The lightning gun is by far the most devasting weapon in the quake 3 arsenal of weapons. Like a white rod of death, it has the ability to drain an opponents life completely from 100 health/100 armor to 0 in 1.5 seconds, which is quicker than 2 rails (the 200 health point equivalent). This is not the hardest weapon in the game to learn how to use, but when to use it is just as important.
This gun should primarily be used to finish your opponent off (when he/she has 50 health points or less) but can also be used in the beginning of a match against a rocket at close range (if you dare), rocket launcher at mid-range, or to make your opponent move steadily towards shelter, making him vulnerable to a quick switch to the railgun.
The secret to aiming with his weapon, just like with the railgun, is to strafe. Strafing allows you to move with your opponent at the same speed. If you have your crosshair in the right point to begin with, a steady strafe will deliver every damage point with the lightning gun. Of course, not every time your opponent will strafe perfectly in one direction, or another, so most times slight mouse movements should be made to keep a steady stream of death on your opponent. Tiny movements with the mouse are very hard to make unless you have a USB optical mouse. If you don't have one of these (preferably by logitech or microsoft) i seriously suggest you pick one up. It will really improve your game.
One mistake people use with the lightning gun is not using it. If you are playing in a multiplayer game, a lot of times you will run into an opponent with 50 or less health. Under such circumstances, it makes more sense to use lightning gun than anything, yet many players walk around with the rocket launcher (if they have it) and wait until they hit a rocket, and hear their opponent's health from the sound they make. Another technique i use at times is walk around with lightning gun, and touch them with that. The chances of getting a health-o-meter sound out of your opponent with a rocket as opposed to the lightning gun are very different, and that should be taken into consideration more often. If you are playing a one on one, you should have a very good idea how much health your opponent has, and the lightning gun should be used accordingly (if you know he has a lot of health, use your lightning gun to line him up for the rail, for instance).
Just like with every weapon, practice makes perfect. A lot of quake 3 arena maps do not sport the lightning gun. A lot of users online think the lightning gun is an unfair weapon, and they'll let you know (9 times out of 10 it's moments after you kill them with it). Try to keep in mind that every weapon has a weak point. If you don't land every pulse with the lightning gun, then the rail has an easy ability to take you out, and so does the rocket. It's all how you use the weapons, and whether or not you can handle the pressure of oncoming fire and keep your wrist steady at the same time.
You'll notice in rocket arena 3 players will switch to the lightning gun as soon as you pull it out on them.. No other weapon i know is so addictive, i'm still trying to figure out why that is so common... |
