Part 15

Learn advanced tactics for the Shock Combo and Link Gun in Unreal Tournament 2004. Master splash damage, corner shots, and the powerful link beam for victory.

Shock Combo

The Shock Combo is a massive, damaging blue explosion created by shooting a plasma ball (your own or another player's) with the photon beam. It deals 200 damage to both people and vehicles, has incredibly strong knockback, and consumes 5 ammo units. While it normally uses 1 ammo unit for the plasma ball and 4 for the photon beam, the combo itself costs 5 units. It's possible to perform a Shock Combo on the move, but it requires good aim and practice.

Tactics for Shock Combo:

• Standard Attack: Fire a plasma ball towards an enemy and detonate it with the photon beam when it's close. Avoid standing still, as this makes you an easy target. Dodging to the side can make players effectively out of range of the splash damage.
• Spread Shot: Fire multiple plasma balls in a spread pattern while moving. Detonate the ball closest to the enemy when they reach them. This increases your chances of dealing significant damage and makes you harder to hit.
• Around Corners: Fire a plasma ball and detonate it just as it passes a corner to damage enemies hiding on the other side. This is effective for flushing out campers in modes like Assault (AS).
• Evasion: When being chased, turn a corner and fire a Shock Combo around it while running backward to damage pursuers.

Link Gun

The Link Gun, updated from UT2003, now features a new model and the ability to build and repair structures, making it invaluable for Onslaught. It also coats targets in green lightning and turns defeated players into skeletons.

Primary Fire Mode:

• Fires green plasma projectiles at a moderate speed.
• Damage vs. People: 30
• Damage vs. Vehicles: 20
• Rate of Fire: 120/10s
• Ammo per Shot: 2
• Max. Ammo: 220
• Special Features: Projectile; detonates upon impact; unlimited fuse.
• Tactics: These projectiles are too slow for long-range combat against moving targets but can be used at medium range. Fire a spread of at least 30 projectiles at waist level for a high chance of hitting. Be aware that the projectiles can obscure vision, making it difficult to track enemies. This mode is primarily effective against people.

Secondary Fire Mode (Link Beam):

• Damage vs. People: 900/10s
• Damage vs. Vehicles: 550/10s
• Rate of Fire: 100 ammo / 10s
• Ammo per Shot: Continuous
• Max. Ammo: 220
• Special Features: Instant hit; beam; pinpoint accuracy; knockback; team-safe; can link; can repair.
• Tactics: This mode offers pinpoint accuracy and high damage, capable of dealing 900 damage per 10 seconds to players and 550 to vehicles. It's team-safe and can be used to link to nodes or repair structures in Onslaught mode.