Linebacker G-87 MSGL (DXMD)

The Linebacker G-87 MSGL is a weapon in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

Overview
The Linebacker G-87 MSGL returns from Deus Ex: Human Revolution with some slight alterations, featuring similar performance overall but can now accept and fire specialized munitions: frag shells, gas shells, concussion (flashbang) shells, and EMP shells.

Due to the grenade launcher's immense utility, it'll augment and complement any playstyle. The frag shells decimate any and all foes, no matter how armored or tough they may be, while the concussion shells can stun a whole group, allowing Jensen the time needed to go wild with takedowns, or simply retreat to a more favorable position. Gas shells add the ability to neutralize entire rooms silently and elegantly. Last but not least, EMP shells are very effective against both augs and mechanical enemies. Despite its power and utility, it's a surprisingly compact weapon, only taking up as much space as a rank-and-file machine pistol.

Of course, there are downsides, the first one being that there's no way to upgrade the grenade launcher. It has average stats and handling (except the dry reload, which is beaten only by the sniper rifle when it comes to sluggishness), but as is true of all weapons in the game, some praxis spent on the cybernetic weapon handling tree makes wonders even here. Recoil compensation is probably the most noticeable aspect, boosting the weapon's handling quite a lot. The second problem, which there unfortunately isn't a way around, is ammunition. Shells are incredibly rare, and the majority of the ones found in the world are of the frag variety. The other three shell types are primarily only found in vendor inventories, and they're expensive, not to mention available in very small numbers. The ammunition boxes themselves also have the two-fold problem of taking up 4 inventory slots, and only stacking 10 shells per box, unlike every other ammunition in the game that uses 2 slots, and stacks up to 200. Damn, son. The third problem is finding a grenade launcher in the first place, as it's exceptionally rare and/or prohibitively expensive if you find a merchant with one in stock.

Now, assuming that you have your launcher, and a box of shells of some kind, let's go over how it works. Like every other weapon in the game, it holds primary ammo (frag shells) and secondary ammo (concussion, gas, EMP). Yes, you got that right. The grenade launcher has access to all four types of ammo, at all times, provided you can find the ammo to begin with, and stock up when you run low. Fully loaded, you have six shells, which means you have 24 tactical munitions total at your disposal - more than enough for any mission.

The way the gun works is a bit different to the rest of the game's arsenal. Just pressing the fire button lobs shells in an arc, thus, you shouldn't really ever be aiming straight at people. Rather, aim for the sky, partly to put your shells on mark, but partly because Adam's allergic to all four variants. Another thing to keep in mind, simply pressing the fire button primes whatever payload you're firing as timed (roughly 1.5 second delay until explosion, after it's touched down), which lets you bounce them around corners or obstacles, to a certain extent. If you hold the 'aim' button, magic happens. Adam's HUD will display, in real time. the actual arc, as well as the estimated impact zone, and any shells fired while you're aiming are primed to detonate on impact.

With the exception of the gas shell, which has no special attributes or bonus abilities over its grenade counterpart, the shells fired by this baby are all enhanced versions of the grenades and mines you're undoubtedly familiar with. The EMP shell inflicts twice as much EMP 'stun field' on robots as grenades and mines, and disables augs for 6 seconds. The frag shell deals 200 damage in a 7 meter radius, compared to the 100 damage and 5 meter blast range of the grenade or mine (because we can't have nice things, damage drops off far faster on the 40mm shell than it does the mine and grenade, so if Adam's 6 meters from ground zero, he'll survive mostly intact, but if he's 2 meters away, with neither rhino armor nor sentinel RX upgrades, he's not gonna be looking too good). The concussion shell has roughly a 50% bigger area of effect, meaning it'll blind far more people than either the grenade or the mine. The best part about this gun is that it fires really fast, and with some added manual dexterity (or judicious use of the weapon customization button), you'll find it a breeze to switch between ammo types as well. For instance, blinding a group in front of you, then lobbing timed frags over their heads to get the second wave boxed in and trapped, perform a couple takedowns to dispatch the blinded group, just in time to watch the guys behind get blown apart by your bombs. Oops, some had titan. Oh no, they were heavies, so they have gas immunity through their augs! Oh, well. Cycle to the EMP shells, pop one with an impact trigger, then do the same with a gas shell. Show's over before it even started.

This is all, of course, assuming you can find one, find ammunition for it, keep yourself stocked on ammo, and avoid the temptation to accidentally blow Adam to bits, gas him, nullify his powers with a wayward EMP, or blind him by standing too close to a concussion detonation.

Locations

Only four usable units can be found throughout the game:
 * One can be looted off of the police van directly next to the metro station in the Překážka district (has 4 gas grenades loaded).
 * One can be found inside Viktor Marchenko's office in G.A.R.M. (2 frag grenades loaded).
 * One can be bought from Nada Birak at the Cigar Lounge after some sleuthing (2 frag grenades).
 * One can be bought from Mikael Mendel's shop during martial law (4 frag grenades).

Trivia

 * The Linebacker MSGL appears in the reveal trailer for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, being deployed against Adam Jensen by Viktor Marchenko near the end of the teaser.
 * Unlike in the trailer, the Linebacker proper does not have the ability to fire airburst grenades.
 * Marchenko himself also does not make use of it when fought in the game proper, opting to go with the laser cannon implanted in his right arm instead. A usable unit of the launcher can be found in a weapon locker inside his office at G.A.R.M. station however, as a probable nod to this.
 * The Linebacker MSGL's magazine and feed system were likely inspired by the FN P90.