I don't know how many of you remember back to when I first came to TG, but I made a thread asking about the usefulness of the Clark RDX. Now, almost a year later, I'm back again, but this time I'm going to be writing a guide of sorts. Amazing what time and experience can do, eh?

Ok, let's start with common beliefs and facts and even misconceptions about the Clark RDX:

1) The Clark RDX is a long-range weapon.

WRONG! The Clark RDX Shotgun is precisely that... a SHOTGUN. Even when angled high into the air at 45 degrees, it's maximum range is no more than 50-60m, and that's assuming your aiming is impeccable. The assault rifles have better effective ranges than this thing. If you are attempting to mortar people with it, you are using it wrong. So... how do we use it? Let's explore a few more points...

2) The Clark RDX is a weak weapon.

WRONG! Just as any weapon is bad when not used correctly, and any weapon is good if used correctly by a good player, the power level of the Clark RDX is fairly high even so. Your approach to the weapon, however, needs to change. The difference is in the way you engage your target. Unlike every other weapon in this game, except perhaps the guided AT rockets, you have to fire at where your opponent is going to be 3-4 seconds from now. This is because of the speed of your projectile and the nature of it's fuse before detonation. That said, two of those glowing balls are enough to kill a soldier. And just like grenades and rockets, they have significant and potent splash damage. So, how do we get two glowing blobs to blow up in our enemy's face? Let's keep going.

3) The Clark RDX is ineffective because you can see the projectiles it fires and evade them since they are on a timer.

This is true if you use it the way most people do: Aim high and fire in the general direction of the enemy. In that case, yes, the glowing RDX globs will drop onto the ground in random places and you can easily run away from them. However, you need to exploit the fact that the weapon doesn't detonate immediately. The Clark RDX Shotgun is a medium to close range weapon. Use it in ways which make the opponent have no choice but to run into them. Use your cover and their own cover to your advantage. See an enemy squad running down a corridor? Fire your rounds onto the corner or doorway where they emerge, and BLAM, three-four dead infantry for the price of 4 sticky explosives. Are you being pursued around a building? Light up the ground near the corner on your side of the building. When that shotgun whore or Voss bunny steps around it, he will have just enough time to say "Huh?" before he goes boom and you can run in for a quick teabag. The key here is to LEAD the enemy into your explosives. Bait him, trick him, use his own tunnel vision and lack of awareness against him.

4) Rockets and Grenades are superior to the Clark RDX.

This is wrong as well. Here's why: Rockets, while fantastic in their own right, have their own weaknesses. One, they leave a distinct smoke trail when fired. The Clark RDX's trail is faint and is really difficult to pinpoint the origin of, especially when used mid-range. Two, rockets do not arm under 20m. The Clark RDX arms at any distance it is capable of reaching. Three, rockets can fire over walls and cover, but they cannot fire OVER walls and cover. Rockets are limited to the immediate splash range of the height and distance of their detonation range. The Clark RDX will merrily drop down over that wall and hit those annoying guys you see on your IDS but can't otherwise engage without exposing yourself. Which brings me to the second part... why aren't grenades superior to the Clark RDX? Well, for one, the angles at which you can throw them effectively are much flatter than the Clark RDX. It is very difficult if not simply impossible to get grenades to land directly behind a tall wall. Two, grenades bounce around. They don't stick to ceilings and walls, they like to roll and ricochet around. When I throw a grenade into a second floor doorway, it has a chance to fall back out. The sticky globs don't. Lastly, grenades make a distinct hissing sound which alerts you to their presence. Most people are not accustomed to the much lower buzz of the RDX shotgun, and will probably write it off as microphone or headset static right before it blows up in their face. So, what does this mean? Rockets and 'nades aren't superior to the Clark RDX, they are its equal in utility, with each having strengths and weaknesses that are shored up by the others.

So, to summarize.

The Clark RDX Shotgun is a mid-to-close range weapon, and should be used as such. It enables you to lay localized explosive traps for enemy contacts while being a safe distance away. You can fire it's projectiles into unlikely places where unsuspecting and unobservant infantry will blunder right into it. You can cover downed bodies with it just as well as with rockets and grenades. You can hit people you have no line of sight to with it. You can use it to engage contacts even at shotgun range by ducking behind cover and lighting up the ground that the enemy will be stepping onto in order to follow you. With a little practice and getting a feeling for the recoil, you can place the projectiles on a rooftop or other area faster than rockets, because you don't have to take the time to scope and range them. It can function as an effective range extenders for shotgunners, making that iffy middle range where assault rifles win more level ground. Soften them up with the Clark RDX, then finish them off with a shotgun blast.

But if you take nothing else from this discussion, here is the biggest point: The Clark RDX lets you engage enemies before they can engage you, and that is a key factor in victory in 2142.

Feel free to comment below.