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The subject of this article appeared in Unreal Tournament. The subject of this article appeared in Unreal Tournament 2003. The subject of this article appeared in Unreal Tournament 2004. The subject of this article appeared in Unreal Tournament 3. The subject of this article appeared in Unreal Tournament 4.

The Redeemer is a Superweapon in the Unreal series, appearing in all Unreal Tournament games.

Overview[]

The Redeemer is a portable thermonuclear warhead launcher and the most powerful weapon in the Unreal Tournament series. It comes with only one missile, so you need to find another Redeemer if you wish to use it again. Due to its intense splash damage, the Redeemer is extremely dangerous and intended strictly for distant targets. The missile can either be fired in a straight line, similar to a standard rocket, or dynamically flown around the arena until the target is spotted.

Upon impact, the missile causes a massive nuclear explosion that obliterates anything within its damage radius, including the user. Therefore, maintaining a safe distance is strongly advised.

Unreal Tournament[]

"Primary Fire: Launch miniature nuclear warhead.
Secondary Fire: Launch and guide miniature nuclear warhead.

The first time you witness this miniature nuclear device in action, you’ll agree it is the most powerful weapon in the Tournament. Launch a slow-moving but utterly devastating missile with the primary fire; but make sure you’re out of the Redeemer’s impressive blast radius before it impacts. The secondary fire allows you to guide the nuke yourself with a rocket’s-eye view. Keep in mind, however, that you are vulnerable to attack when steering the Redeemer’s projectile. Due to the extreme bulkiness of its ammo, the Redeemer is exhausted after a single shot."
UT manual

Classification
Thermonuclear Device
Primary Fire
Fires a huge yet slow moving missile that, upon striking a solid surface, will explode and send out a gigantic shock wave, instantly pulverizing anyone and anything within its colossal radius, including yourself.
Secondary Fire
Take control of the missile and fly it anywhere. You can press the primary fire button to explode the missile early.
Techniques
Remember that while this rocket is being piloted you are a sitting duck. If an opponent manages to hit your incoming Redeemer missile while it's in the air, the missile will explode harmlessly. To avoid this, it's a good idea to make unexpected twists and turns to make it harder for your opponents to shoot it down.

In Unreal Tournament, the Redeemer appears as a bulky weapon in many maps. When fired in close quarters, everyone except the user's allies gets killed, though every survivor will be thrown off the explosion radius. The primary fire launches the missile to a point, just like a rocket. The secondary fire allows the player to guide the missile and hit any place the player wants to.

The missile can be shot down by other players after being launched, thus denying the player any possible kill. Splash damage still takes effect if this happens.

If the missile was launched in control (i.e. steering) mode, using the secondary fire again will detonate the missile mid-flight.

Unreal Tournament 2003/2004[]

"The first time you witness this miniature nuclear device in action, you’ll agree it is the most powerful weapon in the Tournament. Launch a slow-moving but utterly devastating missile with the primary fire; but make sure you’re out of the Redeemer’s impressive blast radius before it impacts. The secondary fire allows you to guide the nuke yourself with a rocket’s-eye view. Keep in mind, however, that you are vulnerable to attack when steering the Redeemer’s projectile. Due to the extreme bulkiness of its ammo, the Redeemer is exhausted after a single shot."
UT2004 weapon description

Primary Fire
Launches the Redeemer in a straight line, unguided.
Secondary fire
Allows you to take control of the Redeemer missile and guide it to its destination. Unfortunately, you are unable to control your character or see anything around your character from this view so make sure you hide well.

Unreal Tournament 3[]

""Even your least effective soldiers will earn a respectable bodycount with this tactical nuclear device." So said the original brochure for the Redeemer, still unchallenged in its role as the most powerful man-portable weapon system known through the galaxy. The slow-moving but utterly devastating missile, affectionately known as "Lola" by veteran soldiers, now uses an Enhanced Radiation payload. This ensures maximum tissue failure without undue property damage, perfect for modern assault-and-capture tactics.

The Redeemer's alternate mode fires the missile using the disposable fly-by-wire guidance system, though the manual recommends using this mode only in areas of relative safety."
UT3 weapon description.

Primary Fire
The missile is fired straight and goes until it hits something or is shot out of the sky.
Secondary Fire
Allows you to guide the redeemer missile.

Acting as the sole super weapon in this title, the redeemer fires a small nuclear warhead, capable of killing anybody within range regardless of how they are protected, and destroying all but the most heavily armored vehicles. It takes a few seconds to fully prepare and arm, and it takes up a large portion of your visibility as it is doing so. Primary fire just releases the warhead, while secondary fire gives you the ability to guide it. If you are close to the epicenter, but not directly exposed to damage, you may be knocked off your feet for a moment, as if you had fallen off the hoverboard. As always, a good shot can take the redeemer down, giving both the firing player and the sharpshooter a "Denied!" award.

Unreal Tournament 4[]

Primary fire
Launches the missile in 1st person mode, allowing you to steer it to its destination with the pointer. Pressing fire again after launch detonates the missile early.
Alternate fire
Launches the missile in 1st person mode, allowing you to steer it to its destination with the pointer. Pressing alt fire after launch ejects your view and sends the missile on a straight path.

Tips and tricks[]

  • A Redeemer missile can be harmlessly shot down. All hitscan weapons are effective, but the Shock Rifle has the combined advantages of long range and a swift rate of fire.
  • The missile in its guidance mode is excellent for scouting enemies in spacious arenas. However, the user becomes vulnerable to attacks as long as the missile is in air.
  • Upon impact, the blast radius becomes visible, warning the passersby not to proceed any further. If caught in the blast, however, run away from the center of the blast area.
  • With the exception of Unreal Tournament, the maximum ammo capacity of the Redeemer is one. Therefore, if you need to pick up another Redeemer, you must use your current missile first.
  • In team games, the user's allies are immune to the missile's splash damage. However, they still experience the shock wave from the blast, which can push them off their tracks.

Capture Tips[]

The following are a series of tips released by the defunct website Capture.

Warheads![]

"Warheads!

The Redeemer - This beautiful nuclear weapon has been around since the days of UT. However, while it used to be just another way of getting a frag or two, with the introduction of Onslaught, it has become the weapon of choice for node attackers. In fact, the Redeemer has become so popular that some players will spend entire games camping its spawn point. As soon as it does appear, they aim it at a nearby node, and hit fire. This "dumb-fire" mode is a nice Set It, and... Forget It! feature, but with such a long distance from nearby nodes, the 'Deemer missile is easily shot out of the sky by a careful shot from the Lightning Gun, Sniper Rifle, or Shock Rifle.

The best way to send this big missile-o'-love on its way is the secondary, otherwise known as the guided fire mode. However, using this mode presents a problem: As long as the player is steering the missile, the player's avatar itself is vulnerable. If the player is killed before the Redeemer is detonated, the missile will immediately explode, usually far from the intended target.

How do you avoid such an ordeal? Well before firing the missile, find a nice hiding spot. Standing on the top of the tower in ONS-Torlan is less than ideal, but with a careful shield-fall to the outcropping ledges, one is given a more discreet position. If you really want to, try taking a hiding spot on the side facing your main powernode, then fly the missile around the tower to the intended target. With your avatar facing your main powernode, you force enemy players to walk around to your side of the battlefield in order to take shots at your undefended body. While flying the missile, make sure to weave back and forth in tight loops to avoid providing an easy target. Ram the missile into the enemy node, grab some chips and dip, and enjoy the fireworks.

Finding effective cover also works well with the Redeemer's cousin, the AVRiL. As stated before, the AVRiL does not need to lock on (hold crosshair over target) for the entire flight, and is quite maneuverable. It is capable of turns close to ninety degrees. Dumb firing (primary fire without lock) the missile vertically into the sky will buy you plenty of time to find a target and track in. Try to fade back and forth from your target, allowing first initial flight path corrections into the general area with a lock, then breaking the lock, then refocusing once the missile is closer to the target. Doing so will cause the "Missile Lock!" warnings that your target receives to appear and disappear, which can be confusing and cause a little paranoia. By dumb firing into the sky, you are also not committed to just one target. If a better opportunity presents itself (such as a Raptor or Goliath), you still have time to make the appropriate adjustments. Happy fragging!"
ThRaWn70[1]


Onslaught 101 - The Redeemer[]

"Onslaught 101 - The Redeemer

Love it or hate it – this weapon packs serious punch! Basically, the Redeemer is a mini tactical nuke. Primary fire is "fire and forget", the secondary fire lets you guide the Redeemer to the destination of your choice – and if you hit primary fire while guiding it will explode right there (great for an air burst!).

Most people will use this weapon to wipe out a node or to attack the power core – it's also very good at taking out Goliaths (and just about anything else!)."
SlayerDragon[2]


Trivia[]

  • In Unreal Tournament, the Redeemer warhead has "Adios!" written on its side. In Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004, the missile reads "Swallow this!"
  • The Redeemer did not appear in either of the Unreal Championship games and was replaced by the T.A.G. Rifle in the first Unreal Championship game. However, several pieces of code for the Redeemer and damage strings remain, such as:
(Death message): "%o fed %k a PAIN SANDWICH!"
(Female suicide message): "%o was blasted by her own Redeemer."
(Male suicide message): "%o was blasted by his own Redeemer."
  • In Unreal Tournament 3, the Redeemer is said to be nuclear, but when the player walks in an area the Redeemer was shot at, no radiation poisoning damage is given.
  • The UT3 Redeemer has the longest pull-out animation of any weapon, taking 3.2 seconds to be ready to fire.
  • On slow computers in Unreal Tournament, the missile won't have smoke.
  • The Redeemer is absent from Unreal II: The Awakening. Instead, the Singularity Cannon is the game's only superweapon, available near the game's end in single-player mode. In the hidden botmatch mode, it holds only one round instead of 667 rounds to balance its power.
  • In UT4, the Redeemer initially had the same mechanics as previous iterations, but after an update, it always fires in the first-person mode regardless of the firing method.
  • According to Jack Porter[3] and James Schmalz,[4] the Redeemer was named after seeing a sign on a church in North Raleigh.
  • According to Rachel Cordone, when her map AS-BP2-SubRosa was bought by Epic Games, the setting of the map was changed to the N.E.G. raiding Liandri quarters searching for the original plans for the Redeemer.[5]

References in other games[]

Main article: References to the Unreal series in other games
  • In Borderlands, the Torgue-manufactured Rocket Launcher "Redemption" is inspired by the Redeemer, featuring the caption "Monster Kill!" and a similar name.
  • In Nuclear Throne, the Nuke Launcher functions like the Redeemer missile, firing a remotely controllable nuclear rocket.
  • In Russian Overkill:
    • The Deathhead is essentially the Redeemer, using the same model and allowing guided or unguided firing.
    • The Quick-Nuke consumable borrows its sprite from the UT2004 version, and the missile sounds similar to the Redeemer's in flight. Its actor is even labeled as "Redeemer."

Awards[]

  • Complex named it the 40th most unique firearm in video games.
"There was nothing quite like laying waste to an entire level of Unreal Tournament with the Redeemer, undoubtedly the series' most powerful weapon. That's saying something, especially when you look at the Flak Cannon, Pulse Rifle, and the rest. If you were ever lucky enough to actually find one, you were pretty much guaranteed to net a few kills with the Redeemer's enormous blast radius—usually including yourself."
Complex[6]
  • First Post listed it as one of the best weapons in FPS games.
"If every kid had a Redeemer, the world would be a rather under-populated place. This gun basically lets you shoot a mini-nuke that you could control in first person. Once the rocket detonates, it obliterates everything in its surrounding area. Trust me, there’s no better feeling than exploding one amidst a large number of opponents in a UT2k4 death match."
First Post[7]
  • British journalist Matt Gardner conducted a poll where the Redeemer earned a spot in a list of the nine most hated FPS weapons.
"You only get one shot, but that's all you ever need. The Redeemer, a portable thermonuclear warhead launcher, is the most powerful weapon in the Unreal Tournament series by a long way and it’s all down to its formidable splash damage.

Gamers only get one missile, and you need to stand back; when you’re on a smaller map, chances are you’ll take out the rest of the field. If you feel brave, its secondary fire option allows the nuke to be guided to a target.

IGN named it its 22nd best weapon in gaming, presumably referring to its power in the game, and not its power to destroy long-term, loving relationships."
Matt Gardner[8]
  • Sapphire Nation mentioned it as one of the greatest FPS superweapons.
"The Redeemer is Unreal's most powerful superweapon. A thermonuclear missile boasting fat range and fatter damage, it is the very definition of overkill. When fired in primary mode, it sends a slow moving missile that obliterates everything within its gigantic splash radius. The secondary fire mode allows players to steer the missile and help it evade incoming fire (the missile can be destroyed), gather reconnaissance and position it for maximum damage. If need be, it can also be detonated manually before impact.

Unfortunately, the redeemer also has a long list of drawbacks: It can be destroyed from afar, makes its user vulnerable in manual mode and has but a single missile. No reloading is possible and the set-up time is long. Despite these problems, it’s amazing when it connects…a monster killer indeed."
Sapphire Nation[9]


Developer notes[]

"The Redeemer now hovers above the ground at around player height. You can still steer it like the original Redeemer, plus you can shoot it still when it comes for you."
Juan Pancho 'XceptOne' Eekels, UT2003[10]

Preview notes[]

"This is basically a rocket launcher on steroids, or a BFG. A personal nuclear weapon, when the warhead impacts a solid surface, a shock wave goes out and pulverizes and vaporizes everything and everyone in the blast radius. Not a pleasant experience."
IGN, UT[11]


Gallery[]

External links and references[]

  1. "Warheads!". Capture. Archived from the original on Jun 7, 2004. Retrieved Nov 22, 2024.
  2. "Onslaught 101". Capture. Archived from the original on Jun 7, 2004. Retrieved Nov 22, 2024.
  3. Conley, Stacey (January 16, 2013). "The Longevity of Unreal Tournament: Part Four". Epic Games. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  4. Jeremy Jayne, Daniel O'Dwayer (Mar 19, 2018). "The story of Digital Extremes (Warframe Doc Part 1)". NoClip. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  5. Cordone, Rachel. "Sub Rosa". Angel Mapper Rachel Cordone: Unreal Engine Specialist. Archived from the original on Oct 14, 2015. Retrieved Feb 7, 2023.
  6. Rougeau, Michael (January 20, 2012). "The 50 Most Unique Firearms in Video Games". Complex. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  7. Taneja, Nikhil (January 30, 2007). "10 Best Weapons in FPS Games". First Post. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  8. Gardner, Matthew (June 30, 2019). "The People Have Spoken: The Ten Most Hated Weapons In Multiplayer Gaming History". Forbes Sites. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  9. Yordanov, Alexander (August 30, 2017). "The Greatest Super Weapons in Gaming, FPS Edition (part 2)". Sapphire Nation. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  10. RaptoR (May 15, 2002). "Pancho Eekels Interview". BeyondUnreal. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  11. JB (May 13, 1999). "Unreal Tournament - Hands-on preview". IGN. Retrieved May 22, 2019.

See also[]


Unreal Tournament weapons
Impact HammerEnforcerBio RifleShock RiflePulse GunRipperMinigunFlak CannonRocket LauncherSniper Rifle
Special weapons: ChainsawTranslocatorSuper Shock Rifle
Superweapons: Redeemer
Chaos: UT weapons: Grappling HookBastard SwordCAS12 ShotgunUtility GunCrossbowThe ClawProximity MinesChaos Sniper V2The VortexSentry Turret
Unreal Tournament 2004 weapons
Shield GunAssault RifleBio RifleMine LayerShock RifleLink GunMinigunFlak CannonGrenade LauncherRocket LauncherAVRiLLightning GunSniper Rifle
Special weapons: TranslocatorBall LauncherSuper Shock Rifle
Superweapons: Ion PainterRedeemerTarget Painter
Unreal Tournament 3 weapons
Impact HammerEnforcerBio RifleShock RifleLink GunStinger MinigunFlak CannonRocket LauncherLongbow AVRiLSniper Rifle
Special weapons: TranslocatorInstagib Rifle
Superweapons: Redeemer
Deployables: EMP MineLink StationShaped ChargeShield GeneratorSlow Field GeneratorSpidermine TrapX-Ray Field
Unreal Tournament 4 weapons
Impact HammerEnforcerBio RifleShock RifleLink GunStinger MinigunFlak CannonGrenade LauncherRocket LauncherSniper RifleLightning Gun
Special weapons: TranslocatorInstagib Rifle
Superweapons: Redeemer
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