Rocket Launcher

Rocket Launcher
Specifications
Type	Rocket Launcher
SoldierClass	Heavy
Base Damage	6
Critical Damage	N/A
Critical Chance	N/A
Effective Range	Medium
Damage to environment	500
Clip Size	Special
Cost	None

The Rocket Launcher is a single-shot weapon used by Heavy Class soldiers in XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

Availability

As with all conventional weapons, the Rocket Launcher is available at the beginning of the game. Supply is unlimited.

Specifications

• Effective Range: Medium
• Base Damage: 6
• Critical Chance: 0%
• Critical Damage: N/A

Tactical Info

“	▪  Rockets have a blast radius of 3 tiles ▪  Friendly targets in the blast area are affected ▪  Rockets are useful for destroying cover and forcing enemies to spread out	”
– Tactical Info, XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Notes

• Exceptionally effective at killing large groups of relatively weak enemies clustered close together.
• As with all explosive weapons, a rocket blast that kills an alien will destroy weapon fragments that may have otherwise been recovered alongside the alien corpse.
• When facing tough enemies that will survive the blast from a single rocket, it is best fired early in a player's turn for two reasons. Firstly, it will destroy the aliens' cover and allow the Heavy's squadmates to hit the surviving aliens more easily. Secondly, injuring aliens with a rocket and finishing them off with friendly gunfire is preferable to the other way around, because a killing blow with gunfire will still grant weapon fragments.
• With the HEAT Ammo ability their damage versus robotic enemies is increased by +100% (the bonus is decreased to +50% In XCOM: Enemy Within) and are therefore highly effective against Cyberdiscs and Sectopods.
• Terrain objects can get in the way of the rocket, potentially rendering the shot useless or even worse detonating it among allies or civilians, so checking line of sight is vital.
• All shots with a Rocket Launcher will indicate 90% accuracy. In the event of a miss, the rocket will take a path deviating from the intended direction, which might still hit the intended target(s), but can also potentially detonate among allies or civilians.
• A vehicle caught in the blast of a rocket does not burn for one turn, and instead explodes immediately, harming/killing anyone using the vehicle for cover.
• The Danger Zone ability adds +2 to the blast radius.
• Can only be fired by a soldier who has not moved during their turn.
• Can only be used once per mission unless the soldier has the Rocketeer ability, in which case they may use it twice per mission.
• The Shredder Rocket ability does not count towards a use.

Trivia

•  It looks to be based heavily on the real-life AT4 (despite the fact that the AT4 is not a rocket launcher but a smoothbore recoilless launcher), with several attachments, such as a forward grip and a small scope.
• Similar to Frag Grenades, the Rocket Launcher is capable of dealing damage through indestructible cover, suggesting that its payload may be primarily concussion based rather than purely fragmentation based.

Gallery