The sling in the survival horror game A Plague Tale: Innocence is an invaluable tool. Amicia and her brother Hugo have to survive the French Inquisition, but also the hordes of ravenous plague-carrying rats. Without the sling and versatile projectiles available, Amicia and Hugo would stand no chance of surviving.
Several projectiles can be used with the sling, but some are more situational and have less diversity in use than others. Let's take a look at all of them, from worst to best.
6 Exstinguis
In Chapter 10, Amicia unlocks the exstinguis projectile after saving Rodric from the Inquisition. The projectile will extinguish any flame as soon as it lands on it. This means the rat hordes are no longer kept at bay, making enemies a lucrative lunch option for the rat swarms. It can be fired at torches that enemies are holding, immediately setting nearby rats on them, as well as contained fires that may be keeping nearby rats back.
However, if you do not use the opportunity created by the rats wisely, you may find yourself suffering from the rat attack yourself. While it can be a handy projectile to dispatch enemies or create dark areas to reduce enemy vision, it is highly situational and isn't particularly dynamic.
5 Devorantis
Ingredients
- 1 Rock
- 2 Salpeter
- 1 Alcohol
Unlocked in Chapter 3, the devorantis projectile is a mixture that will melt enemy helmets upon impact, forcing enemies to take them off and throw them to the ground, opening them up to lethal rock attacks. This is an ideal item to use if particularly troublesome guards wearing helmets can't be taken care of through alternative means.
Although it can enable you to take enemies out lethally, there are only a few scenarios where this is the most effective approach. The devorantis also has a moderately high material cost. Other projectiles could be used to progress through the game by taking enemies out through other methods or creating distractions that allow you to slip by. Using the devorantis also makes enemies alert, so you must follow up with a rock attack quickly or run the risk of being discovered. Later on in the game, the sling can be upgraded to make rocks lethal against helmeted enemies, making the devorantis completely redundant.
4 Ignifer
Ingredients
- 1 Rock
- 1 Sulphur
- 1 Alcohol
The ignifer projectile re-ignites dying light sources to create strong flames. This allows you to scare off rats and dispose of rat twisters, creating a safe passage. The ignifer is also, fortunately, inexpensive to craft.
Unfortunately, the projectile only works on dying light sources and cannot just be used anywhere to create flames. If there are no dying flames nearby, then the projectile is rendered completely useless. Igniting flames will also increase your visibility to human enemies.
3 Luminosa
Ingredients
- 3 Sulphur
- 4 Salpeter
- 4 Alcohol
- 1 Leather
While ignifer projectiles can only ignite dying flames, luminosa projectiles are extremely flammable and can create flames on any surface. Lucas gives you the recipe for luminosa projectiles in Chapter 7 of the game. Rats caught in the radius of the impact are killed, and those nearby get scared off and run away from the flames. The projectiles are perfect forms of pest control in areas where there are numerous rats.
The luminosa projectiles do come with a high price and not just in terms of materials needed to create them. The flames burn out after a short time, meaning rats that were not killed by the flames will not stay away from the area indefinitely, and you must take advantage of the opening created by the projectile quickly; otherwise, you will find yourself experiencing a grisly death.
2 Odoris
Ingredients
- 1 Rock
- 1 Sulphur
- 1 Episanguis
The odoris is a projectile of the Inquisition's making, which you can turn against them. Once you unlock odoris projectiles in Chapter 9, they can be used offensively and defensively to equal success. Odoris projectiles attract nearby rats to their location and the rats will devour anything they encounter once they arrive. This tool can allow you to take out guards whilst also leading rats away from your position, effectively killing two birds with one stone — or rather, two birds with one projectile. The odoris has a good range, meaning it also attracts rats that aren't right by where it lands.
As with any powerful item, there are drawbacks, but it's a fair tradeoff in the case of the odoris. The effect is brief, as otherwise, it would be way too powerful. While it doesn't require many items to craft, it requires episanguis crystals, which are not common, meaning they can't be crafted in abundance.
1 Rock
Sometimes the most basic tool is all that is required, and in A Plague Tale: Innocence, the rock is no exception.
Whilst it's not the most unique weapon, the rock is the first sling projectile available to you, and it has multiple uses. Rocks become lethal early on in the game and are the only directly lethal projectile. Rocks are common items to find, so you don't need to worry about spending prolonged periods of time searching for the crafting materials. Rocks can also create noise and distractions, knock out light sources to make enemies vulnerable to rats, break environmental objects to eliminate rats, or remove obstacles to clear a route.
The only drawback of the rock is that it is ineffective against helmeted enemies until an upgrade is unlocked, but this is a fairly minor drawback that is eventually addressed.