Grenades
Grenades are affected by the demolitions skill. They include the EMP grenade, the Gas grenade, and the LAM.
General
Advantages
Grenades are fairly handy weapons. They don't take up slots that would be used by something else; each grenade has its own belt slot. They can be placed on walls as defense systems, or thrown at enemies as an attack. Each grenade has a very different effect on an enemy, making the demolitions skill fairly versatile. The screen of the player who planted or threw a grenade will flash an appropriate color (blue for EMP, green for Gas, white for LAM) when the grenade detonates. This is useful for knowing when grenades you have planted are being detonated.
Disadvantages
You can only carry three grenades of each type at any time, and many of the grenades are locked up. Also, thrown grenades will blow up if an explosion goes off nearby. The two most common ways this can happen are throwing a second LAM too soon after throwing the first, or by throwing a grenade when someone is shooting a plasma rifle at you.
Opposing
Placed grenades can be neutralized in several ways. Radar transparency allows you to walk past them without setting them off. You can then pick them up off of the wall and place them again. This leaves them in essentially the same place, but on your side. Many enemies will assume the grenade is still friendly. If you have a higher demolitions skill than the person placing the grenade, you have some time to locate and disarm it after you hear the beeping sound. EMP explosions will disable nearby grenades, and regular explosions will set them off. Since explosions penetrate a short distance through walls, one tactic when assaulting an enemy base is to blow up a rocket on the outside of the entrance, thereby exploding any grenades inside the entrance. The explosions from the grenades may injure the defending team. The best way to deal with thrown grenades is to dodge them. Thrown grenades make distinctive noises when they bounce along the ground. If you move quickly you can avoid most of the blast.
Placing
When placing a grenade, remember that the targeting augmentation enhances your skill, and thus the damage done. It will make the grenade more effective when it actually goes off. Try not to place EMP grenades near other grenades, or else the explosion from your EMP grenade may disable the other grenades. The best place to place a grenade is in a location where, when your opponent comes into range to set them off, he can't quickly get away. One prime example is on the inside of a door. When he opens the door, he will often sit there for a second waiting for the door to open. During that time, the grenade can go off and kill him. On the other hand, if you place grenades where people expect them, they can blow them up or disable them and use them against you.
EMP Grenade
Advantages
EMP grenades are one of the only two ways in the game to do EMP damage. If you hit an enemy with one of these, he will most likely run out of energy and be at a significant disadvantage.
Disadvantages
If placed too near other grenades, an opponent may set one of these off before your other placed grenades, thus disabling your other grenades. Also, if your opponent was already out of bio energy, then this attack will do nothing.
Opposing
The EMP shield provides a lot of protection against these. When you do have the EMP shield, it often allows you to catch your opponents at a disadvantage. They expect you to have run out of bioenergy, but the shield has prevented you from running out. Carrying biocells around also helps lessen the negative effects.
Gas Grenade
Advantages
Gas grenades are a fairly safe way to slow down your opponents. They are unlikely to injure you or your opponent overmuch, but the vision blurring effect can help you run away. When combined with environmental resistance, they can be used much like flashbangs. You can toss one into a room and then charge in, immune to the gas. These grenades are also handy to place near friendly turrets. An enemy that sets off the grenade will be stumbling around while the turret fires.
Disadvantages
They don't do a lot of damage, and the gas clouds move unpredictably. Often you will hit yourself at least a little with these if you are not very careful.
Opposing
Environmental resistance works well if turned on before you get hit by any poison gas. The gas also isn't that dangerous, if your opponent is badly wounded and you are not, it can be worth pursuing him through the gas to finish him off.
LAM
Advantages
Very dangerous as a hurled explosive. Unlike the other two grenades, the LAM deals a lot of direct damage. If a LAM explosion goes off near an enemy, either from a preplaced LAM or a well thrown one, it will most likely kill your opponent.
Disadvantages
They can be fairly dangerous as well. If you throw one and it blows up in midair (due to a nearby explosion) before it gets very far away from you, you are likely to kill yourself.
Opposing
Ballistic protection helps protect against the damage, dodging is best.
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