Equipment

Beside the weapons of war and the armor to protect your mercs, there are several important pieces of equipment that the squad will need to thrive and survive on the battlefield.

This type of gear has specific requirement values for various skills that must be met for any merc attempting to utilize each tool.

To find out which skill is checked against any item, simply place the cursor over the item in your inventory. Each piece of equipment is directly tied to a skill, but it also factors in one of your attributes.

Requirements and Success

Each item has a numeric value that must be met to use it. However, meeting the requirement does not mean your merc will always succeed in his task. Various factors determine the final outcome, and barely meeting a requirement only gives you about a 50% chance of successfully completing the task.

That means you consume a lot of resources if you try to squeak by and use an item before your merc is really skilled in that area. This is main reason why you need experts with various skills as opposed to a jack of all trades. Those with lower levels of skill in an area should stick to using items where they clearly surpass the minimum requirements.

Also, it is important to know that the check system used for success is a combination of the skill and attribute listed. For example, healing is based on medical and intelligence. The higher the overall number of these combined abilities the better your success rate will be.

Still, anytime you just barely meet the skill requirement, even with a high corresponding attribute, the chance of success is only around half. The good thing about using these items is that you will gain experience for your successful efforts.

Explosives

Unlike weapon-based explosives, such as grenades, these explosives are more for utility purposes. The blast of these explosives can cause damage, but they have more tactical uses than mere bombs. You will encounter three types of explosives. The first two are both C4 based, but one has a timer and the other has a remote detonator.

These can be placed anywhere a green ghosted image of the explosive is visible on the combat map. Obviously, you have a lot more precision with a remote control. The timer variation will start counting down once it is placed, so you better make your plans first, set the bomb, and get out of its blast radius. One of the main uses of these bombs is to remove walls and allow alternative entry points into a building.

The other tactical use is to utilize its resonating boom to create a distraction or draw enemies into an ambush. The third type of explosive is a land mine. These will be detected on the battlefield by your mercs with a high perception value. You can claim these with a defuse kit if your explosives skill and dexterity is high enough.

However, only send in an explosives expert to deal with land mines because a failed attempt to defuse it may have explosive consequences. Whether you defuse, find, or buy a land mine, once it is yours you can place it on a narrow path to keep enemies at bay. The best thing about setting your mines is that your squad can walk over them without triggering an explosion.

Image	Equipment	Description	Price	Weight	Efficiency	Charge/Range	Requirement	Checks
	Defuse Kit	Counter terrorists use this to defuse bombs set by terrorists. Some can do it without it but you can’t.	$75	225 gr	0	8 charges	50 explosives	intelligence + explosives
	Land Mine	This anti-personnel mine is a fragmentation weapon that becomes activated when stepped on. It includes an anti-disturbance device to inhibit clearance, and a sensor that neutralizes the mine after a specified time.	$220	135 gr	100	4 m range	25 explosives	dexterity + explosives
	C4 with Timer	Composition C4 is a white plastic explosive that is more powerful than TNT. This plastic-covered block has a threaded-cap-well at each end. Unlike C1, its sister composition, this one's odorless.	$280	1.29 kg	100	3 m range	50 explosives	dexterity + explosives
	C4 with Remote Control	Composition C4 is a white plastic explosive that is more powerful than TNT. This plastic-covered block has a threaded-cap-well at each end. Unlike C1, its sister composition, this one's odorless.	$320	1.20 kg	100	3 m range	75 explosives	dexterity + explosives

Medical Items

All healing items will restore health, but not all of them stop bleeding or heal wounds. Any good medic will have a decent variety of medical supplies, but it is always best to have the ones that can do the most good.

Later in the game, the lower-tier medical supplies like the syringe and bandage will be replaced with the small and large MedKits. It is simply not worth using an inventory slot for something that isn’t as effective as possible.

Image	Equipment	Description	Price	Weight	Efficiency	Charge/Range	Requirement	Checks
	Canteen	This polyethylene canteen may not be reusable, refillable, or recyclable but it is extremely practical. Once its five shots of reviving water are used up, this canteen is fit for the garbage pit.	$20	845 gr	50	1 charge	30 medical	intelligence + medical
	Syringe	This hypodermic syringe is filled with 10cc of a fast-acting healing drug. The warning label reads: "Do not exceed more than 4 doses per day." Can restore health.	$25	10 gr	30	2 charges	20 medical	intelligence + medical
	Bandage	A package of bandages that can be used to stop bleeding and restore some health	$38	105 gr	30	4 charges	40 medical	intelligence + medical
	Medkit	Packed with standard first aid supplies, this kit allows you to restore health, stop bleeding and heal wounds.	$50	890 gr	40	3 charges	50 medical	intelligence + medical
	Large Medkit	Packed with standard first aid supplies, this kit allows you to restore health, stop bleeding and heal wounds.	$110	2.40 kg	60	6 charges	80 medical	intelligence + medical

Unlocking Doors

Most doors are open to your intruding soldiers, but several are locked--and for good reason. Many of the locked doors hold valuable items that people don’t want to part with.

Fortunately for your mercs, there are three ways to circumvent a locked door. The easiest way to open a locked door is to find the key. This requires no special skill except for scavenging the area to try to locate it.

Even if you do find the key, you might want to try your luck with the other methods to grain some experience, as long as your merc is skilled enough for the task at hand. However, it is important to note that some doors require a key and can only be opened with the correct one. The next method is brute force--applying a crowbar to gain entry. This method has a low mechanical requirement and is also based on your strength.

The most tactical way to unlock a door is with lock picks. This has a reasonable middle-of-the-road requirement in mechanical and also tests your dexterity. Being a master thief at picking locks will require a mechanical expert with great dexterity.

Image	Equipment	Description	Price	Weight	Efficiency	Charge/Range	Requirement	Checks
	Crowbar	This durable lever tool is a one-piece bar of titanium. While harder and stronger than steel, it weighs less, and won't rust	$20	2.46 kg	0	8 charges	20 mechanical	strength + mechanical
	Locksmith Kit	This top-grain cowhide leather zipped case offers expert lock picking tools including: picks, shims, tension wrenches, warded master keys, a broken key extractor, and a palm-key press.	$150	1.30 kg	0	6 charges	40 mechanical	dexterity + mechanical

Weapon Repair

Over time, weapons lose durability--as indicated by the small vertical bar to the left of the weapon. It’s important to take care of your tools if you want them to function on the battlefield. A weapon that is severely worn into the “red zone” will jam a lot and can become impossible to repair. The more a tool can repair, the higher the mechanical requirement.

Therefore, make sure to know your mechanical mercs' stats so you can fill their inventory with the appropriate tools. Also, make sure to maintain your guns so they don’t degrade past the point of no return or simply beyond your squad’s skill level. Use weapon oil on slightly worn guns to keep them in good operating condition.

A field cleaning kit is the best middle-of-the-road option for lightly damaged weapons. Its requirements are not too high, so many mercs can take advantage of it. Weapons that are really trashed will require the use of a tool kit, but make sure your merc is up to the task or they will just waste time.

Image	Equipment	Description	Price	Weight	Efficiency	Charge/Range	Requirement	Checks
	Weapon Oil	This fluid meets the complete requirements of cleaning, lubricating, and preserving both small and large caliber weapons.	$22	500 gr	10	8 charges	10 mechanical	dexterity + mechanical
	Field Cleaning Kit	It restores durability of slightly damaged weapons.	$50	800 gr	50	6 charges	30 mechanical	dexterity + mechanical
	Tool Kit	It restores the durability of weapons that have taken a considerable amount of abuse.	$500	5 kg	100	8 charges	50 mechanical	dexterity + mechanical