Web Cannon (Classic)

Type:	Ranged Weapon
Function:	• Immobilising monsters. • Creating bridges, ladders and safety nets.
Source:	• Shops • Crates
Cost:	$1800 +200
Notes:	• Produces light when fired. • The webs it produces decay over time.

The Web Gun (aka. Webcannon, Web Launcher) is a ranged weapon that launches blobs of web at high velocities. It does not cause damage, but is a useful defensive item.

Web guns are sold in certain shops and found rarely inside crates.
They are the second cheapest item in the game, tied with the parachute. They have a base value of $1800 plus an inflation multiplier of $200.

Functionality

Catches cavemen just like flies.

Although the webs fired from the weapon cause no direct damage, they are still useful in combat as they fully immobilize enemies that touch them (excluding spiders, Giant Spiders and the Ghost which are immune to the effects of webs). This allows for easy avoidance, or - if the Web Gun is dropped - the ability to whip enemies to death safely.

To use the Web Gun well, you will need to plan your engagements with enemies carefully, as poorly placed webs can backfire.
You will need to wait out of sight, and place a web between yourself and the enemy, somewhere where it will likely get trapped in on its way to you. For Cavemen and Yeti, this is easy, but enemies like frogs and Hawkmen can be tricky to predict.
Webs can also be deployed to catch projectile items like arrows or the Mummy's Fly Swarm attack, but will not impede bullets fired from guns.

This strategy should not be underestimated; a series of well-placed webs can make you untouchable.

Another useful function of the Web Gun is the ability to use your own webs to reach places normally out of your reach.
Webs stack when fired on top of each other, allowing you to make structures that can be crossed by jumping through the webs. When stacked horizontally, they form a bridge that can be used to cross dangerous terrain (including lava, spikes and wide gaps).
When stacked vertically the web can also be used to rise upward. When fired on the ground, they break the falling speed which makes a useful safety net for climbing upward without using ropes.
Webs also makes for an excellent sticky bomb substitute. Simply shoot a web onto the place you wish to bomb, then throw the bomb into the web.

The web gun produces a brief but bright flash of light when fired, which can be used to get your bearings in dark levels.

Note that both the large and small varieties of spider are immune to webs; and unlike the "natural" variety, webs fired from the launcher will slowly disintegrate over time. Furthermore, the web gun does not work underwater.

Web Piracy

You can use the web gun to easily rob Shopkeepers since it is one of the few items that you can use without purchasing right away.

Launching the web at a shopkeeper will immobilise him (beware however that the web will not stop him from shooting at you) long enough to rob him and escape.
This is preferable to murder, as it means that the shopkeepers will eventually forgive you after a few levels (as long as you don't kill any others, which shouldn't be too difficult if you hang onto your web gun).

If you are so inclined, however, you can also use it to kill the shopkeeper:

1. Pick up the web gun from the shop (or use your existing one if you have it)
2. Lure the shopkeeper out of his cubby-hole (by carrying an item towards the entrance)
3. Fire the web gun on the shopkeeper and immediately jump on top of the shopkeeper, avoiding the shotgun pellets.
4. You will not get stuck on the web but rather continue to jump on the shopkeeper (do not move off until you are sure the shopkeeper is dead - this will happen before the web disappears)