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The TDS Loot icon The Gas Arrow is a noxious arrow shot with the Bow, that instantly knocks out any nearby beings.

The Gas Arrow
TDS buildings arrow

A stealable Gas Arrow kept near building tops, in Auldale, in TDS

Cost:

Attack: known only to deal damage to Fire Elementals

Stealth Bonus: No

Areas they can be found: in high places, near wind tunnels, levitating in mid air, near gas pipes or gas plants

Maximum amount in inventory (TDS only): 5

Symbol: Air Element

Length: 3.38 DromEd Units

Usage[]

  • knocking out (without killing) almost all human and many inhuman characters
  • extinguishing torches, fireplaces, camp fires and any type of open fire-based lighting source
  • dispersing Insect Swarm
  • disabling Mechanist Robots

Knocking out a Mechanist Patrol (2 characters with one shot)

Tactical Information[]

A Gas Crystal

The Gas Arrow is the most expensive of all the arrows and is among the most expensive equipment available in The City. Its price is due to its invaluable capabilities on one side and its rarity on the other. Gas Arrows are as rarely encountered in the world as in the shops themselves. The arrow's most valuable ability is knocking out a vast amount of human and creature types with only one shot. Actually every character that is vulnerable to the knock-out gas will be unconscious after just one arrow. This allows Garrett to get out of sticky situations without killing someone (especially humans on Expert Difficulty). Furthermore, the Gas Arrows has the same trajectory properties as the Fire Arrow – it doesn't have a parabola and it goes straight forward as far as it can reach without hitting anything, irrelevant of whether the bow was fully pulled or not. The proper aim for the Gas Arrow should be the higher tip of the bow sight. When the arrow reaches something, its head explodes into a cloud of stunning gas spreading into an area. The area is relatively small, still large enough to knock out several close characters. The perfect aim should be towards the ground between two humans in a conversation, towards clustered beasts like Burricks or two characters that pass each other on their patrol paths. Note as well that the Gas can damage Garrett as well (but not knock him unconscious), so like with Fire Arrows, don't shoot anything nearby.

Even though the arrow can knock out many great beasts like the Bugbeast or even the rare Craybeast, with just one Gas Arrow, there are a lot of exceptions as well. The Undead, for instance, are totally immune to the knock-out gas. Air Mages share the same ability because the gas crystal represents their natural element. The Mechanists have also, inadvertently, developed their defense against the Gas Arrow by equipping some of their adept followers or important people with gas masks and helmets, though these are used for diving, or in Cavadors case, defense against Burricks. Chaos Beasts like the Tree Beasts or the Eyeball Plants (not that they can do anything) are also immune to the gas. Fire Elementals are not knocked out by Gas Arrows. Instead they take some amount of damage from them, but it is absolutely inefficient since they can be killed by just one water arrow. In TDS, Cats and Rats are immune to gas arrows, but not the Gas Bomb.

The other abilities the Gas Arrow provides can be summarized as some pretty good things the other arrows can do, combined in one arrow. The Gas Arrow can extinguish torches like the Water Arrow, but this is very ineffective when taking the price and rarity into account. It can also disperse Insect Swarms, but due to the fact that it would be best to avoid them even a Fire Arrow would be a waste for this task. The only ability the Gas Arrow gains an economical advantage is the disabling of Mechanist Robots. All robots, including the big ones, can be disabled with only one Gas Arrow to the radiator. This makes the Gas Arrow 2 to 1 effective compared to the Water Arrow in this matter against big robots. However the Water Arrow has an 8 to 1 quantity factor and finding chance, which shows that a Water Arrow can still be more efficient.

In general, Gas Arrows are very rare and need to be saved for emergency situations. They are invaluable on Expert Difficulty level, especially when Garrett gets discovered.

Arrow Characteristics[]

Gasarrow dromed
The Gas Arrow as it appears in the manual

In the first two games, the Gas Arrow shares more properties with the regular Broadhead Arrow than the Moss Arrow and the Fire Arrow. It has a normally colored shaft and three fletched tail. Even though the whole arrow length is normal, its shaft is a bit shorter than the other arrows. The arrow uses a Gas Crystal for a head. Some claim that the Gas Arrow's straight flight path is determined by the magical properties of the Gas Crystal and because this is the way the Air Element behaves in nature.

The Gas Crystal has a streamlined shape and has the peculiarity of emitting small stripes of gas around it. Upon breaking it spreads a cloud of strong sedative gas around the break point. It is a rare but fascinating phenomenon to see a Gas Crystal levitating in mid air.

Weapons
Melee Blackjack · Dagger · Sword · Constantine's Sword · Warhammer · Mechanist Mace
Ranged Bow · Broadhead Arrow · Gas Arrow · Fire Arrow · Mechanist Crossbow
Thievery Noisemaker Arrow · Rope Arrow · Vine Arrow · Water Arrow · Moss Arrow · Oil Flask
Explosive Flash Bomb · Gas Bomb · Explosive Mine · Flash Mine · Gas Mine · Explosive Charge · Frogbeast Egg
Other Holy Water Vial · Holy Water Font · Holy Water Flask · Wand
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