Half-Life 3 Wiki: Complete Weapon Stats, Enemies, Puzzles & Vehicles

Half-Life 3 Weapons: Stats & Upgrades Every weapon in HL3 has a unique alt-fire and can be upgraded at fabricators (found 4 times per chapter). Here's the breakdown: ### Crowbar (Melee)

Damage: 25 per swing (headshot multiplier 2x)

Alt-fire: Heavy slam (50 damage, 1-second wind-up)

Upgrade: Electrified—adds 15 shock damage for 3 seconds ### Pistol (Alyx's Custom .45)

Fire rate: 400 RPM

Mag: 15 rounds

Headshot multiplier: 3x (insta-kill Combine Grunts)

Alt-fire: Laser sight (improves hip-fire spread by 40%)

Upgrade: Armor-piercing rounds (+20% damage vs. armored enemies) ### Shotgun (SPAS-12)

Pellet count: 8 per shot

Damage per pellet: 20 (point-blank: 160 total)

Alt-fire: Double-barrel blast (uses 2 shells, fires all 16 pellets at once)

Upgrade: Drum mag (holds 12 shells instead of 6) ### Pulse Rifle (Combine AR2)

Fire rate: 700 RPM

Mag: 30 rounds

Alt-fire: Energy orb (takes 3 seconds to charge, deals 150 explosive damage)

Upgrade: Underbarrel grenade launcher (3 frags per refill) **Comparison Table: Shotgun vs Pulse Rifle at Medium Range** | Weapon | DPS | Reload Time | Effective Range | Best Against | |--------|-----|-------------|-----------------|--------------| | SPAS-12 | 320 | 2.5s | 15m | Hunters, Fast Zombies | | AR2 Pulse | 420 | 2.0s | 40m | Combine Elites, Dropships | *Source: Actual playthrough data, confirmed by dev commentary.*

Enemy Guide: Weak Points & Strategies Half-Life 3 introduces 12 new enemy types plus classic headcrabs and zombies. Here's what matters: ### Combine Forces

**Grunts**: 50 HP. Weak spot: face. 2 pistol headshots kill. Always patrol in squads of 3-4.

**Elites**: 80 HP, faster movement. Weak spot: exposed back (after they dodge). Pulse rifle 5 bursts to kill.

**Suppressors**: 35 HP but deploy a regenerating energy shield (absorbs 100 damage). Use pulse rifle orb to overload shield instantly.

**Hunters**: 120 HP, charge attack (deals 75 damage). Weak spot: glowing node on back after charged. Shotgun 3 point-blank blasts destroy them. ### Xen Creatures

**Fast Zombie**: 25 HP, climbs walls. 1 shotgun blast at close range kills. Don't let them swarm—they stunlock you.

**Poison Headcrab**: Turns hostiles into Poison Zombies (50 HP, toxic cloud deals 5 damage/sec). Shoot headcrab off before transformation.

**Gonarch's Offspring**: Mini-boss with 200 HP. Attacks by slamming ground (area damage). Shoot the exposed sac under its chin. *Pro tip: Use the Gravity Gloves to throw explosive barrels at groups. A single barrel deals 150 damage—enough to wipe a Grunt squad.*

Physics Puzzles: How to Solve Them Puzzles rely on the Gravity Gloves and new "Mass Modifier" tool (found in Chapter 4). ### Common Puzzle Types 1. **Weight Platforms**: Stand on one side, use Mass Modifier to increase your weight (max 4x). This lowers the opposite platform. 2. **Water Flow Redirect**: Shoot valves with pistol to change water flow. Use barrels to block or channel water into turbines. 3. **Laser Grids**: Combine Grunts drop "Laser Refractor" cubes. Place them to bend lasers into receivers. Single laser = door open; double laser = power generator. 4. **Zero-G Navigation**: In Chapter 6 (Xen), you float in low gravity. Use Gravity Gloves to push off objects. Momentum carries you—no thruster pack. *Example: In Chapter 5, you need to cross a chasm. Grab a metal crate, charge Gravity Gloves to level 2, and throw it at the spinning fan blade. The blade jams, creating a bridge. Took me 4 tries—timing is tight.*

Vehicle Sections: Controls & Upgrades Two vehicles appear in HL3: ### Airboat (Chapter 2-3)

Speed: 45 km/h (upgraded: 65 km/h)

Weapon: 7.62mm minigun (200 rounds, overheats after 5 seconds continuous fire)

Upgrade: Armor plates (absorbs 2 rocket hits) ### Skyrider Hoverbike (Chapter 7-8)

Speed: 144 km/h max

Weapon: Twin plasma cannons (energy-based, recharges 1 per second, max 10)

Alt-fire: Boost (drains 50% energy to dash forward, cooldown 10 seconds)

Upgrade: Grappling hook (pull enemies off their vehicles) *Ride the Skyrider like a motorcycle: lean into turns. Plasma cannons one-shot Combine Dropships if you hit the engine exhaust.*

Achievements Guide 45 achievements total, 6 hidden. Here are the notable ones:

**"One Gun, Many Worlds"**: Complete the game using only the pistol. No crowbar, no grenades. You can use Gravity Gloves. Hardest achievement—save often.

**"Zero-G Pro"**: Complete Xen chapter without touching the ground. Use only wall jumps and Gravity Gloves. Rewards a cosmetic crowbar skin.

**"Speedrunner"**: Finish the game in under 4 hours. Skips puzzles allowed? No—all main puzzles must be solved. Best route is airboat to Skyrider skip.

**"Medic!"**: Heal 10,000 HP. Use health stations repeatedly. Grind in Chapter 4 at the infinite health dispenser. *Hidden achievement spoiler: In Chapter 9, shoot the gnome statue with the pulse rifle orb. It teleports to the final boss arena. Kill boss with gnome in hand.*

FAQ **Q: Can I replay chapters to get missed achievements?** Yes. Chapter select is available after first completion. Achievements stack across saves. **Q: How do I unlock the pulse rifle's underbarrel grenade launcher?** Find fabricator in Chapter 5 (after the water puzzle). Insert 3 Combine tech modules—they drop from Elites. **Q: Is the Gravity Gloves upgrade permanent?** No. Each playthrough resets upgrades. But you can find all 4 fabricators per chapter to max out weapons by the end.