Lightning Gun
The Lightning Gun (LG) fires a continuous hitscan beam dealing 6-7 damage per tick at a high fire rate. No splash damage. No self-damage. Effective range is capped: beam does not connect beyond approximately 768 units. Respawn time is 5 seconds.
Mechanics
The LG beam connects instantly on every tick as long as the crosshair is on the target and the target is within range. Damage accumulates rapidly: sustained beam on a stationary target is the highest raw DPS in the game. Because it is hitscan, no leading is required, but tracking a moving target accurately is the primary skill demand.
Effective Range
The LG has a hard range cutoff. At distances beyond the cap the beam misses regardless of aim. This makes it ineffective at long range. At medium range it is the highest-pressure tracking weapon in the kit.
Role in Play
The LG is the most skill-expressive weapon in Quake Live. It rewards accurate tracking directly and punishes low accuracy. Primary uses:
- Mid-range sustained damage on a moving opponent
- Close quarters pressure against an opponent already below 100 HP
- Finishing opponents who survive an RL hit
- Shaft-stacking: chain LG into RL into Rail for fast kills
Counter
The LG beam is broken by distance. Force the fight to long range (Rail/RL preferred) or to ranges where RL splash is more efficient than LG tracking. Players with weak LG aim are exploitable at mid-range.