dretches. |
Stage 3
| Name | Damage | Specs | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Lucifer Cannon ("Luci")  | Up to 265 pts./shot (primary fire) 27 pts./shot (secondary fire) | Energy ammunition | 600 | Although the Lucifer Cannon is the most expensive weapon and its charged shot delivers a massive payload, it has a low rate of fire, its projectiles are very slow, and it can damage the user. Exercise extreme caution in the presence of teammates as it’s very easy to accidentally kill them. If charged too long, the lucifer cannon will overload, vent explosively, and damage you and anyone near you. Incidentally, this is also a good way to kill a basilisk that has grabbed you. |
