HECU SPAS-12

The Hazardous Environment Combat Unit SPAS-12, also referred to as HECU SPAS-12 or simply SPAS-12, is a powerful pump-action shotgun that fires buckshot in a cone-shaped pattern. Primarily used by the HECU, it is used by all playable characters from the Half-Life games' story arc.

Overview


The SPAS-12 has two fire modes. The first fire mode fires six pellets with a medium-sized spread, uses one shell and has a small delay between shots, while the alternate fire mode fires twelve pellets in a larger, less tight spread and uses two shells, but has a longer delay between shots.

The SPAS-12 is reloaded one shell at a time. The reloading process can be interrupted at anytime by pressing the fire key. The weapon is commonly used by the HECU, who often have one or two soldiers armed with shotguns mixed with ones wielding MP5s.

In Half-Life, the SPAS-12 is first acquired in the game's fourth chapter, Office Complex, at the end of a hallway. If not found there, it can be found scattered throughout the rest of the chapter. After Freeman is captured and his weapons are confiscated, the SPAS-12 can be obtained by killing a SPAS-12 wielding HECU soldier at the start of the chapter Questionable Ethics.

Tactics

 * The SPAS-12's primary fire is very effective against weak enemies, such as Headcrabs, Zombies, and Vortigaunts. However, the primary fire mode falters against stronger enemies, such as the Bullsquid, because of the low damage output and the small delay between shots.


 * The SPAS-12's alternate fire is one of the most powerful attacks the player can use. In Normal mode, it can kill any enemy up to a HECU soldier in one hit, as long as around six pellets connect. The alternate fire also does heavy damage against the Alien Grunt, but the long delay between shots makes the player very vulnerable to counterattacks, especially while being close to the enemy. Due to this, players will often switch to another firearm/weapon to finish off weakened targets.


 * The only enemy that the SPAS-12 does poorly against is the Alien Controller. At the various ranges the Alien Controller can be at, most of the SPAS-12's pellets will miss the creature due to its spread, no matter what firing mode is used.


 * Since SPAS-12 ammo is very common and offers plenty of ammunition per ammo pack, it is unlikely to run out of ammo for it throughout the game.


 * Reloading must be made as often as possible, as an empty SPAS-12 magazine takes much longer to reload than other weapons.


 * In Deathmatch gameplay, one shot only fires two-thirds bullets, but each bullet causes four times as much damage.

Behind the scenes

 * Early footage showed that the SPAS-12 had a completely different skin that was white. All traces of the old skin were removed except for the shotgun used by the scientist at Sector F Lambda Complex's Level A, which still uses that old skin. However, when the scientist puts the shotgun down, its skin reverts to the final one.

Trivia

 * The Team Fortress Classic Super Shotgun uses the HECU SPAS-12's model.


 * Although the standard shotgun weapon model is a SPAS-12, the weapon icon in the HUD depicts a different model of shotgun (an Ithaca 37). The Half-Life High Definition Pack remedies this by replacing the icon and making it look like a real SPAS-12.


 * In real life, the SPAS-12 cannot fire two shots simultaneously, as it only has one barrel.


 * Although the SPAS-12 can switch between pump-action and semi-automatic modes, only the player uses the pump-action, while the HECU uses the semi-automatic. It is impossible to switch modes in-game.


 * In Half-Life: Source, HECU soldier can fire in completely semi-automatic mode. At close range, it could be dangerous if the player does not have an armor point.
 * The SPAS-12 is one of many weapons that exist in both the Half-Life series and the Left 4 Dead series. Left 4 Dead 2 features the Combat Shotgun, which appears as the SPAS-12 with its stock folded up, like the SPAS-12 from Half-Life HD. The Combat Shotgun from Left 4 Dead 2 uses the SPAS-12's semi-automatic mode; it also holds 10 shells instead of 8.


 * When the SPAS-12 is used by NPC's, they will reload all shell at once.

List of appearances

 * Half-Life: Day One
 * Half-Life
 * Half-Life: Uplink
 * Half-Life: Opposing Force
 * Half-Life: Blue Shift
 * Half-Life: Decay
 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar