Combine SPAS-12

"Here, I have a more suitable gun for you. You'll need it."

- Father Grigori

The Combine SPAS-12 is a powerful pump-action shotgun that fires buckshot in a cone-shaped pattern. It is used by various characters and NPCs in Half-Life 2 and its episodes.

Overview

 * The SPAS-12 fires one shot if the main fire key is pressed, and will fire two shots at once when the alternate fire key is pressed. Of note is that the double-blast uses two shotgun shells at once.


 * This weapon is used by both Rebels and Overwatch Soldiers, who have a different uniform than regular soldiers.


 * When the gun is reloaded, Freeman inserts one shell at a time. The reloading process can be interrupted at anytime by hitting any of the fire keys.


 * The SPAS-12 is first given to Freeman by Father Grigori in the sixth Half-Life 2 chapter, "We Don't Go To Ravenholm...".


 * After the Nova Prospekt chapter, Kleiner greets Alyx and Gordon with a SPAS-12, mirroring a scene from Half-Life.


 * In the Episode One Hospital, Alyx picks up a SPAS-12 that she effectively uses against opponents. Just like with her gun, it appears to have unlimited ammo.

Tactics

 * The SPAS-12 is very effective at close range against most targets. However, its effectiveness decreases significantly with range because its pellets spread more the farther they go.


 * The SPAS-12 is one of the most effective weapons in the game, as the single shot's spread is tight enough to hit enemies at up to medium range, and it does a lot of damage per pellet. Its ammunition can be found very often as well.


 * The double-shot is very powerful, but its large spread means that it should only be used at short range.


 * The SPAS-12 should not be used against weak enemies such as Headcrabs, but against stronger ones such as Overwatch Soldiers and Zombies.


 * It may be desirable to enter a firefight with the SPAS-12 and, once the supply of shells has been exhausted, switch to a backup weapon instead of reloading.


 * A common tactic when using the SPAS-12 is to reload every one or two shots if possible to avoid the long reload time. However this is generally not recommended if multiple enemies are at close range.


 * The shotgun itself is almost an exact duplicate of a Franchi SPAS-12. it has almost exact design and appearence.

Behind the scenes

 * The SPAS-12 in the leaked Half-Life 2 Beta has a completely different model and completely different firing sounds. The sounds can still be found in retail sound files. The model appears in the E3 2004 trailer and in the retail game files as a "DirectX 7" model, although its textures are missing.

Trivia

 * The SPAS-12-using Overwatch Soldiers are suggested to be squad leaders, though they did not have any distinguishing marks until Episode Two.


 * Other NPCs seem to use the SPAS-12 in semi-automatic mode, as there is no pumping sound between shots. The firing speed is also a bit faster than the player's.


 * NPCs and Half-Life 2 Deathmatch's player models have no reloading animations for the SPAS-12.


 * The Nova Prospekt Prison Guards seem to use the SPAS-12 more frequently than normal Overwatch Soldiers, perhaps due to the shorter combat ranges and therefore enhanced shotgun effectiveness.


 * As with the original shotgun, artwork often depicts Gordon Freeman with it, making it the only weapon besides the crowbar he is depicted with in concept art.


 * In real life, the SPAS-12 cannot fire 2 shots simultaneously, as it only has one barrel. In the case of Half Life 2, the ammunition tube on the bottom becomes the second barrel.

List of appearances

 * ''Half-Life 2
 * Half-Life 2: Deathmatch
 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
 * Half-Life 2: Lost Coast
 * Half-Life 2: Episode One
 * Half-Life 2: Episode Two