The Bolo gun -- useless?

[hagathina]

I finally got the BOLO gun but it's proving to be useless because the enemies just lie around for a few seconds and then get back up.

Any tips on how to use this thing so that it's actually useful in combat? I'm failing a mission over and over because there are just too many bad guys in the camp I'm trying to infiltrate, and several of them can't even be punched out, so I'm at a loss as to strategy.

[Bubba]

Originally posted by cyäegha:

,,,,,,,,,,,, it loses what little utility it still held on "very hard"

Really?
https://youtu.be/ThvTr4W4-RQ

[Overseer]

Yeah i have to disagree on the whole notion of Bola being useless on Hard and up. Its fire rate may be low but its effective range and effectiveness against moving targets is high. Shotgun is good up close but awful at range and you generally don't want enemies near you, especially on Very Hard.
And tossing grenades at BTs up close ends up as the last resort before Sam gets pulled. In controlled situations where fast reaction is required the Bola Gun just opens them up for a cord cut without ever covering Sam in his own blood. Bola effectively allows Sam to walk up to BTs and cut them which speeds up the process in the snowy mountains where crouching is slow.
Lv. 2 grenades are good even on Very Hard, but the process of filling them is slow. And restocking them alongside all the blood gets old. I much rather carry a Grenade launcher with me to cover all fronts.

[hagathina]

So I can look forward to better and better weapons. Cool.

I've managed to get past that one MULE camp by sneaking in and just taking out the few MULES hanging around the camp itself. I think you have to be standing in exactly the right place for the V prompt, but it did come up for three our of five MULES.

[bad_fur_day1]

I find the Non-lethal assault rifle pretty definitively settles any "arguments" I have encountered so far, though I havn't tested that theory on harder difficulties. I sometimes bring two.

[Nope]

Cost effective and highly useful is every non-boss fight situation, never go out without one on Very Hard

[i know kung fu]

just drive into everyone twisted metal style

[hagathina]

I have run over a few of them. That was one of my go-to strategies in Days Gone, too.

[Bluebeak]

I stopped using it as soon as I acquired the non-lethal assault rifle. The main reason I used it to begin with is for the early game it's the only consistent way to deal with shielded MULEs.

You can stomp on the MULEs after boloing them but the non-lethal assault rifle in every way is superior, but it doesn't get unlocked until a ways into the game.

[hagathina]

Okay, so that's something to look forward to. At this point the BTs are just a PITA, but the MULES still give me trouble sometimes.

[Arbadacarba]

I only use Bola against humans

[Bluebeak]

BTs are less of a hazard once you get the non-lethal assault rifle level 2 since it lets you switch between blood ammo and regular non-lethal ammo.

Mules become more dangerous later on since you start fighting the terrorist enemies that use regular firearms and they're more dangerous. Unless you're in a vehicle then you can mostly just drive past them.

[nickio]

Originally posted by Bubba:

Actually, the bola gun is all I ever use now. Go for the head-shot against mules/terrorists and they will stay tied-up. If you're at a bit of a distance, aim slightly above their heads as the bola will drop as it travels. If you miss the head-shot and just get their body, you'll need to go up to them while they're down and give them a kick, this will keep them down. If they have something resembling a sideways number 8 above them once they're down, they'll need to be kicked, if they have a sort of star above them, they'll stay down.

In the screenshot below, the mule on right will get up unless kicked, while the one on the left will stay down.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2752958368
Bola gun is also very useful against BT's, especially once you've unlocked the umbilical cord cutter.

maaaaaaaaaaan you're telling me I can use the bola gun on BT's?

[Bubba]

Originally posted by nickio:

maaaaaaaaaaan you're telling me I can use the bola gun on BT's?

Yes
https://youtu.be/EEKMiTGwbbQ

[nickio]

woww that was a nightmare. But it worked! cheers.

[Flybye]

The game is too easy even on the hardest setting. I used the Bola with every mule and even with the heavier armed Mules. I felt it was unfair to go all out with other weapons on them. I consistently head shot each mule and then proceeded to kick them in the gut. They are rather peaceful when sleeping like babies.