Firearms

Firearms are weapons that use the combustion of gunpowder to launch projectiles at enemies at high speeds. However, they are unsuitable for dispatching Titans and have not progressed very far technologically within the Walls. Consequentially, they are almost always overshadowed by the omni-directional mobility gear. However, they are still regularly used by the Military Police and other human-to-human security relations. In addition, their larger cousins, cannons are used as the main line of defence against Titans by the Garrison. The Scout Regiment and the Garrison also use flare-guns to communicate over long distances.

Description

All varieties of firearms used by the Military are based on the flintlock mechanism, where a piece of flint ignites the powder and fires the gun, which must be reloaded after every shot. One of the most notable features of the firearm is the lack of smoke it produces which creates a large flash, compared to black-gunpowder which produces a massive cloud of smoke when fired.

Firearms are unable to kill Titans because they lack the power to penetrate through the nape of the neck, the Titans' weak spot. Also, given a Titan's fast regeneration rate and the long time it takes to reload a flintlock weapon (15-30 seconds as they require pouring powder down the barrel and pushing the bullet down with a rod), they are practically useless in dealing enough lasting damage to effectively harm a Titan. However, they can shoot out a Titan's eyes and blind it until it regenerates them.