Proximity Launcher (GZ)

 

Proximity Launcher
Production information
Technical specifications
Damage Per Hit	Projectile: 65 Mine: Up to ~50
Maximum Ammunition	50
Fire Mode	Semi-automatic
Ammunition Type	Prox Mines
Rate of Fire	50 shots per minute
Usage
Era(s)	Quake II: Ground Zero
Counterpart	Grenade Launcher
[Source]

“	When launched into the world, the Prox Mines will deploy on a surface, then wait for the enemy to set off their proximity trigger. The Prox Launcher gives a high degree of accuracy for placing the Prox. Go ahead, set up some traps... you know you want to.	”
—Ground Zero Manual

The Proximity Launcher (also can be called the Prox Launcher, or Mine Launcher) is a new weapon introduced in Ground Zero. The Prox Launcher looks much like the Grenade Launcher from Quake II, except with a different color. The Prox Launcher fires mines in a trajectory much like the Grenade Launcher, but unlike the Grenade Launcher's projectile, the Prox Launcher's mines don't bounce - they'll stick to the surface they hit, whether that's the floor, wall or ceiling. The mine will then expand into a starfish-like shape. If a monster or player (friend or foe) steps near it, it will beep for a moment and then explode, dealing damage in a radius - generally up to around 50 if the enemy runs directly over it. If the launched mine strikes an enemy directly, it'll explode immediately - dealing the full 65 damage; it will also explode immediately if it strikes a destroyable object such as a corpse.

Once laid, prox mines can be destroyed by gunfire, causing them to detonate (two shots from your Blaster are enough to destroy it). Monsters seem to be oblivious to prox mines and will not deliberately attempt to destroy them, or make much effort to avoid stepping onto them. If a prox mine isn't triggered or destroyed by gunfire, it will detonate 45 seconds after being launched.

In the 2023 remaster, in single-player the player will not trigger their own prox mines by standing close to them; they can safely walk over their own minefields, although they will still be harmed by the explosion if a mine is triggered by an enemy, by gunfire, or by the 45 seconds running out.

Strategies

Single-player

• Depending on the terrain, the Prox Launcher can be a good way to dispose of enemies safely. If there's an area behind you that you've already cleared of enemies, then once you've got an enemy's attention you can gradually retreat from it towards the direction of safety, laying prox mines as you go - preferably while staying out of sight of the enemy pursuing you. With some luck the enemy will keep blundering into the prox mines as it pursues you, taking damage all the way, and you don't necessarily need to expose yourself to its return fire.
• The 2023 remaster allows a patient player to do the above tactic with a greater degree of preparation. If the player becomes aware of a particular enemy ahead they would rather not face head-on, they can plan a route leading up to the enemy and lay Prox Mines along the route, far enough apart that the explosion of one won't trigger another. Once enough Prox Mines are laid, all the player needs to do is move close enough to get the enemy's attention (perhaps by firing another Prox mine toward them) and then retreat along the route, allowing the pursuing enemy to trigger the mines one after the other - in the 2023 remaster, the player doesn't trigger their own mines so all they need to do at this point is run. When deciding how many mines to lay, you can reasonably expect each mine to deliver around 50 damage if it is placed where a Strogg will run over it - so one mine is probably enough for a Guard, a Gunner would take four, a Berserker or Stalker five, around eight for a Gladiator, etc.
• If you're approaching an area in which you can hear enemies that aren't aware of your presence yet, but you aren't quite sure of their position, it can be worth lobbing a Prox or two into the room first, towards where they might be lurking - they can do a good job of revealing enemies hiding behind obstacles, without wasting too much in the way of ammo. The fact prox mines don't bounce like grenades from the Grenade Launcher can also give it a better degree of accuracy in this regard. But if you lay a mine where there aren't any enemies, be careful not to forget about it and blunder into it yourself later - you can use the Blaster to destroy it safely from a distance.
• When laying minefields, it's better to lay the mines some distance apart rather than clump them all together hoping for massive damage in one go. If a launched mine lands too close to a mine that has already expanded into the starfish shape, it will immediately trigger it and both will explode.
• Once a player becomes familiar enough with the levels in Ground Zero to know where the "monster closets" are located (i.e. wall sections that open to release enemies to ambush the player) the player can turn these ambushes on their head by laying prox mines in front of the wall section that will open. For example, in Waste Disposal the player must enter the DNA scanning machine which will cause a wall section to open and release two Gunners, but about five prox mines laid in the correct spot beforehand can be enough to kill the Gunners as they emerge.

Multiplayer

• The Prox Launcher is good for a player that is charging at you because you can place the mine on the ground right in front of you if the player is going to attack with a Chainfist. The Prox Launcher can also be good to trap a player around the corner. You can even place it, and then walk off, but remember where the trap is.

Trivia

• The 2023 remaster gives most weapons the ability to inflict double damage against a monster who is unaware of the player's presence (in the original game, only a few weapons had this property, most notably the Railgun). The 2023 remaster expands this property to most weapons, but a few do not benefit from it: hand grenade, Grenade Launcher and the Prox Launcher.
• Some of the player's weapons seem incapable of harming a prox mine, generally hitscan weapons such as the Shotgun and Super Shotgun. However, projectile weapons such as the Blaster don't seem to have this problem.

Gallery

Prox Launcher in first-person view.

Proximity Mine