- For the Duke Nukem Forever weapon, see Freeze Ray (DNF).
The Freezethrower is a weapon capable of freezing enemies in Duke Nukem 3D and its many ports and expansions. If within range, Duke will automatically kick frozen enemies, causing them to shatter.
Characteristics[]
The Freezethrower fires icy projectiles that deal damage to enemies. If a given projectile would reduce an enemy to zero health, then the projectile instead transforms the enemy into a frozen ice sculpture with 1 health, rather than causing the enemy to die. The projectiles are capable of bouncing off of walls up to 3 times, with each bounce halving the amount of damage they will inflict.
Damaging enemies while they are frozen will cause them to shatter. Duke will automatically kick frozen enemies if they are close enough. If they are not immediately killed, enemies will thaw and return to normal after 5.31 seconds, though they will retain only 1 health.
Tips and Tricks[]
- Very much like the Microwave Expander, the Freezethrower can't freeze enemies until they're on the brink of death (i.e. 1 health point left). Damage enemies significantly until you decide to use the Freezethrower to save ammo.
- The ice crystals emitted from the Freezethrower can be bounced around if they hit a solid wall; you can use this to your advantage to hurt or even freeze enemies around a corner if you don't want to expose yourself. Take note however that every time a freezethrower projectile bounces off something, its damage is cut in half.
- Do not use steroids forwarding with this weapon without a target,unless controlling by fast-ducking strategy.Its very low speed crystals will harm yourself.However,you can use roids and forward to get close to your opponent by fast-ducking(it will control duke excessive roids speed,jumping doesnt work because speed is not controlled) this is the best way to fight with freezer in multiplayer.Enable your steroids,get close and fast duck to avoid self damaging when forwarding at enemy.Just try to not touch your own crystals.Using this tactic will concentrate your crystals in the air,not spreading the projectiles.A grouped 9 roided-crystals can freeze instantly a 200hp and 0 armor opponent,and if bounced,can kill 100hp and 0ap.
- Combining this weapon with steroids or normal mode trying be ever closer to a target its the best all-around use,but requires much skill at dukematches,dealing more damage than expander(kills 100hp and zero armor in 4 crystals with luck, vs. 7 needed with expander that shoots more slowly)but this is risky unless at very closed spaces.
- This weapon is accurate, and good to destroy objects unlike devastator that spreads rockets.
- A good usage for this weapon is when running/escaping, because opponent will try to follow you, and can be useful fire some crystals in small hallways to damage enemies.Cornering crystals with bounce also useful,specially if opponent has no steroids or jetpack.
- In more extended areas,you can fire some crystals that will fly for some time because of bouncing and low projectile speed,good to disturb opponents.
- The Freezethrower is the best weapon for 'finishing' opponents in dukematch,because it spawns an atomic health when destroyed freezed duke and keep duke freezed by 5 seconds,useful in duels to keep opponent freezed and get some itens before destroying the freezed duke,and getting extra 50hp.So changing weapon to freezer when your opponent is screaming(less than 30hp),specially in closed areas,can compensate.
Trivia[]
- Early sketches of the Freezethrower weapon display it as an laser chainsaw named Caterkillar (a play on the "Caterpillar Inc." machinery manufacturer). In fact, the sprites and color scheme of the Freezethrower are very suitable for it.
- To some extent, there were also plans for a Flamethrower; a weapon that was also equipped by an early version of the Assault Enforcer. Early versions of the game have the code of an enemy being burned. USER.CON has an unused line "YOU'RE BURNING!" which was supposed to be displayed when the player is hit by the Flamethrower
- If Duke is frozen by the Freezethrower (including splashback damage) and gets smashed by a shot or falls to the ground, an Atomic Health spawns. This was most likely programmed for Dukematches for opponents to collect since this would not benefit the player anyway, if they had the misfortune to freeze themselves and be killed by an alien in single player.
- If Duke is frozen in single player none of the enemies will actually attack him; they will wait around and then attack him when he unfreezes; this was most likely because the player is not likely to get frozen in the first place (Unless their own shots keep hitting them or they freeze themselves on purpose), since none of the enemies can actually freeze him and generally would not have behavior programmed to shatter Duke; the only exception being the Flying Frosty in Duke: Nuclear Winter but because its behavior is the same as the Assault Commander's, it won't try to shatter Duke either, despite being capable of freezing him. Duke will only ever get broken by an enemy if a stray shot hit him at exactly the same time he gets frozen
- Bosses cannot be frozen but mini bosses can.
The Atomic Health that spawns when Duke shatters after being frozen