Explosive Weapons

Explosive weapons cause big destruction at the point of impact, with diminished damage inside the blast radius. The Boomshot and Torque Bow return from previous Gears of War games, while the new Dropshot adds another great way to flush enemies out from behind cover. Be careful in close combat, as your own detonations can hurt you.

Boomshot

The Boomshot is a powerful weapon that launches an explosive that detonates on impact.

Slot: Primary

Trigger Type: Semi-Auto

Versus Availability: Dam, Foundation, Gridlock, Lift

Horde Availability: Heavy Class, Fabricator (LV 2), Scion Boomshot

Weapon Stats (Core)

The explosive launched from the Boomshot will instantly kill any enemy it comes in direct contact with, as well as enemies in a close proximity to its blast.

Aiming this weapon requires a little bit of technique, as the projectiles fly at a slow arc toward enemies, requiring you to aim higher to hit enemies at a distance.

If you run into an enemy who is being stubborn and hiding behind a small piece of cover, aim for the ground on either side of the cover to quickly kill them.

Dropshot

Drops an explosive at range.

Slot: Primary

Trigger Type: Semi-Auto

Versus Availability: Dam, Fallout, Forge, Foundation, Harbor, Lift

Horde Availability: Fabricator (LV 2), Air Drop, Scion Dropshot

Weapon Stats (Core)

New to Gears of War 4, the Dropshot allows you to launch an explosive into the air, where it drops straight down onto your opponent. Hold the Right Trigger to launch a projectile toward your opponent. Once it is above your intended target, release the trigger, where it drops straight down and explodes on impact.

Vary the height at which you launch the explosive to alter the time it takes to reach the ground. You can send one straight up into the air, but be sure to clear the area, as your own shot can hurt you. A shot is shown as a vertical line that runs from the explosive down to the ground.

Torque Bow

The Torque Bow fires explosive-tipped arrows capable of killing any target.

Slot: Primary

Trigger Type: Semi-Auto (Charge)

Versus Availability: Dam Fallout, Forge, Foundation, Impact, Relic

Horde Availability: Fabricator (LV 2), Swarm Hunter

Weapon Stats (Core)

The Torque Bow only requires one shot to kill a single enemy. Once the arrow hits an object, it will have a short countdown and then explode, instantly killing an enemy and damaging others nearby.

Each shot of the Torque Bow requires the player to hold down the Right Trigger, slowly increasing the range as the bow charges its power.

At full power, the explosive arrow fired from the Torque Bow is capable of piercing through an enemy’s skull and carrying on to another target behind them. This allows for a player to kill multiple enemies at once.

If you fail to fully charge the Torque Bow before firing, you will still fire an arrow. This could result in you missing your intended target or even dropping the arrow on the cover in front of you. Stay aware of this, as the explosion from your own arrow could easily kill you if it is in your close proximity.

Although the bow can be hip-fired, this weapon is a poor choice for short-range combat due to its slow fire time. Match it with a shotgun to complement its long-range capabilities. Getting a good position to fire the bow is key to success.

When behind cover, you can blind-fire the bow. This requires a great amount of skill to land an accurate shot. A good technique is to begin charging the bow by starting a blind-fire, then aim down the sights with the bow to pop out from the cover and gain access to the crosshair!