Demolition
The Demolitions expert, colloquially known as the Demo, is the team's heavy supporting class, specialising in explosives. He can inflict extremely high amounts of damage upon crowds and large specimens at long range, but is less effective against specimens in close proximity and the cost of explosives is relatively steep.
For all explosives, the Demo inflicts up to 60% more damage, receives discounts of up to 74%, and has damage resistance of up to 55% – which also affects the Patriarch's rocket. He can carry a larger number of grenades, and also Pipe bombs, which function as powerful proximity mines.
The Demo's main weapons of choice are the M79 and M32 grenade launchers, the M4 203, and the L.A.W rocket launcher. The large explosive radius and strength of explosives allows the Demo to set up high-damage traps, and bombard large areas to efficiently eliminate large groups of specimens. The explosion of grenades and rockets instantly set off any grenades within their explosive radius, allowing the Demo to stack grenades in one place and quickly explode them before the target specimen can move out of the way. This technique has proven to be effective against large groups, the Fleshpound, and even the Patriarch.
The grenade launchers and L.A.W have a safety mechanism that will prevent the explosive from detonating too close to the player. Even so, the explosive radius of these explosives is very large, and can result in a large amount of self-damage, especially for the grenades launchers. This makes Stalkers and fast specimens very problematic if they are not dealt with quickly, and pipe bombs are extremely dangerous if the player is caught in the blast. The Demo should therefore stay at the rear of their squad, providing supporting fire to take out groups of weak specimens and stack as many explosives as they can to nuke stronger specimens like Fleshpounds. The M4 203 is more flexible in close quarters than the grenade launchers, however its small magazine, lengthy reload, lack of single fire, and low max ammo count make it better suited for emergency self defense than for use as a primary weapon.
Care should be taken when firing explosive projectiles near team-mates, as a player who intercepts the projectile may cause the Demo to blow himself up. The Demo should also bear in mind that every explosion creates a large dust cloud, which heavily obscures the vision. Having a Commando take the lead during an explosive attack helps prevent specimens from sneaking through the smoke, especially against the Patriarch.
The M32 MGL, M79, and the M4 203 are relatively lightweight, and any two can be carried simultaneously. Alternatively, taking a secondary weapon like an assault rifle or Lever-action rifle allows the Demo to more effectively eliminate close-range threats while saving his explosives for bigger threats at long range. When carrying the L.A.W, the Demo only has enough room for either Pipe Bombs or a Machete. In these situations, bunching up enemies behind welded doors or narrow corridors is generally where explosives serve their best roles. In emergencies, the Demo can aim at the ceiling or upper sections of walls so that nearby specimens are harmed without the Demo incurring too much damage.
A Demolition Expert also enjoys having extra damage on his grenades. When he runs short on money for other explosive equipment investing some money on grenades could save lives. Stacking them around the big targets then setting them off with L.A.W. or M32 blast is essential for big target's removal.
The Fleshpound is a priority for the Demo because of its weakness to explosives; it incurs four times more damage from explosives than from other types of weapons. Luring it into a pipe bomb before it rages, or an accurate barrage from the M32 are viable means for delivering an extreme amount of damage to it. In spite of the grenade launchers' damage potential, they are not advised against the Scrake because of its endurance and the limited grenade capacity. The L.A.W can be used to stun the Scrake, but cheaper alternatives, such as the Sharpshooter's Lever-action rifle or Compound Crossbow headshots and a fire axe's alternate fire mode from a Berserker's hand, are recommended. Alas the Siren's scream neutralizes explosives in its radius, such as pipe bombs, hand grenades, and sometimes mid-air projectiles. The Husk's fireball can detonate projectiles in mid-air and cause severe self-damage to the Demolition Expert, and any player or specimen who is unfortunate enough to be close.
One of the major drawbacks of the Demo is the cost of explosives. Even on high levels with large discounts, it can still take quite a few rounds to save up enough money to buy his weapons and ammunition, regardless of his preferred load out. As long as he has a good supporting team, and spends his money and explosives carefully during the early rounds, the Demo should be able to adequately sustain himself.
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[edit] Helping the Demolitions Expert
If the demo is using a L.A.W. or M32, he will appreciate any help you can give in eliminating the small specimens that try to crowd in on him. Crawlers that can be wiped out easily with a Bullpup or Handcannon become a major nuisance to anybody burdened with the powerful L.A.W., since he can only use his knife or pistol against them. Teaming up with a Support Specialist or Commando to kill any weaker or close specimens would be beneficial to any demo.
Much of the demo’s ammunition is expensive, so keep him well supplied with cash if you can spare it. On Beginner, leaving ammo boxes for the demo is also a kindly thing to do as each one can increase his supply of pipe bombs. In the run-up to the finale, try to kill off groups of smaller zeds before they can set off any pipe bombs the demo has placed: they will serve better against the Patriarch or larger specimens.
If you see that a bigger Zed is coming and you see a usable pipe bomb - stand in such a way that the bomb will be between you and the Zed and do not move! The Zed will reach you and will stand exactly on the pipe bomb when it explodes. If you can time it properly, move backward slightly as the Zed approaches and you will find yourself unharmed and the Zed in giblets. This tactic works best on Fleshpounds that are not raging, because if they are raging, they may run so quickly over and past the pipe bomb that it detonates behind them (although enraged Fleshpounds take more damage from the pipes).
[edit] Tactics
- First of all avoid spamming - otherwise the rest of the team will hate you for excessive amount of smoke, second you it will help conserving ammo for the rest of round. Wait for zombies to group around berserker and aim in group.
- Aim to the ceilings: it's always easier to shoot above the head in the corridors, in addition the smoke will be high enough that the rest of the team will see crawlers on the floor. In addition it's often better to jump and shoot down the mass of zombie - jumping gives you better view from the top, thus the aiming in the groups. This works well with grenade launcher, but not with L.A.W.
- Your grenades deal tremendous amount of damage to the big specimen if used right, a grenade will deal 400 damage alone which will wipe any weak specimen around.
- Stacking a few grenades before volleying with the M32 on big targets deals far more damage than simply spamming the M32. Stacking grenades also gives the opportunity for your teammates to aim and deal more damage, or clean up the smaller specimens before the smoke screen hinders their vision.
- Carrying a sidearm like the Bullpup, AK47, Shotgun or Lever-Action can cover the Demo's vulnerability at close range. If you plan to rely on all explosive based gear (such as the M32 paired with M79, or a single LAW), be sure that you stick close to your team. Though expensive, the M4 203 also works exceedingly well as a close range weapon.
- When holed up, stay in the middle or back of the team. Aid them with M32 or LAW blasts to wipe out several targets and severely damage bigger ones. Don't waste your explosive ammunition on single weak targets, like the Clot, Crawler or Stalker. Also, keep in mind that it's far more expensive for you to blow up a Bloat than another perk, like the Sharpshooter. You can simply headshot them with your sidearm.
- Sirens can terminate missile based projectiles in mid-air, but it seems like they can't foresee the Grenade Launcher's projectile most of the time. Additionally they have a nasty habit of blast jumping; explosive blasts might toss them around, moving them closer, you may find a Siren fly just right above and land behind you. Always aim your Grenade Launcher between you and the Siren onto her path to prevent such situations.
- Scrakes have huge amounts of hitpoints at higher difficulties and explosive damage isn't scaled like it is for Fleshpounds. This started a rumor that Scrakes have resistance to explosive weapons, however it is due to the fact that Fleshpounds have a large weakness to explosives that causes it to seem this way. It will be expensive for Demolition to get rid of them once they're enraged since a Scrake can charge through a field of pipebombs thus getting minimum damage from each blast when angered. The L.A.W can stun them and it's possible to finish a wounded Scrake by blunt headshots from M32 MGL.
- Demolition excels at destroying Fleshpounds and large groups behind them. After luring Fleshpounds to a pipebomb it's possible to finish the enraging Fleshpound with a L.A.W shot or spamming the M32 MGL.
- L.A.W. and Grenade Launchers DO check for headshots. If you want to deal more damage with a single hit aim for the upper torso and head of the specimen. L.A.W. have 2.0x headshot damage multiplier while all grenade launcher types have 1.1x headshot multiplier. Considering L.A.W.'s heavy reloading process and slow iron sights, it's essential to aim to the head for big targets' removal as it will deal double damage to the specimen.
- Stacking Pipebombs won't stack the damage beyond 2 pipebombs. Always lay them with a reasonable distance. This tip is important if you're planning to welcome the Patriarch or large hordes with Fleshpounds. Don't stay close to your pipebomb field when a Husk or any big target approaches as they may trigger the Pipebomb and kill you.
- If there is enough time, place pipe bombs on known zombie spawn points. Don't lay all bombs on map start - it's better to place one or two and then place the rest during the gameplay, especially if things will go not as expected.
- Remember that it's risky to use the L.A.W against the Patriarch since he can set the rocket off in the mid air with his chaingun bursts and severely damage or kill you or other team members. A Demolition Expert should take cover behind a solid obstacle by crouching and shoot his L.A.W when the Patriarch is distracted by other team members. The same thing applies to Husks since they can set the projectiles off with their fireballs, with their faster shooting frequency at higher difficulties they can be a priority target for the team, especially when they approach the team in groups of 2 or more.
- Hand grenades can deal blunt damage and it could be damaging enough to make the cloaked Patriarch retreat. Remember that hand grenades just come from the left of the centre of the screen. The Patriarch is also able to detonate your thrown Grenades with his chaingun.
- It's important to note that the the Demo benefits greatly from having not only some open space to work with, but also a height advantage. Whenever possible, try to get a moderate height advantage on your targets. This lets you not only aim more accurately (if you miss, the splash will hit the target more often) but it also gives you extra protection against self-damage. Try to be above your target whenever possible, even if jumping is the most you can do.
[edit] Bugs
A slight graphical bug exists that causes the Demolition's perk icon to be fully opaque on the scoreboard even when the HUD opacity is lowered.
[edit] Perk ladder
| Rank | Explosive Damage Points Required | Explosives | Grenade Capacity ↑ | Pipe Bomb Capacity | Explosives Discount ↑ | Pipe Bomb Discount ↑ | Spawn With | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage ↑ | Resistance ↑ | |||||||||
| 5% | 25% | 2 | 10% | 50% | ||||||
| ★ | 25,000 | 10% | 30% | 20% | 3 | 20% | 54% | |||
| ★★ | 100,000 | 20% | 35% | 40% | 4 | 30% | 58% | |||
| ★★★ | 500,000 | 30% | 40% | 60% | 5 | 40% | 62% | |||
| ★★★★ | 1,500,000 | 40% | 45% | 80% | 6 | 50% | 66% | |||
| ★★★★★ | 3,500,000 | 50% | 50% | 100% | 7 | 60% | 70% | 2 pipe bombs † | ||
| ☆ | 5,500,000 | 60% | 55% | 120% | 8 | 70% | 74% | M79 | ||
| † Denotes an item also available to all additional levels of the perk. | ||||||||||
| Equipment by perk | |
|---|---|
| Field medic | Medical syringe • Combat armour • MP7M • MP5M |
| Support specialist | Welder • Shotguns (Shotgun • Combat shotgun • Hunting shotgun • AA12) |
| Sharpshooter | Pistols (9mm • .44 Magnum • Handcannon) • Rifles (Lever-action • Crossbow • M14 EBR) |
| Commando | Grenade • Assault rifles (Bullpup • AK-47 • M4 • SCARMK17) |
| Berserker | Knife • Machete • Fire axe • Katana • Claymore • Chainsaw |
| Firebug | MAC-10 • Flamethrower • Husk fireball launcher |
| Demolition | Pipe bomb • Grenade launchers (M79 • M32 • M4 203) • L.A.W |
| Weapon damage table | |
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