The Panzerschreck (lit. "Tank Terror") is anti-tank rocket launcher in Wolfenstein.
Overview
The Panzerschreck is an anti-tank weapon of the German Army. It fires slowly but deals tremendous damage. Ammo tends to be scarce, so making each shot count is essential.
Locations
The Panzerschreck is first found in the Golden Dawn story mission Farm, at the end of a narrow upward corridor in the bunker under the farm's barn. Since it is dropped right by the ladder leading out of the bunker, it would be practially impossible to not pick it up here.
Panzerschreck ammunition, Rockets, is very rare and enemies with Panzerschrecks are equally so, mostly spawning at fixed locations in missions. A rare case of one being found in town is a spawn in Midtown East at the Paranormal Headquarters; the soldier will spawn on the ground if the player has just exited the mission, or on the rooftop at the exit if they have not.
Characteristics
The Panzerschreck reloads slowly, is single-shot, cumbersome, and obscures vision, but its sheer power makes up for these drawbacks. However, ammunition is so hard to come by that it is best used against bosses, major enemies, or artillery.
This is one of the few weapons in the game in which upgrades are essential; without Stabilized Rockets, the Panzerschreck is so inaccurate that it is only really usable just barely away from its large blast radius. The magazine mod is a must for players love to use this weapon, you can fire three rockets, before reloading. The Seeker Crystal is not very reliable, but it can help you conserve your rockets.
Upgrades
There are a total of 6 upgrades for the Panzerschreck, with a total cost of $7,000. They are:
- Light Weight Build. Unlock: complete Hospital. Cost: $1,000. Refits the weapon with exhaust systems that eliminate the need for the cumbersome blast shield, improving sighting and movement.
- High Explosives. Unlock: complete Farm. Cost: $500. Upgrades the warhead carried by the weapon’s rockets with a more powerful explosive, increasing blast radius and damage.
- Ammo Pouch. Unlock: get 32 Intel. Cost: $500. Provides a carrying pouch designed for the weapon’s ammunition, keeping it ready at hand and allowing you to carry significantly more.
- Stabilized Rockets. Unlock: complete Farm. Costs: $500. Improves the aerodynamic features of the weapon’s rockets, greatly improving accuracy, and thereby increasing effective range.
- Magazine. Unlock: complete Church. Cost: $2,000. Replaces the weapon’s standard open breach with a three round magazine and feed mechanism to facilitate rapid firing.
- Seeker Crystal. Unlock: complete Airfield. Cost: $2,500. Combines a veil-infused crystal in each rocket with a special sighting mechanism to allow rockets to lock onto targets and seek them out.
Trivia
- There is exactly one tank in the entire game that it can deal damage to.
- The Panzerschreck starts out as a RPzB 54 version fitted with a blast shield, while the "Lightweight Build" turns it into an earlier RPzB 43 without one. The availability of the RPzB 54 would, in real life, place Wolfenstein in October 1943 or later, though this is hardly proof of this.
- The "magazine" upgrade adds a gravity feed to the weapon fed with sets of three rockets attached together with bands and without a mechanical follower. This is therefore actually a clip feed.
- There is an infinite spawning point of Panzerschreck proximal to level entrance to Radio Station, as ammunition can be fully restocked if player is patient enough. However, once the Airfield level is completed, this spawning point is deactivated alone with the respawning tank. Zeppelin also has an infinite spawning point of Panzerschreck ammo, located very close to where Blazkowicz must destroy four engines.
- Radio Station has the most abundant supply of ammunition for Panzerschreck, located on the roof of the building where the main tower is constructed.
- When Pulled out in front of an enemy, they will react to seeing the weapon.
Gallery
| Handheld weapons | Kar 98 · MP 40 · MP 43 · Particle cannon · Panzerschreck · Flammenwerfer · Tesla gun · Leichenfaust 44 · Mdl. 24 grenade · Melee weapons |
|---|---|
| Mounted weapons | MG42 · Flakvierling 38 · Keiler |
| Other | Dynamite · Melee weapons · Explosive barrels (thrown) |