Let’s consider throwables.
By default, the number four key will equip one’s throwables slot. Alternatively, scrolling up or down on the mouse wheel will cycle between the four equipment slots, including the throwables slot.
With a throwable equipped one will see that throwable in hand, ready to be thrown or deployed. Aiming with throwables is similar to aiming with a ranged weapon – though the maximum range is restricted to throwing range. Also, it is possible to throw things over lower obstacles like lower wall sections and the like.
Let’s go over the different throwables.
Grenades
Grenades explode several seconds after being thrown. They deal a wide explosive area of damage, and this can be quite lethal near its centre. Grenades thrown can bounce off of higher walls, and they will also hurt you if you get caught in the blast, so be careful! They tend to be even more dangerous when thrown into messy situations, as a grenade not noticed can be a fatal one indeed.
Cat mines
These ornate cat-shaped throwables are meant to be thrown down in interesting places to catch the unwary off guard. They do not deal as much damage as grenades, but they do stick around with an eerie red glow. A cat mine will wait for a super animal to enter its range, and when it does, it lets out a loud meow and explodes.
They are mostly effective if they put the opposition in a high pressure situation. Alternatively when they manage to not be spotted before it is too late.
In low pressure situations where they are seen they are relatively harmless as it is a trivial matter to enter a cat mine’s detection range and get out before it explodes. However it is less trivial when you are also under pressure.
Skunk Bombs
Similar could be said of another throwable, the Skunk bomb. Skunk bombs operate a little differently. Once they are thrown these do detonate into a poisonous cloud that damages super animals who find themselves within it. This cloud lingers for eight seconds, and during that time, the area is less desirable to pass through. Similarly to the cat-mine, this throwable works best when the enemy is under pressure, such as gassing up the escape routes while the Royale’s skunk gas approaches.
Bananas
Bananas are a very different story. These are just bananas but they ‘are’ versatile throwables. They do not explode, and they do not deal damage.
There is nothing more humble in the game than the banana, but, especially in numbers, they have a lot of utility. For one thing, like cat mines, once these are dropped somewhere, they lie there, awaiting an unsuspecting SuperAnimal. Unlike cat mines, bananas do not have an eerie glow announcing their presence. If they have been on the ground for long enough they do emit a vapour though.
Bananas are slippery. Bananas do not care who is travelling over them. Whether the self, an enemy or an ally, a super animal can and will slip on them. This is true even if you try to jump over them so don’t try it. It is Banan’s will for you to slip on all bananas and so it shall be.
As such a banana is a good way to trap doorways or piles of loot and such. A SuperAnimal who slips on a banana will be stunned for about three seconds and if they are lucky then they’ll just be embarrassed. If less so then dead, as a lot can happen in three seconds.
One more thing that bananas are good for is eating, if one has ‘the right utensils upgrade’ for the job. But not if they are in the skunk gas, as they then turn black and inedible. Yuck!
Bananas do, once again, have the blessing of Banan, so never underestimate a banana again.
Zip-and-Gos
One more throwable to speak of is the Zip and Go.
Unlike other throwables, equipping this throwable grants a player the benefit of being scoped/ zoomed out, providing a modestly better view of the surrounding area. This without needing to use it.
This throwable functions less as a throwable and more as a deployable – and there are two ways that it can be deployed.
Crouching while pressing the fire button will quickly deploy a neat zip-line with a post at each end.
This zip-line may then be ridden by pressing the same key that one presses to jump out of a flying eagle.
If one does not crouch while pressing the fire button, then one’s SuperAnimal will hurtle along to the end point, leaving behind a neat zip-line with a post at each end.
Not all end points are suitable for deploying a zip line. Bodies of deep water or spaces beyond high walls or mountains are examples of unsuitable deployments. However crossing otherwise impassible areas like bodies of water is precisely what the zip-n-go is about.
Additionally, if zip-lines are chained from each other then SuperAnimals riding them will gain additional speed as they ride along.
This throwable does not yet exist in SvR, although a few permanent zip-lines may be found already deployed in SvR maps, and these can be interacted with using the same key one uses to jump out of a flying eagle.
That covers all the throwables.
Let us take a moment to talk once more of grenades, cat mines and skunk bombs.
It is helpful to note that all three of these will treat both the user as well as the enemy team as legitimate targets. However, not allies of the user. This was introduced to help prevent trolling.
You can tell a friendly mine from a hostile one by the colour it glows. Red glowing mines will detonate if they detect you.
In the case of skunk gas, the outline of the cloud being red indicates that it is damaging to you while a white outline typically means that it is harmless to you.
While we’re going over all items ‘we may as well cover upgrades in more detail ‘next’ we’ll be going over upgrades.