There’s no denying that melee combat feels good. The hits. The hazards. The near misses and staggering blows. It’s a high-risk, high-reward, high-on-adrenaline thrill. But when you’re too far away from your target to swing a sword or drop the hammer, you need another way to bring the pain.

Grenades.

Learning to Lob Again

In Dauntless, grenades are crafted and equipped like consumables, sharing inventory space with tonics, pylons, and airstrike beacons. Equip them from your loadout screen to bring them into battle.

Once you’re in the field, select a grenade to automatically enter throwing position. The arcing line shows you the path your grenade will take when thrown. Use it to aim, then lob that thing with all your might.

Bam.

Five Flavours of Boom

Because we don’t believe in a one-grenade-fits-all solution, we’re giving you five explosive options to choose from when grenades launch on August 8th. They are: barrage, inferno, concussive, coldsnap, and transfusion.

Barrage Grenade

The barrage grenade is one of the first grenades you’ll get your hands on. Like a fancy firework, it explodes on impact, then follows up with a series of secondary bursts. Use it to kick off a fight from afar or supplement your bladework when your foe’s out of melee range.

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Inferno Grenade

The inferno grenade is every bit as fiery as its name implies. Lob one to lay down a carpet of flame that deals blaze aether damage until it expires. You can even pair these with a blaze weapon to really turn up the heat.

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Concussive Grenade

Ever wish you could interrupt a Behemoth without even drawing your weapon? Now you can. Concussive grenades are designed to interrupt key Behemoth moves like Embermane’s charge or Shrike’s glide. Time your toss well and you’ll be rewarded with an opening for your next attack.

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Nailing the interrupt window can take some practice, so don’t be afraid to pick on a few Skarns before bringing your grenades to a bigger fight.

Coldsnap Grenade

Not every Behemoth is weak to fire, so we’ve also included an arctic option: the coldsnap grenade. These grenades fragment into several small icicles which then explode to deal frost aether damage. Not a nice surprise if you’re a lava-spitting blaze Behemoth.

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Transfusion Grenade

Finally: the transfusion grenade. Unlike the barrage and inferno grenades, these won’t do much if you chuck them at the ground.

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Chuck them at a Behemoth, however, and you’re on your way to vampire status. These grenades steal life from their target and convert it into a homing set of healing orbs. Touch one to be instantly healed.

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Make Friends, Get Grenades

If you want to play with Ostian grenades, you’ll need to make some Ostian friends. And the best way to do that is to prove your slaying prowess. You may also need to show the Ostians that you’re capable of handling basic grenades before Admiral Zai will hand over his deadlier schematics. A reasonable request, when you consider how much of Ramsgate is built from wood.

Countdown to Detonation

All five grenades – along with schematics, crafting, and quests – will enter the world of Dauntless on August 8th. We plan to expand beyond those initial five later on.

Until then, keep playing, keep slaying, and keep honing those skills! You’ll need them sharp for The Coming Storm.