The Lightning Gun is a high-power energy rifle capable of ablating even the heaviest carapace armor. Acquisition of a target at long range requires a steady hand, but the anti-jitter effect of the optical system reduces the weapon's learning curve significantly. Once the target has been acquired, the operator depresses the trigger, painting a proton 'patch' on the target. Milliseconds later the rifle emits a high voltage arc of electricity, which seeks out the charge differential and annihilates the target. -- Official description

The Lightning Gun made it’s debut in Unreal Tournament 2003, replacing the Sniper Rifle, and for good reason; it can only be used as a long-range weapon. The weapon is useless in close quarters fighting, as the recharge rate is very slow, and most enemies won’t stand around for you to get a clean shot.

The primary firing mode is an arc of electricity that shoots straight out. If aiming at the body, it will take two shots to kill an unarmored foe, three or four to kill one with armor (depending on how high the player’s armor is). However, since it’s a long-distance weapon, you should go for head shots, by aiming directly at the player’s cranium. A head shot will result in an instant death, regardless of the player’s health or armor. You also get a cool “Head shot!” from the announcer.

The alternate firing mode brings up the Lightning Gun’s scope. You can zoom in a great distance to get a clear shot. Unless you have superhuman eyesight, the scope is essential for getting head shots. Keep in mind, however, that when you are zoomed in, you cannot see immediately around you, so an enemy could be doing a little dance behind you before finally deciding to kill you and you’d have no idea.

Besides the slow recharge rate, your view when looking through the scope is partially obstructed due to the “snow” you get, which looks similar to a bad connection on your television or computer monitor. It doesn’t hinder your view as much as the smoke from the Sniper Rifle, but it’s enough to make you pay attention.

One good strategy, which I used to do all the time in Starsiege: Tribes, is to get the Lightning Gun, find a good area to snipe from, and grab a vehicle, preferably a Raptor, although a Manta may also work. You use the Raptor to fly to the destination, then park it while you’re sniping at your enemies. When you are spotted (or if, depending on good you are), you can jump back into the Raptor, and retreat to safety, or to another sniping location. This tactic worked wonders in Tribes, as I would use the Scout flyer to get around, then use it to run away. I call this a “hit & run”.

Whatever you do, please don’t camp near a respawn point and kill people after they spawn from a death. This is not only a cheap way to get kills, but it ruins the game for everybody. How do you improve your skill if you kill people before they have a chance to do anything?

If you are, unfortunately, on the receiving end of a spawn camper, you can hold down your move forward button (default Up Arrow/W), and hold it down as you spawn. This gives you a chance to run as soon as you appear, possibly avoiding the sniper.