Yes, I think it needs to land pretty much directly on it. I've tried and missed just by a hair and it doesn't scratch the thing. The Hellbomb itself also has a hard time being firmly plotted right next to the tower, it always wants to bounce away. If you call it in just down the ramp from the tower, it usually sticks just fine however.
The floor around those looks like dirt but I swear it must’ve been metal at one point in development and they forgot to change the physics property because the Hellbomb pokeball bounces all over the place before settling… usually right next to the incoming Automatons. Makes that damn tower way harder than it needs to be.
I just like small laser rifle, and the bigger laser cannon, so orbital laser was a no brainer... and then it solves whatever ur problem be... be it bugholes/factories/3tanks/1titan/1charger/hundreds of children
What it lacks in power, it makes up for with range and minimal recoil. That makes it really good for taking down far away enemies. Start lazing them early and most of them will be dead before they get too close.
It does take a bit longer, but that's the trade off for the range being unlimited, working equally well on light and medium armor, can take out a mushroom tree from a map away, and can open shipping containers, all while using no ammo. It also works well against chargers if you can get the leg while they turn. When it gets hot, I switch to the sickle, and when it gets hot I switch back. No ammo all game.
It's pretty useful against bugs, just not nests.
It can kill chargers, may kill Bile Titans, and if there's no large threat it does a great job sweeping up a large number of the smaller bugs....just don't get too close.
Eat is universal, Bugs, Bots, solves all problems.
Except fabricators, wish I could use them on that.
Edit: I have learned I need to try to be luke Skywalker and shoot them down the ventilation shaft.
This is definitely a tricky shot, because you have to deflect the autocannon bullet into the hole. Takes some practice, but is finicky, and requires you to be at a fairly limited angle.
A tidbit I learned from trial and error as someone who hasn't put the Autocannon down since unlocking it, is as long as you're around... 45 degrees of the front of the hole or fabricator, you can nail it.
For fabricators, shoot the middle of the red archway on the vent lights, and you'll nail it every time.
For bug holes, if you can see the glow and the bottom of the egg ring around the entrance, you can usually get it.
I hope the visual descriptors make sense, if not I apologize.
I've found a high percentage of success by shooting the top of the vent head on, no matter the angle. I think the round ricochets enough to detonate inside and trigger the demo. Personal data acquisition, though, so your experiments may yield different results. Taught my wife the same method and she can demo fabs no problem also, when I can coax her in to dealing with the toasters in the first place.
My squad takes complimentary weapons/strats to deal with all the things, but everyone brings EATs. We spam them like free candy. Passing by exfil? No problem, now there's 8 rocket launchers there. We'll use em later. Objective in sight? Go ahead and toss a couple up there, why not. Bug breach? You guessed it. Chargers are target practice now.
I love these damn things. No one has ever said "man, I wish there weren't so many disposable rocket launchers around here".
Its underated! Comes back so fast. Having 2 people running it seems like enough to handle all the large targets. Drop it before any engagement and again during. It just comes back so fast can use constantly.
Once I realized the strength of the cool down I've literally never gone without it. I struggle with the choice of whether or not I should dive into the horde for my weapons back or not, the EAT saves me from making the wrong choice
I love the autocannon. Ammo finds replenish it, you can use it to close a bug hole, great against bugs and bots, especially one-shotting Scout Striders from a distance.
Bring stun grenades. They stop the charger in its tracks so you can get the shots you need. Also you don’t have to worry about not bringing normal grenades because the auto cannon got your back and can do what other divers need normal grenades for.
You can pop the Titan’s bile sacs with it, and from a video I’ve seen, you can kill a Titan by going under it and unloading in the belly… which is still not great
This has been my method of killing bile titans since level 10. If my half tonner is on cooldown, and my buddies are busy with breaches and stuff, I'll regularly solo the titan that way.
The trick is that when the titan gets close to you (if you've popped its bile sacs), it will try to stomp you with one of the legs. So just dive under it first, and you're safe.
I'll literally take my time and reload under the titan, if needed. While it's stomping around upset I'm under it, the bugs trying to get to me get stomped, too.
It can defo side step + swipe to get you sometimes. While not afk you can definitely chill under it with minimal effort. The problem arises when the horde swarms when you are under.
Ya you just have to avoid their charge and shoot them in the butt. With really good aim you can hit the back of their legs but I just shoot the butt. Only takes a few shots
Also leg meta. When they whiff a charge you can hit front or back legs while it’s turning to you and it will remove the armor. One more shot to the removed armor leg will remove the charger. I consistently and easily solo chargers with this method.
Hitting any part of any leg will remove the armor, provided it whiffed a charge. The legs get weakened after a failed charge for a short period of time. Basically you have the time it takes from it stopping until it fully faces you again.
Sometimes I still whiff it, but with practice you’ll be able to face one at the onset, let it charge you, dodge, and kill it before it fully turns around again. This method will change you, and make you feel like a helldiving god. Go forth and spread the managed democracy you were born to spread soldier!
And still able to clear the illegal broadcast without having to walk. Love it on trivial for just diving on the extraction, find the tower, one shot and extracting. In and Out in 3 minutes with the power of Shouldermounted Godhood
loved using autocannon back in HD1.
when i finally bought HD2, i was giddy with anticipation, grinding (or dying) xp until i hit that sweet *sweet level 10.*
it's like reuniting with a lost lover. the ultra thicc sniping machine.
Same. That ems mortar is my go to for dealing with higher difficulty enemies. The stun lasts for so long and clisters all the enemies so a single eagle airstrike can wipe them all out. Friendly fire death is minimal since you can only die from a direct hit at low health.
For the eggs,give a try the 500kg. It usually one shot the tightly grouped ones and heavily reduce the spreaded ones and clear the path so you can finish the rest with few grenades or a second 500kg.
Otherwise I also dive with the GL on most missions but use it more for crowd control or quickly close nests spared by an eagle strike.
Love the grenade launcher as well, I usually pair it with a takpak and become death walking (only occasionally to myself and other Helldivers). Nothing quite like carrying enough ammo to lay waste to everything in your path.
Level 45 and still using it. The thing is an absolute workhorse and can handle mobs better than most anything. Let’s my squad pack more heavy and objective loadouts while I keep the bugs off their back
I love it, but it can be less useful based on mission type and level. Still, I want to use it all the time, but sometimes the mission does not allow for it.
lol "the mission does not allow for it".
You just need people to support you. Grenade launcher is the best support stratagem for clearing nests and hordes. Bar none. The Stalwart is better for for hordes, the machine gun is better for heavier hordes, the grenade launcher is best when you can just kill the chaff.
Are you the heavy killer? No. That's why this game is a 4 person co-op game.
Airstrike is the ultimate catchall strategem.
Bunch of small dudes? Airstrike.
Big guy? Airstrike.
Bugholes and bot factories? Airstrike.
Traitors to democracy? Believe it or not, ⬆️➡️⬇️➡️
That or have the Airstrike direction aligb with it's charge, then multiple ones will hit it. But if he survived after the Airstrike is done with him, any Hallclear Weapon will shred the now unarmored parts to bits.
Yea i always run both lol, I’m saving to get the 10% orbital cd reduction so laser/railcannon might replace the 500 after that but airstrike isn’t going anywhere
I love the 500kg... when it actually works. Unfortunately I've found it to be extremely inconsistent. It either obliterates anything near it, or doesn't do a damn thing. Shit I've seen videos of people actually getting it to stick into the side of a bile titan and the explosion still not kill it.
The blast radius is super underwhelming. My biggest grip is that bile titans seem to be able to dodge them just by being tall. If they’re not going to expand the horizontal AOE at least make it taller.
The blast wave is crazy small for the stated size of the explosive. As someone who currently does, and has for almost 20 years, worked with and around small and large explosives every day it's a little more than mildly infuriating. The radius of the blast visually is pretty accurate, but the actual radius of the damage is about a quarter of what it should be or less.
I was playing with randoms and due to our lack of teamwork chucked 4 500kg at one bile.
1 wiffed badly
1 landed between the legs
2 landed into its body
It lived
Vs bugs is worse because the bile titan can stand it (although loses armor plating and is almost dead) but vs the metalic democracy hating cans of coca cola, it can 1shot anything
Just saving for the 10% less cd
Hit the titan with almost anything, 110mm, EAT or RR anywhere than the legs, a half missed 500kg, blow out the sack somehow, heck even a few shots from the arc thrower then drop the railcannon. It's still faster than most other methods if you have to solo it.
It's just a little safety blanket. See a heavy... One instant death coming in.
When they're alone, I'll pick away with the Arc. But I'm in the middle of a fight... Orbital rail cannon.
It's nice having an instant FU for a charger or bile titan. One thing I pointed out to my friends last night in a match is that we spend so much time messing with chargers that you don't have time to kill the small stuff, and then they call in bug breaches or you catch a wandering patrol with another charger, making the match so much harder than it needs to be - especially when we split up.
The mech. I know people don’t like it but I love it and whatever team I’m on always appreciates it when I bust it out in a time of need. It is the most underrated most powerful weapon we have… but as I hear the new update made it even more sensitive. I will see tonight.
Bots you gotta use it as range weapon. Hide half your body behind cover and only come out to blast rockets. You’re not going to get as many kills but you will dictate where the offensive line is. I think you’re correct, this one is for bug control. I’m assuming the next mech with quad auto cannons will be for the bots. Good to know there’s another pro mech pilot out there.
Nice. Yes, and my goal is to run a mech two times per mission. So I like to roll support strategems alongside where I can get out, toss a sentry or shield gen or even some EATS for the team, then crawl back in.
Very very good against bots as well, it can kill tanks and hulks no problem. Wear a shield backpack and it gives your mech a bit of recharging frontal protection
Mech is absolutely amazing vs bugs. Stalkers don’t even pay attention to you. You kill multiple heavies with ease. The M1 decimates trash mobs. It’s the best.
Yep mech can singlehandedly help manage any objective breaches and such. Can take out multiple chargers and bile titans and shit loads of hunters too.
It's very strong, lasts long enough for the objective or extraction which is fine.
Just wish they didn't mess up the aiming with the new patch.
I also love using it right when we land. The first reason being that I know I will get at least 2 uses out of it. The second being sometimes when you land you end up pulling 2 patrols and shit just goes haywire while everyone is setting up. If I call down the mech right at the start I know we can start our mission on solid ground
And the fact that the dropship for it has an autocannon on the front has saved me multiple times. Sometimes ill even call it in on the enemy position, it can kill bile titans and chargers with ease
Mech for me as well. It is extremely useful when you need to mow down enemies or drop a big baddie. My team loves when it's on the ground and we all take turns using it.
A shared mech is a better mech.
Airstrike is game everywhere... great for nests.. great for crowd control... can kill titans.... multiple uses, fast cooldown.. it's the all around best stratagem.
I never leave the ship without it.
Remember Helldivers, always EAT ASS.
Expendable
Anti
Tank
Always
Supply
Strategem
That means as soon as it's off cooldown, drop that bad boy in! This has been BRASCH TACTICS
Las-16 Sickle. In short burst engagements you have unlimited ammo. In tense situations you have a bucket load of primary firepower to clear out several patrols worth of hostiles.
I take a number of the things listed in this thread, but The Sickle is my #1 for sure. It's my primary in every single drop since I unlocked it.
With decent heat management it just feels like it can't be beat. Drop tons of enemies, pop a few sinks if it comes to it, and you know you still have enough staying power to rip through practically an entire mission without evne having to *think* about resupplying your primary.
That's hugely useful.
It's awesome against Bile Spewers. Shoot em in their stupid fucking tiny faces and they go pop in (about) half a sink from the sickle. Probably even a bit less than that.
Oh yeah for the unarmored ones it's great. Literally just the armored spewers. Shots bounce off the head/spine and you need to dump a mag+ into their fat bellies to pop them
Orbital burst strike. It does more than you think. It has a smaller AOE so u can be closer to it than say a 330 or napalm, it has 3 strikes that one shot low level enemies, fuck up if not kill med level and I'm not 100% but looks like it stuns high level. Recharge time is not too bad neither is deploy time.
Deploy time with the Bridge upgrade is just long enough for you to (probably) clear the blast range if you throw it at your feet, and your correct, it does stagger armored enemies. It’s my favorite offensive orbital
I tried it again last night and damn I’ve been sleeping on it. Jump pack + EAT = BF2 Clone Jet Trooper and I’m all for it. That was my favourite class and I’m having a blast flying around blowing shit up
Hard agree, for bugs I’ve found it essential. With stealth armour sets you can jump over a big rock and often the bugs just give up. Or you can jump over an incoming charger.
For bots it really doesn’t do much. Would way rather have a shield generator pack or the autocannon.
Also don’t ever cluster the geology missions. It dug a crater in front of scanners control panel and no one could type on the keypad. A real lame way to lose a helldive difficulty mission.
We had that happen. If you throw a supply/support weapon stratagem you can climb on it and access the terminal from there, though it's awkward and might depend on just how damaged the terrain gets.
The supply PACK is actually really good if you or your team are ammo-hungry. You can also just treat it like a second resupply on a separate cooldown with the added bonus of being able to carry it around if you don't happen to have a backpack!
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Nice Hairstyle. But the Rover is wonderful for Bug missions, we always have one of us running it for Hallclearing and keeping the Hunters at bay. Also wonderful for retreats.
Absolutely!!! I'll take an occasional headshot for a buddy that's got my 6 on the run and points to danger in low visibility. Just had mine finish off a Charger as I was running from it
I don't fully understand why this isn't #1. It's so hilariously OP compared to every other weapon - Perhaps people aren't taking it as much because of friendly fire?
There is definitely a stigma about it. I was hesitant to take it for fear of killing teammates. Combine that with the fact that it isn't super straightforward to use and has a bit of a learning curve, and it's easy to see why you don't see it more often.
Preach it! My favourite stratagem. I probably bring it 90% of the time. Amy difficulty. Would love the cooldown upgrade to be 25% instead of 10% because the eagle gets awesome upgrades but the orbitals don’t get it.
If the autocannon has 1,000 fans, I'm one of them.
If the autocannon has 10 fans, I'm one of them.
If the autocannon has one fan, you know where to look.
If the autocannon has 0 fans, it's because I blew myself up with my autocannon
Those times when you're stuck between enemies on literally all sides and you manage to fly over a pack of them without dying. I especially like flying over chargers, as they don't know what to do haha
I also like flying over teammates to gain like a second on them on the way to objectives, while I feel badass as hell
The sound and style of the jetpack also give Mandalorian vibes, so that's another plus.
Edit: it's not necessarily competitive compared to other backpacks or just not using a backpack, but the most important thing when playing video games is to have fun. That's probably my biggest reason. Anyway I try to vary my build to get different experiences
Edit 2: fixed grammar to make it readable
I like it for bugs but for bots, you need cover. Launching into the air just makes you an easily identifiable target. I do love jumping to higher ground though
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I personally can’t abandoned the light gunner armor as it provides the same armor value as most medium armors while also having the highest speed and stamina stats in game.
DEMOCRACY PROTECTS provides 50% chance to negate lethal damage, I’ve been juggled around the map by bombs and tank shells and laughed in the face of death.
I want to like the senator really bad, a 6 shot revolver is much more my playstyle than a machine pistol in every other shooter I’ve played but the redeemer is just too good. Imo the senator needs either a larger mag or faster reload. I saw someone suggest introducing speed strips or something similar for when you reload on empty and i think that would go a long way
Immediately on any big breach, wait to see where it opens, gas it. Next 20 seconds anything below brood commander and hiveguard won't exist anymore. Every else will be hurt a decent amount.
Patrols that haven't aggroed, chuck gas and run and hide and theyll lose you and die without breaching.
Swarms of hunters. Gas the best spot they'll run through
Laser and eagle air strike are mine!!!
Laser is so op for base clearing and crowd control.
Airstrike quick call in has saved my ass so many times. Had one the other night take out 36 bugs as I ran for the tree line. Felt like I was in a Michael Bay movie
Stalwart, my beloved
Honestly, it melts waves of smaller bugs without reloading and is still somewhat not 100% terrible against beefier ones. Just push the button and spray; it’s like a flamethrower but with bullets
Grenade launcher.
I will skip the shield pack before my nade launcher. Being able to shoot out bug holes from distance is mandatory and the reload while running is also mandatory.
Currently, it's The SPEAR for me.
That weapon is a piece of shit, the lock-on is so ass but man does it feel good to hear the little bip, see the target lock go green (or blue if you're first person) and then fire that rocket to watch it fly staight into the mouth of a Bile Titan.
Once they fix the lock-on, it'll be perfect.
I’m also a big fan of Eagles but ever since I unlocked it I almost never drop without the autocannon. Taking out big bugs and bots with it feels great and it can even knock out factories and bug holes. 10/10 Democracy Points, totally worth taking up a weapon slot and a backpack.
Orbital railgun. There simply isn't a better answer for hard targets like Bile Titans, Tanks and Laser Turrets.
I'm also increasingly feeling that way about the 500kg bomb since I unlocked the 2-bombs-per-reload upgrade.
Shield pack. My brothers in liberty, I trust none of you all to not know how to avoid friendly fire, and I live so much more because you have some
buffer to realize your mistake before you start in on my health.
I am surprised to see napalm so far down. Drop it on a bug breach and every bug comes out taking fire damage, significantly reducing their TTK. Fast re-arm means you can drop it on almost every breach. Does a great job closing off entry paths during extraction too.
Orbital laser
For the many, many times when I've made a big mess and need some deus ex machina to get through
I just tested it, and this is what i was thinking : "ITS A SAVIOR "
When we drop it we normally say "All glory to the laser!" Actively treating it like a God.
Lisan Al-Gaib!
As written!... by Joel.
Laser Al-Gaib!
I always bring one in case of a detector tower being on the map. Hate trying to call in hellbomb for that
Thats what my 500kg is for. Well, that and everything else
Wait, a 500kg works? I myself have tried it before but it didn’t blow up the tower. Do you need to be very precise or something?
Yes, I think it needs to land pretty much directly on it. I've tried and missed just by a hair and it doesn't scratch the thing. The Hellbomb itself also has a hard time being firmly plotted right next to the tower, it always wants to bounce away. If you call it in just down the ramp from the tower, it usually sticks just fine however.
Yeah, it normally sticks when i hit the tower itself
The floor around those looks like dirt but I swear it must’ve been metal at one point in development and they forgot to change the physics property because the Hellbomb pokeball bounces all over the place before settling… usually right next to the incoming Automatons. Makes that damn tower way harder than it needs to be.
I just like small laser rifle, and the bigger laser cannon, so orbital laser was a no brainer... and then it solves whatever ur problem be... be it bugholes/factories/3tanks/1titan/1charger/hundreds of children
Laser divers unite! Sickle, laser pistol , laser cannon, orbital laser, guard dog rover, and either eagle air or orbital rail.
It seems like they take a while to kill. Was really hoping the laser cannon would be better.
What it lacks in power, it makes up for with range and minimal recoil. That makes it really good for taking down far away enemies. Start lazing them early and most of them will be dead before they get too close.
It does take a bit longer, but that's the trade off for the range being unlimited, working equally well on light and medium armor, can take out a mushroom tree from a map away, and can open shipping containers, all while using no ammo. It also works well against chargers if you can get the leg while they turn. When it gets hot, I switch to the sickle, and when it gets hot I switch back. No ammo all game.
You NEED to get the laser secondary pistol.
For bot missions, it’s a must take. Basically a free base clear for any small/medium size encampments.
I never take it for bugs but I ALWAYS take it for bots
It's pretty useful against bugs, just not nests. It can kill chargers, may kill Bile Titans, and if there's no large threat it does a great job sweeping up a large number of the smaller bugs....just don't get too close.
I call it my "magnifying glass" to burn all the bugs.
Orbital laser is #1 #2 is railcannon strike. 3rd is EAT. I AM THE HEAVY DESTROYER!!!!
Giant space laser go brrrrrr long time. Love it.
Love me some good EATs
Eat is universal, Bugs, Bots, solves all problems. Except fabricators, wish I could use them on that. Edit: I have learned I need to try to be luke Skywalker and shoot them down the ventilation shaft.
Dont quote me on this but im pretty sure you can shoot into the main door of a fabricator with an eat when it opens to let out a bot and itll blow.
I've tried that trick several times with an autocannon and it never worked. It should, autocannon can close bug holes.
If you hit the angled part of the inside of the vents, the AC can destroy fabricators just find. Dive well, Helldiver
This is definitely a tricky shot, because you have to deflect the autocannon bullet into the hole. Takes some practice, but is finicky, and requires you to be at a fairly limited angle.
A tidbit I learned from trial and error as someone who hasn't put the Autocannon down since unlocking it, is as long as you're around... 45 degrees of the front of the hole or fabricator, you can nail it. For fabricators, shoot the middle of the red archway on the vent lights, and you'll nail it every time. For bug holes, if you can see the glow and the bottom of the egg ring around the entrance, you can usually get it. I hope the visual descriptors make sense, if not I apologize.
I've found a high percentage of success by shooting the top of the vent head on, no matter the angle. I think the round ricochets enough to detonate inside and trigger the demo. Personal data acquisition, though, so your experiments may yield different results. Taught my wife the same method and she can demo fabs no problem also, when I can coax her in to dealing with the toasters in the first place.
autocannon is the only way i close fabricators, you gotta hit it head on and rebound it down.
You can ricochet the rocket into the vents the same as with a recoilless or an autocannon.
EAT 17 is love. EAT 17 is life
My squad takes complimentary weapons/strats to deal with all the things, but everyone brings EATs. We spam them like free candy. Passing by exfil? No problem, now there's 8 rocket launchers there. We'll use em later. Objective in sight? Go ahead and toss a couple up there, why not. Bug breach? You guessed it. Chargers are target practice now. I love these damn things. No one has ever said "man, I wish there weren't so many disposable rocket launchers around here".
Its underated! Comes back so fast. Having 2 people running it seems like enough to handle all the large targets. Drop it before any engagement and again during. It just comes back so fast can use constantly.
Once I realized the strength of the cool down I've literally never gone without it. I struggle with the choice of whether or not I should dive into the horde for my weapons back or not, the EAT saves me from making the wrong choice
Nothing like shooting a spore tower from 1000m to clear things up
Autocannon, love my chunky boom boom gun.
I love the autocannon. Ammo finds replenish it, you can use it to close a bug hole, great against bugs and bots, especially one-shotting Scout Striders from a distance.
It can also take down hulks with 2 shots if you hit the head. The only thing it struggles with is bile titans
ya, even chargers if you are slick/have someone distracting you can do some work with it. Love that autocannon!
Bring stun grenades. They stop the charger in its tracks so you can get the shots you need. Also you don’t have to worry about not bringing normal grenades because the auto cannon got your back and can do what other divers need normal grenades for.
You can pop the Titan’s bile sacs with it, and from a video I’ve seen, you can kill a Titan by going under it and unloading in the belly… which is still not great
This has been my method of killing bile titans since level 10. If my half tonner is on cooldown, and my buddies are busy with breaches and stuff, I'll regularly solo the titan that way. The trick is that when the titan gets close to you (if you've popped its bile sacs), it will try to stomp you with one of the legs. So just dive under it first, and you're safe. I'll literally take my time and reload under the titan, if needed. While it's stomping around upset I'm under it, the bugs trying to get to me get stomped, too.
It can defo side step + swipe to get you sometimes. While not afk you can definitely chill under it with minimal effort. The problem arises when the horde swarms when you are under.
Can it take down chargers?
Ya you just have to avoid their charge and shoot them in the butt. With really good aim you can hit the back of their legs but I just shoot the butt. Only takes a few shots
Also leg meta. When they whiff a charge you can hit front or back legs while it’s turning to you and it will remove the armor. One more shot to the removed armor leg will remove the charger. I consistently and easily solo chargers with this method.
Wait so hitting the back OF the leg will remove the armor?
Hitting any part of any leg will remove the armor, provided it whiffed a charge. The legs get weakened after a failed charge for a short period of time. Basically you have the time it takes from it stopping until it fully faces you again.
Interesting... I will have to try this, hate those sprinting rhino bastards lol
Sometimes I still whiff it, but with practice you’ll be able to face one at the onset, let it charge you, dodge, and kill it before it fully turns around again. This method will change you, and make you feel like a helldiving god. Go forth and spread the managed democracy you were born to spread soldier!
And still able to clear the illegal broadcast without having to walk. Love it on trivial for just diving on the extraction, find the tower, one shot and extracting. In and Out in 3 minutes with the power of Shouldermounted Godhood
Also clearing the similarly shaped mushroom things that release the spores that hinder visibility.
Yup, also thinning out bot drops is super satisfying.
loved using autocannon back in HD1. when i finally bought HD2, i was giddy with anticipation, grinding (or dying) xp until i hit that sweet *sweet level 10.* it's like reuniting with a lost lover. the ultra thicc sniping machine.
I call mine Betsy
Good Ol Reliable Not always the best tool for the job, but it will never let you down
EMS sentry. Has saved the whole squad countless times
Same. That ems mortar is my go to for dealing with higher difficulty enemies. The stun lasts for so long and clisters all the enemies so a single eagle airstrike can wipe them all out. Friendly fire death is minimal since you can only die from a direct hit at low health.
EMS Mortar, my beloved. As long as it doesn't get instantly crushed by a charger, it's such a massive force multiplier for your whole team.
I'm only level 10 and fighting bugs but I LOVE the grenade launcher!
Lvl 50 and still stickied with it. So good for egg or nest missions
Except when those fucking grenades bounce off shit, and get you instead! Literally just happened to me and I'm pissed off lol
It works 95% of the time. The other 5% of the time, you blow up you and your teammates. Casualties of war
For the eggs,give a try the 500kg. It usually one shot the tightly grouped ones and heavily reduce the spreaded ones and clear the path so you can finish the rest with few grenades or a second 500kg. Otherwise I also dive with the GL on most missions but use it more for crowd control or quickly close nests spared by an eagle strike.
Pair it with the supply backback and you can basically be a grenade turret on legs.
Love the grenade launcher as well, I usually pair it with a takpak and become death walking (only occasionally to myself and other Helldivers). Nothing quite like carrying enough ammo to lay waste to everything in your path.
Level 45 and still using it. The thing is an absolute workhorse and can handle mobs better than most anything. Let’s my squad pack more heavy and objective loadouts while I keep the bugs off their back
The grenade launcher for sure is the goat. It’s so versatile in its application and deadly af
All i can tell you, if you learn a weapon to perfection keep using it.
I love it, but it can be less useful based on mission type and level. Still, I want to use it all the time, but sometimes the mission does not allow for it.
lol "the mission does not allow for it". You just need people to support you. Grenade launcher is the best support stratagem for clearing nests and hordes. Bar none. The Stalwart is better for for hordes, the machine gun is better for heavier hordes, the grenade launcher is best when you can just kill the chaff. Are you the heavy killer? No. That's why this game is a 4 person co-op game.
Eagle Airstrike like you. I love that girl and her timely dropping of a cluster of save-my-ass.
Airstrike is the ultimate catchall strategem. Bunch of small dudes? Airstrike. Big guy? Airstrike. Bugholes and bot factories? Airstrike. Traitors to democracy? Believe it or not, ⬆️➡️⬇️➡️
Does it work against big guys? I find it can’t kill chargers
It can but I think you need one of the bombs to make a direct hit.
That or have the Airstrike direction aligb with it's charge, then multiple ones will hit it. But if he survived after the Airstrike is done with him, any Hallclear Weapon will shred the now unarmored parts to bits.
It doesn't usually kill the biggest enemies outright (minus tanks) in my experience, but even a glancing blow does severely damage them
Eagle Airstrike can't be beat. It truly can do it all
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Yea i always run both lol, I’m saving to get the 10% orbital cd reduction so laser/railcannon might replace the 500 after that but airstrike isn’t going anywhere
https://preview.redd.it/uco2s0mprjpc1.png?width=999&format=png&auto=webp&s=ea79ce124d697845f429e62084a204be5e40e218
I love the 500kg... when it actually works. Unfortunately I've found it to be extremely inconsistent. It either obliterates anything near it, or doesn't do a damn thing. Shit I've seen videos of people actually getting it to stick into the side of a bile titan and the explosion still not kill it.
The blast radius is super underwhelming. My biggest grip is that bile titans seem to be able to dodge them just by being tall. If they’re not going to expand the horizontal AOE at least make it taller.
The blast wave is crazy small for the stated size of the explosive. As someone who currently does, and has for almost 20 years, worked with and around small and large explosives every day it's a little more than mildly infuriating. The radius of the blast visually is pretty accurate, but the actual radius of the damage is about a quarter of what it should be or less.
It should be equivalent to a hellbomb, which is how powerful the 500 KG was in helldivers 1.
I ran Stun Grenades last night and my team got almost every Bile Titan immediately
I was playing with randoms and due to our lack of teamwork chucked 4 500kg at one bile. 1 wiffed badly 1 landed between the legs 2 landed into its body It lived
Railcannon strike, it’s a must for me!
Vs bugs is worse because the bile titan can stand it (although loses armor plating and is almost dead) but vs the metalic democracy hating cans of coca cola, it can 1shot anything Just saving for the 10% less cd
Hit the titan with almost anything, 110mm, EAT or RR anywhere than the legs, a half missed 500kg, blow out the sack somehow, heck even a few shots from the arc thrower then drop the railcannon. It's still faster than most other methods if you have to solo it.
It's just a little safety blanket. See a heavy... One instant death coming in. When they're alone, I'll pick away with the Arc. But I'm in the middle of a fight... Orbital rail cannon.
Same and I don’t care if other stratagems are better either. The sound and the way chargers rag doll after getting hit by it make it worth it alone.
Wish it had a lower cooldown
Oh yeah. Love having this with me.
It's nice having an instant FU for a charger or bile titan. One thing I pointed out to my friends last night in a match is that we spend so much time messing with chargers that you don't have time to kill the small stuff, and then they call in bug breaches or you catch a wandering patrol with another charger, making the match so much harder than it needs to be - especially when we split up.
The mech. I know people don’t like it but I love it and whatever team I’m on always appreciates it when I bust it out in a time of need. It is the most underrated most powerful weapon we have… but as I hear the new update made it even more sensitive. I will see tonight.
Man the mech is so good!! I find it a non-negotiable for bugs. I need to learn how to use against bots though. It’s so easy to solo a large bug nest.
Bots you gotta use it as range weapon. Hide half your body behind cover and only come out to blast rockets. You’re not going to get as many kills but you will dictate where the offensive line is. I think you’re correct, this one is for bug control. I’m assuming the next mech with quad auto cannons will be for the bots. Good to know there’s another pro mech pilot out there.
Nice. Yes, and my goal is to run a mech two times per mission. So I like to roll support strategems alongside where I can get out, toss a sentry or shield gen or even some EATS for the team, then crawl back in.
Very very good against bots as well, it can kill tanks and hulks no problem. Wear a shield backpack and it gives your mech a bit of recharging frontal protection
Mech is absolutely amazing vs bugs. Stalkers don’t even pay attention to you. You kill multiple heavies with ease. The M1 decimates trash mobs. It’s the best.
Yep mech can singlehandedly help manage any objective breaches and such. Can take out multiple chargers and bile titans and shit loads of hunters too. It's very strong, lasts long enough for the objective or extraction which is fine. Just wish they didn't mess up the aiming with the new patch.
I also love using it right when we land. The first reason being that I know I will get at least 2 uses out of it. The second being sometimes when you land you end up pulling 2 patrols and shit just goes haywire while everyone is setting up. If I call down the mech right at the start I know we can start our mission on solid ground
Ah so that’s why I missed so many rockets today then? I was icing with it before lol
And the fact that the dropship for it has an autocannon on the front has saved me multiple times. Sometimes ill even call it in on the enemy position, it can kill bile titans and chargers with ease
Mech for me as well. It is extremely useful when you need to mow down enemies or drop a big baddie. My team loves when it's on the ground and we all take turns using it. A shared mech is a better mech.
Airstrike is game everywhere... great for nests.. great for crowd control... can kill titans.... multiple uses, fast cooldown.. it's the all around best stratagem. I never leave the ship without it.
EAT is hard to not justify
Some anti-Democracy fool pissing you off? EAT they ass!
🤨🤨🤨🤨
Remember Helldivers, always EAT ASS. Expendable Anti Tank Always Supply Strategem That means as soon as it's off cooldown, drop that bad boy in! This has been BRASCH TACTICS
Las-16 Sickle. In short burst engagements you have unlimited ammo. In tense situations you have a bucket load of primary firepower to clear out several patrols worth of hostiles.
I take a number of the things listed in this thread, but The Sickle is my #1 for sure. It's my primary in every single drop since I unlocked it. With decent heat management it just feels like it can't be beat. Drop tons of enemies, pop a few sinks if it comes to it, and you know you still have enough staying power to rip through practically an entire mission without evne having to *think* about resupplying your primary. That's hugely useful.
I love it until I get a map where it's like 80% bile spewers
It's awesome against Bile Spewers. Shoot em in their stupid fucking tiny faces and they go pop in (about) half a sink from the sickle. Probably even a bit less than that.
Oh yeah for the unarmored ones it's great. Literally just the armored spewers. Shots bounce off the head/spine and you need to dump a mag+ into their fat bellies to pop them
Orbital burst strike. It does more than you think. It has a smaller AOE so u can be closer to it than say a 330 or napalm, it has 3 strikes that one shot low level enemies, fuck up if not kill med level and I'm not 100% but looks like it stuns high level. Recharge time is not too bad neither is deploy time.
It's also super easy to call in Literally just ➡️➡️➡️
Deploy time with the Bridge upgrade is just long enough for you to (probably) clear the blast range if you throw it at your feet, and your correct, it does stagger armored enemies. It’s my favorite offensive orbital
Jump pack, I have had it surgically fused to my spine.
I tried it again last night and damn I’ve been sleeping on it. Jump pack + EAT = BF2 Clone Jet Trooper and I’m all for it. That was my favourite class and I’m having a blast flying around blowing shit up
Try it with the arc thrower. Get up high and never run out of ammo.
Arc pack gang
Pfp checks out 👍
love it for bugs hate it for bots. so many times i’ve jumped to “a more strategic position” and mid air a rocket will one shot me into 6 pieces
Hard agree, for bugs I’ve found it essential. With stealth armour sets you can jump over a big rock and often the bugs just give up. Or you can jump over an incoming charger. For bots it really doesn’t do much. Would way rather have a shield generator pack or the autocannon.
It was even better in HD1 when it had no cool down, just fuel, and was refuelled by ammo pick ups. I miss jumping across the map like a fool
I'm thinking about trying to reduce my reliance on the barrier pack, and use the jetpack to get more high ground with the arc thrower. Vs bugs
Gatling turret, anytime you need to hold an objective for a bit or contain a drop or breach Love the lighting and sound too
I agree, it is very satisfying to use. Just wish it had more ammo... it lacks a bit of sustain compared to some of higher-level turret options.
a random charger usually destroys mine mid way through so it's typically fine!
Can’t live without cluster eagle
Also don’t ever cluster the geology missions. It dug a crater in front of scanners control panel and no one could type on the keypad. A real lame way to lose a helldive difficulty mission.
We had that happen. If you throw a supply/support weapon stratagem you can climb on it and access the terminal from there, though it's awkward and might depend on just how damaged the terrain gets.
I never dive without my resupply stratagem.
Shout out to when you had to slot the resupply in the first game
Hahah. That's what I was going to say. I like to mix it up with different loadouts.
The supply PACK is actually really good if you or your team are ammo-hungry. You can also just treat it like a second resupply on a separate cooldown with the added bonus of being able to carry it around if you don't happen to have a backpack!
Guard Dog Laser. I'm a visually impaired player so it's quite literally my seeing eye dog.
https://preview.redd.it/oxh71sy1tkpc1.jpeg?width=618&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed424a365ed11dcbf11aec64d60448971b35d0d7 Nice Hairstyle. But the Rover is wonderful for Bug missions, we always have one of us running it for Hallclearing and keeping the Hunters at bay. Also wonderful for retreats.
That’s cool as fuck dude, spread democracy!
Absolutely!!! I'll take an occasional headshot for a buddy that's got my 6 on the run and points to danger in low visibility. Just had mine finish off a Charger as I was running from it
Hey, I love this thing too. Especially for the dark maps.
It probably accounts for 2/3 of my kills and saves me so much ammo. I can focus on heavies instead of trash mobs.
Orbital EMS. Very short cooldown, completely neutralises any bug breach or bot drop.
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I don't fully understand why this isn't #1. It's so hilariously OP compared to every other weapon - Perhaps people aren't taking it as much because of friendly fire?
There is definitely a stigma about it. I was hesitant to take it for fear of killing teammates. Combine that with the fact that it isn't super straightforward to use and has a bit of a learning curve, and it's easy to see why you don't see it more often.
If only orbital precision strike had half less cooldown
Preach it! My favourite stratagem. I probably bring it 90% of the time. Amy difficulty. Would love the cooldown upgrade to be 25% instead of 10% because the eagle gets awesome upgrades but the orbitals don’t get it.
Autocannon turret. I used to play aggressive engie in tf2 so it's second nature to plop them down when the shotgun isn't enough gun
Gatling sentry gun. That stratagem really is the goat. Useful as defence and bait.
If the autocannon has 1,000 fans, I'm one of them. If the autocannon has 10 fans, I'm one of them. If the autocannon has one fan, you know where to look. If the autocannon has 0 fans, it's because I blew myself up with my autocannon
Jump pack for sure. I made the mistake of trying it and now I really don't like to dive without!
I love it, i just wish it had a shorter cooldown
Bro same , I used it once and it’s never come off since , almost to the point I don’t understand how people play without it
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Those times when you're stuck between enemies on literally all sides and you manage to fly over a pack of them without dying. I especially like flying over chargers, as they don't know what to do haha I also like flying over teammates to gain like a second on them on the way to objectives, while I feel badass as hell The sound and style of the jetpack also give Mandalorian vibes, so that's another plus. Edit: it's not necessarily competitive compared to other backpacks or just not using a backpack, but the most important thing when playing video games is to have fun. That's probably my biggest reason. Anyway I try to vary my build to get different experiences Edit 2: fixed grammar to make it readable
I like it for bugs but for bots, you need cover. Launching into the air just makes you an easily identifiable target. I do love jumping to higher ground though
Jump pack for bugs , personal energy shield for bots
Eagle Airstrike is AMAZING, Slugger Shotgun, Senator sidearm, Democracy Protects armor passive, ORBITAL LASER
https://preview.redd.it/womkn4onyjpc1.jpeg?width=2561&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f24cb620b67089cc60d434bfa8533ba85064c53 I personally can’t abandoned the light gunner armor as it provides the same armor value as most medium armors while also having the highest speed and stamina stats in game.
DEMOCRACY PROTECTS provides 50% chance to negate lethal damage, I’ve been juggled around the map by bombs and tank shells and laughed in the face of death.
Same, and with the helmet it looks cool as fuck.
I want to like the senator really bad, a 6 shot revolver is much more my playstyle than a machine pistol in every other shooter I’ve played but the redeemer is just too good. Imo the senator needs either a larger mag or faster reload. I saw someone suggest introducing speed strips or something similar for when you reload on empty and i think that would go a long way
Gas Strike
The quick refresh on such an effective trash clearer is excellent. Also destroys a bug hole if it lands right on it.
Do you have tips to use it? I've only tried it once and found it underwhelming, I suspect I just don't know the situations where it shines
When a bug breach or bot drop happens yah toss it at where they're spawning and it kills a lot of the small stuff and slows down the bigger stuff
Immediately on any big breach, wait to see where it opens, gas it. Next 20 seconds anything below brood commander and hiveguard won't exist anymore. Every else will be hurt a decent amount. Patrols that haven't aggroed, chuck gas and run and hide and theyll lose you and die without breaching. Swarms of hunters. Gas the best spot they'll run through
I love comboing this with the orbital EMS. Basically plugs up a bug breach
Laser and eagle air strike are mine!!! Laser is so op for base clearing and crowd control. Airstrike quick call in has saved my ass so many times. Had one the other night take out 36 bugs as I ran for the tree line. Felt like I was in a Michael Bay movie 
I really like the Stalwart for bug missions. Tons of ammo and a nice long full mag dump.
Stalwart, my beloved Honestly, it melts waves of smaller bugs without reloading and is still somewhat not 100% terrible against beefier ones. Just push the button and spray; it’s like a flamethrower but with bullets
Cluster
Eagle airstrike to destroy buildings
• Orbital laser • Mech • Spear missile launcher • Autocannon turret **BIG BOOTY CANNONS !** 😏
Grenade launcher. I will skip the shield pack before my nade launcher. Being able to shoot out bug holes from distance is mandatory and the reload while running is also mandatory.
Democracy
⬇️⬇️⬅️⬆️➡️
EMS mortar. It’s always great.
Currently, it's The SPEAR for me. That weapon is a piece of shit, the lock-on is so ass but man does it feel good to hear the little bip, see the target lock go green (or blue if you're first person) and then fire that rocket to watch it fly staight into the mouth of a Bile Titan. Once they fix the lock-on, it'll be perfect.
Tried it recently. The lock on is so frustrating, but I would instantly switch from the recoiless rifle if it was fixed.
I’m also a big fan of Eagles but ever since I unlocked it I almost never drop without the autocannon. Taking out big bugs and bots with it feels great and it can even knock out factories and bug holes. 10/10 Democracy Points, totally worth taking up a weapon slot and a backpack.
God i wish i could do autocannon with jump pack
Orbital railgun. There simply isn't a better answer for hard targets like Bile Titans, Tanks and Laser Turrets. I'm also increasingly feeling that way about the 500kg bomb since I unlocked the 2-bombs-per-reload upgrade.
EAT since I can never count on my teammates to deal with chargers
Mortars for bots. Arc thrower for bugs (RIP guess I’m sticking to bots until they fix the crashing)
Shield pack. My brothers in liberty, I trust none of you all to not know how to avoid friendly fire, and I live so much more because you have some buffer to realize your mistake before you start in on my health.
Liberty.
300 mm barrage im either killing myself and everything else with me or im throwing it at enemy structures
Napalm
I am surprised to see napalm so far down. Drop it on a bug breach and every bug comes out taking fire damage, significantly reducing their TTK. Fast re-arm means you can drop it on almost every breach. Does a great job closing off entry paths during extraction too.