Worms 2/Weapons

The following is a list of all weapons that appear in the game, ordered as they appear in the weapon menu (left to right, top to bottom). The key to toggle these weapons using the keyboard is also indicated.

Availability indicates with how much of the weapon you start up in a QuickMatch using default settings. If it says None, the weapon can only be acquired from falling weapon crates. Secret weapons cannot be modified with the built-in weapon editor and are much more obscure.

F1: Bazooka Weapons
The weapons of this row are launched from a Bazooka Launcher. They can be charged up by holding the Space button, and explode on impact.

Bazooka

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 50

This is your basic weapon. Aim it at a worm and fire and it will fly where you fired it at, and explode either on impact or after twenty seconds (though it is extremely hard to get a Bazooka projectile to fly for this long without hitting anything). Note that the projectile is affected by the wind, which can be either helpful to guide the projectile around a cliff or landmass, or annoying if the wind is undesirable.

Homing Missile

 * Availability: 2
 * Power: 50

The Homing Missile has the major advantage over the Bazooka that it is a homing weapon, which is very useful if you can't get a good aim. To use it, simply select a target using your mouse and then fire the weapon. It will take a direct path to the target, ignoring any obstacles that may be in the way. However, note that it takes a while to activate, and is therefore impractical for small areas like caves.

One major advantage of the Homing Missile is that it has the ability to travel underwater. This can be useful in situations where you and the enemy worm are sitting on opposite sides of an island. Fire the Homing Missile slightly down (not too much so it doesn't sink before it activates) and it will travel under the island to its target.

Mortar

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 20 plus five clusters

The Mortar is useful in situations where a worm (or several) is standing under a ceiling you can hit. It is always fired at full power (it does not need to be charged up) and upon its impact will release small clusters that similarly explode. It should not be fired directly at worms because the clusters have the tendency to move away from the impact site.

Before the patch, there was a bug where you could walk onto an enemy worm and fire the Mortar straight up, which caused it to come back down and explode together with all its clusters, which usually kills the enemy worm. This bug however has been fixed with the patch.

Homing Pigeon

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 75

The Homing Pigeon is similar to the Homing Missile, but it has some more power and is able to avoid obstacles (although it isn't exactly good at it and may still hit it accidentally). However, it loses the ability to fly underwater. If you get it, it should be used for hard-to-hit worms, although the high power makes it useful in other situations too.

F2: Grenade Weapons
Grenade Weapons have in common that they are not affected by the wind, making them ideal in situations where the wind prevents you from using the Bazooka. You can set the fuse with the number keys (it defaults to three seconds), and except for the banana bomb also the elasticity with the plus and minus keys on the number pad.

Grenade

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 50

The Grenade should be used when you can't use the Bazooka. This is most commonly the case when the wind is undesirable or where there are objects in the way which would make the Bazooka explode prematurely.

You can set the fuse with the number keys. Choosing the right fuse is very important, because a too low fuse will make the Grenade explode too early, and a too high fuse will make the Grenade jump away from the enemy before it explodes. A good rule of thumb is that it takes a Grenade that has been fired directly upwards with full power exactly four seconds to return to the ground. Usually one second is enough for close targets and two to three seconds for more distant targets. The five second fuse is hardly ever useful, so avoid it.

The elasticity can also be changed if you so desire, but its use is very limited.

Cluster Bomb

 * Availability: 5
 * Power: 30 plus five clusters

The Cluster Bomb is quite similar to the Grenade, but when it explodes it releases small clusters that explode on impact. It is useful against groups of enemy worms or when an enemy is hard to hit with Grenades. Although you can also fire it at single enemy worms, there is no real point to it.

Before the patch, there was a bug where you could walk onto an enemy worm and drop a Cluster Bomb with a five second fuse on it, which caused it to explode together with all its clusters, which usually kills the enemy worm. This bug however has been fixed with the patch.

Banana Bomb

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 75 plus five clusters

The Banana Bomb is a very powerful weapon. It does 75 damage by itself, and releases five clusters that also do 75 damage each. This makes it ideal against enemy worm concentrations, since it destroys them and easily penetrates terrain with its sheer power. However it is quite jumpy, which may make it fly to a totally unintended location...

Homing Cluster Bomb

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 50 plus five clusters (25 per cluster)

This weapon is sort of a merger of the Cluster Bomb and the Homing Missile. When it explodes, it releases five clusters that then home in on the selected target. However, note that the clusters are very inaccurate and scatter a lot.

The use of this weapon is limited, but it can be used against enemy worms the Homing Missile cannot hit. Due to the inaccuracy, you don't want to throw the main bomb too far from the target though.

F3: Guns
These weapons are instant-hit weapons: whatever you target will certainly be hit. This means that they do not need to be charged up. They're useful if you need to shoot across large distances, and due to their relatively low power, they can also be used in areas where space limitations prevent the use of the Bazooka or Grenades.

Shotgun

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 25
 * Shots: 2

The Shotgun is a very special weapon, because it allows you to shoot twice and move your worm between these shots. Therefore, you can hit two different targets if you want, which is very useful in certain situations (especially on no land maps and during sudden death, where every hit is a kill). Since a perfect hit will always yield 25 damage, and perfect hits are easy, it can also be useful against close enemy worms, since four perfect shots will kill a worm under default settings.

Handgun

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 5
 * Shots: 6

The Handgun is only of limited use, due to its low power. It can be used to hit other targets like mines or oil drums, and it can also be used in very small spaces where you can't even use the Shotgun. As such opportunities are limited, this weapon is only of small use.

Uzi

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 5
 * Shots: 10

The Uzi is like a better version of the Handgun. Since its shots spread a lot, it is only really useful at close range. It can be used to knock an enemy worm over a cliff and into the water.

Minigun

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 5
 * Shots: 20

The Minigun is even more powered up, but gains a lot in inaccuracy too. It is useful in close range, since a perfectly aimed Minigun will fully kill a worm under default settings. Other possible uses are limited because of the very high inaccuracy.

F4: Melee Weapons
Melee Weapons require you to be able to walk up to the enemy, more or less. They do not need to be charged up, and there's no possibility of accidentally hurting yourself (except of course with Kamikaze) so it can be used in very small areas. You can also use most of them while jumping, which is useful in a few circumstances.

Fire Punch

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 30

The Fire Punch makes your worm fly straight up while punching with his fist. It penetrates terrain, so you can use it to hit enemy worms standing on a platform above you. You can also collect crates with it (although it is usually just a waste of a turn). Since it makes the enemy fly upwards, it is very useful for knocking enemy worms over cliffs.

Dragon Ball

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 30

The Dragon Ball, which is unrelated to the Dragon Ball franchise if you were wondering, creates a ball that travels a short way and disintegrates if it does not hit an enemy worm. A hit enemy worm will fly primarily forwards, so you can use it to push an enemy worm into a mine or a depression in the terrain. Since you can use the Dragon Ball while jumping, you can also hit enemy worms on a different height than you.

Kamikaze

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 30

The Kamikaze kills your worm. It does more than that however, your worm first travels a fair way, destroying terrain and any objects including mines and worms that may be in the way before finally exploding. Because you lose a worm when performing this, it is of very limited use, but it can be useful if your worm is weak and can hit multiple enemy worms with it. Otherwise, you should generally not use it.

Prod

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 0

Yes you read right, this weapon does no damage. It is some sort of joke item, and the only real use for it is to knock an enemy worm into a nearby pit, since it pushes an enemy worm only a small bit.

F5: Explosives
Explosives are simply dropped onto the ground, thus they do not need to be charged up. You also need to be able to drop these onto enemy worms, because otherwise there's no point in using them.

Dynamite

 * Availability: 1
 * Power: 75

The Dynamite is simply dropped onto the ground. Once that is done, you have five seconds to run away before it explodes. The Dynamite deals a lot of damage, but you only have one in a game using standard settings, therefore the target needs to be chosen carefully. You should especially avoid targets that can be easily knocked into the water or mines anyway, since for these, other weapons are better choices. It is best used with enemy worms in the middle of the island. Since a hit enemy worm flies quite a fair way, you can use it to make the enemy worm fly over large obstacles and possibly into the water. You can also drop the Dynamite down a cliff onto enemy worms below.

Mine

 * Availability: 2
 * Power: 50

The mine is dropped to the ground. Then, you get some time to retreat until the mine is armed. If you dropped it onto a worm it will explode doing its usual 50 damage, but if you just drop it somewhere on the field it won't explode, which gives it a great strategic value. You can use this to prevent the enemy worm from walking up to you, for example.

Sheep

 * Availability: 1
 * Power: 75

The Sheep is a Dynamite with four legs. Once you drop it, it will start walking forward. The sheep can jump over gaps and worms and it can also collect crates. Pressing Space again makes it explode, or it will explode on its own if you leave it alone.

Because it jumps over worms, it is rather difficult to use. However you can use this to shoot a worm straight down if it is standing on a thin platform.

Super Sheep

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 75

The Super Sheep acts like a normal Sheep at first. But when you press Space again, it will start flying upwards. You can then control the sheep using the arrow keys and fly it all around. To detonate the sheep, either fly it into the terrain, or press Space again which will cause it to revert to an ordinary Sheep which will then explode on impact. While you can collect crates while flying, it is difficult and you should not try it if you're inexperienced.

Its free movement mode allows it to be controlled anytime, even when out of bounds on a cavern map. This can be used to fly from one side of the cavern to the other by flying over the impenetrable ceiling.

F6: Airstrikes
Airstrikes are dropped from above, therefore the enemy worm should be on free terrain. They require a target to be selected with the mouse, you can also select from which direction the aircraft should arrive (which is useful if the enemy worm sits on a cliff). By definition, airstrikes are not available on cavern maps.

Air Strike

 * Availability: 1 (after four rounds)
 * Power: 30
 * Missiles: 5

This is a simple air strike that does moderate damage. Use it if you're enclosed in a cave and unable to hit the enemy worm in any way. It can be used against enemy concentrations too and will work very well in this case. Note that especially against sloped terrain, you may need to adjust the target because otherwise the missiles will miss it.

Homing Air Strike

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 30
 * Missiles: 5

This is very similar to the above, but all missiles home in on the target. If directly targeted at an enemy worm, it will usually die. This is a very precise weapon, but if the target is in mid-air, the missiles will fly around the target before being thrown outward. This is especially important for small platforms, where the first missile may destroy the platform enough for the other missiles to circle around the target.

Napalm Strike

 * Availability: 1 (after four rounds)
 * Power: Variable
 * Missiles: 5

The Napalm Strike launches five missiles, which explode in mid-air and release a carpet of burning fire. This weapon is best used against enemy concentrations due to its large area of effect, and for enemy worms which are positioned on a cliff. Note that the fire is affected by wind, so you need to take this into account especially for cliffs so the fire doesn't harmlessly fly away.

Mail Strike

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 50
 * Missiles: 5

This airstrike launches a volley of... mails. The mails are greatly affected by wind, and when they hit the ground they explode doing high damage. The mails are also slightly inaccurate and spread out a bit so watch out. This is again best used again enemy concentrations, mainly because of its inaccuracy.

F7: Construction Weapons
The F7 group of weapons is mostly related to construction, with the single exception of the Baseball Bat. Most of them are also mainly strategic weapons. None of them need to be charged up.

Blow Torch

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 15

The Blow Torch digs a way forward. You can select from three different directions (slightly upwards, slightly downwards and straight forward). The main use for this weapon is to dig a hole into the terrain to hide your worm inside. This can be very useful to hide against enemy attacks if he cannot directly walk up to you. The Blow Torch also deals a small amount of damage to worms that are in the way, which is halved with every subsequent hit.

The Blow Torch automatically stops when it reaches either air, the water surface or the border. Otherwise, it will dig for five seconds.

Drill

 * Availability: Infinite
 * Power: 15

The Drill is very similar to the Blow Torch, but it digs straight down, and the turn is instantly over after you've dug. This is less useful, because it allows the enemy to drop grenades or explosives into the hole. The Drill, unlike the Blow Torch, does not stop at the water surface allowing you to drown. Again you can hit enemy worms with it for a small amount of damage, but it's hard to hit them more than once unless they manage to fall into the hole you're digging.

Girder

 * Availability: 3

This weapon allows you to place a girder anywhere on the map using the mouse. You can rotate the girder using the arrow keys and also switch between a large and a small girder. While this weapon does not do any damage, it can be useful for protecting yourself by placing a girder so the enemy cannot directly shoot at you. You can also use girders to form a bridge over a large gap, and also to enclose the enemy worm so he is unable to move anywhere.

Baseball Bat

 * Availability: 1
 * Power: 30

The Baseball Bat smacks the enemy worm. It causes the enemy worm to fly pretty far, too. Since it can be aimed a fair way upwards, you can use it to launch an enemy worm over an obstacle and into the water.

F8: Movement Utilities
These weapons do not do any damage, but aid you in navigating the level. Due to their nature, none of them need to be charged up.

Ninja Rope

 * Availability: 5

The Ninja Rope is considered one of the most useful, if not the most useful weapon in the game. It is very flexible and allows you to move almost across the entire battlefield.

Aim it somewhere, preferably the ceiling, and shoot it. If it hits the ceiling it will then stick to it and your worm will be able to swing with the rope. You can move up or down the rope with the arrow keys and also move back and forth. While on the rope, you can launch a number of weapons, which is very useful since it allows you to escape using the rope. It is most commonly used with the Dynamite or Grenades.

When you press Space while on the rope, the worm lets go. While in the air, you can launch another Ninja Rope and swing again, which allows you to cross large distances easily. This can also be used while retrating after a successful attack.

Normally you cannot fire the Ninja Rope straight down. But if you first select another weapon like the Bazooka, aim it straight down, jump up and press F8 and Space while in mid-air, you will fire the rope straight down. You can then extend it all the way to move a large distance even on open maps, which is very useful.

While not reliable, a tactic known as "rope-knocking" helps makes it easier to swing up onto a ledge above. This requires retracting the rope to minimum length, and trying to swing to either the left or right. This will rapidly bounce you against the terrain, and when you then extend the rope, will sometimes by lifted over the ledge.

Bungee

 * Availability: 5

The Bungee allows you to safely jump down from a high cliff without getting fall damage. You do not need to fire this weapon, it automatically triggers when you fall off a cliff. Once on the bungee, you have a limited range of movement and can also let go. While you can fire weapons from the Bungee, it is hardly useful.

Parachute

 * Availability: 2

The Parachute allows you to safely jump down large cliffs. It is similar to the bungee, the main difference being that you can use it anywhere by pressing Space, and the fact that the Parachute is greatly affected by wind. This allows for very interesting strategies, like passing over an enemy worm and dropping a Dynamite along the way.

Teleporter

 * Availability: 2

The Teleporter allows you to instantly teleport your worm to any location you want. The main disadvantage is that your turn instantly ends after teleporting. This can be used to secure a worm from a dangerous position and teleport it into a cave or an otherwise enclosed position. However, because it ends the turn, its uses are limited.

F9: Miscellaneous Weapons I
This category contains a wide assortment of weapons. You do not get any of them by default but need to collect them from falling weapon crates.

Super Banana Bomb

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 75 plus five clusters

The Super Banana Bomb is very similar to the normal Banana Bomb. The only difference is that this bomb has a manual fuse - you can explode the main bomb and any of its clusters on your will using the Space button. This makes this weapon extremely lethal, and one of the most powerful weapons of the game.

Holy Hand Grenade

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 100

This weapon is a reference to Monty Python. Its fuse is fixed to three seconds, which means that it will not explode any earlier than that, but it will only explode after standing perfectly still on the ground. It deals a huge amount of damage and has a very large blast areas, so it is ideal for enemy worms (or concentrations) hidden in a depression with no friendly worms nearby.

Salvation Army

 * Availability: Secret Weapon
 * Power: 75 plus three clusters (50 per cluster)

The Salvation Army (which is a misleading name, as it's actually a single person) walks around like a Sheep when you release it. When you press Space, it explodes and creates three clusters that similarly explode. This weapon is powerful and best used against enemies hidden underground, as it can easily penetrate the terrain. Note that it cannot avoid obstacles, so be sure that there are no worms on its way.

MB Bomb

 * Availability: Secret Weapon
 * Power: 100
 * Airstrike weapon (will not appear on cavern maps)

This weapon requires a target. Once you select a target, a large bomb appears which will slowly hover downwards. The bomb is affected by the wind and when it hits the ground, it deals huge damage. This weapon is difficult to use due to the wind factor but can be useful against enemy worms sitting on cliffs.

F10: Miscellaneous Weapons II
These are more miscellaneous weapons of all sorts.

Petrol Bomb

 * Availability: 2
 * Power: 15 + variable fire damage

The Petrol Bomb works similar to the Grenade, but explodes on impact. It will then release a fiery mess that burns through the ground and hurts any worms that may be in the area. This is used best for enemy worms sitting in depressions, which allows the fire to spread and prevents the enemy worm from escaping.

Priceless Ming Vase

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 75 plus three clusters (50 per cluster)

The Priceless Ming Vase is dropped like a Dynamite, but it releases clusters which also explode. This is more difficult to use than the Dynamite, and best dropped from a Ninja Rope. It too can penetrate the ground easily allowing you to dig through, but since you hardly have enough time to escape, it should not be used this way.

Sheep Strike

 * Availability: Secret Weapon
 * Power: 50 (x2)
 * Airstrike weapon (will not appear on cavern maps)
 * Missiles: 5

The Sheep Strike is a very powerful airstrike weapon, since the sheep explode twice. That way, they can destroy lots of terrain and deal lots of damage. Because the sheep are rather jumpy, they can end up in areas where they're not wanted, though.

Mike's Carpet Bomb

 * Availability: Secret Weapon
 * Power: 30 (x5)
 * Airstrike weapon (will not appear on cavern maps)
 * Missiles: 5

The Mike's Carpet Bomb has projectiles that explode not once or twice, but five times. Therefore, they can dig deep into the terrain. This weapon is best used against worms hidden beneath the ground, but do note that the carpets are rather jumpy and may end up elsewhere.

F11: Animal Weapons
The F11 weapons are animal based. You do not need to charge any of them.

Mad Cows

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 75

The Mad Cows simply walk forward until they hit an obstacle, after which they'll explode. Using the number keys you can release multiple Mad Cows at once, up to five. They can dig through terrain too, but this is only of limited use because they walk primarily forward, though this can be used to destroy walls that are in the way.

Old Woman

 * Availability: None
 * Power: 75

The Old Woman simply walks forward and automatically explodes after five seconds. You can use it just like the Dynamite, with the difference that you do not need to walk up to the enemy worm. If the enemy worm is in a hole, you can also drop the Old Woman down where she will be unable to escape.

Cloned Sheep

 * Availability: Secret Weapon
 * Power: 75

The Cloned Sheep work exactly like the normal Sheep, but you can launch them in hordes of up to five sheep. But because they are so extremely rare, such large hordes are rarely encountered. Since they explode all at once when you press Space, it is difficult to use them well. You should try trapping them somewhere where they can't escape, so they don't just run back to you.

Concrete Donkey

 * Availability: Secret Weapon
 * Power: 100 (x20)
 * Airstrike weapon (will not appear on cavern maps)

This is an extremely powerful weapon. When you select a target, the Concrete Donkey drops straight down, destroying anything and everything that gets into the way. This is one of the most powerful weapons in the entire game, and best used against large enemy concentrations on a straight line. They will always be hit, no matter how deep they've dug.

F12: Specials
This group contains special weapons. None of them need to be charged.

Skip Go

 * Availability: Infinite

This ends the turn instantly. It's usually a bad idea to do unless you cannot do anything.

Surrender

 * Availability: Infinite

Using this is absolutely embarassing. You shouldn't even dare doing that.

Nuclear Bomb

 * Availability: Secret Weapon

While this weapon sounds very spectacular, it is actually quite dull - it simply raises the water level a fair bit. However, it is useful if there are many enemy worms near the water surface, since this weapon will cause them to drown.

Patsy's Magic Bullet

 * Availability: Secret Weapon
 * Power: 100

This is another homing missile, but it is extremely powerful. On top of that, it can avoid obstacles very well and will rarely get stuck, and it is also able to travel underwater. This gives you lots of possibilies, and the sheer power of this weapon will launch enemy worms extremely far. It can be used against anything that is not near a friendly worm.

Crate Spy
Even though this is not a weapon in the traditional sense and it does not appear on the Weapon menu, it can be found in weapon crates. Crate Spy allows you to see the contents of the weapon crates on the battlefield, which is very useful for finding useful crates containing secret weapons.