Medal of Honor: Airborne
Weapon and Enemy Guide
Document Started: November 29, 2007
Last Update: March 25, 2009
by Alan Chan (joylock @ hotmail.com)
The Usual:
This document is mine. Please don't rip it off or take credit for it. If you
use any of the information provided in this guide in your own FAQ,
walkthrough, or guide, you must acknowledge that you obtained the information
from me, and give me proper credit.
That being said, feel free to post it on any site you want, provided you a)
don't make any changes to it, and b) don't charge money for it. You
don't even have to get my permission to post it (as long as it remains
unaltered), but it would be nice if you emailed me and let me know
(joylock @ hotmail.com).
A Brief Word:
I noticed that, despite being a relatively big-name title,
Medal of Honor: Airborne has absolutely no FAQs written for it. So, I
decided to write this quick Weapon/Enemy Guide for the game.
Version History:
*******************************************************************************
* *
*1.0: Initial Release *
* *
*1.1: Minor updates *
* *
*1.2: Moderate reformat for easier reading *
* *
*******************************************************************************
The latest version of this FAQ can be found at www.gamefaqs.com.
CONTRIBUTOR EMAILS:
beverlyholzkill wrote:
- Hi, I found a little error in your guide: It's K98k Karabiner Kurz
(without the t). My name on Gamefaqs is beverlyholzkill.
Indeed, the real-life name of the rifle is K98k Karabiner Kurz, and not
K98 Karabiner Kurtz like the game developers have spelt it.
Kuen-Whee Oh wrote:
- Hi.
I'm writing this mail to notice one thing about the M18 Recoilless Rifle.
You said that it can be found in only one mission(Neptune, right?), but I
thought that I found it in the final mission(err, I don't remember that
name).
As I remember, you should land on the only landable house outside the tower,
and you can find one.
As it turns out, if you land at the green drop-zone in the house at the base of
the Flak Tower (instead of on top of the Flak Tower itself), there's an M18
recoilless rifle on the house's top floor.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
- GAME MECHANICS
- COMBAT TIPS
- WEAPONS
- ENEMIES
*****************
*Game Mechanics:*
*******************************************************************************
- Medal of Honor: Airborne features 3 difficulty levels: Casual, Normal,
and Expert. Difficulty affects a number of factors; largely the amount
of health your character has, and how long you have to hide after being
injured before your health begins to regenerate. On the Casual and
Normal difficulties, there is also a split-second delay after you're
shot before you can be hurt again.
On Casual difficulty:
Your character has 600 points of health. [150 health per health bar].
It takes a shorter amount of time before your health starts to
regenerate (after 1.5 seconds).
After each bullet hit, there is a 0.25 second delay before you can be
hurt again.
On Normal difficulty:
Your character has 500 points of health. [125 health per health bar].
Your health regenerates normally (after 3.0 seconds).
After each bullet hit, there is a 0.15 second delay before you can be
hurt again.
On Expert difficulty:
Your character has 400 points of health. [100 health per health bar].
It takes a longer amount of time before your health starts to
regenerate (after 4.0 seconds).
There is no delay between hits, allowing you to be harmed by
consecutive bullets in a stream of automatic fire.
- Medal of Honor: Airborne uses a partial regenerating health system
similar to "Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay" or
"Pariah". You have 4 health bars, each representing a quarter of your
total health. If a health bar is partially depleted, it will regenerate
to full after a couple seconds if you don't take damage. However,
if a health bar is fully depleted, it will NOT regenerate, and all
subsequent damage you take then goes to your next health bar, and so on.
On Normal difficulty, 3 submachine gun shots or 1 G43 rifle shot will
reduce a health bar to about 1%. 4 assault rifle shots will knock out
one of your health bars. A direct hit from a stick grenade will knock
out one health bar and reduce the next one down to about 1%.
- Taking cover in Medal of Honor: Airborne not only reduces your chances
of being shot, but you also take less damage from enemy attacks while
firing or hiding from behind cover.
Your character takes 75% damage if hit while taking cover.
Your character takes 25% damage if hit while parachuting.
- The amount of damage a bullet hit does varies based on where it strikes
the body. Shots to the limbs generally do reduced damage, while
headshots are usually instantly lethal.
Against Players, damage to body parts corresponds as follows:
Feet = 50%
Legs = 70%
Arms = 100%
Torso = 100%
Head = 600%
Against Single-Player enemies, damage to body parts corresponds as follows:
Feet = 50%
Limbs = 75%
Groin = 125%
Torso = 100%
Head = 400%
- Your mission score (1 to 5 stars) is based mostly on the number of enemies
you kill. The more you kill, the higher your score will be at the end
of the level. However, if you simply proceed through the level from
start to finish, you'll usually only earn 3 stars. To earn the high score
of 5 stars (and unlock the bonus movies in the "extras" menu) you need to
clear the area of enemies, but DON'T finish the objectives (i.e. don't
plant the bomb). Instead, die. When you respawn, more enemies should appear
to replace those you killed, as long as the mission objectives in that
area remain unfinished. Kill them all, then die again. Do this 2 or 3
times, and you'll earn 5 stars when you finally complete the level.
Note that a minor penalty is subtracted from your score every time you
die, but it's relatively small (worth maybe about 10 enemy soldiers).
**************
*Combat Tips:*
*******************************************************************************
- The use of aim mode to aim using a weapon's iron sights is central to
Medal of Honor: Airborne's gameplay. Unlike other first person
shooters, you can't just fire from the hip and expect to hit anything
past about 20 feet or so. You NEED to use aim mode to score hits on
medium-to-long range targets. With that said, firing from the hip does
work somewhat in close quarters, such as during indoors fighting while
clearing a corridor or building. Within 20 feet or so, you can fire
from the hip and mow down foes, as long as you use rapid-fire bursts
from a submachine gun or semi-automatic rifle.
The game will display a brief red cross over an enemy to indicate that
you've hit them with a bullet. This helpfully tells you whether you're
hitting them or not with your weapon.
- Other than the highly advertised parachute drop, the other major
gameplay mechanic in Medal of Honor: Airborne is the cover system. You
need to take cover to survive, both to avoid enemy fire, and to take
reduced damage from enemy bullets if you do get shot. To take cover,
duck behind a piece of cover such as a low wall. To peek and fire, go
into aim mode and either press up to peek over cover and shoot, or
press left or right to peek around cover and shoot.
If you duck behind a piece of partial cover, and find that your head
is still exposed to enemy fire, you can press aim + down to go prone,
ducking down even further. This allows you to effectively uses pieces
of cover that would normally be too low to protect you.
Cover is especially important on Expert difficulty, since if you're
standing in the open enemy attacks can knock off an entire lifebar
in just 1 or 2 hits, preventing you from regenerating your health.
- Enemy reinforcements are NOT infinite. If you hang back and snipe at
enemies as they stream out of their fortifications, eventually they'll
run out of men, and your own paratrooper allies will push forward,
allowing you to advance. If you're impatient, you can also charge
ahead into the enemy fortification; this immediately stops enemy
reinforcements from spawning, but can also get you killed very easily.
By the same token, your own reinforcements are also finite. Although
new Paratrooper allies will parachute into battlefields to replace
fallen comrades, you can eventually run out of allies in a given
battlefield if you let the enemy continue killing them.
- If you're caught in the open and start taking enemy fire, you can use
sprint to run for cover at high speed. You can't fire your weapon while
sprinting, but you travel much faster than you normally do.
- Just like in real life, your breathing affects your ability to aim
down a scope at long range. When aiming down a scope using a sniper
rifle such as the Springfield or G43, your view will slowly drift
up and down with your breathing. This can interfere with your ability
to keep the crosshair over a target at long range.
To deal with this issue, you can hold your breath for several seconds
by holding down the "JUMP" button while aiming down a scope. This will
cause the two half-circles on the left side of the screen to squeeze
together, briefly steadying your breath and keeping the crosshair
stationary for a few seconds.
- The game allows you to carry 2 primary weapons, as well as a sidearm.
For primary weapons, it's best to carry a submachine gun for close to
medium range combat, and a rifle for long range combat. I recommend the
MP40 submachine gun, for its low recoil and versatile upgrades, and the
Springfield sniper rifle, for its variable scope and extremely long
range. You can replace the submachine gun with an automatic rifle later
in the game.
- Automatic weapons such as submachine guns or automatic rifles have
significant recoil, which causes your aim to drift upward with each
shot. Recoil is manageable when firing from the hip, but is much more
noticeable when firing from aimed mode. To counter the effects of
recoil, try firing in short bursts of only a couple bullets. Since
most enemies in the game go down after only a few bullet hits each,
full automatic fire really isn't necessary, except perhaps for
close-quarters room-clearing, which should mostly be done firing
"from the hip" anyway.
- When you kill enemies with a weapon, you gradually gain experience
points with that weapon, which will eventually earn you weapon upgrades
that improve the capabilities of each gun. You earn a Marksman upgrade
after gaining 25 experience points. You earn a Sharpshooter upgrade after
gaining an additional 50 experience points. Finally, you earn an Expert
upgrade after gaining a final 100 experience points. Whenever you earn
a weapon upgrade, you'll go into a temporary "bullet time" mode in
which time slows down around you, and your gun has temporary infinite
ammo. Use this opportunity to kill multiple enemies in the few seconds
in which it lasts.
Extra experience is earned for scoring headshots, melee kills, or killing
3 or 5 enemies in a row. Also, destroying an enemy vehicle earns you
significantly more experience than killing an enemy soldier does.
- Enemies will frequently toss grenades at you to either flush you out of
cover or kill you. Watch for the on-screen grenade indicator to tell
you that a grenade has landed nearby. The color of the indicator shows
how close the grenade is to you. A white indicator shows that the
grenade is too far away to harm you, while a deep red indicator means
the grenade is right under you and will seriously injure or kill you
when it explodes. Grenades can be avoided either by running outside
their blast radius, or putting a piece of cover (such as a wall) between
you and the grenade before it explodes.
If you're standing on top of an enemy grenade, you can kick it away
from you. You can even kick grenades back at the enemy, and will earn
experience points if it explodes and kills some of them.
- You start each mission with only an average amount of ammo and grenades.
You can acquire large amounts of ammo and grenades from supply crates
located at the various allied dropped zones (marked by green smoke).
The drop zones are located far away from your mission objectives,
but contain ammo crates, grenade crates, and health crates which
fill your various supplies as well as your health meter up to full.
These crates also regenerate after a while, so you can go back to the
drop zones for more ammo, health, or grenades if you run low later
in the mission.
- For the PC version of Medal of Honor: Airborne, there's a bug in the
game that prevents you from zooming if you assign the zoom commands to
the mouse wheel, since the mouse wheel is automatically mapped to
switching weapons. So, don't assign the zoom commands to the mouse
wheel, assign them to other keys. You'll still be able to zoom using
the mouse wheel even without specifically assigning the zoom command
to it.
**********
*Weapons:*
*******************************************************************************
- Medal of Honor: Airborne features an assortment of World War II Allied
and Axis weaponry. At the start of each mission, you are given the
opportunity to select 2 primary weapons and a sidearm for you to take
into the mission. You can also switch guns during a mission by picking
them up from ammo drops or fallen soldiers (although, unlike most FPS
games, not every soldier who dies will drop their firearm). Initially,
only a few firearms are available to you, but more and more are
unlocked as you proceed through the game. Generally, you can select a
weapon on the weapon selection screen in the level immedietely after
the first level you find that weapon on the battlefield. When you
replay completed missions, you can bring in any weapon that you've
already unlocked.
- Note that rocket launchers and grenades cannot be selected on the
weapon selection screen. Rocket launchers can only be used by obtaining
them inside a given level. You start out each level with a pre-defined
number of grenades, and can only obtain more by collecting them inside
the level. Also, the C96 Mauser Pistol can only be selected in the
game's final mission, Der Flakturm. You cannot select it for any of the
game's other missions, even if you replay them after beating the game.
- NOTE: The weapon stats given here are for the single-player campaign.
The stats for weapons in multi-player are slightly tweaked from these
for game balance reasons.
- My personal weapon recommendations are as follows;
On Level 1, start with the MP40 submachine gun and the M1 Garand. The
MP40 has much less recoil than the Tommy gun, making it easier to control
in long bursts. Trade the M1 Garand for the Springfield sniper rifle
as soon as you find it. The Springfield's scope allows you to snipe
enemies from the relative safety of longer range.
On Level 2, trade the Springfield sniper for a G43 Gewehr as soon as
you can pick one up from a fallen enemy soldier. At first, the G43
isn't as powerful as the Springfield due to the lack of a scope, but
it quickly acquires a scope after a couple upgrades, and the G43's
semi-automatic rate of fire makes it easier to use than the Springfield's
much slower bolt-action fire.
The MP40 SMG and G43 rifle combo should work well for much of the game.
The MP40 works well for close-quarters room-sweeping and medium-range
firefights, while the G43 is great for picking off enemies at long range.
Trade the MP40 for the much more powerful StG.44 assault rifle once you
get it in the game's later levels. It serves a similar function as the
MP40, but has higher stopping power and greater accuracy, allowing for
tighter bullet clustering at close range, and better accuracy at long
range.
==========
=PISTOLS:=
==========
M1911 Colt .45
Damage: 50
Accuracy: 35
Rate of Fire: 20 (240 rpm)
Recoil: 30
Ammo Capacity: 7
Reload Speed: 70
Player Speed: 100
Maximum Ammo: Infinite
Faction: Allies
Marksman Upgrade: Leather Holster [+ Fast Draw] (pistol can be drawn
faster)
Sharpshooter Upgrade: Match Grade Trigger [+ Rate of Fire] (ROF
increased to
1000 rpm)
Expert Upgrade: Magnum Rounds [+ Increased Damage] (damage increased to
100)
BRIEF BLURB:
The classic Colt .45 semi-automatic pistol. Has decent stopping power,
but low accuracy and magazine size. Main use is as a backup weapon for
close-range combat if you run low on ammo.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The standard Allied sidearm. The game allows you to carry 2 primary
weapons and a sidearm, and for most of the game the Colt .45 is the
only sidearm available to you. As a result, you'll be carrying a Colt
.45 for most of the game. Although not as effective as a primary
weapon, the Colt .45 has the advantage of having infinite ammo, so it's
a good fallback weapon if you're running low on ammo for your primary
weapons.
A semi-automatic handgun, you need to click the fire button for each
individual shot. The Colt has a decent rate of fire and good stopping
power (most enemies go down in 2 to 3 shots). Unfortunately, the weapon
lacks accuracy, especially at long range, although it is still decent
for close-quarters room-clearing, or sniping at medium range using aim
mode. The biggest drawback to the Colt is that its low magazine capacity
means you'll need to reload frequently during a firefight, so you'd
better have some place to take cover during each reload.
If you run out of bullets for your main weapon and are still fighting
an enemy, it's quicker to whip out your pistol than to reload.
UPGRADES:
The first upgrade to the Colt allows you to draw it quicker when you
switch to it from another weapon. The next upgrade increases the Colt's
maximum rate of fire to a blazing 1000 rpm (although, since it's a
semi-automatic gun, you'll probably never reach that speed). As a
result, the only limit on the Colt's rate of fire becomes how rapidly
you can click the fire button. The final upgrade loads the Colt with
magnum rounds, doubling its firepower to 100 damage per shot, and making
the Colt more powerful than most rifles, becoming the most powerful
bullet weapon in the game next to the Springfield and 98k rifles.
C96 Mauser:
Damage: 30
Accuracy: 40
Rate of Fire: 35 (1000 rpm)
Recoil: 25
Ammo Capacity: 10
Reload Speed: 50
Player Speed: 100
Maximum Ammo: Infinite
Faction: Axis
Marksman Upgrade: Shoulder Stock [+ Reduced Recoil]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: 20 Round Magazine [+ Ammo Capacity]
Expert Upgrade: 712 Conversion Kit [+ Fully Automatic]
BRIEF BLURB:
The Axis sidearm; significantly weaker than the Colt .45, but has
a faster rate of fire, a larger magazine size, and can be upgraded
into a full-auto machine pistol.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The standard Axis sidearm. Like the Colt .45, the C96 Mauser is a semi-
automatic pistol than you carry as a backup weapon. You carry an
infinite supply of ammo for the Mauser, so you'll never run out of
bullets for it. Actually, the C96 Mauser is unavailable to you for most
of the game. You can only select it on the weapon loadout screen of the
game's very last mission, Der Flakturm. There's also a C96 Mauser
hidden in an office safe in the game's fifth mission, Operation
Varsity, in the control room of the warehouse where you destroy the
railgun.
The C96 Mauser is actually the weakest firearm in the game. It takes 5
shots from the Mauser to kill a Fallschirmjager Commander, the most
common enemy soldier you face in the levels in which the Mauser is
available. Even a headshot from the Mauser usually isn't lethal. On the
plus side, the Mauser has slightly better accuracy and less recoil than
the Colt .45. Additionally, the Mauser's maximum rate of fire is 1000
rpm, and thus the weapon's speed is only limited by how fast you can
click the fire button.
UPGRADES:
The upgrades to the Mauser do increase its usefulness somewhat. The
first upgrade attaches a shoulder stock that reduces the weapon's
recoil even further. The second upgrade increases the weapon's capacity
to a relatively high magazine size of 20 bullets. The final upgrade
converts the Mauser to a fully automatic weapon, allowing you to spray
bullets with rapid fire by holding down the fire button. The upgrades to
the Mauser essentially convert it into a light automatic carbine with
infinite ammo, and while it is still inferior to most of your primary
weapons, it can be useful as a backup firearm.
==================
=SUBMACHINE GUNS:=
==================
M1928 Thompson:
Damage: 45
Accuracy: 40
Rate of Fire: 85 (~800 rpm)
Recoil: 65
Ammo Capacity: 30
Reload Speed: 50
Player Speed: 90
Maximum Ammo: 390
Faction: Allies
Marksman Upgrade: Front Pistol Grip [+ Improved Accuracy]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: Cutts Compensator [+ Reduced Recoil]
Expert Upgrade: 50 Round Drum Mag [+ Ammo Capacity]
BRIEF BLURB:
A "Tommy Gun" full-auto submachine gun; does good damage and
has a high rate of fire, and can be used at both close and long
range, but high recoil requires it to be used in short bursts.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The Thompson "Tommy Gun" submachine gun is the standard Allied
automatic weapon, and one of four starting weapons you can begin the
game with (the others being the MP40 submachine gun, the M1 Garand
rifle, and the 98k rifle). A fully automatic SMG with a very high rate
of fire, the Thompson is excellent for close-quarters room-clearing, as
well as for medium-to-long range combat when using aim mode.
The Thompson is slightly more powerful than the MP40, the game's other
submachine gun, as well as having a much higher rate of fire, but it
also is slightly less accurate and has significantly more recoil.
Overall, I'd say the slight increase in firepower isn't worth the extra
recoil when compared to the MP40, but recoil isn't too much of an issue
if you fire in short bursts instead of on full-auto, which is what you
should be doing since most enemies go down after only 3-4 bullets each.
Additionally, the upgrades to the Thompson do go quite a long way
towards correcting the recoil issue.
UPGRADES:
The first upgrade to the Thompson improves its accuracy, while the
second upgrade reduces its recoil. The final Thompson upgrade allows
you to use the infamous "Chicago Typewriter"-style drum magazine, for a
large magazine size of 50 bullets.
Maschinenpistole 40:
Damage: 40
Accuracy: 55
Rate of Fire: 55 (492 rpm)
Recoil: 45
Ammo Capacity: 32
Reload Speed: 40
Player Speed: 95
Maximum Ammo: 390
Faction: Axis
Marksman Upgrade: Dual Magazines [+ Faster Reload]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: 64 Round Magazine [+ Ammo Capacity]
Expert Upgrade: Dagger [+ Melee Attack] (150 damage)
BRIEF BLURB:
The Axis submachine gun; has much lower recoil than the Thompson,
which allows for longer, more accurate automatic fire. Slightly
less damaging and with a lower rate of fire than the Thompson, but
overall still a better weapon.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The MP40 submachine gun is the standard automatic firearm wielded by
most of the game's enemy soldiers for the first 3/4ths of the game. Like
the Thompson, the MP40 is best suited for either close-range combat, or
medium-to-long range combat while firing from cover using aimed mode.
Although slightly weaker and with a slower rate of fire than the
Thompson, the MP40 has better accuracy and much lower recoil than an
un-upgraded Thompson. The low recoil is partially due to the weapon's
lower rate of fire, which allows for better stability during automatic
fire. In fact, the MP40 has very little recoil even when firing in
aimed mode, allowing you to sustain automatic fire with it without
losing control of the weapon.
Also, because your enemies will often drop MP40s, you can collect
extra submachine gun ammo from them if you already have an MP40 equipped
(since picking up a dropped weapon while you're already carrying that
type of weapon gives you extra ammo).
UPGRADES:
The first upgrade to the MP40 allows you to reload the weapon much
faster. The second upgrade increases the magazine capacity to an
extremely high 64 rounds, allowing you to fire for a prolonged amount
of time before needing to reload. The final upgrade to the MP40 gives
you a dagger that you can use for your melee attack; this does much
more damage than the standard rifle-butt melee attack. Overall, you get
the really good upgrade (increased capacity) much faster than for the
Thompson, but the third upgrade really isn't that useful at all.
===========
=SHOTGUNS:=
===========
M12 Shotgun:
Damage: 75 (actually 35 damage per pellet)
Accuracy: 20
Rate of Fire: 20
Recoil: 90
Ammo Capacity: 8
Reload Speed: 25
Player Speed: 90
Maximum Ammo: 80
Faction: Allies
Marksman Upgrade: Modified Choke [+ Improved Accuracy]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: Buckshot Rounds [+ Increased Damage] (damage
increased
to 50)
Expert Upgrade: M1 16 Inch Bayonet [+ Melee Attack] (200 damage)
BRIEF BLURB:
A shotgun. For close encounters. Good for running and gunning at
close range, but not really as versatile as a submachine gun.
Once upgraded, is fun for one-hit knockdowns at close range. I
personally don't recommend it, but your playing style may vary.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
This is your basic first person shooter shotgun. It fires a spread of
12 pellets, and does high damage up close, but low damage at range due
to the dispersal of the pellets. You can first pick up the shotgun in
the game's second mission, Operation Avalanche (there are a few shotgun
pickups laying in plain sight in several areas of the mission), and you
can select it on the weapon loadout screen from the third mission
onwards.
The shotgun packs a powerful punch, and a direct hit at close range
can blow an enemy away. However, if your crosshair is not directly
over the enemy, you will usually just "wing" them, doing modest
damage and requiring 1 or 2 more shots to put them down. Also, at medium
range, it often takes 2 shots or more to kill an enemy. On the plus side,
in close quarters the shotgun can be fired "from the hip" and still hit
enemies fairly reliably without needing to use aim mode. You can also
fire the shotgun from aim mode for a tighter spread that's more likely
to knock down enemies in one hit, or do more damage at medium range.
Unfortunately, the shotgun has trouble hitting enemies at long range,
even if you use aim mode to maximize accuracy. In this regard, the
shotgun isn't as versatile as a submachine gun, which can be used for
both close-quarters combat and long range combat. Overall, I found
submachine guns to be more effective at close range than the slower
firing shotgun, but your preference may vary.
UPGRADES:
The upgrades to the shotgun do improve its effectiveness somewhat. The
first upgrade increases the weapon's accuracy, and the second increases
its damage, making it more likely for a shot from the shotgun to be
lethal at close range. The final upgrade to the shotgun adds a bayonet
to the end, increasing the melee damage you do with it.
=========
=RIFLES:=
=========
M1 Garand:
Damage: 85
Accuracy: 85
Rate of Fire: 35 (400 rpm)
Recoil: 50
Ammo Capacity: 8
Reload Speed: 50
Player Speed: 88
Maximum Ammo: 120
Faction: Allies
Marksman Upgrade: Match Grade Barrel [+ Improved Accuracy]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: Lock Bar Adjustable Sights [+ Increased Zoom]
Expert Upgrade: M7A1 Grenade Launcher [+ Launch Grenades]
BRIEF BLURB:
The default Allied rifle; an accurate, fast-firing semi-automatic
rifle for medium to long range combat. Puts almost all enemies
down in just 2 shots. The Garand's major feature is that it is
extremely stable, allowing you to run-and-gun with very little
loss of accuracy.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The M1 Garand is the Allies' semi-automatic rifle, and one of two rifle
weapons (along with the Axis' 98k rifle) that are available to you at
the beginning of the game. Accurate, powerful, and with a reasonably
fast rate of fire, the Garand is an excellent weapon for long-range
combat, and is even effective at close range in a pinch. The only
downside to the Garand is that the low clip size results in a frequent
need for reloads. Also, although the Garand is powerful, it is not
instantly lethal, and even the weakest of enemy soldiers requires 2
shots to bring down.
The biggest feature of the Garand is that it is extremely stable;
even when moving around or firing rapidly, the Garand's accuracy
drops very little, allowing you to run-and-gun with it without much
loss of accuracy.
One long running feature of the Medal of Honor series is that the
Garand cannot be reloaded while there are still bullets in the current
clip, due to the "en bloc" clip that only pops out when you've fired
all the bullets in the rifle. This inability to reload at will can be
inconvenient, so keep it in mind if you want to use the Garand. On the
plus side, the en bloc clip allows you to load all the bullets at once,
instead of having to load them one at a time like with the unupgraded
Springfield or 98k Karabiner rifles.
The Garand is largely comparable to its Axis counterpart, the G43
rifle, with its only flaw being the lack of a scope to zoom in on and
target distant foes. However, the iron sights on the rifle allow for a
decent zoom, especially with the Sharpshooter upgrade.
UPGRADES:
The first upgrade to the Garand increases the weapon's accuracy even
more, allowing for pinpoint precision in aim mode and more effective
target when firing from the hip. The second upgrade increases how far
you can zoom using the rifle's iron sights, improving your ability to
spot distant foes. The final upgrade to the rifle allows you to launch
MkII frag grenades from the barrel of the rifle, allowing you to fire
grenades much further than you could throw them. Grenades fired in this
manner also explode much more quickly; either a second after landing,
or upon impact if they hit an enemy soldier.
M1903 Springfield Sniper:
Damage: 100 (actually 130 damage)
Accuracy: 100
Rate of Fire: 15
Recoil: 65
Ammo Capacity: 5
Reload Speed: 20
Player Speed: 80
Maximum Ammo: 120
Faction: Allies
Marksman Upgrade: Polished Match Grade Bolt [+ Rate of Fire]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: 5 Round Stripper Clip [+ Faster Reload]
Expert Upgrade: M1 Grenade Launcher [+ Launch Grenades]
BRIEF BLURB:
The game's first sniper rifle; variable scope allows you to zoom
in on and pick off enemies from the relative safety of long range.
It's also powerful enough to usually kill most enemies in only 1
shot. An excellent weapon hampered only by its very slow rate of fire.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The Springfield rifle is the Allies' bolt-action sniper rifle. It is
the only rifle in the game that starts out equipped with a scope (the
G43 rifle and StG.44 assault rifle only acquire scopes after you earn 2
or 3 weapon upgrades), making it your premiere sniper weapon for the
early levels of the game. (The scope can be zoomed anywhere between 2x
magnification and 10x magnification). The Springfield also does the
most damage out of all the game's rifles, usually allowing you to drop
enemies with only a single shot.
The variable scope makes the sniper rifle excellent for long-range
combat, allowing you to accurately target enemies from the relative
safety of long distance. Unfortunately, the bolt-action nature of the
rifle means there's a few seconds delay between each shot while you bolt
a new bullet into the chamber. This makes the Springfield useless for
close-range combat, so be sure to switch to a submachine gun or pistol
if you get ambushed at close range by enemies while wielding the
Springfield. You acquire a Springfield rifle as part of a mission
objective towards the end of the game's first mission, and it can be
selected at the weapon loadout screen from the game's second mission
onward.
Note that while aiming with the Springfield sniper rifle, your
character's breathing will cause your view to slowly drift up and
down. This can interfere with your ability to keep the crosshair over
an enemy target at long range. To steady your aim, hold down the "JUMP"
button while aiming down the scope. This will steady your breathing,
causing the crosshair to become stable for a few seconds.
UPGRADES:
The first upgrade to the Springfield rifle increases the rate of fire
by increasing the bolt speed, although there is still a two-second
delay between shots. The second upgrade increases the reload speed with
a stripper clip, allowing you to load all 5 bullets at once instead of
having to load them one at a time. The final upgrade to the Springfield
allows you to fire MkII frag grenades from the barrel of the rifle,
which travel further than they would if you had thrown them, and
detonate on impact with enemies soldiers or a second after landing.
K98k Karabiner Kurtz:
Damage: 100
Accuracy: 90
Rate of Fire: 15
Recoil: 70
Ammo Capacity: 5
Reload Speed: 20
Player Speed: 87
Maximum Ammo: 120
Faction: Axis
Marksman Upgrade: Polished Match Grade Bolt [+ Rate of Fire]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: 5 Round Stripper Clip [+ Faster Reload]
Expert Upgrade: Grenade Launcher [+ Launch Grenades]
BRIEF BLURB:
The initial Axis rifle; bolt-action results in a delay of slightly
more than a second between each shot, and the rifle usually requires
2 shots to kill most enemies. Slower than the Garand or G43,
and lacks the scope of the Springfield or upgraded G43. I
really don't recommend it, unless you want a challenge or are
trying to show off.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The Karabiner 98k rifle is the Axis bolt-action rifle, and one of two
rifles available to you at the beginning of the game (the other being
the Allied M1 Garand). Since it's a bolt-action rifle, the 98k is
considerably less effective than the semi-automatic M1 Garand; the
Garand can fire several bullets in the space of a couple seconds, while
the 98k requires about a second and a half between each shot to bolt a
new bullet into the chamber. This makes the 98k ineffective for
close-range combat, although it does have some usefulness peeking and
firing from behind cover at long range.
Due to its low rate of fire and relatively high accuracy and stopping
power, the 98k is comparable to the Springfield sniper rifle. However,
it has a few drawbacks that make it inferior to the Springfield. The
biggest drawback is that the 98k rifle lacks a scope, and doesn't get
one even with weapon upgrades. Additionally, the 98k rifle is weaker
than the Springfield sniper. While the Springfield can generally bring
down enemies with a single shot, the 98k requires 2 shots to kill all
but the very weakest foes. Overall, I find there's not much utility for
the 98k rifle. For fast-firing, the semi-automatic Garand or G43 Gewehr
are much better. For sniping, the more powerful, scoped Springfield is
superior.
Probably the only advantage the 98k Karabiner has over the Springfield
or G43 Gewehr is the fact that there is no scope drift while aiming down
iron sights, so you don't have to worry about your view drifting up
and down while aiming at distant targets.
Because of the way Medal of Honor: Airborne's damage system works,
it IS possible to kill early to mid-game enemies with a single 98k
shot by shooting them in the crotch. If this comes naturally to you,
by all means feel free to try it out. However, since enemies often
take cover behind low walls and other obstacles, they seldom leave
their lower torso exposed for you to shoot.
UPGRADES:
The upgrades to the 98k rifle improve it, but don't really compensate
for its shortcomings. The first upgrade increases the rate of fire by
increasing the bolt speed, but it still takes slightly more than a
second to bolt a new bullet into the chamber after each shot.
The second upgrade allows for faster reloading by using a stripper clip
that allows you to load all 5 bullets at once, instead of having to load
them one at a time. The final upgrade allows you to fire stick grenades
from the barrel of the rifle, which travel further than they would if
you had thrown them, and detonate upon impact with enemies or a second
after landing.
G43 Gewehr:
Damage: 75
Accuracy: 85
Rate of Fire: 30 (353 rpm)
Recoil: 55
Ammo Capacity: 10
Reload Speed: 50
Player Speed: 85
Maximum Ammo: 120
Faction: Axis
Marksman Upgrade: 20 Round Magazine [+ Ammo Capacity]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: ZF4 Scope [+ Variable Zoom]
Expert Upgrade: Grenade Launcher [+ Launch Grenades]
BRIEF BLURB:
The improved Axis rifle; fast semi-automatic rate of fire, accurate,
and powerful enough to drop almost all enemies in 2 shots. Even
acquires an extended magazine and a variable scope after a couple
upgrades. Overall, the best rifle in the game once upgraded.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The G43 Gewehr is the semi-automatic rifle of the Axis forces, and the
Axis counterpart to the Allied M1 Garand. After a couple of upgrades,
the G43 Gewehr also acquires a variable zoom scope, which makes it a
viable sniper rifle as well. The G43 Gewehr isn't available to you
until the second mission, where you can pick one up from a fallen foe
carrying it. The G43 Gewehr becomes selectable at the weapon selection
screen from the game's third mission onward.
Like the M1 Garand, the G43 Gewehr is powerful and accurate, with a
decent semi-automatic rate of fire, making it excellent for long-range
combat and decent for close-range encounters. The magazine-based reload
also allows for relatively quick reloading. In several ways, the G43
Gewehr is superior to the Garand (especially after upgrades are
applied), and can even be a viable sniping alternative to the
Springfield sniper rifle. Most advantages of the G43 Gewehr come from
its very useful upgrades. Additionally, you can acquire extra rifle
ammo from the G43 rifles dropped by enemy soldiers if you're already
carrying a G43 rifle yourself. Once you upgrade the G43 with an
expanded magazine and sniper scope, you might consider using it as your
default sniping/combat rifle, rather than the M1 Garand or Springfield
sniper.
Note that while aiming with the scoped G43 Gewehr rifle, your
character's breathing will cause your view to slowly drift up and
down. This can interfere with your ability to keep the crosshair over
an enemy target at long range. To steady your aim, hold down the "JUMP"
button while aiming down the scope. This will steady your breathing,
causing the crosshair to become stable for a few seconds.
UPGRADES:
The first upgrade to the G43 rifle increases the weapon's magazine size to
a rather high 20 rounds, allowing you to fire off a very large number
of bullets (for a rifle) before needing to reload. The second upgrade
attaches a ZF4 variable zoom scope to the rifle, giving the G43 rifle
the same range and versatility as a Springfield sniper rifle. The G43
rifle doesn't do as much damage as the Springfield sniper, but its
rapid semi-automatic rate of fire compensates for this, allowing you to
fire multiple bullets at distant targets in the space of a couple seconds.
The final upgrade to the G43 rifle allows you to launch stick grenades
from the rifle barrel, which travel further than they would if you had
thrown them, and detonate on impact with enemies or a second after
hitting the ground.
===================
=AUTOMATIC RIFLES:=
===================
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle:
Damage: 85
Accuracy: 70
Rate of Fire: 55 (528 rpm)
Recoil: 80
Ammo Capacity: 20
Reload Speed: 40
Player Speed: 85
Maximum Ammo: 390
Faction: Allies
Marksman Upgrade: Compensator [+ Reduced Recoil]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: A2 Adjustable Sights [+ Increased Zoom]
Expert Upgrade: Dual Magazines [+ Faster Reload]
BRIEF BLURB:
The BAR rifle has the accuracy and power of a rifle and the fast
automatic fire of a submachine gun; it's essentially a machinegun.
Very powerful, but recoil is off the charts when fired from
aimed mode, and the magazine size is somewhat limited.
I recommend using the StG.44 assault rifle instead.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The Browning Automatic Rifle, popularly known as the BAR, combines the
power and accuracy of a rifle with the fully automatic rate of fire and
extended magazine size of a submachine gun. A powerful weapon, the BAR
won't be available to you until the later levels of the game. You'll
first see BARs being carried by a few of your Airborne paratrooper
teammates in Mission 4: Operation Market Garden, and you'll be able to
choose them on the weapon selection screen in Mission 5: Operation
Varsity, and Mission 6: Der Flakturm.
The BAR has a high rate of fire, and very high stopping power. 2 shots
should be sufficient to kill all enemies soldiers, except for Waffen
Storm Leaders and Nazi Storm Elites. On the downside, the BAR has
VERY high recoil, making the weapon difficult to control accurately
during full-automatic fire. In fact, recoil is so high that you can
only fire off 1 or 2 consecutive shots in aimed mode before the BAR's
aim climbs above your target.
Compared to the game's other automatic rifle, the German StG.44 assault
rifle, the BAR is slightly more powerful and accurate, but has slightly
greater recoil as well. The biggest difference between the BAR and the
StG.44 is that the BAR has a magazine size of only 20 rounds, while the
StG.44 can fire 30 rounds before needing to reload. After upgrades, the
StG.44 also gets a 3x scope, while the BAR remains limited to iron sights
aiming. Overall, I prefer the StG.44 to the BAR due to the higher magazine
size and scope, since the difference in power really isn't that
important (2 shots from both the BAR and the StG.44 will bring down most
foes anyway).
UPGRADES:
The first upgrade to the BAR reduces the weapon's recoil to a somewhat
more manageable level, although recoil is still quite high, especially
in aimed mode (it is in fact rather higher than the recoil of an
upgraded submachine gun or even the upgraded StG.44). The second upgrade
increases the distance you can zoom with the weapon's iron sights. The
final upgrade allows dual magazines (two magazines strapped together
with duct tape), speeding up the reload time significantly by allowing
you to reload simply by flipping the taped mags.
StG.44 SturmGewehr:
Damage: 65
Accuracy: 60
Rate of Fire: 50 (~450 rpm)
Recoil: 75
Ammo Capacity: 30
Reload Speed: 40
Player Speed: 88
Maximum Ammo: 390
Faction: Axis
Marksman Upgrade: Muzzle Brake [+ Reduced Recoil]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: Dual Magazines [+ Faster Reload]
Expert Upgrade: ZF Tactical Scope [+ Increased Zoom]
BRIEF BLURB:
An assault rifle. Powerful, accurate, and with a fast rate of fire.
High stability allows you to run-and-gun with it with less loss of
accuracy than any other automatic weapon. Probably the best weapon
in the game. Even gets a scope after upgrades. Larger magazine size
and less recoil than the BAR makes it the preferred automatic rifle,
although firing in short bursts is still required for accurate hits.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The StG.44 SturmGewehr is the German's automatic rifle, and the
prototype of the modern assault rifle. Like the BAR, it combines the
power and accuracy of a rifle with the full automatic rate of fire and
extended magazine size of a submachine gun. It's a powerful weapon, and
you'll have to play through a few levels before you can acquire one.
You'll first see StG.44 assault rifles being wielded against you by
Waffen Officers at the end of Mission 3: Operation Neptune, and you'll
be able to pick it on the weapon selection screen from Mission 4:
Operation Market Garden and onwards.
The StG.44 is one of my favorite weapons in the game. It's powerful,
fast, and accurate, and when fully upgraded even has a 3x scope for
long range combat. Additionally, the StG.44 is the most stable
automatic weapon in the game; when you run-and-gun with it,
your accuracy drops much less than with any other automatic
weapon. Overall, it's an excellent combination of the strong
points of rifles and submachine guns. The only real issue with the
StG.44 is that it has significant recoil, but this can be managed by
firing in short bursts (it only takes 2 bullets each to kill enemy
soldiers, after all), and the first upgrade to the weapon also reduces
recoil to a more manageable level.
Compared to the Allied BAR, the StG.44 does somewhat less damage
(although this is largely irrelevant since damage is still high enough
to kill most enemies with only 2 shots), but has a higher magazine size
and a 3x scope. Additionally, StG.44 rifles are quite common in the
game's last few levels (most of your enemies will carry one), and you
can get extra ammo from dropped StG.44 rifles if you're already
carrying one in your inventory.
While the StG.44 is good for most long range combat, it isn't as good
as a sniper rifle (such as the Springfield rifle or G43 rifle) at
extreme long range. For levels where you anticipate being able to snipe
enemies across the map, or having to deal with enemy snipers (such as
Mission 3: Operation Neptune, or Mission 5: Operation Varsity), it's a
good idea to complement the StG.44 with a sniper rifle to round out
your weapon inventory.
UPGRADES:
The first upgrade to the StG.44 reduces the recoil to a more manageable
level. The second upgrade allows dual magazines (two magazines strapped
together with duct tape), speeding up the reload time significantly by
allowing you to reload simply by flipping the taped mags. The final
upgrade attaches a fixed 3x scope to the StG.44, allowing you to zoom
in on and target more distant foes in aimed mode. If the scope
interferes with your ability to aim at close range, you can press the
secondary fire selection button to remove and pocket the scope.
===================
=ROCKET LAUNCHERS:=
===================
M18 Recoilless Rifle:
Damage: 600
Explosive Radius: 1000
Accuracy: 90
Rate of Fire: 5
Recoil: 50
Ammo Capacity: 1
Reload Speed: 20
Player Speed: 70
Maximum Ammo: 7
Faction: Allies
Marksman Upgrade: Enhanced Scope [+ Variable Zoom]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: Satchel [+ Ammo Capacity] (Increased to 10)
Expert Upgrade: Musette Bag [+ Ammo Capacity] (Increased to 13)
BRIEF BLURB:
The most powerful gun in the game. Fires massive explosive projectiles
that hit almost instantly. Even has a scope for sniping.
Almost a N00b Cannon. Unfortunately, has low ammo capacity (only 8 shots)
and is only available in one level. Also needs to be reloaded after each
shot.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The M18 recoilless rifle is essentially the Allied rocket launcher. It
fires a very powerful explosive shell, but has a very low rate of fire
due to the fact it needs to be reloaded after every shot. The recoilless
rifle projectile acts more like a rifle bullet than a rocket, as it
travels extremely quickly and hits its target almost instantly, even
at long range. The recoilless rifle also features a 2x scope that can
be used for precision aiming. The recoilless rifle is the most powerful
firearm in the game, and can kill a large group of enemies in a single
shot. Unfortunately, you can't carry much ammo for it, and additional
rocket ammo is very hard to come by (on the plus side, when you pick up
the recoilless rifle, you are given the maximum amount of ammo you can
carry for it).
Unfortunately, the recoilless rifle is only available in a single level
in the entire game, in Mission 3: Operation Neptune. Assembling the
recoilless rifle from 4 component briefcases is one of the mission's
objectives, after which you will need to use it to destroy a Tiger
Tank. Afterwards, you can keep the rifle and use it against enemy
soldiers, but the low amount of ammo means you'll run out of shots for
it rather quickly.
UPDATE: Kuen-Whee Oh informs me that there's a recoilless rifle on the
top floor of the house that serves as the green drop-zone at the bottom
of the Flak Tower in the final mission, Der Flakturm. However, landing
at the base of the tower means having to fight your way through several
deadly accurate snipers as well as a few dozen well-dug-in Fallschirmjager
Commanders. Honestly, I'm not sure it's worth the trouble to get it,
but it's there if you're interested.
UPGRADES:
The first upgrade to the recoilless rifle replaces the fixed 2x scope
with a variable zoom scope that can be zoomed anywhere between 2x and
10x magnification. Each of the next two upgrades increases the ammo
capacity of the rifle by 3 rockets each. The fact the rifle can't be
used very often does hinder your ability to earn upgrades, although
destroying the Tiger Tank does earn you a large amount of experience
points, and you can also earn lots of experience by killing several
enemies with a single shot.
One fun thing about the recoilless rifle is that, during an upgrade
"power up", you can fire a weapon continously without needing to
reload. This allows you to fire off a continous stream of explosive
death from the recoilless rifle during the few seconds the "power up"
phase lasts.
Panzerschreck:
Damage: 450
Explosive Radius: 900
Accuracy: 90
Rate of Fire: 10
Recoil: 40
Ammo Capacity: 1
Reload Speed: 25
Player Speed: 75
Maximum Ammo: 7
Faction: Axis
Marksman Upgrade: Improved Sights [+ Increased Zoom]
Sharpshooter Upgrade: Satchel [+ Ammo Capacity] (Increased to 10)
Expert Upgrade: Musette Bag [+ Ammo Capacity] (Increased to 13)
BRIEF BLURB:
The Axis Rocket Launcher. Fires rockets. Rockets explode. Not as
powerful as the recoilless rifle, but can still kill a bunch of
enemies with a single hit. Unfortunately, the blast shield obstructs
your view when aiming, and you need to reload after each shot.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The Axis rocket launcher, the Panzerschreck is wielded by enemy
Panzergrenadiers at the end of Mission 4: Operation Market Garden, and
throughout Mission 6: Der Flakturm. You can pick one up from them after
you kill them. Unlike the recoilless rifle, the Panzerschreck has no
scope and uses an iron sights zoom for precision aiming. The
Panzerschreck has a large metal blast shield in front to protect
the user's face from the rocket's back blast. You aim the Panzerschreck
by peeking through a vertical slit in the shield. The shield blocks
much of your view when you aim with the Panzerschreck, so keep that
in mind when you use the weapon.
Like the recoilless rifle, the Panzerschreck is a rocket launcher that
does large damage, yet has a low ammo capacity as well as a low rate of
fire due to needing to be reloaded after each shot. The Panzerschreck is
actually somewhat weaker than the recoilless rifle, although it is
still very powerful and can kill several enemy soldiers with a single
shot. The rockets fired by the Panzerschreck don't travel as quickly
as the recoilless rifle projectile, but they're still fairly fast
and quite tough for a human being to dodge once they're in flight.
You'll probably need to collect a Pazerschreck to destroy the Tiger
Tank at the very end of Mission 4: Operation Market Garden. You can
also grab one in Mission 6: Der Flakturm to use against enemy soldiers,
but you'll run out of ammo rather quickly.
UPGRADES:
The first upgrade to the Panzerschreck increases how far you can zoom
with the weapon's iron sights. Each of the next two upgrades increases
the Panzerschreck's ammo capacity by 3 rockets each.
=======================
=MOUNTED MACHINE GUNS:=
=======================
Maschinengewehr 42:
Damage: 50
Accuracy: X
Rate of Fire: X
Recoil: X
Ammo Capacity: 100
Reload Speed: X
Maximum Ammo: Infinite
Faction: Axis
BRIEF BLURB:
A powerful mounted machinegun turret. Be careful or you'll be
cut to pieces in a second or two.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
MG42 heavy machinegun turrets are mounted at various fixed points
throughout each level, usually positioned to provide cover fire on a
major battlefield or choke-point. Your enemies will often attempt to
man the MG42 turrets and use them against you. With their high rate of
fire and damaging shots, active MG42s can be extremely dangerous to
both you and your allies. Enemy MG42s are also insanely accurate, and
can splatter you even from far long range in just a couple seconds.
When faced with an MG42 being fired by an enemy soldier, your best bet
is to either attempt to flank the turret and shoot the gunner from the
side, or duck behind cover, and quickly pop up and nail the gunner with
a few well-aimed shots while he's busy shooting at your men. You can
also take out enemy gunners with a well-placed grenade throw.
You and your allies can commandeer unmanned MG42 turrets and use them
to your advantage. MG42s have a high magazine capacity of 100 rounds,
and an unlimited supply of ammo, so you can use them to put out a
steady stream of fire into an area. The downside of MG42 turrets is
that you can't duck or take cover while firing one, although the turret
does provide some small degree of protection while you're behind it,
since it will block at least some of the bullets your enemies fire at
you.
Towards the end of the game, you'll face special Nazi Storm Elite
soldiers capable of carrying and firing an MG42 as a man-portable
weapon. Their heavy weaponry makes these super-soldiers perhaps the
most dangerous enemies in the game.
===========
=GRENADES:=
===========
MkII Frag Grenade:
Damage: 250
Explosive Radius: 650
Maximum Ammo: 8
Faction: Allies
Marksman Upgrade: Satchel [+ Capacity] (increased to 10)
Sharpshooter Upgrade: Bandolier [+ Capacity] (increased to 12)
Expert Upgrade: Musette Bag [+ Capacity] (increased to 14)
BRIEF BLURB:
The Allied frag grenade. Does less damage than the Axis stick
grenade, but has more "bounce" when banked off walls or other
surfaces.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
The classic pineapple-shaped frag grenades carried by Allied forces.
You'll be able to acquire MkII frag grenade ammo pickups at various
points throughout each level. Frag grenades are slightly weaker than
Axis stick grenades, but are still powerful enough to kill almost any
enemy with a near-direct hit. Frag grenades also have more "bounce"
than stick grenades, allowing you to bank them further off walls and
around corners.
Your enemies are fairly adept at running away from grenades, although
chucking one near their position is a great way to flush them out of
cover. Grenades are especially useful for taking out enemies firing
from encased fortifications or MG42 turret positions. You can also
toss multiple grenades to confuse your enemies and limit their ability
to run away.
To increase the chances of killing enemies with grenades, you can "cook"
your grenades by holding down the grenade throw key. This delays throwing
the grenade after you pull the pin, causing it to explode sooner after it
lands. Just be sure not to hold it so long that it explodes in your own
hand.
UPGRADES:
Each grenade upgrade increases the amount of grenades you can carry by
2.
Stick Grenade:
Damage: 350
Explosive Radius: 750
Maximum Ammo: 8
Faction: Axis
Marksman Upgrade: Satchel [+ Capacity] (increased to 10)
Sharpshooter Upgrade: Bandolier [+ Capacity] (increased to 12)
Expert Upgrade: Musette Bag [+ Capacity] (increased to 14)
BRIEF BLURB:
The Axis high-explosive grenade. Does more damage than the Allied
frag grenade, but has less "bounce" when banked off walls or other
surfaces. Supplies are more common than Allied frag grenades, since
enemies occasionally drop them when killed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
A can-like grenade attached to a long wooden stick for easier throwing,
these are the standard grenades used by the Axis forces. As a result,
stick grenade ammo pickups are more common than frag grenade ammo
pickups, and your enemies will also occasionally drop stick grenade
ammo as well. Stick grenades do slightly more damage than frag
grenades, but have somewhat less "bounce", causing them to travel less
far when banked off walls or around corners.
Your enemies are fairly adept at running away from grenades, although
chucking one near their position is a great way to flush them out of
cover. Grenades are especially useful for taking out enemies firing
from encased fortifications or MG42 turret positions. You can also
toss multiple grenades to confuse your enemies and limit their ability
to run away.
To increase the chances of killing enemies with grenades, you can "cook"
your grenades by holding down the grenade throw key. This delays throwing
the grenade after you pull the pin, causing it to explode sooner after it
lands. Just be sure not to hold it so long that it explodes in your own
hand.
UPGRADES:
Each grenade upgrade increases the amount of grenades you can carry by
2.
Gammon Grenade:
Damage: 700
Explosive Radius: 800
Maximum Ammo: 5
Faction: Allies
Marksman Upgrade: Satchel [+ Capacity] (increased to 8)
Sharpshooter Upgrade: Bandolier [+ Capacity] (increased to 11)
Expert Upgrade: Musette Bag [+ Capacity] (increased to 14)
BRIEF BLURB:
An incredibly powerful grenade. Creates a massive explosion that
can destroy enemy tanks.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
Cloth bags stuffed full of plastic explosives, Gammon grenades are the
most powerful handheld grenades in the game. They do massive damage
with a large splash damage radius capable of wiping out several enemies
at once, and are also capable of damaging enemy tanks. Gammon grenades
are great for destroying enemy tanks, taking out the heavily armored
Nazi Storm Elite soldiers, or for simply wiping out all the enemies in
a fortified space.
Gammon grenades can even be used to destroy objective objects that normally
require explosive charges to take out, such as enemy Anti-Aircraft guns.
NOTE: In Mission 4: Market Garden, the game gives you twice as many Gammon
grenades as you can normally carry. This is to aid you in defeating the
various enemy Tiger Tanks you encounter on the level.
UPGRADES:
Each Gammon grenade upgrade increases the number of Gammon grenades you
can carry by 3. These upgrades are extremely useful, as initially the
game limits the maximum number of these powerful grenades that you can
carry to a rather low 5 grenades.
**********
*Enemies:*
*******************************************************************************
- Enemy A.I. in Medal of Honor: Airborne is generally solid. Enemy
soldiers make extensive use of cover, usually fire from behind cover,
advance forward from cover-to-cover, are decent at flanking and manuevering
around the battlefield, will respond to and retreat from enemy fire, can
vault through windows or over low walls, can blindfire to suppress you
without exposing themselves to danger, and will make good use of grenades
to flush you out of cover. At point-blank range, enemies can also
aggressively rush at you and strike you repeatedly with the butt of their
rifles. In terms of cooperative squad AI, enemies will advance or retreat
together in a coordinated manner, will spread out to cover a larger area
with overlapping fields of fire, and more skilled enemies will
provide suppressing fire while their teammates advance.
The enemy soldiers in MOH:Airborne are highly defensive, and will usually
dig in behind a piece of cover, leaning over or around it to shoot at you
for a couple seconds before dropping back behind cover. They often run
between different pieces of cover to get better firing angles.
Soldiers in MoH: Airborne almost never fire when running. If they spot you
while running out in the open, they'll slide to a stop and raise their
weapon to sight out on your before opening fire. This gives you a split
second to react and dive for cover or fire back before they can start
shooting. Soldiers can occasionally spray automatic fire at you while
retreating into cover, but this is more of a desperation move than a
standard combat tactic.
- The enemy A.I. tends to target you over your Allied paratroopers.
Whenever you poke your head out of cover, after a second or two
enemies will stop shooting at any Allied paratroopers they're
fighting, and swing their guns around to shoot at you instead.
This seems to occur even if you hang back from the fighting and try
sniping at long range.
Paratrooper:
Appearance: Soldier wearing tan uniform and tan helmet.
Primary Weapon: M1928 Thompson
M1 Garand
M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle
Secondary Weapon: MkII Frag Grenade
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
The paratroopers are your fellow elite American Airborne special forces
soldiers, who will fight alongside you throughout the entire game.
Several squads of Airborne paratroopers will be dropped along with your
character into each level, and you will usually find several Airborne
paratroopers battling the enemy forces in each major combat area.
Almost every shootout in the game will involve at least a few Airborne
soldiers fighting by your side.
Paratroopers will engage the enemy on their own initiative, and will
push forward into new territory if you manage to clear the way by
thinning out or eliminating defending enemies. Depending on how the
flow of battle progresses, additional paratrooper reinforcements may
drop in to replace allies killed in combat, although in some
battlefields it is possible for the enemy to wipe out all your allies,
leaving you to face the enemy forces alone.
Paratroopers are typically armed with Thompson submachine guns or M1
Garand rifles, although from Mission 4: Operation Market Garden and
onwards, a few will carry powerful BAR automatic rifles. Their Allied
armaments are slightly superior to the typical Axis equipment (MP40s
and G43 rifles), although they are somewhat outgunned by later enemies
who carry StG.44 assault rifles and even Panzerschreck rocket launchers
and MG42 heavy machineguns.
Paratroopers know all the tricks; they fire from cover, switch cover
positions when need, and occasionally toss frag grenades at enemy
positions. Initially, the combat effectiveness of your paratrooper allies
in on par with standard German Heer infantry, although they do
become more skilled in later levels as the game progresses. They'll fight
effectively, and provide decent supporting fire and combat assistance,
but don't expect them to win the level without your help (especially
since the Axis forces tend to outnumber them significantly in both
numbers and frequency of reinforcements).
HINTS:
Paratroopers serve as decent support, and you can even flank enemies
and attack them from the side while they're occupied firing at your
allies. However, don't rely too much on paratroopers to serve as
distractions or bullet shields, as enemies have a tendency to magically
swing their weapons right at your head after you pop out of cover for
more than a few seconds, even if you're sniping from way back in the
rear. If this happens, just duck back behind cover; after several
seconds, the enemy will turn back to shooting at your allies, giving
you a chance to quickly pop up and cap them from the side.
Unfortunately, the Paratrooper AI has a tendency to run in front of
your line of fire, causing you to inadvertantly score headshots against
your own men. Fortunately, Medal of Honor: Airborne doesn't feature
friendly fire; you won't harm your allies when you shoot them, so don't
worry too much about it.
Sometimes, it can be tough to distinguish between your allies and your
enemies, especially when you're facing enemy soldiers (such as Waffen
Infantry) who are dressed in a similar manner to your own soldiers.
Besides their tan uniforms, your Airborne paratrooper allies can be
identified by the heavy brown backpacks they wear. Since you can't
actually hurt your allies, if in doubt, just shoot first to make
sure.
Italian Blackshirt:
Appearance: Soldier wearing black uniform and black cap.
Class: Easy Rifleman
Health: 90
Primary Weapon: Karabiner 98k
Secondary Weapon: Stielhandgranate
Battle Experience: Trained
Combat Effectiveness: 1
Italian Blackshirts are the first and weakest enemy soldiers you'll
encounter in the game. They're fought exclusively in the Italian
village that makes up the game's first mission, Operation Husky. They
have the lowest skill level of enemy soldiers in the game; they tend to
stay in one place, they seldom switch cover effectively, and it takes
them a relatively long to take cover when fired upon. Their aim is
also relatively poor, although they can still hit you if you just
stand out in the open. Also, even though they carry grenades,
Blackshirts lack the sense to actually use them, limiting their
combat repitoire to firearms and melee attacks.
Blackshirts are also equipped with outdated, slow-firing 98k bolt-
action rifles. Their weapons do decent damage (on Normal difficulty,
unless you take cover, a single straight shot will knock off about 80%
to 90% of one of your health bars), but there's a couple seconds delay
between each shot, making them fairly ineffective against faster-firing
Allied weapons such as the semi-automatic Garand rifle or the automatic
Thompson submachine gun.
Vicecapo Blackshirt:
Appearance: Soldier wearing black uniform and black helmet.
Class: Easy Machinegunner
Health: 90
Primary Weapon: Maschinenpistole 40
Secondary Weapon: Stielhandgranate
Battle Experience: Trained
Combat Effectiveness: 1
The Vicecapo Blackshirts serve the role of Italian standard infantry in
the game. They are armed with MP40 submachine guns, giving them a
decent rate of fire. Like the Italian Blackshirt soldiers, they are the
least skilled opponents you will be facing, and are found exclusively
in the game's first mission. They have relatively poor aim, are relatively
ineffective at using cover, and are unable to actually use the grenades
that they carry. Still, they have automatic weapons and can pose a decent
threat to novice players still getting used to Medal of Honor: Airborne's
gameplay mechanics.
Tropical Heer Infantry:
Appearance: Soldier wearing light green uniform and tan helmet.
Class: Skilled Machinegunner
Health: 110
Primary Weapon: Maschinenpistole 40
Secondary Weapon: Stielhandgranate
Battle Experience: Skilled
Combat Effectiveness: 2
Tropical Heer Infantry are the first German soldiers you'll encounter
in the game, and represent the standard soldiers of the German army
(Heer meaning Army in German). They appear in the second half of the
game's first mission, and and fought exclusively in that mission. Like
Vicecapo Blackshirts, Tropical Heer Infantry are equipped with MP40
submachine guns. However, Heer infantry are somewhat more skilled
combatants that Blackshirts. They've got better aim and firearm
control, make better use of cover, are more likely to blindfire from
cover, etc. However, like Blackshirts, they don't seem to use grenades.
Also, Heer Infantry are slightly tougher than Blackshirts, to the degree
that it usually take 3 submachine gun bullets instead of 2 to bring them
down.
European Heer Infantry:
Appearance: Soldier wearing dark grey-green uniform and grey-green
helmet.
Class: Skilled Rifleman
Health: 110
Primary Weapon: Gewehr 43
Secondary Weapon: Stielhandgranate
Battle Experience: Skilled
Combat Effectiveness: 3
European Heer Infantry are encountered in the game's second and third
missions, Operation Avalanche and Operation Neptune. Like Tropical Heer
Infantry, these guys represent the standard soldiers of the German
army. They carry semi-automatic G43 rifles, which do high damage while
still having a decent rate of fire.
In fact, their rifles are quite powerful (more powerful than the 98k
rifles used by the Italian Blackshirts), and on Normal difficulty can
bring one of your health bars down to 1% in a single shot if you're not
behind cover. On Expert difficulty, if you're not behind cover, an enemy
rifleman can knock off one of your health bars outright with a single
straight shot, preventing you from regenerating.
European Heer Infantry combat skill is equal to that of the earlier
Tropical Heer Infantry, and they make decent use of cover, have decent
aim, and know how to use grenades. On the plus side, as riflemen they
won't blindfire, since that would be a waste of their relatively small
ammo magazines.
Heer Officer:
Appearance: Officer wearing dark grey uniform and grey cap.
Class: Skilled Machinegunner
Health: 110
Primary Weapon: Maschinenpistole 40
Secondary Weapon: Stielhandgranate
Battle Experience: Proven
Combat Effectiveness: 3
Heer Officers are the leaders of the standard German Heer Infantry, and
can be found commanding Heer soldiers in the game's first and second
missions. While there are only 4 Heer Officers in the game's first
mission (the assassination of each being a mission objective), they are
rather common in the game's second mission, with several of them
fighting in each area. As a result of their large numbers in the second
mission, Heer Officers actually serve more of an infantry role rather
than a command role, supporting the European Heer riflemen with MP40
submachine gun fire. Their overall combat effectiveness is on par with
that of Tropical Heer Infantry, the major difference being that
they know how to throw grenades.
NOTE: The only unique enemy in the game is a Heer Officer armed with
a 98k Karabiner sniper variant rifle. You fight him in a brief sniper
vs. sniper duel about 3/4ths of the way through the game's first
mission.
Waffen Infantry:
Appearance: Soldier wearing green and yellow camo uniform and
yellow/green camo helmet.
Class: Very Skilled Machinegunner
Health: 120
Primary Weapon: Maschinenpistole 40
Secondary Weapon: Stielhandgranate
Battle Experience: Proven
Combat Effectiveness: 4
Highly trained soldiers of the Nazi Waffen SS begin to appear towards
the end of the game's second mission, Operation Avalanche, and replace
the Heer Infantry as your standard infantry opponents for the game's
third and fourth missions (Operation Neptune and Operation Market
Garden).
Although equipped with standard MP40 submachine guns and stick
grenades, Waffen Infantry soldiers are more skilled than previous
opponents; they are more adept at seeking cover and moving from cover-
to-cover, they use their firearms more effectively and have better aim,
they are more likely to blindfire from cover, and they throw grenades
more frequently and with better skill. Additionally, unlike Heer
Infantry, Waffen Infantry will support each other with suppressing fire.
Waffen Infantry also have slightly more health than Heer Infantry, but
they usually die after the same amount of bullets (due to the way the
weapon damage values work out).
Waffen Officer:
Appearance: Officer wearing green and yellow camo uniform and grey
cap.
Class: Very Skilled Machinegunner
Health: 130
Primary Weapon: Sturmgewehr 44
Secondary Weapon: Stielhandgranate
Battle Experience: Veteran
Combat Effectiveness: 5
Highly trained Waffen SS Officers are the first opponents you'll
encounter who wield StG.44 assault rifles, making them particularly
dangerous foes. Enemy StG.44 assault rifles actually do slightly
less damage than MP40 submachine guns (although the difference really
isn't significant enough to affect gameplay), but have a faster rate of
fire and are much more accurate.
A few dozen Waffen Officers will be your final opponents in the last
segment of the third mission, Operation Neptune. Waffen Officers also
appear frequently in the fourth mission, Operation Market Garden, leading
groups of Waffen Infantry soldiers against you. Finally, they appear
alongside Fallschirmjager Commanders as standard infantry units in the
game's final mission, Der Flakturm.
Like Waffen Infantry soldiers, Waffen Officers are more skilled
combatants than previous enemy soldiers. Additionally, their StG.44
assault rifles are faster and more accurate than the MP40 submachine
guns wielded by lower-ranking enemies. On the plus side, after killing
several of them, you can grab a dropped StG.44 assault rifle and use it
against them.
Waffen Senior Trooper:
Appearance: Officer wearing green and yellow camo uniform with dark
grey hood and cap.
Class: Sniper
Health: 120
Primary Weapon: Gewehr 43 (actually Gewehr 43 sniper)
Secondary Weapon: None
Battle Experience: Veteran
Combat Effectiveness: 6
Waffen Senior Troopers are essentially Waffen SS Officers who serve the
role of snipers instead of standard infantry. They are equipped with
the sniper variant of the G43 rifle, and are usually positioned in
high-up sniping positions where they can fire down upon you as you pass
their line of sight. They're actually rather rare; I've only actually
found 2 Waffen Senior Troopers in the entire game; one sniping at you
from the Church steeple in Mission 4: Operation Market Garden, and one
sniping at you from one of the pipeline shacks in Mission 5: Operation
Varsity. (Actually, I've found that a few of the railyard snipers in
Operation Varsity are Waffen Senior Troopers instead of Fallschirmjager
Snipers, although it's hard to tell due to long distance and the speed
at which they kill you). They essentially share the same behavior and
characteristics as the more common Fallschirmjager Snipers.
Waffen Storm Leader:
Appearance: Officer wearing black SS uniform and black cap (not a
helmet, as depicted in the loading screen photo).
Class: Elite Machinegunner
Health: 200
Primary Weapon: Sturmgewehr 44
Secondary Weapon: Stielhandgranate
Battle Experience: Elite
Combat Effectiveness: 6
Dressed in infamous black Nazi SS uniforms, Waffen Storm Leaders serve
the role of high-ranking enemy commanders in the game. Although the
game only rates them as a 6 out of 10 in terms of combat effectiveness,
in actuality they're one of the game's highest ranking enemies, second
only to the powerful Nazi Storm Elites.
Waffen Storm Leaders are the highest skilled enemy soldiers in the game;
they make excellent use of cover, intelligently manuever from
cover-to-cover, are extremely skilled with their powerful StG.44 assault
rifles, blindfire from cover, suppport their allies with suppressing
fire, and toss grenade after grenade like a chipmunk on crack.
Additionally, they have significantly more health than all other normal
enemy soldiers (almost twice as much health as a standard Heer soldier),
although they can still be brought down with a reasonable amount of lead
(4 or 5 shots from most weapons should do the trick).
Several Waffen Storm Leaders serve as commanders over the other Axis
forces in Mission 5: Operation Varsity, and a few dozen of them can be
found defending the inner sanctum of the Flak Tower in the game's final
mission, Der Flakturm.
Fallschirmjager Infantry:
Appearance: Soldier wearing grey and green camo uniform with dark
green cap (not a helmet, as depicted in the loading screen
photo).
Class: Very Skilled Rifleman
Health: 130
Primary Weapon: Gewehr 43
Secondary Weapon: Stielhandgranate
Battle Experience: Veteran
Combat Effectiveness: 7
Fallschirmjager (English: Parachute Ranger) Infantry are the
paratroopers of the German military, and are the elite special forces
enemy counterparts to you and your fellow American Airborne soldiers.
Like Waffen Infantry, Fallschirmjager soldiers are highly trained and
skilled opponents. Fallschirmjager soldiers are a step up from Waffen
soldiers in that they have access to better equipment (G43 rifles and
StG.44 assault rifles instead of MP40 submachine guns, for example).
The standard Fallschirmjager Infantry soldier is equipped with a Gewehr
43 rifle, but uses it with more skill than the earlier European Heer
Infantry riflemen. They are also more skilled in the use of cover and
grenades, and also provide supporting suppressing fire for their
allies. Standard Fallschirmjager Infantry units are actually rather
rare; there are a few of them defending the catwalks around the large
fuel tanks in Mission 5: Operation Varsity, but otherwise you won't be
facing them in combat. Overall, most of the Fallschirmjager enemies you
fight in the game are the assault rifle-wielding Fallschirmjager
Commanders.
Fallschirmjager Sniper:
Appearance: Soldier wearing grey and green camo uniform with dark grey
hood and cap.
Class: Sniper
Health: 130
Primary Weapon: Gewehr 43 sniper
Secondary Weapon: None
Battle Experience: Elite
Combat Effectiveness: 8
DESCRIPTION:
Fallschirmjager Snipers are some of the most annoying enemies in the
game. They are equipped with sniper versions of the G43 rifle, and have
excellent vision and accuracy. A direct hit from their rifles will
knock off a full health bar on Normal difficulty, preventing you from
regenerating health and allowing them to kill you in just 4 shots. On
the plus side, snipers usually delay a second or so between each shot.
They first appear in the game's fifth mission, Operation Varsity,
mainly guarding the boxcar yard where the 3 Panzer tanks are stored.
Snipers can also be found on the exterior of the Flak Tower in the
game's final mission, but you generally won't have to face them unless
you try to descend the Tower's exterior instead of making your way
through the interior.
Fortunately, there are two "tells" that will alert you to the position
of snipers if you pay careful attention. First, their scopes reflect
sunlight, creating a bright flash that can be spotted from a distance.
Secondary, each shot of their rifle leaves a smoke contrail in the air
that gives away the path of the bullet, allowing you to notice their
shots and trace them back to their source. Snipers are smart and won't
just stand out in the open for you to shoot them; if they see you
targeting them, they'll often hide behind cover and wait for you to be
distracted by something else before they pop out and start shooting you
again. As a result, you need to either shoot them before they can hide,
or duck behind cover yourself and wait for them to pop out again.
KILL STRATEGY:
Snipers are typically positioned high up in out-of-the way sniping
areas such as atop roofs or inside boxcars or sniping huts; it's often
impossible to reach their position by foot, so the only way to kill
them is to counter-snipe them with a rifle of your own. Accurate rifles
equipped with a variable scope, such as the Springfield rifle or
upgraded G43 rifle, are preferred (snipers can be spotted with the
scope on the upgraded StG.44 assault rifle, but that weapon isn't quite
accurate enough to reliably target snipers at long range). Be sure to
make extensive use of cover, so that you only face one sniper at a
time, and cannot be seen by the dozen or so other snipers in the area.
Fallschirmjager Commander:
Appearance: Officer wearing grey and green camo uniform with dark
green helmet.
Class: Elite Machinegunner
Health: 130
Primary Weapon: Sturmgewehr 44
Secondary Weapon: Stielhandgranate
Battle Experience: Veteran
Combat Effectiveness: 8
The title Fallschirmjager Commander is a bit misleading, because these
enemies actually serve the role of standard enemy infantry in the
game's last few levels. They appear in large numbers, and will be the
main enemy opposition that you'll be facing. Fallschirmjager Commanders
first appear towards the end of Mission 4: Operation Market Garden, and
replace the Waffen Infantry soldiers as your standard opponents in
Mission 5: Operation Varsity, and Mission 6: Der Flakturm.
Like Waffen Storm Leaders, Fallschirmjager Commanders are elite troopers
and the most skilled enemies you'll be facing, adept in the use of
firearms, cover, blindfire, suppressing fire, and grenades.
Additionally, they are also well equipped, wielding StG.44 assault
rifles. Fallschirmjager Commanders also have slightly more health than
earlier enemy infantry soldiers, although the difference is not too
dramatic. Overall, they are the last and most challenging standard
infantry enemies you'll be facing in the game, as befitting their status
as the elite nemesis counterparts to your own American Airborne
paratroopers.
Panzergrenadier:
Appearance: Soldier wearing spotty grey and green camo uniform, dark
green helmet, and gas mask.
Class: Anti-tank Soldier
Health: 130
Primary Weapon: Panzerschreck
Secondary Weapon: None
Battle Experience: Special
Combat Effectiveness: 9
DESCRIPTION:
Historical, Panzergrenadiers were German motorized infantry, soldiers
used to support Panzer tanks. In Medal of Honor: Airborne, the term is
used to describe special gas mask-wearing soldiers equipped with
powerful Panzerschreck rocket launchers. Extremely dangerous,
Panzergrenadiers can kill or critically injure you with a direct hit,
and the splash damage from a near miss will still knock off about two
and a half lifebars on Normal difficulty. Fortunately, Panzergrenadiers
are not equipped with special armor, and go down just as easily as any
other enemy soldier, with only a couple rifle shots or a few submachine
gun hits. Panzergrenadiers typically always remain in the same position
without moving, so once you figure out where they're firing from, it's
fairly easy to draw a bead on them (although some of the
Panzergrenadiers on the bridge in Market Garden will take cover behind
pillars or wrecked cars, so you'll have to wait for them to pop out
before shooting them).
Panzergrenadiers first appear at the very end of the game's fourth
mission, Operation Market Garden, where about 7 of them are on a bridge
defending a Tiger tank. You'll also find several Panzergrenadiers in
the game's last mission, Der Flakturm, generally on the roof of the
Flak Tower or lurking in the catwalks of the Tower's interior.
KILL STRATEGY:
Because of the extreme danger they present with their powerful weapons,
Panzergrenadiers are best taken out from long range using a maximum
zoomed sniper weapon such as the Springfield rifle or a G43 rifle with
variable scope attachment. It's best to hide behind cover, pop out and
try to target and shoot them, and duck back behind cover if they launch
a rocket at you. Just be sure you don't take cover where there's a wall
directly behind you, or else the rocket may sail past, hit the wall,
and hurt you with the splash damage.
Nazi Storm Elite:
Appearance: Soldier wearing black SS uniform, black helmet, and gas
mask.
Class: Supersoldier, Bane of the Free World
Health: 850
Primary Weapon: Maschinengewehr 42
Secondary Weapon: None
Battle Experience: Special
Combat Effectiveness: 10
DESCRIPTION:
Medal of Honor: Airborne is a action game which is based on European
history. Being based on history, the stages of the game are also based
on famous battles which actually took place in 20th century Europe. Now
here's this Giant Enemy Crab...
The infamous Nazi Storm Elite is a Nazi super-soldier who wears a gas
mask for no apparent reason other than to look menacing, is strong
enough to wield an MG42 heavy machinegun as a man-portable weapon, and
is apparently wearing heavy body armor that allows him to survive more
than a dozen assault rifle shots to the chest or 3 to 4 headshots from
a rifle or assault rifle. Fans of historical accuracy are doubtlessly
up in arms at the Castle Wolfenstein pulp-fantasy nature of such
enemies. Everyone else finds them annoyingly helluva tough. Two Nazi
Storm Elites appear as a sort of end boss fight at the end of Mission
5: Operation Varsity, and there are about 20 of them scattered
throughout the game's final level, Mission 6: Der Flakturm.
Storm Elites are extremely dangerous... their heavy machineguns have a
high rate of fire and high stopping power; they can seriously injure
you on Normal difficulty, and can cut you down in a second on Expert.
Also, unlike every other enemy in the game, they cannot be brought down
by a burst or two of gunfire, and can even shrug off a direct hit from
a rocket launcher or a Gammon grenade. On the plus side, Storm Elites
are slower than regular enemies; they cannot run, and do not not take
cover or throw grenades. They simply walk steadily towards you while
blazing away with their MG42 machine guns.
While unnaturally tough, Storm Elites aren't THAT tough by FPS
standards. It takes 14 StG.44 assault rifle shots, 12 G43 rifle shots,
19 Thompson SMG shots, or two hits from a rocket launcher or Gammon
grenade to bring one down, which is a lot less than the firepower need
to kill, say, a F.E.A.R. Replica Heavy Armor soldier or a Gears of War
Locust Horde Boomer.
KILL STRATEGY:
There are multiple tactics you can use against Storm Elites. If you
have no choice but to fight one face-to-face, aim an assault rifle at
their chest and blaze away on full-auto. Normally, the multiple bullet
hits will stagger the Storm Elite and prevent it from firing back at
you. You should bring it down after half a magazine of fire. On Expert
difficulty this is more dangerous, since Elites can cut you down in
literally a second if they manage to fire on you. Try taking cover and
popping out to shoot at them (a good time to pop out and shoot is
during the brief period when they're busy reloading their weapon).
Alternatively, you can also take them down by tossing Gammon grenades
from behind cover. You can kill Storm Elites with two Gammon grenades,
or weaken them with a single Gammon grenade, then finish them off with
a burst of assault rifle fire.
Tiger I Tank:
Appearance: It's a Tank. Run!
Health: Treads: 600
Turret: 700
Body: ~1500
Primary Weapon: Main Cannon
Secondary Weapon: Machine Gun Turret
The heavily armored Tiger Tank is the toughest enemy you will face in
Medal of Honor: Airborne. Tanks are also very dangerous, equipped with
a powerful main cannon as well as a forward-mounted machine gun turret
for shooting down enemies at close range. The tank's main cannon fires
a powerful explosive shell every few seconds; a direct hit can
critically injure or kill you, and even the splash damage from a near
miss can still knock off 2 and a half life bars of your health on normal
difficulty. Tanks also have heavy armor that makes them impervious to
small arms fire and even most grenades; the only three weapons in the
game which can harm them are the M18 Recoilless Rifle, the Panzerschreck,
and Gammon grenades. It can take between 3 to 6 rocket or Gammon hits
to destroy a tank, depending on whether you hit their relatively weak
rear or treads, or their heavily armored front or top area.
The heavy armor on tanks causes them to take reduced damage from even
your most powerful weapons. Hits to the treads do 90% damage. Hits to
the rear do 75% damage. Hits to the front do 60% damage. Hits to the
vulnerable underbelly do 150% damage (this can only be accomplished by
getting the tank to drive over a Gammon grenade so that it detonates
while underneath the tank).
There are only 4 tank encounters in the entire game; 1 in Mission 3:
Operation Neptune, and 3 in Mission 4: Operation Market Garden.
TANK ENCOUNTERS:
TANK 1: The first Tiger Tank you face in the game appears in a small
village area with a few huts. There are 4 recoilless rifle component
drops in this area; the tank will bust in and start trying to kill you
once you collect the first drop. You need to collect all 4 drops and
assemble the recoilless rifle in order to destroy the tank. Use the
central hut as cover as the tank drives in circles around it, running
to grab recoilless rifle parts whenever the building is blocking
the tank's line of sight of you. Once the rifle is assembled, blast one
of the tank's treads twice to stop it in its tracks, then a third time
to blow it up completely.
TANK 2: The second Tiger Tank patrols the central area of the game's
fourth mission, Market Garden. You need to find a stash of Gammon
grenades in one of the bombed out buildings nearby, then toss the
grenades at the tank from behind cover to destroy it.
TANK 3: The third Tiger Tank appears in the same area in Market Garden,
towards the end of the level; after you complete all initial mission
objectives, the Tiger will bust through a wall at the end of the street
and start firing at you and your buddies. Unlike the previous 2 tanks,
this one is stationary. The best way to take it out to is stay behind
the piece of cover (a bombed-out car) you start out near after the
cutscene, and throw Gammon grenades over cover at the tank. Because
you'll be attacking the tank's heavy front armor, it will take around
6 Gammon grenades to do the job. If you run out of Gammon grenades,
there's a supply chest with more grenade ammo between the two small
one-story buildings near you.
TANK 4: The final Tiger Tank is also stationary, appearing at the end
of the occupied bridge in Market Garden. Destroying it is your final
mission objective of the level. After eliminating the tank's
Panzergrenadier escort, you need to destroy the tank itself using the
rocket launchers dropped by the Panzergrenadiers, as well as any Gammon
grenades you have left. Since the narrow bridge prevents you from
flanking to the tank's side, you'll have to attack the tank's heavily
armored front, popping out and shooting it during the delay between its
shots (let your allies run in front of the tank to provoke it into
firing). As a result, it will take 6-8 hits to destroy the tank. If you
need more rocket ammo, be sure to drop your current empty rocket
launcher before picking up a new one. Grabbing a new rocket launcher
nets you a full 8 rockets, while picking up a launcher while you're
already carrying one will only give you 1 rocket.
Alternatively, to the right of the bus in front of the tank is a low steel
wall you can shoot the tank from. Just jump up and fire at the top of your
jump to be able to see and hit the tank.
COPYRIGHT 2008 Alan Chan
END OF TEXT
© Web Media Network Limited, 1999 - 2024 This site is not affiliated in any way with Microsoft, Sony, Sega, Nintendo or any video game publishers.
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service.
Super Cheats is an unofficial resource with submissions provided by members of the public. These are not usually tested by us (because there are so many), so please use them at your own risk.
