Today we launch the first installment of the Stermy-Do series of instructional guides here at Stermy.com. Stermy-Do means 'the way of Stermy' and each edition will cover a different aspect of mastering the game of Quake Live.
The first guide is called "The Weapons of a Master" which talks of the basics regarding each weapon. It has a brief description of each weapon followed by Stermy's own words on each regarding how to use it as well as what he thinks of each. Now begin your training warriors!
Weapon #1
Gauntlet (GT): Damage Per Shot: 50 The
Gauntlet is an almost useless weapon that has minimal uses. In order to
use it effectively, you have to be able to get very close to the
opponent and hit them with it. It can be used as a finisher but is
mostly used as a way to disrespect an opponent.
"The gauntlet is not an easy and useful weapon to use during combat. I only use it when it comes down to really close fights when I don`t have other weapons, especially during Team Deathmatch games. Almost useless in Duels, unless you wanna 'punish' your opponent."
Weapon #2 Machinegun (MG) Damage Per Shot: 5 Damage Per Second: 50 The
Machine Gun is a great long distance weapon if utilized correctly. It
should be used as a last resort in most cases, however. If you know
your opponents health is low, the Machine Gun is a perfect way to
finish them from afar.
"The Machinegun in Quake Live is one of the strongest weapon in my opinion. If you have really good aim it can do alot of damage also from really far away, because it`s so precise. Really useful to take away your enemy`s armour or finish him off. Don`t underestimate the power of this weapon in both Duels and Team Deathmatch!"
Weapon #3
Shotgun (SG) Max Damage Per Shot: 110 The
newly powered Shotgun is an amazingly versatile weapon. From medium to
close range, it delivers effective damage against most weapons. It's
only drawback is the randomness of its bullets. It is rarely consistent
enough to predict how much you are taking off at medium ranges.
Nonetheless, it is a great finishing weapon and up close is a great
choice in most situations. "Ohh
the shotty! This weapon is much more powerfull compared to before,
especially from short range. Use it at your advantage in close combats,
especially if your enemy is running straight at you or behind corners.
It will deal alot of damage and can be used in many situations." 
Grenade Launcher (GL)
Damage Per Shot: 100
Think of grenades as timed rockets. They both have similar damage and splash radius. The key to using them is to set them in areas that your opponent might be going to in a second or two or to cover a doorway they might want to enter. Using them in straight up fights is not the smartest thing as the risk is very high that you will hit them direct or at all.
"The Grenade Launcher is mostly a defensive weapon in my opinion. I use it most of the time to make sure the enemy doesn't get on a certain spot of the map, or for not letting him take advantage of my position You can also use the nades to slow the enemy down and cover a doorway. It`s a really hard weapon to use in 1v1 fights, but if you manage to get some air grenades frags, be sure to have recorded your demos to show your friends!!"
Weapon #5
Rocket Launcher (RL) Damage Per Shot: 100 Probably
the most versatile weapon, the Rocket Launcher is a great choice in
almost all situations medium to close. Not only will it bounce the
opponent into the air with a well shot rocket to the feet, but if you
miss it will likely still harm them with the splash damage. In
addition, spamming the into doorways creates a fast damage blockade to
entry as well as. Use with care and you will not find many fights in a
disadvantage. The only obvious disadvantage is if you are shooting
upwards at an opponent. "The
Rocket Launcher is one of the most versatile weapons in the Quake
Series in my opinion. You can mainly use it from short to medium range
and it`s one of the most used and powerful weapons in the game. It can
be used in both offensive and defensive gameplay, but also for doing
many tricks or to run away in difficult situations. It`s probably the
weapon I and the other pros use the most (beside the rail gun for me of
course!), and on special maps like on qzdm6, thanks to the rocketjump
tricks, it lets me take full control over the map. I use it mainly for
close combats and on floor advantage positions, but also to cover doors
and spam around for extra damage and not let the enemy get into certain
spots. It`s hard to use while your enemy is in the air, and I always
suggest to use other kind of weapons like Lightning or Railgun on those
situations, but hey, if you like to be in a video for an air frag, give
it a try sometimes." Weapon #6
Lightning Gun (LG) Damage Per Shot: 7 Damage Per Second: 150-110 Depends on distance If
you have good aim with hitscan weapons, nothing can top the Lightning
Gun. Although it's damage is based on distance, the Lightning Gun has
an advantage in that it pushes the opponent and it is continual. What
that means is that if you have the enemy in your crosshair, no matter
what happens if you are within distance you will keep hurting them. Mix
that in with decent dodging and you have yourself a supreme fight in
any position. "The
Lightning gun, a.k.a shaft, is one of the best weapon in the game in my
opinion. It`s just so useful in so many different situations and
powerful. It lets you take out your enemies health/armour in a heart
beat, especially if they are jumping/running on high speed without
strafing around. I personally use it almost in every situations if I
have it. Master your aim and take advantage of this weapon, it will be
ridiculously useful. Be careful to not run out of ammo, it`s really
easy to finish it fast, since sometimes you have to spam the fire
buttons while the enemy is coming out from corners. If you managed to
trap your enemy and let him take a jumpad, consider him fragged if you
have the shaft." Weapon #7
Railgun (RG) Damage Per Shot: 80 The
Rail Gun has no comparison from afar. But the recently reduced damage
makes it less of a primary weapon and more of a supporting weapon. It
is not hard to use, but it can turn the tide of a match when used
right. All you need is the ability to see your opponent and click your
fire button. Unless of course they do that to you first. The Rail Gun is
best used in a peek and shoot way. "Ohhh
I love you rail! For me this hitscan weapon is one of the most skilled
weapons to use in the game. Luckily for alot of people, but maybe not
accepted by most, in Quake Live it`s easier to hit with it. As a matter
of fact, probably most of the people can hit atleast over 40% right
now. I have been mastering this weapon for years and use it in so many
different ways and situations. Just so you know, I ZOOM ALOT. You don't
see it from my demos or videos, but I shoot with railgun with my zoom
ON 90% of the times. I use it from medium and long range, as well as in
the air. There are so many ways to aim with it, and it`s not as easy as
you may think. I have half of my arm on the desk/mousepad while I play,
this lets me move and aim in different ways depending on the weapon or
situation. With this weapon for example, I aim while moving mostly with
my arm with smooth and slow movements, but I also use my wrist for
small flick shots especially from medium range or floor positions. You
will never see me doing crazy flickshots if I have the enemy in front
of me, I believe it`s not accurate even if it might work sometimes.
When you gain a certain experience and aim with it, you will be able to
take advantages even in bad positions and let people take armours/mega
and taking it away instantly, to then get in a better position or in
control of the map for the next battle." Weapon #8 Plasma Gun (PG) Damage Per Shot: 20 Damage Per Second: 200 Do
not be deceived by the Plasma Gun. It is an excellent defensive AND
offensive weapon. Used primarily in defense, this weapon is most
effective when spamming it into doorways and paths of the opponent to
keep them back and make it hard for them to get through. It is a very
effective weapon against Lightning Gun at close to medium close ranges,
as well as Rocket Launcher and Shotgun if used right. It's main
drawback is its randomness. It is a predicting weapon and the skill os
use is based around this. "I
use the Plasma Gun mainly in close combats, around corners and spam it
in front the enemy while he`s railing you. I also use it for
spawnfragging from long range combined with the Rail Gun... few plasma
shot hits before the spawn, then switch to rail while he`s on the
screen and he gets hit by your plasma balls and you got the frag. It`s
really hard to master, but it works fairly well. It`s a really hard
weapon to use overall, and it`s not super precise. Spam alot with it
when possible and also remember that it works really good if the enemy
is strafing in front of you. Follow his strafe with the plasma fire and
you will get alot of damage for sure. Master some small tricks with it
as well." Weapon #9 Chaingun (CG) Damage Per Shot: 8 Damage Per Second: 80-160 (based on fire rate) An
excellent weapon if used right, the Chaingun takes a second to warmup
before it really hits hard. That is it's downfall. However, this weapon
is good from any distance against any weapon, even if used on only a
few maps. "The
Chaingun is not used in Duels, Team Deathmatch or Clanarena right now.
It`s a powerfull weapon and its fire rate is really high but it also
have a downside: the ammo finishes really fast. Use it at your
advantage almost at every range. Unfortunately it doesn`t shoot
instantly, so one of my suggestions is to spam some "clicks" on your
mousepad while going around, so you can get some milliseconds advantage
while you are approaching the fight with your enemy." Weapon #10 BFG 10K (BFG) Damage Per Shot: 100+ Used
mostly in FFA, the BFG is far superior to most. It's main drawback is
its low amount of ammunition. It should be used like a fast shooting
Rocket Launcher. It has no equal. "THE
FFA weapon. It`s super powerful and hard to reach in most ffa maps.
You can use it pretty much like a rocket launcher, however, it has low ammo from the start." Weapon #11 Nailgun (NG) Damage Per Shot: ? The
Nailgun is similar to the Shotgun only that its nails it shoots can
bounce off of walls to create ricochet damage. The delay in its
shooting makes it a very hard to use gun in CTF but it still remains
very effective when used right. "The
first time I played with 'the nailgun' was in Quake 4, however, the
Nailgun in Quake Live is totally different. I personally haven`t used
it quite much on my CTF games. It kinda reminds me of the flack gun in
Unreal Tournament. Do not use it from far away, think about it as a
shotgun with bouncing bullets and try to use it in the same way. Gain
advantage off the bouncing especially close to walls!" Weapon #12 Proxy Launcher (PL) Damage Per Shot: 100 The
Proxy Launcher is a CTF only weapon, used to lace walls with its mines
to prevent opponent advancement. When you get within a certain distance
of these mines, they will explode and they usually will cause major
damage. To avoid them, you must shoot them. But they are hard to find
if used well. "This
is another new weapon for me. I use it mainly to 'ambush' some powerups
or zone during CTF but also for tricks as you can rocketjump on it and
get a powerful boost."
That is all for the first Stermy-Do guide. Keep all of this advice in mind when playing to really improve your weapon selections game. Check back here at Stermy.com for the second guide coming soon as well as all news pertaining to Stermy!