Reloading is the act of exchanging a partially-used ammo clip for a fresh one. By default, emptying a clip automatically triggers a reload. When reloading, a reload bar is displayed next to your character's portrait, indicating progress. The Reload Speed Bonus skill decreases the time it takes to reload weapons.
Clip-based reloading[]
Ammo and reloading in Alien Swarm are clip-based. If you reload a weapon with a clip that was only partially depleted, the ammo remaining in that clip is lost. It is therefore important to squeeze as many bullets as possible from each clip before reloading to conserve ammo. You cannot reload a weapon whose clip is full, or if you've run out of spare clips.
Fast reload[]
A fast reload is a reloading technique that requires the player to press the "Reload" key at a specific time during a normal reload. A successful fast reload cuts reload time roughly to one-third. Missing a fast reload causes your character to fumble, which increases total reload time. Since reloading slows down movement speed too, this can be fatal when under duress. As the difficulty level increases, the colored area of the reload bar shrinks, making fast reloads harder to perform.
Steps[]
- Press the "Reload" key once to start reloading your weapon, or empty your clip to trigger an automatic reload.
- Look at the reload bar that appears in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
- When the moving line enters the highlighted area, press the "Reload" key again.
- A white glow appearing around the weapon and a special sound indicates success.
Achievements[]
- Quick Load (perform a fast reload)
- Gunslinger (perform 5 fast reloads in a row)
Console commands[]
- You can add a reload bar under your character for enhanced visibility with the console command:
- asw_fast_reload_under_marine 1
- If you'd rather not have the game automatically reload an empty weapon, use the following:
- asw_auto_reload 0
Notes[]
- Reloading continues when you are using melee attacks, but is interrupted for several seconds if you roll.
- To cancel a reload in progress, switch weapons or initiate an evasive roll.