Get quick and convenient access to just the hints you need for F.E.A.R., without staying on our website. Just download a free trial
version of our UHS Reader software and
a copy of these hints. You will get the
same gradual hints you see here -- unlike ordinary cheats or a
walkthrough that can spoil your game.
You can also buy the full version of the UHS Reader
for Windows or macOS. For just $14.95, you get full access to hints for
hundreds of games and 1 year of free updates. You can also search, decode, or print an entire
game's worth of hints at once.
Ask the Author
If you have questions about a puzzle that aren't answered
anywhere in these hints,
you may contact the author.
F.E.A.R. Hints
Weapon Tips
1 of 8: One rather irritating thing that F.E.A.R. does is limit your weapon inventory to a max of three guns at a time. If you come across a new weapon and choose to pick it up, you will be forced to drop the weapon you have currently equipped (if you've already got the max of three).
2 of 8: Fortunately, the weapon you drop will be there to pick up if you later decide to swap it with something else that you have. Also, you can pick up a weapon just long enough to expend its ammo on nearby enemies, then go back and exchange it for the weapon you dropped. Doing this frequently can help save on ammo for the weapons you normally keep with you.
3 of 8: The game manual doesn't mention it, but there is a "Drop weapon" key (B on the PC) that you can press to drop your currently equipped weapon. This is rarely useful, but there are two occasions when it can come in handy.
4 of 8: The first is when you come across a weapon that you already have, but that you don't have full ammo for. If you just pick up the new weapon, you won't end up with near as much ammo as if you dropped your current weapon of that type, picked up the new one, and then picked up the one you dropped. This can help you very quickly achieve and easily maintain max ammo for the more common weapons. It can also be handy with the rarer ones when you find them.
5 of 8: The second handy weapon-dropping occasion is when you're about to drop down a shaft or some other point of no return, and there's a weapon nearby that you want to have access to later. Drop one of your regular weapons down the point of no return, then pick up the nearby weapon. Now when you drop down the point of no return, you'll have access to all three of your regular weapons plus the other one that you just brought with you. This is handy in conjunction with the above tip about trading out weapons just long enough to use up the ammo in the one that you don't normally keep with you.
6 of 8: While using any of those weapon-dropping tips, keep in mind that F.E.A.R.'s physics engine is a bit wonky, and weapons will sometimes disappear into the floor when you drop them, making them impossible to ever get back. It's best to save your game before dropping any weapons that you'll want to get back later -- that way you can restore and try again if they get eaten by a hungry floor.
7 of 8: When you have a wide choice of weapons, one good assortment includes a weapon that's good for close-quarters combat (like the shotgun), one that's good for mid-range shooting (like the sub-machinegun or assault rifle), and one that's good for sniping (ASP rifle or Type-7 particle weapon). It's also useful to have a good idea of what kind of ammo is most plentiful in your area, since you usually don't want to tote around a weapon that you can't get much ammo for.
8 of 8: During my playthrus, I've found that what works best for me is to always keep both the sub-machinegun and assault rifle with me for medium-distance work, plus the shotgun for short-range power-blasting. With that weapon assortment, I never even come close to running out of ammo at any point in the game, even without using the above weapon-dropping tip that increases ammo. I only switch those weapons out temporarily for a particle weapon, rocket launcher, or whatever when the situation calls for it.
