Painkiller Guide | Elemental Mayhem: Alt-Fires for Max Crowd Control and Damage

A guide to using elemental alternate fires in Painkiller.

Gravity and Grouping

The primary tool for grouping enemies is the Stake Gun's alternate fire, Maelstrom. You can launch this orb to create an anti-gravity field that pulls lesser demons into a single pile.

This allows you or your Co-op partner to follow up with a high-damage attack, such as from the Rocket Launcher.

Cold and Freezing

You can use cold damage to control the battlefield. The SMG's Cryoshot alternate fire launches a frozen orb. You can attach this orb to an Elite Demon to slow their movement, setting you up for easy shots on their weak points.

The Shotgun's Freezer alternate fire blasts a wide area-of-effect freeze. When you upgrade this, it also leaves behind a spiky ice trap (Permafrost) that will snare any other enemies who pass through it.

You can shatter entirely frozen enemies by dashing or sliding into them.

Electric and Trapping

Electric damage is effective for building the Stagger Gauge and setting traps. The Revolver's Volt Weaver alternate fire is a sticky projectile. You can attach this directly to an enemy to apply a damage-over-time effect, which rapidly builds stagger.

You can also use this to create tether points on the ground, forming electrical traps to lock down hallways. The Electro Driver's Tempest upgrade allows you to charge and fire an electrified ball.

This leaves behind a large AoE storm that calls down lightning, which is useful for clearing areas or defending objectives like Blood Tanks.

Explosive and Area Denial

For pure area-of-effect damage, you can use the Rocket Launcher's core upgrades. The Aftershock upgrade enhances your primary rockets.

It increases the detonation area and also leaves a lingering Aftershock Trap on the ground. This trap repeatedly sends out shock waves, damaging any enemy that enters the area.

Also, check our Painkiller Review and our other guides listed below:

• Painkiller Beginner's Guide | Gameplay Tips & Tricks
• Painkiller Guide | Mastering Advanced Movement & Combat Tactics
• Painkiller Guide | Best Card Builds for Co-op and Rogue Angel Mode
• Painkiller Guide | How to Not Get Shredded: Boss Fight Strategies for Every Nephilim
• Painkiller Guide | The Voice of the Creator: Full Campaign Raid Walkthrough and Secrets
• Painkiller Guide | Rogue Angel Mode: 10 Essential Tips to Survive
• Painkiller Guide | Best Perks and Loadouts for Ink, Void, Sol, and Roch