Mine Thrower

For the weapon with the similar name and function in Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, see Mine Thrower (RE3).

Mine Thrower
jp name	[Jp name not given]
Item Information
Weapon type	Unique
Can be combined with	Scope (Mine Thrower)
Ammunition	Mine-Darts
Special guide
Character-exclusive?	Leon Scott Kennedy
Customisable?	Upgradable
Buying price	28,000₧ GC 9,800₧ ports
Other
Size	5x2
Appears in	Resident Evil 4

The Mine Thrower is a unique weapon featured in Resident Evil 4. It is an upgradable weapon.

Gameplay

The Mine Thrower costs 28,000₧ in the initial Gamecube release and 9,800₧ in all ports. A custom scope can be bought for 8,000₧. It is first available in Chapter 3-1. The Mine Thrower takes up 10 spaces (5x2) of Leon's inventory. The scope takes up an additional 4 spaces (2x2).

Ammo for the Mine Thrower, Mine-Darts

The weapon fires explosive mine darts that detonate after a short time. The detonating duration of the darts is slightly reduced in the non-Gamecube versions. The darts stick to surfaces and enemies, causing them to stagger slightly before exploding, doing damage equal to a Hand Grenade. The blast from an exploding dart can also make Leon flinch or actually damage him if he is too close when it detonates.

Ammunition for the Mine Thrower will not appear unless Leon has this weapon in his inventory. Mine-Darts are relatively rare and dropped by enemies and crates at random.

Equipping the scope will replace the Mine Thrower's laser aiming device with said attachment. The scope gives additional zoom to aid shooting.

Its Exclusive upgrade increases the blast radius even further and gives the mine darts heat-seeking capabilities. With this upgrade, aiming at an enemies will cause the dart to home-in at the target. Without any specific target, the dart will seek the nearest enemy instead.

There is a minor glitch in where before the Drill Zealots come you can fire a heat seeking dart through the small upper corner of the wall before they appear in which kills them before the cutscene.

Tune up chart

Firing Speed and Reload Speed are given in seconds. The "Firepower" stat gives the blast radius in terms of meters as noted by its own description in the tune up menu.

"Increase the blast radius of the Mine-Darts. (The default values are in meters.)"

The exclusive upgrade says the radius increases again but does not specify by how much. It takes a total of 211,000₧ to buy and fully upgrade the Mine Thrower, or 219,000₧ for that plus the scope.

Level	Firepower	Cost	Firing Speed	Cost	Reload Speed	Cost	Capacity	Cost
1	2.0	N/A	1.33	N/A	3.43	N/A	5	N/A
2	4.0	25,000₧			2.57	18,000₧	7	25,000₧
3	6.0	45,000₧					10	40,000₧
Exclusive	Increased blast radius and adds homing mines					30,000₧

Comments

• Examine: Mine Thrower

"This weapon fires custom "mines" that attach to objects and detonate after a period of time."

• Fully upgraded Examine: Mine Thrower

"This weapon now fires "homing-mines" that attach to objects and detonate after a period of time."

• Examine: Mine Thrower + Scope

"A mine shooting firearm equipped with a custom scope."

• Fully upgraded Examine: Mine Thrower + Scope

"A Mine Thrower that fire "homing-mines". It's equipped with a custom scope."

• Examine: Scope (Mine Thrower)

"A custom scope for the Mine Thrower"

• Merchant's comment

"Not only will you need cash but you'll need guts to buy that weapon."

• Exclusive

"Adds "homing" to the Mine-Darts and significantly increase their blast radius."

Strategy

• The player must be careful when firing at Ganados, as the dart attaches itself to the target and detonates after a few seconds. If the struck target moves close to Leon, he can get caught in the blast.
• The Mine Thrower is capable of prompting enemies for Leon's roundhouse kick. This is effective for taking down multiple enemies. Shoot an enemy in the head, then kick them back into the others. If timed correctly, the enemy with the mine dart in their skull, will be propelled back into the others, detonating almost immediately. On top of this, Leon is invincible while using a hand-to-hand attack, so he won't be caught in the blast.
• Do not buy capacity upgrade until the weapon is empty to reap the benefit of the free ammo.
• The Exclusive Upgrade is useful for seeking hidden targets, however it takes away the freedom of aiming.
• The Mine Thrower can be especially useful when dealing with the zealots on the fire-emitting dragon heads in the castle. Players will often not have a clear line of sight with the ganados, and the mine thrower only needs to be fired in their general direction to finish them off.
• Heat-seeking mines are especially effective against Regeneradores.

Gallery

Leon holding the Mine Thrower.