History Main / NewWeaponTargetRange

** At one point in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', your character uses an Elder Scroll to study the past and watch [[BigBad Alduin]] be defeated by mortal heroes using the [[MakeMeWannaShout Thu'um]] Dragonrend, which serves as a BrownNote when [[VerbalWeakness used on dragons]]. This allows your character to master Dragonrend for themselves... and when Alduin flies by and attacks you shortly afterward, you get the perfect opportunity to practice it.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' hands you the Gravity Gun right before you go to Ravenholm, which is full of saw blades, explosive barrels, and other things that are exceptionally fun to throw at the zombie hordes. Additionally, Zombies don't carry guns and thus your only supply of ammo is what you can scavenge from the environment — so not only is the gravity gun all but required for the level, it teaches you to use it and the environment to conserve ammo when necessary.

* ''VideoGame/CaveStory:'' When you get [[BallsOfFire the Fireball]] in the Bushlands, there are a bunch of enemies resting on hills — perfect for demonstrating how the Fireball shots travel up or down inclines. If you get the Booster 0.8, you do so at the bottom of a pit, where using the Booster is the only way to get out. If you go out of your way to get the Spur, you find that the enemies suddenly multiplied in the corridor you just came through — and they're packed tightly enough for you to discover your new weapon's OneHitPolykill ability.

* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'' tends to give you a new plant right before a level where that plant would be really useful — whether because of environmental gimmick or new enemy type.

* DoubleSubverted in ''Franchise/{{Berserk}}'': After the Eclipse, Guts leaves Rickert and Casca in the care of Godo, a blacksmith he met who presents him with a finely-crafted flamberge and an artificial arm. Just then, an Apostle comes in, and Guts' new sword quickly shatters against it, though the fact that his new arm has a cannon inside comes in useful. Then Guts gets smashed into the blacksmith's storehouse, where Guts picks up the Dragonslayer, his iconic [[{{BFS}} seven-foot-long slab of pointy iron]] and quickly displays how much more deadly it is by dispatching the Apostle with it. Then he leaves to kill Apostles, which officially ends the 13-volume prologue.
* In ''Anime/DragonballSuper'', [[GalacticConqueror Frieza]] is [[GodzillaThreshold eventually recruited to fight]] in the fate-of-the-universe-deciding Tournament of Power. Although before he can arrive, he and [[TheHero Goku]] are ambushed by a horde of assassins, giving Frieza the perfect targets to demonstrate the powers he has obtained since he was last seen in the show to both Goku and the audience.

* ''Franchise/JamesBond'': almost invariably has him [[LockAndLoadMontage given items]] by [[GadgeteerGenius Q]] for [[ChekhovsArmoury use in the upcoming mission]], but these items - given that they are all {{Shoe Phone}}s to some extent, are almost just as invariably immediately tested off on literal target ranges for the benefit of the audience - sometimes directly, sometimes as {{Funny Background Event}}s.

* ''Literature/TheDayOfTheJackal'': when the English sniper obtains his custom rifle from a Belgian gunsmith. He takes this weapon to some scrubland, where he adjusts the telescopic sight and fires standard cartridges at a watermelon target. One last test involves the few mercury-based bullets; one of these disintegrates the melon.

[[folder:Action-adventure]]

->''Now, y'know I can't let you take our new gal home without givin' 'er a twirl. Look, we got volunteers!''

* "VideoGame/RedFaction":
** In ''Red Faction II", right after defeating Quill, you gain her Precision Rifle to use, and right off the bat, you find yourself in a sniper shootout with {{Mooks}} who are blended into the environment. Thankfully, the scope comes with a targeting needle that locks onto the nearest enemy.
** In "Armageddon", you first acquire the Railgun in a mid-game mission set at night and against human opponents.

** ''[[VideoGame/StarcraftIILegacyOfTheVoid Legacy of the Void]]'' is less blatant than ''Wings of Liberty'', but it still has some examples: [[TripodTerror Colossi]] are able to walk up and down cliffs, but elevation play is only really used in the mission they are introduced. Immortals are great anti-heavy walkers capable of absorbing massive amounts of damage, and the mission they are introduced in has you fighting against a lot of [[EliteMook Hybrid]]. The Khaydarin Monolith, a static defense structure with enormous range and power, is introduced in a HoldTheLine mission, and the Carrier is introduced in a mission where it is impossible to launch an assault from the ground. (One character [[LampshadeHanging Lampshades]] this, noting how lucky it is they finally got Carrier production going ''right'' when they face a situation where they would be really useful)

!!Videogame Examples.

[[folder:Roleplaying Games]]

!! Non-videogame Examples

** Chapter 3 is very straightforward and filled with lot of enemies in close quarters, showing off Rico's toughness and the power of his machine gun.

** The Hydra Rocket Launcher, the turrets, and the defensive forcefields are introduced in the Kalydon level, a HoldTheLine level where you need to hold a Liandri Angel invasion long enough for your ship to be repaired. The forcefields and the turrets help you to fend off enemies without you interfering, while the Rocket Launcher's alternate fire allowing you to target several enemies at once helps you take care of many {{mook}}s at the same time.

** The Flamethrower is introduced in the Hell level, it's usefulness at crowd control in close range comes in handy when dealing with the Araknids, while the napalm alternate allows you to get rid of pesky pursuers by setting off traps. [[ZergRush And there will be plenty of pursuing Araknids to get rid of.]]
** The Widowmaker Sniper Rifle is first introduced in the Severnaya Waterfront level, where you have to snipe enemy Liandri Angels before infiltrating the dam in order to blow it up.

* Early on in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', Tidus is gfted a sword called Brotherhood by Wakka. During your visit to Guadosalam, witnessing a certain event results in Brotherhood being upgraded with new properties. One of these is Waterstrike, which causes it to [[ElementalRockPaperScissors inflict additional damage on electric enemies]] - which happen to be extremely common in the Thunder Plains, the next area you visit.

* Early on in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', Tidus is gfted a sword called Brotherhood by Wakka. During your visit to Guadosalam, witnessing a certain event results in Brotherhood being upgraded with new properties. One of these is Waterstrike, which causes it to [[ElementalRockPaperScissors inflict additional demage on electric enemies]] - which happen to be extremely common in the Thunder Plains, the next area you visit.

* ''VideoGame/AlteredBeast2005'': whenever you aquire a new beast form for Luke, or a new "Learning Genome" for one of the beasts, there'll be a place close by where the new abilities are immediately useful. E.g after defeating Sarcosuchus and getting the Learning Genome for Werewolf form, said form can now jump higher than normal, which is used to get past the high ledge that leads to the next area. After defeating Balrog and getting the Minotaur form, when you walk out of the cave you're in, you'll meet a dead end with a stack of dynamites that you can burn with said form's Flame Breath. And so on.

* Assuming you collect all the chalices in ''VideoGame/{{Medievil 2}}'', the weapons awarded will often have a specific purpose in the level immediately afterwards: the [[CaneFu Cane Stick's]] charged attack can destroy the zombies in Kensington before the {{Necromancer}}s can raise them, the [[DropTheHammer hammer]] is particularly effective against the bearded ladies in the Freakshow and unlocks a bonus [[WhackAMonster "Whack-An-Imp"]] game, and the throwing axe is useful for dispatching the mutant plant enemies in Kew Gardens.

* In ''VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok'', immediately after the cutscene in which Kratos receives the Draupnir Spear, he and Brok are attacked by some relatively weak, older enemies so the player can get familiar with the new weapon, while the area after that can only be traversed by using the spear's explosive properties.

* ''Project VideoGame/AlteredBeast'': whenever you aquire a new beast form for Luke, or a new "Learning Genome" for one of the beasts, there'll be a place close by where the new abilities are immediately useful. E.g after defeating Sarcosuchus and getting the Learning Genome for Werewolf form, said form can now jump higher than normal, which is used to get past the high ledge that leads to the next area. After defeating Balrog and getting the Minotaur form, when you walk out of the cave you're in, you'll meet a dead end with a stack of dynamites that you can burn with said form's Flame Breath. And so on.

* ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' gives the player a demo area to test out the new weapon they've just received.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'''s ''Frozen Throne'' expansion has a level in which Sylvanas has to defeat an army led by Varimathras while only having the ability to summon ghouls (basic melee units), banshees (SquishyWizard spellcasters) and obsidian statues (support units with healing spells). The banshees have an ability called possession, which destroys the banshee but grants you control of an enemy unit, and the map is full of powerful and unique neutral creatures that the player is expected to "recruit" using possession to bolster Sylvanas' army.