The Combine Grenade is a weapon featured in Half-Life: Alyx.
Overview
The Combine Grenade is a throwable explosive device that explodes after it's fuse timer is completed. The grenade is utilized by certain Combine Grunts, but Alyx can also find them by looting Grunts or from various world sources such as supply crates or Combine Lockers.
The grenade can be activated using the controller binding corresponding to such things as Pistol slide release, Shotgun breach opening, etc. Upon activating the fuse (about 4-5 seconds) will start. When thrown by a Combine Grunt the grenade's fuse will take almost twice as long to complete. Grenades can be stored in Alyx's wrist pockets for future use, and they also serve as the ammunition for the Shotgun's Grenade Launcher upgrade. Note that the Xen Grenade functions identically to the Combine Grenade and differs only in appearance and source.
Tactics
The Combine Grenade is very common after it's first introduction during the chapter "Superweapon." Don't try to save greandes for the perfect moment, and don't be afraid to use one on just one or two enemies. Some helpful strategies are as follows:
- Cook Your Grenades: This has been a feature in all Half-Life games, so don't be afraid to use it. Combine enemies will run from grenades if they spot one, so try holding a primed grenade for a few seconds before tossing it. If timed well, combine enemies won't have time to get out of the blast range before it explodes.
- Curve or Bounce Your Shots: HL:A has a very realistic physics engine, so use it to your advantage! If you want to nail and enemy behind cover or kill a Combine Charger with his shield up (there's even an acheivement for it), try tossing a grenade at a wall and bouncing it closer to your target. Grenades don't bounce very well, though, so you'll have to get used to the behavior.
- Use against Suppresors: Suppresors are designed to drain your health if they get line of sight, so use the only tool in your arsenal that doesn't use line of sight. Use some of the strategies mentioned previously to get a grenade on a Combine Suppresor and take them out early.
- Destroy Tripmines: Tripmines are introduced during the chapter "Arms Race," long after Grenades are introduced. You can take a sort of breach and clear strategy to clearing Tripmines by tossing a grenade into a room of Tripmines and then heading for cover. This is only a reasonable strategy if you can't use props and physics objects for whatever reason.
Related achievements
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| Use the gravity gloves to intercept an incoming enemy grenade in mid-flight. |
Gallery
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List of appearances
- Half-Life: Alyx (First appearance)
Trivia
- You can get one free Combine Grenade before they are first introduced if you save up enough Resin for the Grenade Launcher on the Shotgun, which gives you a free grenade by default.
- You can use your Gravity Gloves to pull Grenades off of living Combine Grunts, although this will alert the Grunt to your location. There's even and acheivement for it!
- During the first introduction of Combine Grenades in the chapter "Superweapon," you are required to use a Grenade to throw into a small locked room containing a Zombie, Explosive Barrel, and a Padlock blocking entry into the room. If you explode all of the grenades provided to you without successfully throwing any of them into the vent leading into the room, the game will secretly spawn more nearby.
