Chainfist

 

Remastered Original
Chainfist
Production information
Technical specifications
Damage Per Hit	Usually 35 per slash, occasionally striking twice per slash (original game) Continuous, roughly 70 per second (2023 remaster)
Rate of Fire	Roughly 1 slash per second
Range	Melee
Usage
Era(s)	Quake II: Ground Zero Call of the Machine
[Source]

“	This is an enormous arm-mounted chainsaw. It's perfect when you need to "R.I.P." a wide swath in a room full o' baddies.	”
—Ground Zero Manual

The Chainfist is a new weapon introduced in Ground Zero, and the only melee weapon available to the player in an official Quake II game. It is an arm-mounted device, allowing for one-handed slashing and cutting. Unlike its Doom counterpart, this saw doesn't produce continuous damage but is instead swung at enemies, dealing damage with each individual strike in a manner more like the axe in the first Quake game. Like the Blaster, it doesn't need ammunition. Its swings are rather unwieldy and inconsistent, making it somewhat tricky to use effectively, and striking a target will sometimes drag the player forward a little. Furthermore, its overall damage output over time (if the player were able to consistently strike their target), is only about as much as the Shotgun.

The first opportunity to collect it is in the secret level Mine Engineering in Unit 1, but if you didn't visit that secret level then you can find another in the Research Hangar in Unit 3.

The Chainfist is improved in the 2023 remaster, having a better field of effect and no longer dragging its user towards its target. It also has the potential for causing multiple hits with a single strike, thereby increasing its damage output; it is capable of roughly 70 damage per second, putting its overall damage output closer to that of the Machine Gun. Furthermore, it can cause enemies to flinch in pain even on Nightmare difficulty, which doesn't occur with other weapons.

With the 2023 remaster, the Chainfist makes an appearance in Call of the Machine.

Strategies

In the original game, it's very difficult to think of a situation in which this weapon would ever be a good option. It only does anything once you're in melee range, and if we're talking about close-range combat then the Chainfist absolutely pales in comparison to the Super Shotgun. The Super Shotgun does much more damage and is much easier to use, and the player can still freely dodge and use cover while wielding it. It's true that the Chainfist doesn't require ammunition to function, like the Blaster, so in theory it could be used to save ammo - but in practice, ammo is so plentiful that a savvy player probably isn't going to run out, even on the hardest difficulty setting. On the whole, Ground Zero is significantly more difficult than the vanilla Quake II campaign or The Reckoning, and so you shouldn't really be risking getting closer to danger than necessary just to save ammo, when ammo is plentiful enough.

However, let's consider what if you were determined to conserve ammo or if you ran out of ammo altogether - you would then have the choice between the Chainfist or the Blaster. Once again, it's very difficult to think of a situation where the Chainfist would serve you better than the humble Blaster would. The Blaster wins out due to its range, its reliability, and the fact you can freely dodge and use cover to your advantage while firing - the Chainfist isn't even significantly more powerful than the Blaster. Realistically, the only reason to ever use the Chainfist would be if you wanted to make the game more difficult, to challenge yourself.

But, if you are determined to use the Chainfist for something nonetheless, then the best target would be a Technician, Berserker or a Gladiator. With some practice, it can be used to kill a Berserker without getting hit, and it can also be used when "dancing" with a Gladiator or Technician. However, the problem here is that the Chainfist has several different swing animations, each taking a different time to achieve its impact, so even with skill and practice it is an unnecessarily difficult tactic, whereas the Super Shotgun does the job far better. Indeed, even the Blaster is arguably better at the job.

In the 2023 remaster, there is a rather niche use for the Chainfist, namely to kill a Daedalus in combination with a Tesla Mine. Throw the Tesla where it will be close enough to hit the Daedalus and the Daedalus will be distracted by the Tesla once the lightning begins; you can then proceed to safely tear into the distracted Daedalus with the chainfist. This tactic doesn't really work in the original game but is effective in the 2023 remaster due to the improvements to both the chainfist and the Tesla, allowing you to kill this fairly durable enemy without expending ammunition beyond a single Tesla. But to be fair, the Blaster can perform the above tactic as well. Furthermore, it is arguably better at fighting Berserkers and Gladiators than it was before, even though both of these enemies got buffed; with skill and practice, both of these enemies can be defeated one-on-one by a Chainfist without taking damage. Its ability to cause enemies to flinch in pain can also be used for peekaboo-style attacks on enemies such as Enforcers, pouncing behind cover to deliver an attack then ducking behind cover to avoid return fire. But, again, it is wiser and safer just to use a gun, so this is only really worthwhile if the player wishes to challenge themselves.

Last but not least, in the remaster the buffed Chainfist makes short work of all sorts of Guards, thanks to its improved damage per second and stunning effect. Guards were always prone to flinching in pain, which means any Guard is as good as doomed once the Chainfist makes contact. While the dispatching speed is quite rapid, you will still be prone to fire from other enemies, so this tactic is best used against lone Guards.

Gallery

First person view

Trivia

• The Chainfist is the only weapon whose rate of fire is not affected by Dualfire Damage. This was irrelevant in the original game since Dualfire Damage only appeared in The Reckoning while the Chainfist only appeared in Ground Zero. However, with the 2023 remaster, it's possible for a player to have both in the Call of the Machine campaign.
• The Chainfist emits a continuous sound while the player has it equipped, as do the Railgun, BFG10k and Phalanx Particle Cannon. While its "idle" running sound is not loud enough to alert nearby Strogg to your presence in single-player, the sound made by the player swinging it can alert them. However, if the player wishes to perform a stealth melee kill just for the fun of it, the Silencer can be used to muffle the sound of the Chainfist's swing.