BFG (weapon) - Appearances

Appearances

In the original Doom games, the BFG 9000 is a large firearm that fires giant balls of green plasma. The most powerful weapon in the games, it causes major damage to opponents hit by the radiation emitted by the projectile which can clear entire rooms of foes, and is often an instant kill if a target takes a direct hit from the projectile. Strangely the player is unaffected by the splash damage, unlike a rocket launcher, so it is possible to use the BFG 9000 safely in close quarters. In the first Doom the weapon can only be picked up in the third and fourth episodes. The BFG shares its ammo pool of energy cells with the Plasma Gun.

In Doom 3, the BFG 9000 has a charge-based system where holding down the trigger causes the weapon to accumulate enemy resulting in a more powerful shot (up to 4 levels of charge, allowing it to be used against a wider range of enemies), and this level is displayed on the gun counter/monitor. Overcharging the the BFG will cause it to overheat and explode, killing the player instantly. It has its own unique ammo which is not pooled with other weapons.

Quake II and Quake III Arena pay homage to the BFG 9000 with a pair of similar weapons both called the BFG10K, with the Q2 incarnation of the weapon being similar in most respects although the traveling plasma glob also releases green lasers that target enemies. The Quake III Arena version of the BFG acts very differently, essentially being a fast-firing rocket launcher.