Aside from the usual tactical aspects of racing, "Wipeout 2097" (unlike its predecessor) offered the chance to eliminate other drivers from the competition by destroying their craft with weapons. Each craft has a shield energy quota, and when this quota reaches zero—either from damage sustained from weapon attacks, or impact from other craft or the edges of the circuit—the craft blows up. The craft also blows up if the time limit is reached, though this only applies to human players. The biggest weapon introduced in "2097" was the Quake Disruptor, which has been a series hallmark ever since. This weapon causes a quake to whip up the track, sending opponent craft into the air and smashing back down.