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This subject appears in Serious Sam: The First Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam: The Second Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam: Next Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam 4.  This subject appears in Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem. 

 
"Hey guys, let's play hot potato!"
Sam Stone[src]
 

The MK III Grenade Launcher is a weapon that appears in several Serious Sam titles and is the standard issue grenade launcher used by the Earth Defense Force. It can fire grenades at short range, or be charged to shoot them at further range against targets that are far away. It makes its first appearance in Serious Sam: The First Encounter, and reappears in Serious Sam: The Random Encounter, Serious Sam 4, and Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem.

Overview[]

This standard-issue infantry grenade launcher has been in use by the Earth Defense Force since the beginning of the Mental War. Durable, safe to use and possessing a manually-adjustable fire rate, the MK III has been a favorite with EDF soldiers throughout the Mental War.[1] Grenades come equipped with a smart impact detonator, which explode upon contact with a live target, but not inanimate objects. Grenades will also explode on their own after a while if they don't come into contact with anything. A skilled user can easily learn to project grenades over large obstacles or bounce them around corners, while the smart impact detector makes sure that the charge will only detonate on impact with a live target, but not with walls or obstacles.[1] The firing range of the grenade launcher can be adjusted by either tapping the trigger for a slower muzzle velocity or holding it down to hit targets at a greater distance.[2]

The grenade launcher fires one grenade per shot. The distance the grenade goes depends on how long the player holds down the fire key. If the fire key is not held at all, the grenade will just drop out of the barrel and bounce a few feet to get some distance. However, if the fire key is held as long as possible, the grenade will fly out of the weapon at great speed and will cover a medium distance before it hits the ground.

Regardless of the charge, a grenade deals more damage than a rocket and deals more splash damage. This means it has more potential dealing damage to dense groups of enemies than rockets. Grenades will either explode upon contact with an enemy (and even the player) or three seconds after it has been fired (five in Serious Sam 4). Just like with the rocket launcher, the player should be careful to not stand too close to a grenade after it has been fired. Extra care should be taken when using the grenade launcher in close-quarters, as there is a chance a grenade could bounce back at the player and explode.

In Serious Sam: Next Encounter, the grenade launcher uses three types of ammunition; standard rounds, limpet grenades and spider mines. Standard rounds will explode on contact if they collide with enemies or within seconds of impact otherwise, limpet grenades will stick to any flat surface it lands on and detonate when it detects movement within a 5 meter radius, while spider mines have an extendable set of legs and an on-board AI that will seek out the nearest bionic lifeform within its 10 m sensory range.

In Serious Sam 4, the grenade launcher can receive an alternate fire mode called the Cluster Grenade. Launched grenades will explode into five smaller segments when the player presses the secondary fire key. The resulting explosions can cover a wider blast radius than standard grenades and are extremely effective at eliminating large groups of weak enemies.

Appearances[]

Like the rocket launcher, the grenade launcher is a fairly rare weapon and does not usually appear until the middle to late portions of the game it appears in. Ammunition for it is also scarce at first, but becomes slightly more common in the later levels. If grenades are in short supply, the player should look for any secret ammo packs that appear throughout the levels to maximize ammo capacity.

Serious Sam 1[]

In Serious Sam: The First Encounter, the grenade launcher is first obtained in Oasis. In Serious Sam: The Second Encounter, it is obtained in Sierra de Chiapas, The Elephant Atrium, and Land of the Damned.

Serious Sam 4[]

The grenade launcher is first acquired in The Die is Cast along with its alternate fire upgrade. It appears for the second time in Vive la Résistance after the player is introduced to Charlie, and then for the final time at an EDF outpost in From Earth With Love.

Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

The grenade launcher and its alternate fire upgrade is introduced in Roadside Picnic, shortly before the big fight in the large warehouse.

Upgrades[]

Serious Sam 4[]

Cluster grenade SS4 icon Cluster Grenade
This upgrade will make a launched grenade splinter into five smaller explosive segments upon command. The resulting explosions will cover a wide area and can swiftly eliminate large groups of weaker hostiles.

Tactics[]

General[]

  • A charged up grenade can be very useful against strong and slow enemies, such as Common Aludran Reptiloids, Fiendian Reptiloid Demons, Major Bio-mechanoids, Lava Golems, and Scrapjacks. Grenades are more powerful and travel at a faster rate than a rocket does. However, the charge time gives the weapon a lower rate of fire compared to the XPML21 Rocket Launcher.
  • It is an effective weapon against Minor Bio-mechanoids due to its high damage output. A single grenade can kill an individual Minor, and can be used to deal light to moderate damage against small groups.
  • The grenade launcher is one of the best anti-Sirian Werebull weapons. Only two grenades are needed to kill one, which can make it effective against small groups of Werebulls. A skilled player can lob a single grenade at a Werebull and finish it off with the Double Barrel Coach Gun or the Military Knife to quickly dispatch it and save valuable grenade ammo.
  • Tap the trigger for slow launching or hold it down to deliver at longer ranges.
  • Uncharged grenades can be used for quickly taking down tightly-packed weak enemies at any range or for large groups of medium-strength enemies, such as Kleer Skeletons at close range. However, the player should ensure they keep some distance while firing the grenade due to the possibility of accidentally inflicting self-damage by the grenade's blast radius. Switching to the lasergun or minigun when enemies get too close is a valid option as enemies that survived the grenade launcher are softened up.

Serious Sam 1[]

  • A single grenade can take out a Cucurbito the Pumpkin, compared to two shots from the rocket launcher. This makes the grenade launcher useful against groups of these enemies.
  • A charged up grenade can be useful against a tight flock of Scythian Witch-Harpies at long range. One grenade can gib up to four Harpies at once, though the explosions will separate any surviving Harpies.
  • High-speed grenades bouncing back are very dangerous as grenades are very damaging on direct hit.
  • The grenade launcher becomes a deadly weapon with Serious Damage, and can be used to deal massive damage to bosses or completely annihilate groups of tough enemies. Be extremely careful not to fire grenades in close quarters (and also watch out for any that bounce back from walls), as they can very easily kill the player while the power-up is active.

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

  • The grenade launcher is useful for clearing out masses of weak enemies like the beheaded soldiers or Processed Anthropolyps.
  • Three to four grenades are enough to dispatch medium targets such as Adult Arachnoids, Aludran Reptiloids, Draconian Burners, and other tough enemies.
  • Grenades, regardless of their charge, can instantly kill both male and female Gnaars, Hatchling Arachnoids and Octanian Zealots, which can be useful when being overwhelmed by them.
  • It is one of the best and quickest weapons for taking out Octanian Commanders, as the grenade is powerful enough to destroy their shield and kill them at the same time without having to circle around them or waste ammo destroying their shield.
  • The grenade launcher's upgrade is very useful against groups of Aludran Microhoppers, Kleers, Octanian Gamma Troopers and Zubenhakrabian Spider Nymphs and for damaging tougher opponents like Khnums. The player should keep their distance when activating it though, as it can cause a lot of self-damage, especially considering that it now deals up to 150 splash damage.

Behind the scenes[]

  • A different skin for the grenade ammo box can be found in Test 1's files. It has the grenade launcher's HUD ammo icon on it, which explains where the HUD icon originates.
  • In Alpha, the grenade launcher had a limited charge, and could only fire grenades at medium range.
  • In Alpha, the weapon had a different model with a bluish-silver finish.

Trivia[]

  • In The Second Encounter, grenades will detonate on impact with the Rotating Cannon and Static Cannon, despite them being mechanical and not a living creature. This is because the game treats them as entities.
  • The grenades fired by the grenade launcher in Serious Sam 4 and Siberian Mayhem reuse the MK IV Grenade Launcher's grenade beeping sounds.
  • In Serious Sam 1 (and HD and VR remakes), the player can use grenades to propel themselves into the air, since grenades have a wider blast radius and higher damage output than rockets. The player can use this to speedrun or to access otherwise inaccessible parts of the map.
    • Doing this is very dangerous, though, as grenades deal a ton of damage compared to rockets and the player can easily kill themselves if they don't time the jump correctly.
  • In Serious Sam 1, when a grenade bounces off a wall, it bounces off directly away from the wall, regardless of the angle at which the grenade hits the wall.
  • The grenade launcher is one of four weapons that does not appear in the Legend of the Beast DLC. The others are the SBC Cannon,XL2 Lasergun, and XM214-A Minigun.

Gallery[]

Serious Sam 1[]

Pre-release[]

Retail[]

Serious Sam: Next Encounter[]

Serious Sam: The Random Encounter[]

Serious Sam 4/Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem[]

List of appearances[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Serious Sam 4 NETRICSA description
  2. Serious Sam 1 NETRICSA description
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