Far Cry 2: Secondary Weapons Guide

Far Cry 2 Secondary weapons are located on the 'front' wall in the armoury. This is on your immediate right just as soon as you enter the armoury. There are nine Secondary weapons and they mostly consist of all the one-handed weapons in Far Cry 2, i.e., pistols and machine pistols. They also include the M-79 Grenade Launcher (obviously to allow for more options when creating a balanced weapon loadout) and the IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices).

Below is a screenshot of the Secondary weapon wall in the armoury with identifying labels on all the weapons to help you know what's what. Click on a weapon in the screenshot to jump to a full description. Note that weapon availability is based on the Far Cry 2 PC version with patch 1.03 installed.

Machine Pistols

Uzi

The Uzi has half the rate of fire of the MAC-10 (see below) but dishes out twice as much damage per round. If you used the MAC-10 throughout Act 1, the Uzi will take a little getting used to once you acquire it at the beginning of Act 2. You'll have to go a little heavier on the trigger finger to get the same results but you'll quickly realize that you're using a lot less ammo. When it becomes available, the Uzi is definitely recommended as a replacement for the MAC-10 and is well worth the 20 diamonds you'll have to dish out for it.

The Uzi is unlocked at the weapon shop after completing the OPENING MISSIONS OF ACT 2 (Barge/Marina Missions).

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MAC-10

This one-handed machine pistol only costs 10 diamonds and is the perfect compliment to having a sniper rifle in your Primary weapon slot. The sniper rifle acts as a long distance antipersonnel weapon and the MAC-10 is your close combat antipersonnel weapon. The MAC-10 has the highest rate of fire of all Far Cry 2 weapons and will take some getting used to in order to avoid quickly running out of ammo. The best way to handle it is to fire in very short controlled bursts while aiming for the head or upper body. Remember to frequently grab a fresh MAC-10 at the armoury as its low reliability rating means it will begin jamming up on you after only mild use.

The MAC-10 is unlocked at the weapon shop after completing the SECOND CONVOY MISSION IN ACT 1.

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Pistols

Eagle .50

I'm not sure why anyone would choose the Eagle .50 since as a pistol, it doesn't have the 'spray-and-pray' capabilities of machine pistols such as the Uzi or the MAC-10 (see above). Nevertheless, the Eagle .50 really packs a wallop and often a single shot to the chest can deck out an enemy leaving him wounded and prone (or even dead). It's also cheaper than the Uzi ringing in at the cash at 10 diamonds.

The Eagle .50 is unlocked at the weapon shop after completing the OPENING MISSIONS OF ACT 2 (Barge/Marina Missions).

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Star .45

The Star .45 has a higher damage rating than the peashooting Makarov but, in my humble opinion, still isn't high enough to warrant buying one to use for any extended period in your weapon loadout. It falls well short of the stopping power of the Eagle .50 although it does have a higher fire rate. About the only use I can see for it is if you buy the M1903 sniper rifle as soon as it becomes available near the start of the game leaving you with no close combat weapon at your disposal (since all assault rifles are primary weapons). In this situation, you could buy the Star .45 and use it while waiting to unlock the MAC-10.

The Star .45 is unlocked at the weapon shop after completing the FIRST CONVOY MISSION IN ACT 1.

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Makarov

What I've colloquially referred to as the 'peashooter' in my Far Cry 2 video walkthrough, the Makarov does indeed feel like a toy gun when wielding it against enemies assaulting you with automatic rifle fire and shotgun sprays. Nevertheless, if you're a sniper man (which invariably uses up your Primary weapon slot), you'll want to purchase the Makarov during the training missions to have it available as a close combat Secondary weapon until you can get something better (e.g., the Star .4.5 or preferably the MAC-10).

The Makarov is unlocked at the weapon shop from the START OF THE GAME.

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Silent Makarov 6P9

'Stealth mode' amongst Far Cry 2 aficianados typically refers to using predominantly silenced weapons in your weapon loadout and sneaking about knocking off enemies one by one while trying to avoid alerting the others. There are three silenced weapons available: the Silent Makarov 6P9, the Silent MP-5 (machine pistol) and the Dart Rifle. The first two are close combat weapons and the advantages that the Silent Makarov has over the MP-5 is that it's available earlier on in the game and using it frees up your primary weapon slot allowing you to carry an assault rifle as a 'blown-cover' backup weapon. Note that there's no point in carrying all three silent weapons in your loadout since the Silent Makarov and the Silent MP-5 both accomplish the same task (close combat stealth).

The Silent Makarov 6P9 is unlocked at the weapon shop after completing the FIRST CONVOY MISSION IN ACT 1.

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Miscellaneous

M-79 Grenade Launcher

Obviously designated as a secondary weapon to allow players to create a variety of balanced weapon loadouts, the M-79 Grenade Launcher can serve as both a mid-to-long range antivehicle weapon and an antipersonnel weapon. The advantages the M-79 has over the rocket launchers (RPG-7 and the Carl G) is it doesn't use up a special weapon slot allowing you to carry a machine gun (either the PKM or the M-249 SAW, see Far Cry 2 Special Weapons 1), both of which have huge magazines (100 rounds each). So a nice balanced weapon loadout would be the M-79 (long range anti-vehicle), the PKM (close combat antipersonnel) and a sniper rifle (long distance antipersonnel). Another advantage the M-79 has over the rocket launchers is that its ammo upgrade is the Grenadier Webbing which is available immediately for purchase at the beginning of Act 1. Compare this to the Rocketeer's Satchel (which upgrades ammo for the rocket launchers) which is only available at the beginning of Act 2. The disadvantages of the M-79 is the way it tends to 'lob' grenades out for distant shots so that that the trajectory of the launched grenade forms an arc in the air. This requires you to judge just how high to point the M-79 in order to hit a distant target which can get mighty finicky.

This M-79 is unlocked at the weapon shop after completing the FOURTH CONVOY MISSION IN ACT 1.

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IED (Improvised Explosive Device)

The IED is a fun weapon definitely suited for those with imagination and consists of an explosive device that can be attached to any object (including vehicles) or simply cast upon the ground and then detonated at a distance using a remote control. It provides an excellent (and easy) method to destroy convoys as three well placed IEDs along the route of a convoy will allow you to destroy all three vehicles in the convoy in one go. The IED can also be attached to a vehicle, e.g., an assault truck and then the vehicle can be driven at top speed towards a guard post (crouch next to surface you wish to attach the IED to and then press the fire button to attach). The trick is then to bail out of the moving vehicle and detonate the IED as the vehicle rolls into the guard post. Its early availability and cheap price make the IED definitely something you want to unlock although not as a permanent addition to your weapon loadout but rather something you want available for 'special occasions'.

The IED is unlocked at the weapon shop after completing the TRAINING AND TUTORIAL ELEMENTS portion of the game.

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Flare Pistol

This is an unusual weapon (if it be proper to call is such) that is definitely worth trying out just for a lark when you've got some spare diamonds and you've already settled down into a groove using your 'normal' weapons. The Flare Pistol is usually a one-shot kill when the flare hits the enemy but be advised that it's messy (starts a fire), it's slow loading and it's not always apparent that you've gotten a kill (which can be a bit nerve-wracking).

The Flare Pistol is unlocked at the weapon shop after completing the FIRST CONVOY MISSION IN ACT 1.

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