MP5

The Heckler & Koch MP5, simply known as SMG, is a weapon featured in Half-Life and its expansions. The primary weapon used by the HECU, it is an automatic weapon with a high rate of fire. It is also equipped with a grenade launcher that boosts its effectiveness.

Overview

 * The SMG's bullets will instantly hit a target as soon as the gun is fired. It uses the same ammunition as the Pistol.


 * The attached grenade launcher fires powerful explosives that will automatically explode when hitting the ground. It does not need to be reloaded, so the player can fire as many grenades as he wants until being out of ammo.


 * This weapon is first obtained at the start of the Half-Life chapter "We've Got Hostiles". It can be found next to a dead HECU soldier in the first room that has Sentry Turrets. After that, it can be found in areas controlled by the HECU and picked up on dead HECU soldiers.


 * When a player picks up an SMG for the first time, it will have 25 rounds in its magazine. The player must reload the gun to get 50 rounds in the magazine. However, in some related games such as Half-Life: Day One and Half-Life: Opposing Force, the MP5 already holds 50 rounds when picked up.


 * With the High Definition Pack enabled, the MP5 becomes an M4.


 * In the HUD you can realize that its not an MP-5, its a modified version of a Bizon-2 SMG

Tactics

 * The SMG has poor accuracy during sustained fire, so using short bursts at range is essential.


 * Groups of weak enemies, such as Headcrabs or Houndeyes, can easily be killed with the SMG.


 * The SMG is effective on small groups (2-3) of Vortigaunts and HECU soldiers. With Vortigaunts, the player should remember to move often to avoid being hit by the Vortigaunts electric jolts. With HECU soldiers, the player should stay out of their effective range or make use of cover, since they have the same guns and slightly better accuracy.


 * The Alien Controller is easy to kill with the SMG. Since its bullets hit instantly, the player can attack the Controller and avoid its plasma balls with ease.


 * The SMG's accuracy is not affected by crouching.

Grenade launcher

 * The grenade launcher should be used to clear out large groups of enemies at once. One grenade can kill up to four HECU soldiers with ease if it lands in the center of the group.


 * It is also effective against enemies that have a lot of health, such as the Alien Grunt. One grenade can usually kill it in one shot. If not, it only takes a few shots from the SMG to finish it off.


 * Using the grenade launcher against weak enemies, such as the Standard Headcrab, is obviously effective but is a waste of ammo. Normal bullets from any weapon is more advised.


 * The grenade launcher is one of the few weapons that can damage a Gargantua, so the player should stock up on grenade launcher ammo if he wants to kill a Gargantua manually.


 * If the grenade launcher is used at long range, intelligent enemies can usually run away from it before it explodes. Therefore, getting closer to the intended victims before firing is advised, as it prevents them from running away. However being too close will affect the player's health, as with all explosive weapons.

Behind the scenes

 * The SMG was originally to be an M4 assault rifle. It was switched to the MP5 early in development, though the High Definition Pack turned it back into an M4.


 * The original SMG had a different firing sound than the retail one.


 * The SMG held by the player and by the Beta HECU soldiers is an MP5SD, while the one held by enemies and on the ground is a regular MP5.


 * In the Half-Life High Definition Pack, the SMG appears to be an M4 assault rifle. However, it still uses the same ammo as the Pistol. The PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life, which uses the HD models by default, corrects this by giving the SMG its own ammo reserve.


 * The grenade launcher in Deathmatch Classic uses a reskinned MP5 grenade.

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