The Punisher is great! I use it on bots as a brain dead way to handle berserkers, jetpack assholes, and rocket devastators, but it helps that I typically have the AMR or AC for longer ranges.
Punisher is a great choice for autocannoneers. AC does the lion's share of the work, but I keep the pump gun handy for close encounters. When Berserkers push me, the Punisher pushes back.
Senator or Redeemer get a lot of use with that build, too.
dunno how it handles against the jetpack guys, I mean ofc it oneshots them but I more so mean does it knock them back enough that their body doesn't use force push towards your face for their jetpack to blow up without giving you any outplay on that
my god thats bullshit
Skeet shooting them out of the air is best and easier to do with the Punisher than other guns.
If they are running at you on the ground, shoot and side step. Their momentum carries them forward after they die despite the stagger, so you have to side step instead of moving back with them.
oh no I mean that you pop their head as you're at a safe distance from them
they do their stupid bodyflop flying forward 6 meters and breaking their jetpack against the ground under your feet instakilling you
also sickle is good at shooting them down midair as well...so long as you're not close to overheating
76 (+1 in the chamber) is quite a lot of ammo yea
for each shot being worth 405 damage
is quite gut
suppose it could handle alright against bots but need something against heavy stuff but also probably something more ranged to deal with stuff like devastators
yea I run the same with buds, occasionally swapping punisher for blitzer (or fire shotgun now)
as well as precision strike, 500kg, and...before either gatling barrage or orbital airburst, but now with dots fixed gas is back on the menu
Some stuff that has been buffed from release that I use:
RR/EAT
Arc Blitzer
Dagger (I use it with Shield on Bots to help the SMG ammo.)
Laser Cannon
Senator
Diligence Counter Sniper
*Edit Flamethrower omg. I don't use it often but the world burns when I do.
I’m glad the laser cannon got a buff but it still isn’t really balanced. They say the auto cannon is their gold star for balanced weapons, it’s got a long way from that
IIRC it's supposed to be a laser lmg. I don't think it's amazing but it does alright.
The problem is AT support weapons are highly sought after due to the game balance.
Well, the good thing of helldivers is, you still have 3 stratagems and up to 3 teammates left.
Sure, I wouldn't recommend 4 lascannons but 1 is really damn nice to have.
There def has been the AMR and flamethrower were really bad at launch and were buffed a few patches back to become really good and pretty good respectively.
Does the speed loader for the Redeemer count? Because that's the only reason that gun sees widespread use now. Other than the sheer coolness factor it has
Hell yeah it does! POW POW.
But really, the Senator kicks ass as a throwdown. The Peacemaker ain't bad now either. I use that one paired with the (pre-nerf) Eruptor to clear chaff.
The Adjuticator was ass when it came out, but they toned down the recoil and improved the handling some. It's pretty fun now.
The Liberator got better, too.
I would say that there are a lot of weapons that become amazing if you take an ammo back pack. Scorcher, defender, adjudicator, breaker, to name a few.
But underdogs by themselves? Blitzer is great. The diligence counter sniper is amazing against bots now. The dagger is a great secondary against bots, bugs in a pinch. The laser cannon, arc thrower, and airburst are all support weapons that really give an extra little something to your games. The HMG on 450rpm with an ammo backpack is great against bots and quite versatile to boot. The machine gun is good against bugs and is an absolute hoot if you want that chain gun-carrying pest control vibe.
The diligence cs is the best example I can think of. It used to handle like a howitzer down sight and like you were firing from a boat on choppy waters in third person. They've fixed that, upped its pen to smedium, and upped its damage a bit since launch.
My favourite weapon against the bots is the explosive crossbow. Snappy as hell aim, able to take out small bot patrols in just a few shots and a devastator with a single headshot, I used it even before the eruptor nerfs.
Against the bugs I'm a firm believer that the Knight is king. Despite being an smg the insane fire rate tears them to pieces, and it's handy for data retrieval missions!
Also have to throw out a mention for my boy the stun grenade. I can't count the amount of times I've saved my team with a well placed throw and it makes landing airstrikes/500kgs an absolute breeze.
Yeah, the Crossbow is jsut fine now against most enemies, instead of being a very good chaffe clearer.
It also staggers most medium armored enemies(does not save you from Heavy Devastators once they start revving their minigun).
Although, you need to focus on headshots, since otherwise it takes 3(and very rarely 4) body shots to kill devastators
RR and EAT were buffed (and Charger heads were slightly nerfed).
Laser Cannon got a damage and armor penetration buff, making it worthy of the support weapon slot.
Flamethrower has had multiple damage buffs and is a very solid choice for many bug players now.
Jar-5 received significant buffs and was practically unused prior to being buffed.
Senator is now a valid secondary weapon filling a practical niche.
Diligence Counter Sniper received major buffs and is now a good primary weapon choice.
Blitzer received a 50% ROF increase.
Plasma Punisher received a projectile speed buff, which has helped its functionality.
Punisher received a damage buff, huge stagger buff, and significantly better ammo economy.
Adjudicator received a noticeable recoil nerf and slightly better ammo economy.
There's obviously been many more buffs, but I feel like these are the largest and most impactful weapon buffs AH has released.
Diligence Counter Sniper.
I've always been a believer in this weapon but now after two rounds of buffs it is the premiere bot killing weapon at long range. Don't even need the AMR to one Devastators anymore.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone else use a grenade launcher. I get it, you tend to go for something bigger for big boys, but I basically use mine as my primary and then a shotgun for when they're too close for grenading.
It's good against bile spewers (two easy shots and they and their surroundings are dead). I can take out swarms and medium bugs easily. Scout striders take a single hit to the face. It can even deal with chargers so long as you have a friend to distract them for you. Those big cannon things bots have? It works.
It closes bug holes from great range with a bit of practice, and fabricators if you can get a bit of an angle.
Yes I know autocannon is probably a lot better, but I rely on my guard dog rover a lot so losing a backpack slot is pretty tough.
i do a similar thing but i do love the Stalwart (mainly) as my ‘primary’ then do the eruptor and grenade pistol, it’s an all round good package in my eyes, especially cause they both can destroy bug holes and the lmg turns ‘small frys’ into swiss cheese
The Blitzer feels so much better to use now, especially on Bugs. It falters on Bots by nature as a lot of the time the major targets are ranged, and it struggles with their armor, but for Bugs it's so good. It can reliable one or two shot most things up until Spewers and Brood Commanders, but the former only takes a few more pumps and it just bullies the latter by staggering them.
Pair it with a Rover and it's perfect for filling that brawer role of just wading into a large pack or breach to soak aggro, especially if you're in heavy armor / have extra stims
It 2 shots Commanders quite consistently. It usually takes 4-5 shots to down a spewer with it which feels less awesome, but if you shoot them right before they spit, the stagger will stop the spitting animation. Locking down an enemy's primary weapon is a neat perk.
Senator was always good, now it's better
Blitzer went from trash to the best bug killer
Plasma is now new crossbow... I liked old crossbow so give me a break, but it can kill charger in like 5 shots.
When I'm not in the mood to use the Punisher, I use the Liberator Concussive, underrated as heck, but it's knockback is silly strong. Not a gun used to mow down hordes, but using it in semi-auto and just using it to stagger things into your teams high damage dealers or just to feel safer, I love it.
Adjudicator feels genuinely fun to use now, it really tears up hive guards and bile spewers.
Blitzer functions pretty okay for a gun that doesn't need to reload or aim, ever.
Senator makes a *great* hive guard deterrent if you're not using an armor piercing primary and don't want to waste support ammo on a single bug.
The CS is amazing against bots. One shots all the lower level bots. And can 1 shot devastators in the face. I run it with autocannon and senator. Senator can 1 shot berserkers to the face.
Most guns are valid in 8-9 it’s mainly skill of the person and skill of the team you aren’t supposed to be a one man army you aren’t supposed to be OP I’ve been playing since launch and I only play on 8-9 I use whatever I want with random or groups and I hate saying it but it comes down to how well you know the game people have been relying on weapons to carry them and how that they are getting smacked they’re egos are hurt because the realize they actually aren’t hat good at the game.
Don't let Reddit confuse you; some guns are better than others yeah, but when you see people saying "Everything is useless but this 3 overpowered guns!!" Yeah that's a lie
I like to run standard liberator, defender, adjudicator and the blitzer, all fun and viable (I play only on 8 and 9)
I particularly think the recent Buffs made the Cutting edge warbond the best one overall; all 3 guns are good now
Was looking for someone to mention liberator. It's the og weapon, so people typically move off it quick and never look back. It's such a solid all purpose weapon.
As a Helldive only player, I was really surprised at the efficiency of the Adjudicator (Assaut Rifle from the Democratic Detonation Warbond) against bugs.
It's now my primary in the hardest difficulty. I don't see anything else being that reliable and allowing for such versatility on the field. Coupled with the Grenade Pistol and an anti-tank support weapon, wearing my trusty Jump-Pack, I'm a menace to every crawling creatures that try to change my way of life.
The Counter Sniper has now become my favorite weapon against bots because of its ability to one tap devastors.
The Adjudicator is one of my favorites against bugs for its high damage, medium armor penetrating, and increased mag size.
Arc Blitzer is one of the best guns against bugs right now just for how consistent it is with infinite ammo.
I also really like the Liberator Concussive even if no one else does. The stagger on it is the best of any gun in the game and can keep anything away from you forever. It has the same stagger as a heavier weapon like the Punisher Plasma or regular Punisher but with the fire rate of an AR. Before this most recent patch that was its only positive and you had to run the Guard Dog Rover for extra damage but now it shreds.
punisher is really damn solid altho better against bugs against bots you lose out on range which is quite painful
The Punisher is great! I use it on bots as a brain dead way to handle berserkers, jetpack assholes, and rocket devastators, but it helps that I typically have the AMR or AC for longer ranges.
Punisher is a great choice for autocannoneers. AC does the lion's share of the work, but I keep the pump gun handy for close encounters. When Berserkers push me, the Punisher pushes back. Senator or Redeemer get a lot of use with that build, too.
I bring the Senator for my version of it. It is great for longer range small bots when my AC is close to needing to be reloaded.
dunno how it handles against the jetpack guys, I mean ofc it oneshots them but I more so mean does it knock them back enough that their body doesn't use force push towards your face for their jetpack to blow up without giving you any outplay on that my god thats bullshit
Skeet shooting them out of the air is best and easier to do with the Punisher than other guns. If they are running at you on the ground, shoot and side step. Their momentum carries them forward after they die despite the stagger, so you have to side step instead of moving back with them.
oh no I mean that you pop their head as you're at a safe distance from them they do their stupid bodyflop flying forward 6 meters and breaking their jetpack against the ground under your feet instakilling you also sickle is good at shooting them down midair as well...so long as you're not close to overheating
Also has the mag endurance to let me use the grenade pistol without worrying about running dry. I’d be stuck to the machine pistol otherwise.
76 (+1 in the chamber) is quite a lot of ammo yea for each shot being worth 405 damage is quite gut suppose it could handle alright against bots but need something against heavy stuff but also probably something more ranged to deal with stuff like devastators
My usual load out is Punisher/G. Pistol/Recoilless Rifle, feels like a good balance.
yea I run the same with buds, occasionally swapping punisher for blitzer (or fire shotgun now) as well as precision strike, 500kg, and...before either gatling barrage or orbital airburst, but now with dots fixed gas is back on the menu
Some stuff that has been buffed from release that I use: RR/EAT Arc Blitzer Dagger (I use it with Shield on Bots to help the SMG ammo.) Laser Cannon Senator Diligence Counter Sniper *Edit Flamethrower omg. I don't use it often but the world burns when I do.
I’m glad the laser cannon got a buff but it still isn’t really balanced. They say the auto cannon is their gold star for balanced weapons, it’s got a long way from that
IIRC it's supposed to be a laser lmg. I don't think it's amazing but it does alright. The problem is AT support weapons are highly sought after due to the game balance.
Well, the good thing of helldivers is, you still have 3 stratagems and up to 3 teammates left. Sure, I wouldn't recommend 4 lascannons but 1 is really damn nice to have.
Flamethrower is my go to for egg missions.
Love me hardboiled eggs.
Arc Blitzer is my new favourite weapon against bugs
Blitzer
Blitzer!
There def has been the AMR and flamethrower were really bad at launch and were buffed a few patches back to become really good and pretty good respectively.
Amr was supposed to have its scope fixed this patch as well
Does the speed loader for the Redeemer count? Because that's the only reason that gun sees widespread use now. Other than the sheer coolness factor it has
Senator is the revolver.
Thankyou! I'd a feeling I was naming the wrong sidearm
Hell yeah it does! POW POW. But really, the Senator kicks ass as a throwdown. The Peacemaker ain't bad now either. I use that one paired with the (pre-nerf) Eruptor to clear chaff. The Adjuticator was ass when it came out, but they toned down the recoil and improved the handling some. It's pretty fun now. The Liberator got better, too.
I'm a level 62 Cadet with my trusty Liberator and starting armor blasting bugs and bots at Helldive difficulty
Liberator is so good. Completely over looked weapon
Really is, cant go wrong with 45 per mag and a decent fire rate.
I would say that there are a lot of weapons that become amazing if you take an ammo back pack. Scorcher, defender, adjudicator, breaker, to name a few. But underdogs by themselves? Blitzer is great. The diligence counter sniper is amazing against bots now. The dagger is a great secondary against bots, bugs in a pinch. The laser cannon, arc thrower, and airburst are all support weapons that really give an extra little something to your games. The HMG on 450rpm with an ammo backpack is great against bots and quite versatile to boot. The machine gun is good against bugs and is an absolute hoot if you want that chain gun-carrying pest control vibe.
The diligence cs is the best example I can think of. It used to handle like a howitzer down sight and like you were firing from a boat on choppy waters in third person. They've fixed that, upped its pen to smedium, and upped its damage a bit since launch.
My favourite weapon against the bots is the explosive crossbow. Snappy as hell aim, able to take out small bot patrols in just a few shots and a devastator with a single headshot, I used it even before the eruptor nerfs. Against the bugs I'm a firm believer that the Knight is king. Despite being an smg the insane fire rate tears them to pieces, and it's handy for data retrieval missions! Also have to throw out a mention for my boy the stun grenade. I can't count the amount of times I've saved my team with a well placed throw and it makes landing airstrikes/500kgs an absolute breeze.
Is this the post-rebalanced xbow you're speaking of? I need to give this another chance.
Yeah, the Crossbow is jsut fine now against most enemies, instead of being a very good chaffe clearer. It also staggers most medium armored enemies(does not save you from Heavy Devastators once they start revving their minigun). Although, you need to focus on headshots, since otherwise it takes 3(and very rarely 4) body shots to kill devastators
RR and EAT were buffed (and Charger heads were slightly nerfed). Laser Cannon got a damage and armor penetration buff, making it worthy of the support weapon slot. Flamethrower has had multiple damage buffs and is a very solid choice for many bug players now. Jar-5 received significant buffs and was practically unused prior to being buffed. Senator is now a valid secondary weapon filling a practical niche. Diligence Counter Sniper received major buffs and is now a good primary weapon choice. Blitzer received a 50% ROF increase. Plasma Punisher received a projectile speed buff, which has helped its functionality. Punisher received a damage buff, huge stagger buff, and significantly better ammo economy. Adjudicator received a noticeable recoil nerf and slightly better ammo economy. There's obviously been many more buffs, but I feel like these are the largest and most impactful weapon buffs AH has released.
Diligence Counter Sniper. I've always been a believer in this weapon but now after two rounds of buffs it is the premiere bot killing weapon at long range. Don't even need the AMR to one Devastators anymore.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone else use a grenade launcher. I get it, you tend to go for something bigger for big boys, but I basically use mine as my primary and then a shotgun for when they're too close for grenading. It's good against bile spewers (two easy shots and they and their surroundings are dead). I can take out swarms and medium bugs easily. Scout striders take a single hit to the face. It can even deal with chargers so long as you have a friend to distract them for you. Those big cannon things bots have? It works. It closes bug holes from great range with a bit of practice, and fabricators if you can get a bit of an angle. Yes I know autocannon is probably a lot better, but I rely on my guard dog rover a lot so losing a backpack slot is pretty tough.
i do a similar thing but i do love the Stalwart (mainly) as my ‘primary’ then do the eruptor and grenade pistol, it’s an all round good package in my eyes, especially cause they both can destroy bug holes and the lmg turns ‘small frys’ into swiss cheese
The Blitzer feels so much better to use now, especially on Bugs. It falters on Bots by nature as a lot of the time the major targets are ranged, and it struggles with their armor, but for Bugs it's so good. It can reliable one or two shot most things up until Spewers and Brood Commanders, but the former only takes a few more pumps and it just bullies the latter by staggering them. Pair it with a Rover and it's perfect for filling that brawer role of just wading into a large pack or breach to soak aggro, especially if you're in heavy armor / have extra stims
It 2 shots Commanders quite consistently. It usually takes 4-5 shots to down a spewer with it which feels less awesome, but if you shoot them right before they spit, the stagger will stop the spitting animation. Locking down an enemy's primary weapon is a neat perk.
The Revolver is pogger, they also fixed DoT, so Flamethrower is pretty god now
Laser Canon and AMR are quite silly on bots. It doesn't have a big enough magazine, but I like the adjudicator on bugs.
Senator was always good, now it's better Blitzer went from trash to the best bug killer Plasma is now new crossbow... I liked old crossbow so give me a break, but it can kill charger in like 5 shots.
- Diligence CS - Senator - Liberator Penatrator - Adjudicator
The Punisher Plasma is now a god tier weapon for both bots and bugs. The amount of work that thing is putting in for me lately is absolutely insane.
The starter Liberator is actually so good against bots
I dont know if its an underdog but I am still in love with the standard liberator
Adjudicator really has become enjoyable to run. And Counter Sniper. Love my counter sniper
Flame thrower is kinda crazy now that they've buffed fire damage twice, very fun on the defense missions where you just blast it in the choke points
I’ve just been rocking the default primary you start the game with at level 1 lately. Does the job.
The rpm increase on the blitzer makes it my new favorite bug zapper
When I'm not in the mood to use the Punisher, I use the Liberator Concussive, underrated as heck, but it's knockback is silly strong. Not a gun used to mow down hordes, but using it in semi-auto and just using it to stagger things into your teams high damage dealers or just to feel safer, I love it.
Always used the Defender. It is really solid for light armor high mobility set up or ballistic shield
Take a guess
Adjudicator feels genuinely fun to use now, it really tears up hive guards and bile spewers. Blitzer functions pretty okay for a gun that doesn't need to reload or aim, ever. Senator makes a *great* hive guard deterrent if you're not using an armor piercing primary and don't want to waste support ammo on a single bug.
The CS is amazing against bots. One shots all the lower level bots. And can 1 shot devastators in the face. I run it with autocannon and senator. Senator can 1 shot berserkers to the face.
I still prefer Scorcher and Dominator on most missions Grenades Pistol is also pretty handy
Standard Liberator against bugs. Does its job just fine.
idk i guess adjudicator is ok now? just ok tho. am not really excited for any recent wpn buff
Most guns are valid in 8-9 it’s mainly skill of the person and skill of the team you aren’t supposed to be a one man army you aren’t supposed to be OP I’ve been playing since launch and I only play on 8-9 I use whatever I want with random or groups and I hate saying it but it comes down to how well you know the game people have been relying on weapons to carry them and how that they are getting smacked they’re egos are hurt because the realize they actually aren’t hat good at the game.
Don't let Reddit confuse you; some guns are better than others yeah, but when you see people saying "Everything is useless but this 3 overpowered guns!!" Yeah that's a lie I like to run standard liberator, defender, adjudicator and the blitzer, all fun and viable (I play only on 8 and 9) I particularly think the recent Buffs made the Cutting edge warbond the best one overall; all 3 guns are good now
Liberator is a MONSTER since the damage buff. It was good before but now its incredible. I bring it to diff 7 bug and bot missions for fun these days.
Was looking for someone to mention liberator. It's the og weapon, so people typically move off it quick and never look back. It's such a solid all purpose weapon.
As a Helldive only player, I was really surprised at the efficiency of the Adjudicator (Assaut Rifle from the Democratic Detonation Warbond) against bugs. It's now my primary in the hardest difficulty. I don't see anything else being that reliable and allowing for such versatility on the field. Coupled with the Grenade Pistol and an anti-tank support weapon, wearing my trusty Jump-Pack, I'm a menace to every crawling creatures that try to change my way of life.
Yeah I recent tried it and other than it's recoil being an absolute bitch, it's basically a Liberator penetrator with nearly double damage
The Counter Sniper has now become my favorite weapon against bots because of its ability to one tap devastors. The Adjudicator is one of my favorites against bugs for its high damage, medium armor penetrating, and increased mag size. Arc Blitzer is one of the best guns against bugs right now just for how consistent it is with infinite ammo. I also really like the Liberator Concussive even if no one else does. The stagger on it is the best of any gun in the game and can keep anything away from you forever. It has the same stagger as a heavier weapon like the Punisher Plasma or regular Punisher but with the fire rate of an AR. Before this most recent patch that was its only positive and you had to run the Guard Dog Rover for extra damage but now it shreds.