Troika Heavy Machine Gun

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Troika Heavy Machine Gun
Product information
Manufacturer	Locust Horde
Type	Mounted Heavy Machine Gun
Technical specifications
Size	Large
Damage Per Hit	Medium-High
Magazine Size	Unlimited
Maximum Ammunition	Unlimited
Fire Mode	Automatic
Ammunition Type	Cartridge
Rate of Fire	Extremely High
Accuracy	Low to Medium
Range	Short to Medium
Usage
Era(s)	Locust War Lambent Pandemic
Counterpart	RAAM's Troika Chain Gun Mulcher Vulcan Cannon
Counterweapon(s)	One-Shot Torque Bow Boltok Pistol Digger Launcher Mortar Longshot Sniper Rifle
Affiliation	Locust Horde

"TROIKA!"

—The standard COG cry when a Troika starts firing at them

The Troika Heavy Machine Gun was a mounted, double barreled, heavy machine gun designed by the Locust and used almost exclusively by the Gunner class of Drone.

Background

As with most Locust weapons, little is known of the Troika's origins or engineering, but some information has been confirmed through field usage. The weapon itself is a modified form of the minigun, equipped with two rotary ammunition drums and active cooling to allow virtually continuous firing.

The weapon's mount has a horizontal spread of approximately 100 degrees and a vertical spread of approximately 80 degrees, and is equipped with active recoil compensation. The Troika does boast frontal armour, though it provides no cover from side or rear attacks, leaves the user's legs partially exposed, and most notably lacks total head coverage.

Aiming is assisted with an infrared scope (so as to accommodate the Locust visual range), though manual aiming tends to be preferred by COG forces.

RAAM holding his version of the cut-down Troika.

The mighty General RAAM had a custom version of the Troika, which lacked a shield; instead, it had a grip and an ammunition drum similar to the rear half of a Boomshot.

By 16 A.E., the resources for Troikas had been largely exhausted (primarily due to the flooding of the Hollows), so the only Troikas they had left were the ones out on the field. In response, the Horde created the Multi-Turret.

Game Strategies

The Troika is a very powerful weapon, capable of ripping through standard infantry armor in a few shots. However, the Troika's mounting stand has an extremely slow turning speed, and the aiming should be kept unzoomed when taking on multiple enemies. It should also be noted that the Troika provides protection only from the front, so attacks from the side should be watched out for.

Countering Strategies

A Locust Gunner using the Weapon.

Methods of attacking Troika emplacements include the use of grenades; aerial bombardment with the Hammer of Dawn or Mortar, or a close-range shotgun blast from behind. Alternatively, it is possible to use a longer-range weapon (One-Shot; Longshot Sniper Rifle, or Torque Bow for example) to attack the user's head through the viewing gap in the Troika's frontal shield (the One-Shot's armor-piercing round's guaranteed to penetrate through the shield should the wielder not have enough time to line up a headshot). Leg shots tend to be instantly fatal with the aforementioned long-range weapons, especially with a perfect active reload. The stationary user will have a lot of trouble dodging the attack, so it's best to fire the Longshot before the gunner does, or to simply ready the shot out of the gun's range in the case of the One-Shot; Mortar, and Torque Bow. Another strategy is to slowly advance on the gunner with the Boom Shield, and utilize the Boltok Pistol to hit the gunner's exposed head. The Gorgon Burst is surprisingly ineffective at close range, as the bullets go to the side from each muzzle, sometimes missing their target completely.

Multiplayer

The Troika currently appears in only one of the Multiplayer maps, War Machine. Troikas cannot turn behind the user, so having another player guard their back is often the best defense. In practice, the weapon is generally useless, providing next to no protection from weapons fire and allowing excessively easy sniper rifle and Torque Bow kills due to the wide assortment of angles it can be attacked from.

Behind the scenes

• The Troika features an unusable targeting display, presumably used by the operator as a form of optical sight.
• In Gears 2 and 3, the Troika can overheat if fired for too long. Using the RB button can release the captured heat quickly.
• The Troika has a unique ability to "mulch" enemies, no matter how far you are.
• Of all the Troikas, only two can rotate 360 degrees, the first being in Gears of War 1, which is the first encountered, and the final one being in Gears of War 2, on the level Free Parking.
• In Gears of War 3's Horde 2.0, it is unknown why the COG use Troikas, since they are Locust weaponry, and not the Chain Gun, since it is COG weaponry. Locust cannot use the Troika, since its "mulch" mechanic would make it too overpowered if used against the player.
• "Troika" literally means "group of three" or "triad" in Russian, making it a puzzling name for a double-barreled weapon.
• The stationary barrels and rotating chambers are similar in function to the real world revolver cannons.
  • It also bares some resemblance to the Maxim Machine Gun, the first fully operational machine gun.

Appearances

• Gears of War: Judgment
• RAAM's Shadow
• Gears of War (First appearance)
• Gears of War: Ultimate Edition
• Gears of War 2
• Gears of War 3