Combat and Weapons

Combat and Weapons

Combat in Saints Row: The Third retains the over-the-top action and intensity that makes the series incredibly enjoyable. The combat system has been revised to make it quicker and more intuitive than ever.

You can access the Weapon Palette Menu at any time during the game and choose from any category of weapons and grenades. To change the weapon you currently have equipped for each category, you must access your weapons cache at a gun store or one of your cribs.

Melee

Players can engage in visceral melee combat with any person in the world at any time by selecting the Fist from the weapon selection menu. Melee combat features combo attacks and finishers with custom animations and camera views to reward players for landing combo attacks. Hand-to-hand combat is initiated with a light or heavy attack.

Continuing to press the buttons creates a combo attack that can end with several finishers. When a combo is underway, buttons appear on the HUD; if you are able to press the corresponding button, the attack becomes stronger. In addition to using your fists for melee combat, you also have an assortment of close-combat weapons. All of the melee weapons must be used at short range and, for the most part, consist of swinging instruments like bats.

Testicular Assault

While wielding a weapon, you always have a fallback attack called a Testicular Assault. This is a simple quick melee attack that can be used at any time, from the front or back, and will damage and incapacitate enemies in funny ways. This a comical, single-hit maneuver can be as useful as it is painful.

Shooting

Shooting is the main form of combat. There are numerous weapons and upgrades that allow you to customize how your weapons improve over the course of the game.

Each weapon has upgrades that can change its recoil, reload amount, rate of fire, accuracy, and other attributes. Some of the smaller weapons like the pistol and SMG can even be dual wielded by purchasing an upgrade.

Reloading and Ammo

Weapons automatically reload when the clip is empty. However, you can also strategically reload your guns manually to avoid awkward situations.

Any time you take cover to regenerate your health or get a breather, check your ammo status and consider manually reloading.

The amount of rounds for each weapon can be increased by upgrading the gun itself or by using the Upgrade app. Luckily, all guns of the same type, such as rifles, use the same ammo so switching from one rifle to another means it will have the same ammo.

Off-Hand Grenades

Players can throw grenades at any time. Unlike the previous versions of Saints Row, you no longer must manually switch to the grenade you want to throw on a Weapon Select Menu in the middle of combat. Instead, select a grenade at any time and then throw it even while shooting or doing another action.

Human Shield

Grab almost any person and use them as a human shield. Human shields absorb bullets being fired by enemies and provide you with a moving cover. With a human shield, you can recover health in the middle of a tough combat situation.

If you choose, you can also execute or throw the human shield at any time. Grabbing and executing a human shield is a great one-hit kill that can remove enemies fast. On the other hand, the hostage can be tossed to knock down other enemies.

Quick-Time Events

Quick-time events (QTEs) are gameplay elements that require you to mash buttons or press specific buttons within a given time period to avoid taking damage or to perform a special move.

These QTEs are used in missions, boss battles, Brute combat, and other gameplay during intense parts of the game.

Down and Revival

In single-player games, you simply die if you take too much damage. In Co-op, you can be revived with the assistance of the co-op player. Recruited gang members (followers) and story characters (homies) can be revived when they are downed.

You will receive multiple prompts on the HUD that a follower or homie is downed; a timer also appears. Get near the downed character and press and hold the specific button to revive the downed person and restore their health. I

f you do not revive fallen comrades before the time is up, that person dies. During a mission, if one of your homies dies you will usually fail.