Finally VIABLE? Bomb Lance & Launcher Mastery | Hunt Showdown 1896

Intro

Hi guys, Rex here! The bomb lance has been an iconic weapon in Hunt: Showdown for as long as I can remember. This massive melee weapon features an integrated bomb launcher that can fire sticky explosives as well as four special ammo types, and with a recent update the bomb launcher was added as a separate weapon, which is now the first unlock in this weapon family, meaning you’ll have to play the launcher to unlock the lance.

The regular sticky ammo for the bomb launcher has a quite heavy drop and low velocity making it hard to land accurate shots, especially on moving targets – but on the bright side, this ammo type will always kill once you hit your target – and because it has a 2 second delay you get to sit back and enjoy the view – or maintain intense eye contact, which I personally prefer. The sticky ammo is also amazing for PVE, as it will one-shot meatheads and deals a lot of damage to most bosses.

Next up, steel balls are essentially penny shot ammo for the bomb launcher, but makes less noise than a regular shotgun. Since this ammo type deals blunt damage, it can one shot immolators without blowing them up, but like penny shot this ammo type does not have the ability to penetrate surfaces.

Third, we have waxed frag charges. This ammo type behaves very similar to frag arrows for the hunting bow in that it deals explosive damage in a small area after a short delay, deals 25 damage on a direct impact and can be bounced off surfaces. This ammo type causes intense bleeding, and because the projectile is waxed it will also blow up in water or in choke clouds, like waxed dynamites.

The fourth ammo type, harpoons, are large bolts that deal massive damage on impact, have slightly higher velocity than the other ammo types and can be retrieved after use, just like regular arrows and bolts. Because the harpoons are retrievable, they synergize well with the blademancer trait, which allows you to retrieve projectiles through dark sight.

Harpoons have serious damage output and will one-shot kill on longer distances than the other ammo types.

Finally, dragon breath ammo behaves the same as shotgun dragon breath ammo. This ammo type deals massive fire damage on impact and sets enemy hunters on fire on longer distances. The heavy fire damage will often burn off health chunks, weakening opponents until they are able to restore their health chunks for example by killing a boss, utilizing certain burn traits or by injecting recovery shots. Dragon breath ammo can also be used to burn dead hunters, which gives you the option to skip your flare pistol or fuses in favor of another tool item.

With update 2.3 the bomb launcher & lance got buffed, as the bolt thrower now increases the reload speed for both, making them more viable overall. In this video I am putting both the lance and launcher to the test to see how viable they are in the current state of the game, and this video features my best rounds. At the end of the video, I’ll share my thoughts and recommendations for these weapons, but without further ado – let’s dive into it!

Thoughts & Recommendations

After a couple of days of playing the bomb lance and launcher – here are my thoughts! First off, I am never disappointed by the fun factor the bomb lance brings. The ability to charge in with a massive lance and attach bombs to anyone in sight is a unique and ridiculous experience. I have always been a big fan of this weapon, however now that I am typically in 5 and 6 star lobbies I find that it isn’t nearly as viable as it used to be back in the day when I used to play in 3 and 4 star lobbies. The bomb lance is large and clunky compared to other melee weapons like the katana, and while it does have massive potential it is not easy to pull off effectively against enemies who know how to position themselves well to avoid a melee rush. I got some nice kills and moments with it, but overall, I got most of my kills with the bomb launcher on the lance or with the dedicated bomb launcher weapon.

Speaking of, since the bomb launcher reloads faster than the lance and takes 2 slots instead of 3, I found it to be more viable overall. The bomb launcher can be paired with your favorite 2 slot weapon, or even a 3 slot weapon if you take the quartermaster trait, giving you far better loadout options than the lance does. I also ran the lance and launcher together for a ridiculous short-range loadout, which worked quite well, but obviously has its limitations in long range encounters. As for more viable loadouts, I often ran the centennial Pointman alongside the launcher to cover the medium to long range, and an uppercut or Scottfield spitfire with the lance. What you choose as your secondary is really up to you, but I would recommend something to at least cover medium range. I ran a couple of rounds of bomb launcher paired with the drilling shorty as well, which is a solid option that I can highly recommend.

So what is the final verdict? How viable are these weapons in the current state of the game, now that they got buffed by the bolt thrower trait? In lower MMR lobbies, the bomb lance is and always has been king. This weapon is amazing for new players as it greatly benefits from the chaos and lack of proper positioning and movement that you’ll see in these lobbies – but if you are in higher MMR it quickly loses its benefits. The bomb launcher on the other hand is actually quite solid depending on your secondary weapon, as it gives you tremendous damage output and utility, somewhat comparable to a bow or crossbow. I’d say the bomb launcher with the bolt thrower trait has serious potential in capable hands, but the skill ceiling is high. What do YOU think about the bomb launcher and lance? Do you agree with my assessment of these weapons? Let me know in the comments, and until next time I’ll see you in the bayou!