DRAGON BALL: THE BREAKERS – Weapons Guide (When to Use)

A rundown of the best (and worst) times to use the weapon items to best ensure your survival.

Guide to Weapons

All credit goes to Nappa's Ghost!

Overview

There are several useful items to be found scattered across the temporal seam. Most have very specific and straightforward use cases, but some are a bit more nuanced. In this guide, I’ll be going over everything you need to know about the weapon items of Dragonball: The Breakers.

The Arsenal

There are only 3 weapon items (currently):

Rocket Launcher

• Ammo: Single-shot
• Damage: Minuscule
• Knockback: Moderate
• Range: Very Long
• Firing Speed: Fast
• Projectile Speed: Somewhat Fast
• Recovery Speed: Fast

The Rocket Launcher is the most basic weapon, firing a single rocket in a straight line that explodes when it contacts something. Upon hitting a Raider, it will knock him back and deal a minuscule amount of damage. It can be found commonly in item chests and capsule cases. It can also be bought from Rocket Launcher vending machines for 1000 Zeni, and has a chance of being dug up with the Farmer’s skill Till.

Super Rocket Launcher

• Ammo: 3 shots
• Damage: Meager
• Knockback: Moderate
• Range: Very Long
• Firing Speed: Fast
• Projectile Speed: Somewhat Fast
• Recovery Speed: Fast

The Super Rocket Launcher is a gold-plated rocket launcher. It is nearly identical to the Rocket Launcher, except that it has 2 extra shots and slightly more damage. It can be found uncommonly in item chests and capsule cases.

Vegeta’s Gloves

• Ammo: Single-shot
• Damage: Moderate
• Knockback: Large
• Range: Long
• Firing Speed: Moderate
• Projectile Speed: Very Fast
• Recovery Speed: Moderate

Vegeta’s Gloves are charged with a Galick Gun beam, and are capable of dealing a moderate amount of damage with large knockback. They do have a bit of a wind-up, and leave you locked in the firing animation until it is finished. They can be found commonly in item chests and capsule cases.

Weapon Use Cases

The Rocket Launcher and Super Rocket Launcher fill the same roll, so I will be analyzing them together.
The rocket launchers excel in fast fire rate with moderate knockback, but are severely lacking in damage. However, unlike other projectiles, they will not be destroyed mid-flight by raider ki blasts. As such, they should be used as reactionary tool in response to the Raider’s actions.

Vegeta’s Gloves are comparably slower, but deal much more damage and have more knockback. They excel when used to assist a dragon-changed survivor’s offense.

Best Uses

1. Interrupting a Raider super attack.
   By far the best use of any weapon item is to knock the Raider out of a super attack they are about to use. The rocket launchers are especially good at this, given that they have almost no wind-up time. The Level 3 Raider Energy Volley super attacks are especially vulnerable to being interrupted with a weapon. Level 3 Cell’s Gravity Impact and Level 4 Buu’s Vanishing Ball are also good targets.
   However, not all Raider super attacks can be effectively interrupted. Fast super attacks like Level 3 Frieza’s Death Beam or Level 2 Cell’s Special Beam Cannon may come out before the shot can reach them. Additionally, super attacks like Level 2 Frieza’s Explosive Wave or Level 3 Buu’s Ill Rain will usually still come out even if the animation is interrupted.
2. Shooting the Raider when he is melee rushing a dragon-changed Survivor.
   Raiders can deal a lot of damage using melee rushes, so a well-timed shot can save a teammate’s dragon-change!
   Be careful though, as knocking the Raider back with a rocket when the survivor’s dragon-change is already depleted will leave them less time to get away. Since they keep their dragon-change until the end of the rush, it is better to let them get knocked away first.
3. Knocking the Raider away from the Super Time Machine.
   This is a bit more situational, but if the Super Time Machine is almost activated, use your weapons to keep the Raider away from it! Anything that stalls the Raider can make or break a Super Time Machine activation. Just make sure you have a line of sight on the Raider, or the Super Time Machine will block the shot. Although, if the Super Time Machine is not close to activating, it may be better to hold onto your weapons for self-defense. Recognizing a losing situation is key.

Good Uses

1. Knocking the Dragon Balls off of the Raider.
   Weapons provide an easy and relatively safe method of forcing the Raider to drop any Dragon Balls he is holding. Even if he picks them back up, you wasted some of his time with little risk to yourself.
2. Distracting the Raider.
   If the Raider is chasing a vulnerable teammate or is heading toward a Power Key that is being slotted, using weapons to center his attention on you can help out tremendously. Just make sure you have a way to escape if he comes for you! Although, if he chooses to ignore you, then you don’t get much out of using your shots.
3. Combining weapon knockback with stunning abilities.
   Some active abilities that can stun the Raider can be difficult to land. They may have limited range, a wind-up, or be a destructible projectile that can miss. Blasting the Raider with a rocket and then immediately using the stunning ability can make landing it much easier. However, it only reliably works at close range, making it a risky play. Additionally, it only works with rockets as the recovery speed of Vegeta’s Gloves is too slow.

Mediocre Uses

1. Stalling the Raider.
   Wasting the Raider’s time is a valuable tactic when done in the right situation, whether it be by interrupting him from finishing off a survivor or civilian or by stunning him and knocking him around. Weapons are one of the best ways to interrupt the Raider, but they don’t actually waste much of his time unless he comes after you instead or goes to pick up his dropped Dragon Balls. Be very mindful of when you should stall the Raider, as time you spend pestering him is time you are not gaining energy cubes or slotting keys.
2. Create distance between the Raider and yourself.
   If the Raider is hot on your heels, a well-placed weapon shot can give you a slight edge. The impact of this is rather small however, and standing still to fire the weapon might leave you vulnerable to incoming ki blasts.

Bad Uses

1. Shooting the Raider while they are summoning a minion.
   Frieza is able to summon Zarbon and Dodoria, and Spopovich can summon Yamu. Hitting them with a weapon during the summoning animation will knock them back, but the minion will still be summoned. As you are locked in place while firing, you will almost certainly get hit by the summoned minion.
2. Shooting the Raider after he finishes an attack.
   Most raider super attacks and some ki blasts already have recovery time before the Raider can move or attack again. Knocking him back after the attack has come out will act similarly to the recovery time, giving you minimal value for your effort. In some cases, it will shorten the time he has to spend recovering.
3. Shooting the Raider while he is being melee rushed by a dragon-changed survivor.
   A survivor melee rushing the Raider will hold him in place for the duration. Shooting the Raider with a weapon will knock him out of the attack, leaving the rushing survivor flailing in the air and the Raider free to counter with their own melee rush.
   Do note that it is possible to time the weapon hit with the final hit of the rush, extending the knockback stun and allowing the survivor to jump in for another melee rush. The timing is tight, and carries great risk if you hit too early.

Worst Uses

1. Shooting a stunned raider.
   A Raider who has been stunned by a survivor ability will be held in place for a few seconds, forcing him to either use his evasive ability or wait out the stun. Shooting him with a weapon will replace the long stun with a short knockback, allowing him to move sooner and likely putting the survivor who stunned him in substantial danger. Shooting at the very end of the stun has some merit, but the impact is minor.
2. Shooting a Raider that is melee clashing with a dragon-changed survivor.
   When a Raider and a dragon-changed survivor of equal level both melee each other, they will clash. Knocking the Raider out of the lengthy clash animation will leave the clashing survivor completely vulnerable until they finish the animation, giving the Raider an easy opportunity to counter.
3. Shooting at idle summoned minions.
   Zarbon, Dodoria, and Yamu will linger for a bit if they don’t spot a survivor. Shooting a weapon at them will not cause them to disappear. Only dragon change attacks can force them to leave.
4. Wasting ammo on nothing.
   Weapon resources are limited, so don’t waste them!

Tips

• The Raider cannot be hit during area destruction, Level 4 Ultimate attacks, or while evolving. Don’t waste your ammo!
• Rockets fly very far and are pretty fast, but you will need to lead your shots to hit a distant Raider. Thankfully they have generously wide hitboxes!
• The Galick Gun from Vegeta’s Gloves lingers for a bit. If you miss your shot but the Raider runs into the beam, he will still be damaged and knocked back.
• Weapons can be used to destroy buildings, but this is usually not worth doing.