Helldivers 2 players have two more Stratagems now to help them push back against the Automaton and Terminid threats. Added on Thursday morning courtesy of Super Earth, Helldivers 2 players can now unlock the MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun and the LAS-99 Quaser Cannon so long as they meet the level and credit requirements to unlock them. This new Stratagem drop is also an exciting one for players in that it shows these sorts of Stratagems can sometimes just be added to the game as surprise drops without any build up or big update needed beforehand to release them.
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The Helldivers 2 announcement advertising the new LAS-99 Quasar Cannon and the MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun encouraged their use against the Automatons specifically given how the latest Major Order tasks players with fighting the robots in order to liberate Troost, but these weapons will work just as well against the bugs, too, if you’d prefer to fight them. You’ll find both of the Stratagems listed in the same menu that includes the rest of them, though you’ll have to unlock them first.
For the Helldivers who aren’t at home to see the new weapons right now, here’s what you can look forward to after getting these Stratagems:
MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun
The announcement post for the surprise Stratagems calls one of the weapons the MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun, but the actual Stratagem in-game calls it the MG-206 Heavy Machine Gun. It’s unclear right now which name is correct, but it’s the same weapon either way, and it’s the one that you’ll be able to unlock first out of the two.ย
In the Stratagem menu, the new Heavy Machine Gun is unlocked starting at level 12 and costs 6,000 credits. Its stats shown above puts it in line with other ballistic weapons that players can call in over and over again so long as they wait out the cooldown on them. Like other machine guns in the game, it’s expected that it’ll be better against waves of bugs compared to more heavily armored robots, but players are still testing it out. The current thinking is that it boasts some degree of armor penetration against medium-armored targets, but its limits haven’t been confirmed yet. Heavy Machine Gun users also supposedly get two magazines when resupplying from a drop, too, so if you’re big on burning through some ammo and laying down covering fire, this is a weapon to consider.
Helldivers 2 players who’ve been around since launch may recall that the Heavy Machine Gun was originally in the game as the MG-101 before being removed soon after release.
LAS-99 Quasar Cannon
Added alongside the new Heavy Machine Gun is the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon, a laser-based weapon that has to be charged up before you fire it in order for it to reach its full potential. This weapon is available at level 18, so a bit further away from the Heavy Machine Gun if you’re a newish Helldiver. It costs 7,500 credits to unlock.
The biggest thing to know about this weapon is that the Quasar Cannon has infinite ammo. That’s a huge boon already, but it’s offset by the fact that the gun has a lengthy cooldown between shots with players having to wait around 10 seconds or so before being able to use it again, so it’s a weapon where your shots have to count. Like other big Stratagems such as the Expendable Anti-Tank launcher, it’s one better suited for larger targets that need to be taken out in a hurry.
It’s also worth pointing out that this weapon doesn’t require a backpack slot like some other large, explosive Stratagems given that it doesn’t require ammo, so if taking those reload backpacks is a dealbreaker for you when it comes to other weapons, this might fit your loadout better.
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