The hordes of Terminids and Automatons aren’t always a soft block of butter to cut through. The higher the difficulty level you are playing with, the more frequent the most heavily armored enemies become. When Helldivers 2 first launched, the Railgun quickly became a favorite Strategem to summon that enabled players to blast away at the armored plating of Chargers, Bile Titans, Hulks, Tanks, and more. But since the Railgun has seemingly been depowered by the development team, it hasn’t been quite the boon that it once was - unless you’ve mastered the art of Unsafe mode, of course.
Still, players are constantly trying out the various Strategems the game has to offer to see what really gets the dirty work done and ultimately preserves liberty for another day. If you’ve worked your way through Level 50, you’ve likely already acquired all the Strategems available currently in the game. Others, who are still working on their journey to Skull Admiral, must pick and choose. Regardless of your position in the Helldiver community, I’ve got a few recommendations for you that might help make taking down the brutes of the Automaton and Terminid world in higher difficulties a tad easier.
RS-422 Railgun(Unsafe Mode)
Call-In Time
Cooldown Time
Strategem Trait
480 Seconds
Remember, how I stated that mastering the art of Unsafe mode might continue making the Railgun a viable armor-busting option? Well, it’s true. The problem is that you are quite literally taking your avatar’s life into your own hands. If you’re unfamiliar with Unsafe mode, here’s how to access it. With any weapon equipped, you can often change firing methods by simply holding square (on PlayStation) or R (on PC). This will bring up a mini-menu that offers more options for your weapon. With the Railgun there are only two options: Safe or Unsafe.
The default setting is Safe which only ever allows you to charge the weapon to 50%. Firing it at this level will also not cause you any bodily harm. Unsafe turns this cap off and allows you to charge the weapon all the way to 100% which would result in your death upon firing. The best way to manage Unsafe Mode is to only ever use it in first-person when firing. This way, you may see the charge meter on either side of the weapon. Keeping the charge at around 80% will keep you both free of injury and maximize your damage output. It might take some practice. Once you’ve mastered it, use it to drill into a weak point in an enemy. For instance, with Chargers it’s best to pick one of its front legs and go to town on it. Once you shred that front leg, the beast becomes immobile and dies. Bile Titans are more susceptible to headshots. Automatons usually have weakened armor in the back or, in the Hulk’s case, the center eye. Keep in mind that you must be level 20 in order to purchase this strategem.
ARC-3 Arc Thrower
This puppy is an electric-based weapon that you can unlock at level 15. In many cases, it might be a better option than the Railgun. For starters, there isn’t any ammo, so its output is endless. It fires a stream of electrical pulses that ultimately fry an enemy regardless if it is packing heavy armor. Many have hailed this as the better option now that the Railgun isn’t as powerful as it once was at launch.
Keep in mind, however, that the Arc Thrower has one major downside. It’s devastating to your teammates if they’re operating close to you. It doesn’t take much for the weapon’s beam to branch out and hit any organism that attracts it, including your teammates. When using it, make sure they’re at a distance, or you’re liable to have some angry comrades while simultaneously wasting precious seconds reinforcing.
GL-21 Grenade Launcher
The Grenade Launcher is great for crowd control. But it also can do wonders if effectively employed against armored hostiles. Keep in mind, that at close range, the grenades will likely bounce or ricochet off your enemies. This is a weapon best used at a distance. Some might prefer the more-accurate Auto Cannon. However, the Grenade Launcher has the bonus of not taking up a backpack slot like the Autocannon does. So you’re welcome to pair it with a Guard Dog or Shield.
Aiming grenades to land underneath the Charger and hit its underbelly or directly in the face of a Bile Titan can do wonders. The best thing about the Grenade Launcher is it fires several grenades per clip. You will need many grenades to have an impact on armor, so a sizeable clip is good. Don’t be conservative with your shots. you’re able to replenish ammo with any ammunition boxes you find (not grenade boxes). With automatons, it’s best employed against the orange ventilation system behind the towering turrets or the rotating gun on the tank. Use the splash damage effect and shoot your grenades at the feet of Scout Striders to destroy the weak operator from underneath and behind.
GR-8 Recoilless Rifle
This beast certainly packs a punch, but it comes at the expense of mobility when reloading, and it takes up a backpack slot for your ammo. Also, you get only one shot per reload. However, this weapon is highly accurate and can do some serious damage in the right situation. Given both its explosive and non-versatile nature, it’s best used at a distance. Like most weapons, the Recoilless Rifle works best when you narrow in on one particular piece of armor with each round in order to punch through to the enemy’s vitals.
Tanks, Hulks, Bile Titans and Chargers are highly susceptible to the destructive powers of the Autocannon. However, the real joy that comes from using the Recoilless Rifle in Automaton territory is that it’s a brilliant, snappy way of destroying enemy dropships before they can even unload their Automaton troops. This is where the weapon becomes most effective.
FAF-14 Spear
This is another weapon that will use up your backpack slot and require you to be stationary when reloading. Also, it only targets big enemies or structures. But, it certainly gets the job done. When it comes to Bile Titans, they can be taken out in one-shot if you are able to lock and aim for the head. Hulks won’t go down as easy, but the Spear will make quick work of them after a few shots.
It might go without saying, but the benefit of the Spear is that the lock-on does the aiming for you, though you have to take the time to allow the targeting system to lock on. Aside from armored enemies, the Spear is rather useful for eliminating structures like Automaton Fabricators.
FLAM-40 Flamethrower
Incendiary
Like the Arc Thrower, the Flamethrower is another advanced weapon that ignores armor as it deals damage. Turn the flame on and let it flow to cook a Charger right in its crustacean-like shell. When it comes to frying Chargers, the Flamethrower is no joke. So, if you’re sick of being chased by 5 Chargers at a time, this might be one weapon you need to add to your Strategem arsenal.
Like anything, there are downsides. The Flamethrower only has a limited range. Therefore, it’s a difficult weapon to use when going up against monstrosities like the Bile Titan. You’ll be well within the Bile Titan’s acidic vomit trajectory if you’re trying to aim upward and cook it’s towering body. The other ground-level bugs are just asking to be roasted, but this big bad might get you before you get him.
There are many other strategems at your disposal. So, be sure to shop around and try everything to see what best suits your playstyle!
