What Is a Claymore in Metal Gear Solid 3?

Claymore Mines

• These are planted throughout areas where the enemy wants to limit your movement. Claymores are designed to take out personnel and will detonate when they are walked over or if you walk immediately in front of one. If Snake or an enemy sets off one of these mines, there will be a loud explosion and the victim will be knocked to the ground. The amount of damage suffered from a direct Claymore explosion varies by difficulty setting. Guards in the area might be drawn to investigate the source of the explosion, which can make sneaking through the area difficult.

Spot and Evade

• It is possible to spot Claymore mines without any special equipment. Unfortunately, they are very subtle and easily blend into the undergrowth and surrounding area. Equip the thermal goggles to spot any mines that are in the area. They will appear as bright white rectangular boxes stuck upright in the ground. While you can see the orientation of the Claymore with the goggles, it is not a good idea to guess which face of the mine is the safe side and which one is the live side. Assume that the side closest to you is dangerous and try to keep at least five meters between you and the mine as you skirt around it.

Defuse and Recover

• The best way to deal with Claymore mines is to defuse and recover them. Defusing a mine to recover it may sound like a risky move, but it is actually the safest and easiest way to deal with Claymores. Press "X" to crouch and then tilt the control stick in any direction to enter the prone position. You will now crawl in any direction you move in. Crawl toward a Claymore and continue until you are directly over the mine. It will not detonate and Snake will pick it up. This places a Claymore mine in your inventory to use against enemies later. Snake will not pick up the Claymore if you already have 16 mines in your inventory, but the mine beneath you will not detonate.

Planting Claymores

• Hold down "R2" and use the left control stick to scroll through your weapons until the Claymore mines are in the weapon box in the bottom right corner of the screen. Release the "R2" button to equip the mines as your current weapon. Go to the area where you wish to plant the mine. Stand facing the direction in which you would like the mine to face and press the "Square" button to plant it in the ground. You can maneuver into the exact position and face the right direction with greater precision when you are prone.