Now, back to that ton of other gear we mentioned: it’s increasingly heavy stuff. The Invader is a shotgun that can also fire grenades that bounce around corners and detonate upon your signal. The Avalanche Gun (working title) sends a boulder at least eight feet across careening toward your target with full destructive force. The Spike grenade triggers a lava spire 20-30 feet into the air – which can lift obstacles or just move you to a much higher vantage point – say, for sniping.

The Vortex essentially creates a small black hole that sucks in anything not cemented to the ground. Its power can be amplified by pumping rounds from your other weapons into it. And the Bangalore has an astonishing visual effect: when fired, it creates a ripple through the very ground, like the waves a house would make if it plunged suddenly into the water (but in a straight line) until it slams into its target and detonates. And that’s just the stuff we know about.

Granted, not every enemy in Fracture will be eager to walk into the death traps you create with these wonderful toys. When you terraform the level, opposing forces such as the jet pack jumping, rocket launcher hoisting Jackal soldiers will realize you’ve created a new cover point. Which they can whittle away with their own shots, flatten with their own grenades, or just use to protect themselves from your attacks. They’re crafty like that.