Introduction

When Painkiller was announced as the CPL World Tour game, waves of anger and disapproval arose from the community. Most of the gamers criticized the CPL relentlessly for choosing Painkiller instead of their preferred game, and started to make hundreds of forum threads to prove their game’s superiority. After all there will be 10 CPL events held in 2005, with all of them featuring Painkiller as the main tournament game. This article is dedicated to the new players and spectators of Painkiller, and to hopefully make their understanding of the game a little better. M o v e m e n t Yes, we all have heard it before. Movement is an important aspect to all of the dueling games. That’s also correct in Painkiller’s case, but insufficient. Bunnyhopping is the most important aspect to Painkiller. At the Summer CPL finals, Vo0 literally ran circles around Fatal1ty, which greatly helped him come back and win the tournament. Although it has such huge importance, fluent and swift movement can be accomplished in a small amount of time. Basic Movement Painkiller’s movement involves none of the midair strafing or bunny hopping techniques that other fast paced FPS games involved. All you need to do to build your speed is to press your forward key, continue tapping your jump key, and move your mouse to wherever you want to go – it’s as simple as that! Maybe it’s not THAT simple, but once you get your basics down, you can zoom through the maps with unbelievable speeds. Rocket Jumping Rocket jumping is also a key factor in movement and map control. This is done by firing the rocket at a solid surface and then jumping immediately afterward. Rocket Jumping allows you to gain huge amounts of speed by propelling yourself forward or vertically to reach places faster. Combine this with a solid movement pattern and you’re suddenly jumping around at an incredibly fast pace. Teleporters 2 of the 3 maps competitively played in Painkiller have teleporters, and using them efficiently is very important. You can rocket jump just before going through portals and your rocket jump follows through once you emerge. If you drop to a portal from a higher place, you gain speed once you exit. However, maintaining speed when going through portals can be tricky sometimes. To maintain your speed, try going into teleporters slightly angled, instead of head on. Teleporters also allow the opportunity to “telefrag” another person, by coming through the teleporter on top of your opponent.

Weapons
	PainKiller (Melee Weapon) This weapon is rarely used in Multiplayer, except to embarrass the opponent. “Pain” which is multiple spinning blades and “Killer” which is blades tucked in together that you can launch directly at the enemy, or stick in a wall and create a burning beam between you and the wall.
	Stakegun / Grenade Launcher The stakegun is the basic spawn weapon and does 200 damage per hit, an insane amount of damage for a spawn weapon. This weapon shoots similar to the Railgun in Q3 or the Crossbow in HLDM. With its high damage and fast traveling speed, this is the weapon of choice to start a comeback. This weapon also seems to be the fan favorite, as the Summer CPL finals showed great excitement from the fans every time a stake hit.
	Shotgun / Freezer The shotgun is rapid firing and often used to chase and hunt down enemies with low health. Since as the range increases, the trajectory of the shell also increases, ideally it’s easier to score kills in mid/close ranges. Shotgun also has a huge knockback from closer ranges and will render your opponent out of his usual movement. Secondary Fire shots nitrogen capsules which takes your opponents armor to 0 for a short while, which is a huge advantage too.
	Rocket Launcher / Chaingun The most used and most dominant weapon in the game. This is probably the deadliest weapon in any FPS game. Fight up close with rockets, and finish him off with the secondary attack when he tries to run away. Respawning players are easily killed, as the rockets do 100 damage on a direct hit. The Chaingun is also a great finishing weapon, dealing 24 damage per 3 rounds to an unarmored opponent.
	Electro Driver (Lightning Gun) / Shuriken Launcher This weapon is only available on 1 of the competitive maps played, but is a highly effective weapon. Unlike the other weapons, the secondary attack is mainly used. It emits a lightning beam very similar to the Quake series Lightning Gun, dealing 30 damage per hit and also transfers 7 health for every successful hit. Launching shurikens is also a great idea to do at an opponent running away, as it does the same amount of damage but has unlimited range.
Pro Tip A cool trick in the game is that you can launch an arcing grenade and hit it midair with a stake, forming a stake-rocket which deals more damage than a regular rocket. This move is very tricky, but once mastered can be quite effective when a Rocket Launcher is unattainable.
Armor
	Bronze Armor Worth 100 armor, and absorbs 33% of the damage inflicted.
	Silver Armor Worth 150 armor, and absorbs 60% of the damage inflicted.
	Gold Armor Worth 200 armor, and absorbs 80% of the damage inflicted.
Pro Tip Unlike other Deathmatch games, there are no armor shards or other ways of increasing your armor. The maximum amount of armor is capped at 200, and doesn’t diminish over time. All armor respawns after 20 seconds.
Health
	There are only 2 health items in the game, regular yellow health and the heart shaped mega health. The yellow health items reward you with an increase of 25 health, and the mega health increases your health by 100. The limit for possible health is 250, and whenever the current health exceeds 100 it slowly decreases back to 100. Regular health respawns after 20 seconds, and the mega health respawns after 60 seconds.

Original Article can be found here

C1L1 Cemetary

C1L2 Atrium Complex

C1L3 Catacombs

C1L4 Cathedral

C2L1 Prison

C2L2 Opera

C2L3 Asylum

C2L4 Snowy Bridge

C2L5 Town

C3L1 Train Station

C3L2 Abandoned Factory

C3L3 Military Base

C4L1 Castle

C4L2 The Palace

C4L3 Babel

C4L4 Forest

C5L1 City On Water

C5L2 Docks

C5L3 Monastery

C5L4 Hell

Free For All

This is classic “Every player for himself” Deathmatch. The object of the game is to kill as many opponents as possible within the time limit set by the game’s host, or to achieve the frag (kill) limit. It’s kill or be killed and you’re on your own. The player with the most kills or the player who reaches the preset frag limit first is the winner.

Tips and Notes

» As is the case with most games mode, controlling the armor and power-ups is vital to your success.
» When you grab a soul and happen to get 100 rockets with it, consider it a gift. Use the extra ammo to your advantage.
» Know the high traffic areas of each map. Avoid those areas when you are weak and exploit them when you are strong.

Team Deathmatch

This is Deathmatch with a cooperative twist. You and your teamates set out to slaughter as many members of the opposing team as possible within the set time limit. The team that achieves the frag limit first, or has the most kills when time runs out, wns.

Tips and Notes

» When power-ups are enabled, the team the controls the power-ups usually wins the game. Unless them other team is attempting quad rocket jumps, of course.
» They call it “Team” Deathmatch for a reason. Don’t be a weapon and armor whore. Sharing is a good policy to have in this game mode.
» Set up some team related binds to share important info with your team.
» Utilize strength in numbers. If you see 4 enemies and no teammate in a room, you are going the wrong way!
» If you are planning a spur of the moment trip to Mexico, please be considerate and disconnect from the server. Otherwise you will find yourself getting the boot.

People Can Fly

This is a Deathmatch variation that pushes your skills to the limit. Using only the Rocket Launcher / Chaingun, you must achieve the frag limit or score the most frags before time runs out. The catch is that you can only damage your opponent while he’s airborne. People Can Fly is played on two speciffically-designed multiplayer maps that aren’t available in other multiplayer game modes.

Tips and Notes

» Although some people consider it cheap, using splash damage on walls to your advantage is rather effective.
» If you find yourself stuck on a wall, rocket jump off it to avoid wall splash damage kills.
» Jumping makes it much easier for opponents to bounce your ass into hyperspace. Stay flat footed as much as possible.
» Use air control to your advantage. When you do get bounced, maneuver in difficult to predict patterns.

Voosh

In this multiplayer mode, everyone starts out with the same weapon with infinite ammunition. There are no other weapons on the map, at preset intervals, everyone’s weapon is switched to a different weapon. The order of weapon switches can be set to random, or can be specified by the game host.

Tips and Notes

» An advantage in melee battle can quickly become a disadvantage on a weapon switch. Be prepared.
» Know the strengths of each weapon and play to them.
» Know the respawn points. The enemy you just killed could respawn with fully loaded Electrodriver and zap your ass if you’re not ready for it.
» You have unlimited ammo you know. Don’t be afraid to use it.

The Light Bearer

In this variation, there is one Rage (Quad) power-up available and it never expires! The first player who grabs it continues to use it until he is killed, at which point it is once again up for grabs. The winner is the player who reaches the frag limit first, or has the most frags when time expires.

Tips and Notes

» People don’t seem to understand that if you don’t kill TLB you usually don’t win the game. So stop shooting each other and kill the TLB.
» The quad is often placed in difficult to reach locations. A rocket jump will usually do the trick.
» Frags double on kills while you have the quad. (For example: 1,2,4,8,16 etc.) So 5 consecutive kills = 16 frags.
» Exploit the high traffic areas, while you have the quad, to maximize your score.

The 3 New Gamemodes that comes with the Batle out of Hell Addon, can be viewed here

Gold Armor

Statistics
Armor Value:	200GA		Armor / Health Ratio:	3.9 / 1
Respawn Time:	20s.		Damage Reduction:	80%
Can Pickup Silver:	112GA		100h Max. Dmg. :	305dmg.
Can Pickup Bronze :	41GA		200h Max. Dmg. :	405dmg.

The Gold Armor is one of the most sought after items in the game, and with good reason. It will absorb 80% of all the damage that you receive. That means if you get hit by a rocket directly, which does 100 damage, only 20 points of damage will be deducted from your health. Not only is the damage reduction very good, the Gold Armor also gives the most Armor points at 200. A little piece of advice: Time the Gold Armor and get it each time…or your opponent will.

Statistical Breakdown

» The GA has 80% damage reduction. Taking 100 damage uses 20 health.
» SA can be picked up only when your GA has been reduced to 112 or below. Likewise, BA can be picked up at 41GA or below.
» 3.9 Armor points are used each time 1 health is lost while wearing the GA.
» With 100h and 200GA you can take a maximum of 305 damage.
» Getting hit by a flaming stake with 100h and 200GA will leave you with 50h.

Tips and Notes

» The GA respawns every 20 seconds. Learn to time it.
» The average rocket jump uses 9h and 35GA.
» Rocket jumping will help you grab the GA before your opponent.

Silver Armor

The Silver Armor is the second most effective armor with 60% damage reduction. Have you ever wondered what is better : Gold Armor + 100h or Silver Armor + 200h? The Silver Armor + Mega Health allow for 36 more total points of damage than Gold Armor + 100 health, but take note that the Mega Health counts down until it reaches 100. If your opponent has the GA, get the SA or you are at a severe disadvantage going into a battle.

Statistical Breakdown

» Sliver Armor and 174 health is equivalent to Gold Armor and 100H.
» With 100h and 150SA you can take a maximum of 241 damage.
» With SA and 100 health, a direct hit rocket (100 Damage) will leave you with 60 health.

Tips and Notes

» You should at least have SA before going into battle.
» Watch your armor, know when to retreat.
» Inflict damage from a distance first, then close in.

Bronze Armor

The Bronze Armor is the weakest of the 3 armors, although it far better than nothing at all. With 33% damage reduction, the Bronze Armor is also the longest lasting armor. This statement can be deceiving. To explain further, damage reduction is directly linked to the amount of Armor used up in battle. Lower damage reduction uses up less armor to absorb health damage, so when a rocket hits your bronze armor for 100 damage, 33% of that 100 damage is deducted from your armor. You would run out of health before you would run out of armor so it is rather ineffective. Much better than nothing at all though, but not by much.

Statistical Breakdown

» The BA + Mega Health (299 total damage) is better than the SA alone (241 total damage).
» The BA and 100 Health(149 total damage) will not save you from a stake hit which deals 200 damage.
» With 100 health and BA, a direct rocket hit leaves you with 33 health. Likewise with silver armor a rocket hit would leave you with 60 health.
» 1 health is lost for every half point of BA lost.

Tips and Notes

» If possible, upgrade to at least SA before going into battle.
» Play defensively with only the BA.
» Try to obtain the Mega Health before fighting.

Most importantly ammo can be used to give away the location of your opponent. Each type of ammo in Painkiller has a distinctive pickup sound. (Yes, really. Listen for them.) This can be a dead giveaway as to the location of your opponent. It can also give away your own location so you may want to be a bit more selective when picking it up.

Stakegun Ammo

The Stakegun Ammo is one of the least sought after items in the game due to the fact that you already have 10 ammo upon spawning. The re-fire rate on the Stakegun is slower than most weapons, allowing for only 1 stake each second.

Tips and Notes

» Stakes can be used in combination with grenades – see the weapon guide for more info.
» The only ammo you spawn with is 10 stakes.
» Picking up different types of ammo can give away your location.

Rocket Launcher / Grenade Launcher Ammo

The Rocket Launcher / Grenade Launcher ammo is the only ammo that can be used by 2 different guns. For that reason, the RL/GL ammo is probably the most sought after type of ammo. This ammo can be put to use without ever picking up a weapon because you spawn with the Stake Gun / Grenade Launcher weapon.

Tips and Notes

» This ammo can be used in combination with Stakes – see the weapon guide for more info.
» Grab RL/GL ammo whenever possible…Go into battle well stocked and monitor your ammo. Running out can leave you defenseless.
» Need a weapon? Grab a RL/GL ammo and use the Grenade Launcher – it can be deadly when mastered and also provide defense while you stock up on items.
» Got lots of RL/GL ammo? You can hold up to 100, but you can’t take it with you when you die…If you are well stocked, use it. Spam grenades and rockets anywhere you think your opponent will show his face next.

Chaingun Ammo

Chaingun ammo is used by the Rocket Launcher / Chaingun weapon. It’s always a good idea to have some of this ammo ready to finish off a weak opponent or inflict damage from a distance.

Tips and Notes

» Each crate of Chaingun ammo has 75 rounds. 3 crates will give you 225 of 250 total Chaingun ammo.
» For every click of the Chaingun, 3 rounds of ammo are used.
» If you can see your opponent, you can hit him with Chaingun. Stock up on Chaingun ammo and inflict damage whenever your opponent is visibile, yet out of range for other weapons.

Shotgun Ammo

The Shotgun typically gives you 10 ammo to start, so it’s a good idea to pick up a box of ammo to be safe. 1 Shotgun ammo is used for each click with the Shotun and the rate of fire is slightly less than 2 shots per second. This ammo is usefull close to medium range to finish off an opponent, but is ineffective at long range.

Tips and Notes

» You can use 10 Shotgun ammo in about 6 seconds, make sure you don’t run out!
» Using Shotgun at long range can be a waste of ammo.

Freezer Ammo

The Freezer ammo is one of rarest types of ammo. It is used by the Shotgun / Freezer weapon. The weapon only includes 10 Shotgun ammo and no Freezer ammo when picked up so you must pick up Freezer ammo seperately in order to use it. With a slow rate of fire and slow movement speed, the Freezer ammo is difficult to hit with.

Tips and Notes

» Freezer ammo does not damage an opponent. It temporarily removes your opponents armor.
» 1 Freezer ammo is used per shot.
» Picking up ammo can give away your location so pick up only what you think you will use.

Electro Ammo

Having plenty of Electro ammo can allow you to frustrate your opponent as it is very difficult to close in on an opponent that has the Electro on you. Each click with the Electro uses 3 ammo and it doesn’t take long to use up 37 ammo. It’s best to have plenty of ammo, especially if your opponent is good at dodging.

Tips and Notes

» Plan your Electo battle close to more ammo so you can strafe over more if you get low.
» Use Electro to slow down a charging opponent or to pin them in a corner or against a wall.
» Electro is most effective at medium range and is a waiste of ammo at long range. Know the range limit of the Electro to save ammo.

Driver Ammo (Shurikens)

Each Driver ammo contains 37 shurikens. The Driver uses 1 shuriken per click and has a very fast rate of fire. Direct hits do 30 damage but you’ll get more damage from your ammo if you use long ranged exploding shurikens.

Tips and Notes

» Using shurikens from a distance can do 40 – 70 points of splash damage.
» Slightly lead a moving opponent to hit more effectivly.

Mega-pack

The Mega-pack is the ultimate collection of ammo as it contains some ammo for every weapon. If you have alot of weapons with little ammo, you might want to go for the Mega-pack to stock up, but with a 1 minute respawn time, you might find yourself waiting a while.

Tips and Notes

» If you are without a weapon, the Mega-pack will give you 6 grenades.
» Regardless of which weapon you are using, the Mega-pack can bail you out if you are running low on ammo.

Health

Health is the basic source of all vitality in the game. After you are injured in battle you can collect health to restore your vitality.

Statistical Breakdown

» Health cannot accumulate over 100h.
» Health respawns 25 seconds after it is collected in the same location.

Tips and Notes

» Know where the health is on every map. You never know when you’ll need it. It also gives you a good idea of where a wounded opponent is headed.
» The sound health makes when it’s picked up is very distinct. This can be an advantage and disadvantage so use caution.

Mega Health

The Mega Health is the most valuable form of heath in the game. Upon pickup it provides an additional 100h up to 250h. Combined with GA or SA this can give you a distinct advantage over your opponent.

Statistical Breakdown

» Mega Heath has a cap of 250h.
» The Mega Health respawns 1 minute after it is collected in the same location.

Tips and Notes

» 200h with 150 SA can take more damage than 100h with 200GA.
» The sound the MH makes when it’s picked up is very distinct. This can be an advantage and disadvantage so use caution.
» Try to time the MH in between GA runs.

Souls

When you kill your opponent his soul will be left behind along with the weapon he was using at the time of his death. Souls are worth 15 health and they allow you to go above the 100h cap. It’s a well deserved reward for all of your hard work.

Statistical Breakdown

» Souls allow you to go over 100h up to 250h.
» Souls disappear after 30 seconds and never respawn.

Tips and Notes

» Make sure to grab souls before they disappear!
» 1v1 – If you are in a battle, kill your opponent and have 75h remaining. Collect a regular health before collecting the soul. This will give you 115h instead of 100.
» FFA – Soul stealing is an easy way to get some extra health. Just because you didn’t get the frag doesn’t mean you can’t reap the rewards.

Rage (Quad)

When it come to damage this is the most powerful power-up in the game. It deals massive quadruple damage to anything that gets in the way. The screen turns to black and white with all enemies appearing bright red. The sound effects are very recognizable so you’ll have no trouble hearing this guy coming. It is particularly important to control this item in FFA’s and Team DM’s if power-ups are enabled.

Statistical Breakdown

» All damage is quadrupled while using the quad.
» Quad lasts for 30 seconds* unless the person using it is killed before that time and the power-up drop option is off.

Tips and Notes

» TDM – The quad is the center of control for most team deathmatch games. Know the timing and alert your teammates as well.
» The sound quad makes is very distinct. If you hear it coming get the hell out of the area.

Weapon Modifier

The Weapon Modifier is a unique power-up that enhances all weapons in different ways. While not as devastating as the Quad, this weapon can give you a considerable advantage over your opponent.

Weapons Modified as below:

Pain: TBD
Killer: Beam always shows even if not looked at
Painkiller Combo: TBD
Stake: Catch fire earlier, fly straighter
Grenade: Napalm effect on explosion. Fire remains for period of time
Stake/Gren Combo: Combination of above
Shotgun: Pellets fire in tighter spread
Nitro: TBD
Rocket Launcher: Rockets fire faster
ChainGun: TBD
Rocket/Chain Combo: TBD
Driver: Shurikens have explosive properties on hitting object
Electro: Seeks nearest player within a specified distance of aim
ElectroDriver Combo: TBD

Statistical Breakdown

» The Weapon Modifier respawns every 30 seconds..
» The WM lasts for 30 seconds* unless the person using it is killed before that time and the power-up drop option is off.
» The Weapon Modifier provides enhancements for each weapon as listed below:

Tips and Notes

»The sound the WM makes when fired is very distinct. Use caution when fighting enemies using this power-up.

Immunity

Armor straight from hell. The Immunity provides 100% damage reduction for 30 seconds. Yes, that is invulnerability. Complete protection against weapon fire and hazards like lava and slime. Time to rocket jump off people’s faces!

Statistical Breakdown

» Immunity provides invulnerability to all damage.
» Immunity lasts for 30 seconds.
» The respawn time is 5 minutes after it runs out.

Tips and Notes

» The Immunity is often placed in difficult to reach locations that require rocket jumps so practice up.
» The sound when shooting an opponent who has Immunity is noticeable. If you hear this sound stop wasting your ammo and run.