Ahoy! CaptainBenzie coming at you with Loadout Lowdown, in association with FieryTale. This series aims to take a close look at the Armajet armory in fine detail to help you rocket up the Valor ranks like a firecracker!
Today we’ll be looking at one of the first weapons you’ll likely ever fire in the game, but don’t let that fool you – despite being an early unlock, this beast is most definitely viable in the competitive arena.
Today we’re looking at the Tremor which is a spread fire shotgun that fires four flak projectiles that bounce off surfaces. These projectiles and how they move, are what make the Tremor such a unique weapon.
Other Armajet Guides:
- Blacktusk / Loadout Lowdown.
- Longclaw / Loadout Lowdown.
- Badger / Loadout Lowdown.
- Venom / Loadout Lowdown.
The Tremor
Before we continue, throw away all your preconceptions about shotguns. The Tremor is a different beast.
Firstly, it has a surprising range to it. Though nothing compared to a Longclaw, it can hit enemies further away than the other shotguns like the Lycan or Dominion can reach and can even outrange a Blacktusk or Thunderstorm.
It’s damage is also surprisingly high, at about 20 per projectile, for a possible 80-ish damage. For comparison, basic health is currently 100, and Shields add 50.
By the way, if you’re wondering why I’m being a little vague about hard numbers, it’s because these may change in balance patches and I’d rather not re-record every Loadout Lowdown whenever there’s a minor balance patch. Anyways, back to the Tremor and it’s projectiles.
It’s worth noting that these projectiles spread out in a cone when the Tremor is fired, so at long range in an open environment, you’re unlikely to hit with more than one projectile. This makes the Tremor somewhat more situational than other guns and it won’t fare as well on maps like Temple or Canyon with lots of wide open spaces.
If you can get close to your target, conversely, and blast all four projectiles into their face at point blank range, the Tremor does an astonishing amount of damage and will take out an unshielded opponent that has been even remotely grazed. Either way full Tremor blast will still chunk away an opponents shield or take a solid bite from their health, leaving them easy prey for your teammates to polish off.
The real trick to the Tremor comes with how and where you aim it. Whereas a weapon like the Blacktusk should ideally be aimed at your opponent, or at least into the space just ahead of them, the Tremor is slightly different. If you aim directly at an opponent, there’s a strong likelihood that at least one of the flak projectiles will sail harmlessly past.
Instead, When approaching your target, aim at their feet and laugh hysterically as all four projectiles bounce through their legs for full damage.
On maps like Snow Base, you can also use the ceiling to rain ricocheted flak projectiles onto the enemy team for the same effect. This makes the Tremor great for pushing into enclosed spaces where the bouncing shot can impact into several targets.
The Tremor also has a basic enough mobility rating to keep you somewhat mobile and able to close the gap with your opponents or dive into cover if things get a little heated. Keep that boost tank ready.
The Tremors biggest drawback is it’s reload time. If you miss a shot or fail to kill an opponent armed with an aggressive weapon, its unlikely that you’ll be able to fire off a second volley before eating a fistful of whatever variety of hot lead your opponent is cooking. Or lightning, in the event that your opponent is forcing a Thunderstorm down your throat.
For secondary weapons, the Tremor twins well with a few. In an emergency, an Enforcer, or Marauder can finish off an opponent (although I’m quite fond on swooping in with a Tremor shot and attaching a Sticky Grenade to any poor sod unfortunate enough to survive the initial blast), but a firm favourite Loadout of mine is to twin the Tremor with an EMP Grenade. The combined damage of an EMP hit and a full choke Tremor blast is usually enough to finish off an opponent and the EMP slowdown makes it easier to ensure all four flak projectiles bounce into your targets soft spots.
Due to how the Tremors shots and projectiles curve, it also twins well with Frag Grenades as a finisher for opponents that may be behind cover.
A good Tremor player is one who stays situationally aware at all times and knows the terrain of the particular battlefield well enough to know how shots bounce off different surfaces. Because of this, the Tremor does very well on Moon, Snow Base, and Magma, is situational on Canyon (in that it works well only in the caves), and not a great choice at all for battles on Temple.
As with other close range weaponry, it’s worth acquainting yourself with where the shield powerups are on each map. As you’ll need to stay close to the enemy team and constantly be within return fire range, it’s well worth your while to grab these when you can. You need shields much more than your longer ranged teammates do, so if your Longclaw specialist keeps stealing them, consider having words with them!
If you’re looking to deal with an enemy Tremor user, there are two golden rules to stick to. Firstly, always try and engage them in open areas, preferably with your feet off the ground to avoid absorbing extra bounce shots. Secondly, keep your distance. In this way, anyone firing a Tremor at you will hit with only one or two projectiles, rather than the full four. Being hit with two flak instead of four means it takes the Tremor user twice as long to kill you, and this you can feed them twice the amount of pain in the interim! Fun!
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