Explosive Barrel

"Found all through the city are explosive radioactive containers. Stay clear of them in a fire fight or you’ll end up in 46 little body bags. They’re light enough to move, and short enough to jump on. Their explosive power can blow through weak areas in walls."

- Quake II Manual

Explosive Barrels can be found on most levels in Quake II. They are functionally similar to the Radioactive Containers from Quake.

As their name suggests, they explode when shot, damaging anything nearby. At point blank range, the explosion will deal around 70 damage. Players can use them to their advantage by luring enemies near them and then shooting the barrel from a distance to not get caught in the blast radius. The enemies will never try to actively destroy the explosive barrels, but their weapons can set them off if they accidentally hit them. For this reason players should avoid fighting ranged enemies while standing near Explosive Barrels, especially those with explosive or high powered attacks, such as Gunners, Berserkers, Iron Maidens, Medics, Gladiators, Tanks and Tank Commanders.

On some levels, certain Explosive Barrels might destroy a piece of a wall revealing a secret area, is some other cases Explosive Barrels can be used as platforms to climb on stacks of boxes or get to other higher areas, usually finding hidden goodies or even secret areas.