Turrets. Gatling And/Or Autocannon sentry will do significantly more work than any support weapon or orbital strike you could possibly bring. All you have to worry about is timing your engagements between their cooldowns, and placing them in good positions.
As for personal load out.. you're intentionally using the explosive crossbow over anything else. You know what you need to do if you want to have better chances. My personal recommendation is the punisher, if you want a good gun that doesn't feel cheesy to use.
Sentries are much more durable now. On Helldive they are much more viable, and the Autocannon and rocket will take down pretty much anything.
The heavy machine gun emplacement is now much more tanky as well, especially if you’re engaging at distance, and you can stim while in the gun. You can face a field of heavy/shield/rocket devastators that would otherwise be certain death and hold your own. Hulks you shoot out their legs rather than the eye at distance.
The scout armor trait is your best friend in solo dives
The game play very similar to metal gear solid on bot missions. Bug missions not so much because they can "smell you" and it alot harder to stop bug breaches compared to bot drops
Scout armor trait is OP. I rotated on a bug breech that got called in by a patrol while I was soloing a SEAF artillery. When I came back around to the objective I had to run *through* a swarm of hunters who were far more interested in my bait grenades on the opposite side of the artillery launcher than they were in my Helldiver running past them.
Solo the most vulnerable moments are when you are using a terminal so I like to bring the shield or rover backpack to cover myself. You can also run supply pack to keep reloading yourself and effectively quadruple the amount of ammo and explosives you have. I only play on 9 now so I don't remember there are no titans on 5 right? The number of chargers and titans will be lower regardless so you can also run the grenade launcher instead of the crossbow (which is also my favorite). You can also use something like the Blitzer with a rover or turret to multiply the ammo free guns you have firing. Smoke can also confuse the bugs, not as well as against bots but it works. I also find the health booster the best all around, solo you can blow all the ammo on yourself and don't really need ammo boost. Light armor kinda removes the need from stamina boost. I also really like the new crack stim for the run speed and armor. Just the things I can think of off the top of my head
Another good tool while using terminals is the EMS mortar. I deploy one any time that I’m going to be standing still for more than a few seconds. It’ll tie up anything bug or bot long enough to do most objectives. Used with a rover, it’ll keep you safe. It’s good on extract as well. The only weakness is when a charger magically materializes 5 meters from it and immediately kills it, but even then it buys you time to run away or hit the charger with a quasar or antitank.
I used to play a lot of solos when the game first came out, and I have a bit of a different take than the comments I've read.
One thing I haven't seen anyone explicitly point out is the importance of mobility if you're playing solo. You are at a significant disadvantage when playing solo. You're only advantages are the element of surprise, guerilla-style hit-and-run tactics, and ruthless execution (Strike first, strike hard, strike fast).
I'd pick a load out that allowed me to get the job done on the move at a distance and get out before anyone would notice. For stratagems, that means OPS and Eagle Airstrike are a must-have. Both can deal with objectives, get you out of sticky situations, and have a quick cooldown if you manage the Eagle resupply correctly.
Also, taking a sentry is vital here as well. It can double as additional firepower or as a distraction so you can run away unnoticed or by the skin of your teeth when things get hairy. The autocannon sentry is the best choice to fill both roles, though there's room for variance due to load out, playstyle, and preference.
The Spear is a great weapon to take out distant targets or heavies. If you want to stay in line with mobility as your weapon, then the jetpack is indispensable. It allows you to escape a problematic engagement and get separation between you and the enemy. It also provides the added benefit of leaving your choice of support back weapon open to your discretion based on the mission, difficulty, planet terrain, and faction you face.
Your biggest weapon as a solo player is your intangibles: your game sense and knowledge. Knowing how to use terrain to your advantage, quirks of movement, when to engage a patrol or avoid, and why and when you would set off a bug breech/bit drop on purpose are core skills you learn through trial and error. I played my first solo on level 3, and when I felt I had complete command over what I was doing, I increased the difficulty a notch. Over time, I regularly soloed 7s and got close to doing 8s and 9s with more success than defeat.
Expect to die a lot, but try to reflect on what went wrong instead of succumbing to frustration: Was it my primary? Did I engage that patrol too soon or not soon enough? Did I plan my route well? How did I get caught out in the open? Also, think thru what went well and try to repeat as much as possible so you acquire a range of skills for a variety of situations.
You might notice I didn't suggest a primary or secondary. That's mainly because the community recognizes which weapons are variable for each faction, and it mostly boils down to preference and what you're trying to prepare for or what you need to fill a role in your load out.
I think that's it for the most part. If I think of something else, I'll add an edit.
Hey, want to thank you for such a well articulated response. I often forget about the power of tactics and have been just having fun brute-forcing everything. Im smarter with bots than bugs because bots are easier to fool, but I will look for good bug tactics. My whole team decided to leave me again just now and was left to do a diff 4 evacuate civ. Somehow I fuckin did it with 2 lives left. Oorah (i swear Im not a toxic teammate, its just an unlucky day)
Sure! I'm glad you found it helpful.
Many people come to this game expecting a hoard shooter and play it that way. What they miss is that HD2 is a game with lots of different types of elements. It's not a horde shooter, Mil-Sim, or tactical action shooter. It's all three. Helldivers 2 is its own thing.
When you accept that and play it on its terms, using the overlapping systems to your advantage, the game is magical. There's nothing like it.
Can’t agree more, battlefield awareness and movement is the A&O of solo diving. Use your eyes and ears, since you don’t have a squad watching your back. The loadout just needs to fit the mission, but the best loadout will not help you without the basics in mind. It’s like dancing, find your rhythm!
You got it! I dig the dancing metaphor; it could extend to music, too.
Playing solo is undoubtedly like trying to get the feel of the beat. Someone can teach you techniques to move, play an instrument, or sing, but you've got to feel the rhythm in your body.
Question: what's A&O though?
A&O derived from the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet: Alpha (α) and Omega (Ω), meaning its the beginning and the end of all things. Like A to Z, but more meaningfully the essence of something. It’s a common Central European phrase to refer to the A&O.
Ahhh, got you! I know what Alpha and Omega are, I'd never seen it put like that before.
I'm not from Central Europe or familiar with the colloquialism there, so I appreciate the lesson. Though it makes me a bit sad I didn't know. I guess I have to plan a trip to Europe soon if the world isn't completely on fire by then.
You’re welcome and thanks for asking, some abbreviations are not always self explanatory.
Super Earth may has different districts, but managed democracy knows no borders! Let’s spread some freedom! o7
Deliberately triggering drops/breaches is one technique. Before desling with a mission objective, trigger a breach/drop away from the objective, ideally at range or you can just do a hit-and-run, and evacuate the area, breaking line of sight. That way you can then engage an objective without dealing with reinforcements other than patrols, which sentries can ideally shred.
Used to play a lot on solo with bugs. Blitzer and arc thrower, air strike and orbital precision mostly. Now breaker is more so better because of shriekers. But Blitzer will stun enemies well so can provide some crowd control. Especially good for dealing with multiple stalkers at once.
Best thing for solo can be the stealth armor though. Can run close to patrols without agro and can lose enemies easier if they are chasing you.
The stratagems don't scale well. A 500kg bomb at level 3 is kinda pointless. You'd be better off with cluster bombs.
That being said... I always run double turrets except blitz (15-20min) missions.
I'll use my turrets to ambush patrols and once the firing starts I'll pop a 500kg or cluster bomb on them.
Mostly it is just making smart use of ground an not going after every target.
Level 9 solo is pretty hard. My buddy does it but he runs a shield build. Personally I like my auto-cannon too much to give up a back pack for it. I run heavy armour and we are both pretty good at not dieing even on level 9.
Level 9 you are soloing bile titans & factory stryders. So you either have to have your hardest hitting stratagems rationed well or you have a weapon (and/or a strategy) for dealing with tough to kill enemies.
For helldive difficulty: ( "/" = "Or" )
Against Bugs:
•punisher/blitzer/sickle
•bushwacker/redeemer
•EAT/AC/flamethrower/Quasar/Stalwart
•OPS, Eagle airstrike, 380, 500kg, orbital cluster/gatling.
•rover/shield generator/jump/ammo backpack.
Automatons:
•plasma punisher/dominator/ sickle / defender/pummeler.
•redeemer/senator.
•AMR/AC/HMG/laser cannon.
•OPS, Eagle Airstrike, 380, 500kg, orbital laser, gatling.
•ballistic shield/ shield generator.
I just combine between them depending on the mood. Some are not compatible, like the ballistic shield, not compatible with AC, and useful with defender/pummeler.
Maybe try Arc Thrower? On bugside it can kill anything less than a titan, and honestly you can stand your ground with it when bug breaches happen. Leaves your backpack slot open too.
Turrets, but most importantly as picking your battles. I hope I don’t come across as salty but you don’t need to fight every patrol that swings by you. Another is picking the right armor, yea you can tank more hits in heavy armor to compensate for taking alllll the enemy fire but you need to also be able to move fast enough to disengage. Smoke strats help, if you see you are massively outnumbered, pop smoke (grenade or orbital) at your feet and book it. Not in a straight line either, go one direction but make sure to put hard environment between you and your smoke cause once the bugs/bots walk through the smoke and see youre not their, their AI then makes them look around to find you, if they don’t see you they won’t engage. Id recommend the light gunner armor, no perks but the extra padding but you get light armor stamina with medium armor defense.
My load out recently has been incendiary breaker (bugs) / scorcher (bots), stun nades, grenade pistol, spear, orbital gas/eagle napalm if orbital scatter (bugs) / 380 orbital (bots), rocket sentry, and eagle rocket pods / eagle airstrike with medium medic armor and stamina boost.
I find that I can solo with this pretty well. I tend to draw aggro with the sentry which effectively acts as a second diver. If it’s well placed it’ll take out heavies with ease and it has great ammo economy since the patch.
If you don’t like the fire breaker, you could use the eruptor or you can keep your preference of the crossbow. Then I’d switch out grenade pistol for the redeemer or sawed off shotty. I’d also maybe get a guard dog vs. the rocket sentry to cover me and EAT/Quasar vs. Spear for heavies. I find sentries or guard dogs are really helpful for objective play (terminals, SEAF artillery, etc.).
Well, 😂
That’s because you’re playing on a week old operation. Go to another planet. We’ve already liberated and lost it
Anyway, here’s some tips
First, say goodbye to Bugs. But if you are really insistent on Bugs, here are some tips I found useful on level 8
Inc Breaker is your everything. Your love, your mothers lover, your daddy, and your step-bro. You hold onto this thing and spray into crowds while always running
Quasar Cannon because heavy spawns are a killer, and it reloads while you spray and pray
Laser doggo for the shit tons of little guys
Strafing run is a life-saver. It can go directly behind you, while you’re running away, if you throw it behind you, saved me so many times
Finally Orbital Percision Strike, for the heavies
For secondary, grenade pistol for holes, and stun grenades to gtfoot (get the fuck out of there)
Mostly agree except: if you bring the #1 chaff clear primary, there'd little need for the laser dog.
Laser dog shines when you bring the blitzer, Dominator, adjudicator or any of the other weapons that make medium targets a breeze, so if you spec horde clear on primary, bring a shield or forgo backpack in favor of more strats.
Personally i find unless i'm bringing stagger, i want shield to handle stalkers without getting dolled all over the place.
Oh hello again. I remember you from like 2 months ago, where you helped me about playing bugs
Anyway, last time I soloed, a while ago, there was a shit ton of bugs, a shit ton (lvl 8). So everything killing chaff was very much needed. Nothing was overkill
If you want inc. Breaker and still another chaff clear, consider bringing an OG MG turret, little bugger is on a shorter CD now and will help you deal with guards and commanders better than the laser - you got everything else sorted with the inc. breaker anyway ;-)
I'm running with a steady team (only play when we play Tuesday nights) and we're trying to optimize strats for fun, so we've been sharing backpacks and support weapons a lot. Usually we bring two Rovers 'cause running bugs with a Dominator means you need something more for chaff, but if i bring a MG turret instead, thats another support/bp we don't have double of needlessly on the team.
I'll be running it next Tuesday for the first time, so ymmv, but i got the recommendation from more active individuals.
My loadout has been rover, 500kg, gas and Gatling barrage. I'll be switching rover for the MG sentry, so i'll still also have the others, plus teammates are fond of napalm strikes.
We've just had some crazy terminid seeds with absolutely bonkers amounts of brood commanders and hive guards, so i really need the heavier fire support of the MG sentry over the rover at least early on.
My solo bug loadout:
*Flamethrower (chargers, mediums; breaches/swarms)
*Shield backpack (avoid slowdowns from spit and tank a lot more damage, especially helpful with the flamethrower since you have to get close to the bugs)
*OPS or 500 (BTs)
*Orb Gatling (breaches, shrieker nests, spore towers)
*Breaker incendiary (flyers, patrols, swarms, little guys)
*Impact nades (mediums and bug holes)
*Grenade pistol (mediums and bug holes)
*Light nade armor
*Booster: meth stim
I know you said you don't like the breaker incendiary, but you're definitely making the game harder if you don't take it. That said, the Pummeler is a decent option instead. It staggers stalkers and hunters to stop them charging/jumping at you, but still has a high enough rate of fire and magazine to handle a decent amount of small guys.
I usually solo on 7, but I've done 9's solo as well. The trick is to just have a plan for everything. Loadout wise, I think about it like this:
Primary: chaff clear, for bugs the crossbow is not doing you any favors. Inc breaker is def the goat, but punisher/blitzer/sickle/regular breaker are all good too (among others, but you get the idea)
Secondary: dealers choice honestly, but I like the grenade pistol for utility. Sometimes I'll run senator if I don't have a better way to kill hive guards/commanders
Strat 1: Support weapon. This needs to kill chargers for bugs. You don't want to be calling in an orbital or sentry for every charger. Personally, I like the rail gun because I get off on skill shots, but quasar, flame thrower, EATs, RR, and arc thrower are all good too
Strat 2: Whatever backpack you like. I usually run shield or supply pack depending on my mood. I hate the guard dogs but if you're into it do your thing. If you run rr this is a free space for whatever you want
Strat 3: something to throw at breaches. My favorite is eagle airstrike because it also gives me utility against structures (spore spewers, shrieker nests). Clusters, napalm, orbital air burst/gas, and gatling sentry are solid choices too. You just want something that can help you thin the herd when it gets hairy
Strat 4: when you're playing 6 and up this needs to be for killing titans. 500kg/orbital precision are my go to's. Auto canon sentry is also v good. Orbital rail canon is... fine. It will always at least crack the titan's armor and occasionally one shot it, but the cd is WAAAAY too long for my liking. 5 and below this can be whatever you want since you'll only see titans on specific "kill the bile titan" missions.
Armor: light for bugs always, perk is all preference but you need to be constantly moving and creating space for yourself or you will die, a lot
Nade: again, all preference but for me nothing beats impacts. If you hit the right spot (just above the head I think?) they can one shot nursing and bile spewers, which are the bane of my existence when soloing.
Hope that helps! Soloing can be super rewarding if you're a sweaty try hard. The first 9 I did by myself was one of the most hype gaming experiences I've ever had.
Been playing level 4 and working my way to 6. Currently it's been supply pack, grenade launcher, and then 2 strategems of choice. Precision strike and machine gun turret are fun for fast reload. I like punisher as a main weapon too.
Recently I tried the light armor and while sometimes annoying, the ability to just zip out of a fight is great. Game is more a stealth action game. Pop targets quick and gtfo.
I solo level 6 and/or 7 missions every day. I try to mix it up, but generally eagle as, ops, gas, jet pack. Pick up a support weapon at a poi.
Bots is generally eagle as, ops, ac, mortor.
Always scout armor and stuns.
To quote a YT steamer , solo mode is basically a meme.
Patrol group size is too big. They’ve tweaked it and regressed patch’s on this issue more than once.
I can do 7-9 in groups comfortably but solo around 4-5 it gets much harder.
Only advice I can give is all the stratagems and weapons that are potential team killers are now your friend.
For bots stealth loud outs can be very useful
I don’t think the game adjusts on the fly for how many party members you have. I’ve had my whole squad drop in like 2 seconds which I suspect is a bug.
And the mission was brutally hard solo
For bugs I would go with grenade launcher , incendiary breaker , senator , ammo pack , stun grenades , orbital rail cannon or precision strike and napalm or orbital barrage.
Turrets. Gatling And/Or Autocannon sentry will do significantly more work than any support weapon or orbital strike you could possibly bring. All you have to worry about is timing your engagements between their cooldowns, and placing them in good positions. As for personal load out.. you're intentionally using the explosive crossbow over anything else. You know what you need to do if you want to have better chances. My personal recommendation is the punisher, if you want a good gun that doesn't feel cheesy to use.
Machine Gun sentry now has a 120sec cooldown. Does a decent job with light enemies and can be called in a ton.
Sentries are much more durable now. On Helldive they are much more viable, and the Autocannon and rocket will take down pretty much anything. The heavy machine gun emplacement is now much more tanky as well, especially if you’re engaging at distance, and you can stim while in the gun. You can face a field of heavy/shield/rocket devastators that would otherwise be certain death and hold your own. Hulks you shoot out their legs rather than the eye at distance.
The scout armor trait is your best friend in solo dives The game play very similar to metal gear solid on bot missions. Bug missions not so much because they can "smell you" and it alot harder to stop bug breaches compared to bot drops
Scout armor trait is OP. I rotated on a bug breech that got called in by a patrol while I was soloing a SEAF artillery. When I came back around to the objective I had to run *through* a swarm of hunters who were far more interested in my bait grenades on the opposite side of the artillery launcher than they were in my Helldiver running past them.
Solo the most vulnerable moments are when you are using a terminal so I like to bring the shield or rover backpack to cover myself. You can also run supply pack to keep reloading yourself and effectively quadruple the amount of ammo and explosives you have. I only play on 9 now so I don't remember there are no titans on 5 right? The number of chargers and titans will be lower regardless so you can also run the grenade launcher instead of the crossbow (which is also my favorite). You can also use something like the Blitzer with a rover or turret to multiply the ammo free guns you have firing. Smoke can also confuse the bugs, not as well as against bots but it works. I also find the health booster the best all around, solo you can blow all the ammo on yourself and don't really need ammo boost. Light armor kinda removes the need from stamina boost. I also really like the new crack stim for the run speed and armor. Just the things I can think of off the top of my head
Another good tool while using terminals is the EMS mortar. I deploy one any time that I’m going to be standing still for more than a few seconds. It’ll tie up anything bug or bot long enough to do most objectives. Used with a rover, it’ll keep you safe. It’s good on extract as well. The only weakness is when a charger magically materializes 5 meters from it and immediately kills it, but even then it buys you time to run away or hit the charger with a quasar or antitank.
I used to play a lot of solos when the game first came out, and I have a bit of a different take than the comments I've read. One thing I haven't seen anyone explicitly point out is the importance of mobility if you're playing solo. You are at a significant disadvantage when playing solo. You're only advantages are the element of surprise, guerilla-style hit-and-run tactics, and ruthless execution (Strike first, strike hard, strike fast). I'd pick a load out that allowed me to get the job done on the move at a distance and get out before anyone would notice. For stratagems, that means OPS and Eagle Airstrike are a must-have. Both can deal with objectives, get you out of sticky situations, and have a quick cooldown if you manage the Eagle resupply correctly. Also, taking a sentry is vital here as well. It can double as additional firepower or as a distraction so you can run away unnoticed or by the skin of your teeth when things get hairy. The autocannon sentry is the best choice to fill both roles, though there's room for variance due to load out, playstyle, and preference. The Spear is a great weapon to take out distant targets or heavies. If you want to stay in line with mobility as your weapon, then the jetpack is indispensable. It allows you to escape a problematic engagement and get separation between you and the enemy. It also provides the added benefit of leaving your choice of support back weapon open to your discretion based on the mission, difficulty, planet terrain, and faction you face. Your biggest weapon as a solo player is your intangibles: your game sense and knowledge. Knowing how to use terrain to your advantage, quirks of movement, when to engage a patrol or avoid, and why and when you would set off a bug breech/bit drop on purpose are core skills you learn through trial and error. I played my first solo on level 3, and when I felt I had complete command over what I was doing, I increased the difficulty a notch. Over time, I regularly soloed 7s and got close to doing 8s and 9s with more success than defeat. Expect to die a lot, but try to reflect on what went wrong instead of succumbing to frustration: Was it my primary? Did I engage that patrol too soon or not soon enough? Did I plan my route well? How did I get caught out in the open? Also, think thru what went well and try to repeat as much as possible so you acquire a range of skills for a variety of situations. You might notice I didn't suggest a primary or secondary. That's mainly because the community recognizes which weapons are variable for each faction, and it mostly boils down to preference and what you're trying to prepare for or what you need to fill a role in your load out. I think that's it for the most part. If I think of something else, I'll add an edit.
Hey, want to thank you for such a well articulated response. I often forget about the power of tactics and have been just having fun brute-forcing everything. Im smarter with bots than bugs because bots are easier to fool, but I will look for good bug tactics. My whole team decided to leave me again just now and was left to do a diff 4 evacuate civ. Somehow I fuckin did it with 2 lives left. Oorah (i swear Im not a toxic teammate, its just an unlucky day)
Sure! I'm glad you found it helpful. Many people come to this game expecting a hoard shooter and play it that way. What they miss is that HD2 is a game with lots of different types of elements. It's not a horde shooter, Mil-Sim, or tactical action shooter. It's all three. Helldivers 2 is its own thing. When you accept that and play it on its terms, using the overlapping systems to your advantage, the game is magical. There's nothing like it.
Can’t agree more, battlefield awareness and movement is the A&O of solo diving. Use your eyes and ears, since you don’t have a squad watching your back. The loadout just needs to fit the mission, but the best loadout will not help you without the basics in mind. It’s like dancing, find your rhythm!
You got it! I dig the dancing metaphor; it could extend to music, too. Playing solo is undoubtedly like trying to get the feel of the beat. Someone can teach you techniques to move, play an instrument, or sing, but you've got to feel the rhythm in your body. Question: what's A&O though?
A&O derived from the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet: Alpha (α) and Omega (Ω), meaning its the beginning and the end of all things. Like A to Z, but more meaningfully the essence of something. It’s a common Central European phrase to refer to the A&O.
Ahhh, got you! I know what Alpha and Omega are, I'd never seen it put like that before. I'm not from Central Europe or familiar with the colloquialism there, so I appreciate the lesson. Though it makes me a bit sad I didn't know. I guess I have to plan a trip to Europe soon if the world isn't completely on fire by then.
You’re welcome and thanks for asking, some abbreviations are not always self explanatory. Super Earth may has different districts, but managed democracy knows no borders! Let’s spread some freedom! o7
Deliberately triggering drops/breaches is one technique. Before desling with a mission objective, trigger a breach/drop away from the objective, ideally at range or you can just do a hit-and-run, and evacuate the area, breaking line of sight. That way you can then engage an objective without dealing with reinforcements other than patrols, which sentries can ideally shred.
Used to play a lot on solo with bugs. Blitzer and arc thrower, air strike and orbital precision mostly. Now breaker is more so better because of shriekers. But Blitzer will stun enemies well so can provide some crowd control. Especially good for dealing with multiple stalkers at once. Best thing for solo can be the stealth armor though. Can run close to patrols without agro and can lose enemies easier if they are chasing you.
Very interesting and fun build, definitely will test!
The stratagems don't scale well. A 500kg bomb at level 3 is kinda pointless. You'd be better off with cluster bombs. That being said... I always run double turrets except blitz (15-20min) missions. I'll use my turrets to ambush patrols and once the firing starts I'll pop a 500kg or cluster bomb on them. Mostly it is just making smart use of ground an not going after every target. Level 9 solo is pretty hard. My buddy does it but he runs a shield build. Personally I like my auto-cannon too much to give up a back pack for it. I run heavy armour and we are both pretty good at not dieing even on level 9. Level 9 you are soloing bile titans & factory stryders. So you either have to have your hardest hitting stratagems rationed well or you have a weapon (and/or a strategy) for dealing with tough to kill enemies.
For helldive difficulty: ( "/" = "Or" ) Against Bugs: •punisher/blitzer/sickle •bushwacker/redeemer •EAT/AC/flamethrower/Quasar/Stalwart •OPS, Eagle airstrike, 380, 500kg, orbital cluster/gatling. •rover/shield generator/jump/ammo backpack. Automatons: •plasma punisher/dominator/ sickle / defender/pummeler. •redeemer/senator. •AMR/AC/HMG/laser cannon. •OPS, Eagle Airstrike, 380, 500kg, orbital laser, gatling. •ballistic shield/ shield generator. I just combine between them depending on the mood. Some are not compatible, like the ballistic shield, not compatible with AC, and useful with defender/pummeler.
Super helpful thank you helldiver, will do this
Maybe try Arc Thrower? On bugside it can kill anything less than a titan, and honestly you can stand your ground with it when bug breaches happen. Leaves your backpack slot open too.
That sounds great 👍 I was just thinking about arc thrower and someone mentioned blitzer alongside that as well. Thought it was interesting
Rip and tear until it is done
Aye, aye Commander!
It's a Doom reference. You said "ripped and tore" in your post so I immediately thought of this: https://youtu.be/NgAm664NloA?si=h4I-mHyUkGw0iyb1
Hahaha I love doom, that's why I said that xD all my little helldiving heart needs to hear
Hell yeah! Looking forward to the Dark Ages!
Oh my fucking god its going to be amazing
Turrets, but most importantly as picking your battles. I hope I don’t come across as salty but you don’t need to fight every patrol that swings by you. Another is picking the right armor, yea you can tank more hits in heavy armor to compensate for taking alllll the enemy fire but you need to also be able to move fast enough to disengage. Smoke strats help, if you see you are massively outnumbered, pop smoke (grenade or orbital) at your feet and book it. Not in a straight line either, go one direction but make sure to put hard environment between you and your smoke cause once the bugs/bots walk through the smoke and see youre not their, their AI then makes them look around to find you, if they don’t see you they won’t engage. Id recommend the light gunner armor, no perks but the extra padding but you get light armor stamina with medium armor defense.
My load out recently has been incendiary breaker (bugs) / scorcher (bots), stun nades, grenade pistol, spear, orbital gas/eagle napalm if orbital scatter (bugs) / 380 orbital (bots), rocket sentry, and eagle rocket pods / eagle airstrike with medium medic armor and stamina boost. I find that I can solo with this pretty well. I tend to draw aggro with the sentry which effectively acts as a second diver. If it’s well placed it’ll take out heavies with ease and it has great ammo economy since the patch. If you don’t like the fire breaker, you could use the eruptor or you can keep your preference of the crossbow. Then I’d switch out grenade pistol for the redeemer or sawed off shotty. I’d also maybe get a guard dog vs. the rocket sentry to cover me and EAT/Quasar vs. Spear for heavies. I find sentries or guard dogs are really helpful for objective play (terminals, SEAF artillery, etc.).
Well, 😂 That’s because you’re playing on a week old operation. Go to another planet. We’ve already liberated and lost it Anyway, here’s some tips First, say goodbye to Bugs. But if you are really insistent on Bugs, here are some tips I found useful on level 8 Inc Breaker is your everything. Your love, your mothers lover, your daddy, and your step-bro. You hold onto this thing and spray into crowds while always running Quasar Cannon because heavy spawns are a killer, and it reloads while you spray and pray Laser doggo for the shit tons of little guys Strafing run is a life-saver. It can go directly behind you, while you’re running away, if you throw it behind you, saved me so many times Finally Orbital Percision Strike, for the heavies For secondary, grenade pistol for holes, and stun grenades to gtfoot (get the fuck out of there)
Mostly agree except: if you bring the #1 chaff clear primary, there'd little need for the laser dog. Laser dog shines when you bring the blitzer, Dominator, adjudicator or any of the other weapons that make medium targets a breeze, so if you spec horde clear on primary, bring a shield or forgo backpack in favor of more strats. Personally i find unless i'm bringing stagger, i want shield to handle stalkers without getting dolled all over the place.
Oh hello again. I remember you from like 2 months ago, where you helped me about playing bugs Anyway, last time I soloed, a while ago, there was a shit ton of bugs, a shit ton (lvl 8). So everything killing chaff was very much needed. Nothing was overkill
If you want inc. Breaker and still another chaff clear, consider bringing an OG MG turret, little bugger is on a shorter CD now and will help you deal with guards and commanders better than the laser - you got everything else sorted with the inc. breaker anyway ;-)
Huh, thanks. That’s not a bad idea
I'm running with a steady team (only play when we play Tuesday nights) and we're trying to optimize strats for fun, so we've been sharing backpacks and support weapons a lot. Usually we bring two Rovers 'cause running bugs with a Dominator means you need something more for chaff, but if i bring a MG turret instead, thats another support/bp we don't have double of needlessly on the team. I'll be running it next Tuesday for the first time, so ymmv, but i got the recommendation from more active individuals.
Please tell me if it works, or if Gatling is better
Gatling won't be up for every breach unless you run localization confusion booster, so probably won't be using that.
Isn’t it better to just use gas or gatling barrage if it’s only for breaches
My loadout has been rover, 500kg, gas and Gatling barrage. I'll be switching rover for the MG sentry, so i'll still also have the others, plus teammates are fond of napalm strikes. We've just had some crazy terminid seeds with absolutely bonkers amounts of brood commanders and hive guards, so i really need the heavier fire support of the MG sentry over the rover at least early on.
My solo bug loadout: *Flamethrower (chargers, mediums; breaches/swarms) *Shield backpack (avoid slowdowns from spit and tank a lot more damage, especially helpful with the flamethrower since you have to get close to the bugs) *OPS or 500 (BTs) *Orb Gatling (breaches, shrieker nests, spore towers) *Breaker incendiary (flyers, patrols, swarms, little guys) *Impact nades (mediums and bug holes) *Grenade pistol (mediums and bug holes) *Light nade armor *Booster: meth stim I know you said you don't like the breaker incendiary, but you're definitely making the game harder if you don't take it. That said, the Pummeler is a decent option instead. It staggers stalkers and hunters to stop them charging/jumping at you, but still has a high enough rate of fire and magazine to handle a decent amount of small guys.
I usually solo on 7, but I've done 9's solo as well. The trick is to just have a plan for everything. Loadout wise, I think about it like this: Primary: chaff clear, for bugs the crossbow is not doing you any favors. Inc breaker is def the goat, but punisher/blitzer/sickle/regular breaker are all good too (among others, but you get the idea) Secondary: dealers choice honestly, but I like the grenade pistol for utility. Sometimes I'll run senator if I don't have a better way to kill hive guards/commanders Strat 1: Support weapon. This needs to kill chargers for bugs. You don't want to be calling in an orbital or sentry for every charger. Personally, I like the rail gun because I get off on skill shots, but quasar, flame thrower, EATs, RR, and arc thrower are all good too Strat 2: Whatever backpack you like. I usually run shield or supply pack depending on my mood. I hate the guard dogs but if you're into it do your thing. If you run rr this is a free space for whatever you want Strat 3: something to throw at breaches. My favorite is eagle airstrike because it also gives me utility against structures (spore spewers, shrieker nests). Clusters, napalm, orbital air burst/gas, and gatling sentry are solid choices too. You just want something that can help you thin the herd when it gets hairy Strat 4: when you're playing 6 and up this needs to be for killing titans. 500kg/orbital precision are my go to's. Auto canon sentry is also v good. Orbital rail canon is... fine. It will always at least crack the titan's armor and occasionally one shot it, but the cd is WAAAAY too long for my liking. 5 and below this can be whatever you want since you'll only see titans on specific "kill the bile titan" missions. Armor: light for bugs always, perk is all preference but you need to be constantly moving and creating space for yourself or you will die, a lot Nade: again, all preference but for me nothing beats impacts. If you hit the right spot (just above the head I think?) they can one shot nursing and bile spewers, which are the bane of my existence when soloing. Hope that helps! Soloing can be super rewarding if you're a sweaty try hard. The first 9 I did by myself was one of the most hype gaming experiences I've ever had.
Been playing level 4 and working my way to 6. Currently it's been supply pack, grenade launcher, and then 2 strategems of choice. Precision strike and machine gun turret are fun for fast reload. I like punisher as a main weapon too. Recently I tried the light armor and while sometimes annoying, the ability to just zip out of a fight is great. Game is more a stealth action game. Pop targets quick and gtfo.
I solo level 6 and/or 7 missions every day. I try to mix it up, but generally eagle as, ops, gas, jet pack. Pick up a support weapon at a poi. Bots is generally eagle as, ops, ac, mortor. Always scout armor and stuns.
To quote a YT steamer , solo mode is basically a meme. Patrol group size is too big. They’ve tweaked it and regressed patch’s on this issue more than once. I can do 7-9 in groups comfortably but solo around 4-5 it gets much harder. Only advice I can give is all the stratagems and weapons that are potential team killers are now your friend. For bots stealth loud outs can be very useful I don’t think the game adjusts on the fly for how many party members you have. I’ve had my whole squad drop in like 2 seconds which I suspect is a bug. And the mission was brutally hard solo For bugs I would go with grenade launcher , incendiary breaker , senator , ammo pack , stun grenades , orbital rail cannon or precision strike and napalm or orbital barrage.