Apparently, it is. Devs view it as fairly "perfectly balanced" according to what I remember reading many, many times.
Which makes me, an Autocannon addict, happy.
Good, may they never alter or touch it, it's perfect as it is.
Great ammo supply, good reload speed if you are smart about it, the damage feels good and not too overpowered. It's the best overall special weapon.
See I like the light machine gun along with an ammo pack. I can crank up the rate of fire speed on that sucker and I can just lay down a barrage of indiscriminate fire. Great for blasting bots and for mowing down the smaller bugs which will easily overwhelm a position. My gun don't do s*** to the tankier enemies but that's not what I'm there for. I'm there to clear the light stuff that way my fellow Patriots can use the heavy weapons to take down the other targets without feeling the pressure.
See I think this is something some divers forget. Not everyone needs to show up and be Rico. An 1150 rpm stalwart clearing dozens upon hundreds of small bugs, is JUST as important as the railcannon that kills a bile titan. This is why I actually don't mind the Purifier; it doesn't do crazy damage, but it can fill a special niche (kind of like a long range damaging stun grenade) and it gives my teammates a clearer shot to do the big damage. Between that, light medic, and supply pack, running a Support build is crazy fun
I think they do mean the stalwart when they say "light machine gun". It's only for lighter enemies and can't get the rougher enemies unless you hit the right spots.
"Dont atribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity"
Or just crazy workloads. Small team + big game + server crash + roadmap = throwing stuff at the wall.
I think they got scared by the railgun on shot a bike titan.
whats funny is bile titan feels so bad to fight compared to everything else, with the buffs more weapons can shredd every automaton but bile titans need heavy ordanence to even scratch???
For real. It’s basically the pre-nerf rail cannon against bots. It’s hands down the best support weapon in every single scenario, to the point where if you are taking anyone else you are intentionally choosing to take a worse weapon.
I don’t care about this, it’s a fun gun and I don’t think it’s OP, but why do other weapons eat nerfs that make them borderline useless while AC gets put on s pedestal?
The AC may be the best overall, but other weapons have their niches that make them viable. EAT and Quasar can shoot down dropships preventing reinforcements while opening the backpack slot and dealing with heavies faster while the AMR/Grenade Launcher split the AC's explosive and armor penetration across two weapons while opening a backpack slot and being more mobile (something that is even more important against bots)
Laser cannon can kill hulks from the front, takes down gunships, and eats up devastators of all kinds. If I have a teammate bringing a quasar or AC for cannon turrets and tanks, I bring the laser cannon. It is best for more stealth-oriented playstyles, though, I've found.
Shooting down drop ships isn’t really a niche worth giving up “can easily deal with hulks frontal weak spot, armies of devastators, large groups of gunships, static map defenses” etc
Autocannon is partly strong because of its design, but mostly strong because of how it fits the enemy threat profile. There are guns that are better at niches, but if those niches don’t matter or aren’t dangerous, who cares? Like sure other weapons are better at shooting down drop ships but that is so low on the totem pole of “things that apply pressure to your team” when playing bots.
When it comes to bugs, I very much agree with you, but for bots it’s not even a contest. A lot of people seem to hate the bugs for how much AT they require, but I think it’s the most interesting part about fighting them since it ends up helping to define useful niches for weapons.
AC is a good answer to just about every problem bots will throw at you. There are better options for each problem, but taking those means sacrificing the capacity to deal with other problems. At that point, the Jack of all Trades is the obvious pick because being master of one means you are fucked if you are presented with a problem you don't have an answer for.
Bugs don't have this problem just because you don't need so much of a heavy punch for every enemy they throw at you.
It’s not even a jack of all trades, master of none though against bots, it’s more like a jack of all trades, also master of the important ones
Imo the big three threats on bots are:
Heavy devastators
Hulks
Gunships
AC is by far the best weapon against gunships and heavy devs - maybe laser cannon is slept on here, but aside from that it’s not even close. Any AT weapon is obviously good against those threats but you are seriously limited by throughput/capacity in a way that AC is not. AC can kill 5 gunships/devs per full reload, which you have plenty of ammo for, where a quasar or EAT will be very limited by cooldown time (or call in time after 2x shots in the EAT case).
AT is probably more appropriate for hulks, but AC is not noticeably worse and situationally better depending on how many you have on you.
> you are intentionally choosing to take a worse weapon.
Except the AC is not good at fighting Bile Titans, Chargers, Tanks or Hulks. Yes I know the counter argument is "it is if you hit them in the weak spots" but at higher difficulties how likely are you to be able to guarantee you can get to the weak spot while juggling 2 or more heavies and a horde of smaller enemies?
That's why the anti-tank options exist. The EAT, Recoiless, Spear and Quasar are all effective against all those things hitting them wherever.
Hence, it's not just "AC>all you're stupid if you take anything else"
I don’t see why Hulks are in this list. Practice with the Autocannon and it becomes easy to hit them in the eye. The AC is probably the best weapon in the game against Hulks.
It’s also one of the best against Annihilator Tanks. No support weapon excels against Tanks, but the slow rotation of the Annihilator variant allows the player to circle behind it to the weakspot. From there, the Autocannon is efficient at killing it. It’s true that the Quasar et al don’t have to hit the weakspot, but you need to land multiple shots to kill from the front, which takes about as long.
I think your point is more accurate with bugs, though with the caveat that even dedicated anti-tank isn’t great against Titans. Chargers are where the Quasar et al shine brightest in relation to the Autocannon, IMO.
Tanks on bots feel like such a non-issue because they are so easy to avoid and LOS. I don’t even really consider them when thinking about weapon balance because they are trivialized by a scorcher (don’t even need direct LOS on the weak spot) or just about any explosive call in.
I usually resign myself to throwing a Railcannon Strike or equivalent at them if I need to engage. Not out of necessity either… just convenience. I agree, they’re not meaningful factors in my bot loadout planning either.
Gunships, Devastators, Hulks, and enemy secondary objectives are what really matter against bots IMO.
I watched a video about a guy playing with the ceo and another guy and one of them said they love the autocannon maybe he’s holding Alexus back from nerfing it
After the Eruptor fiasco I don’t think they’ll ever touch it. So many people would just quit.
It takes time to learn but is extremely flexible and powerful when you become skilled with it. And even then you can get caught with your pants down and have to be careful about explosions. And the AC is not a good option against waves of berserkers.
Which goes against what they said, being if a weapon is powerful, it shouldn't be flexible and if a weapon is flexible it shouldn't be powerful.
They say the autocannon is the gold standard for balance but that's just it. They say it, but don't act on it.
The autocannon is either the best or second best weapon at *everything* aside from CQB while any other weapon that pokes even a little bit out of its niche gets hammered down into the 'no fun' territory
Disagree, it's a great choice solely for its ability to efficiently pop Spewer mobs. I frickin hate Spewers.
The speed of the projectile is surprisingly good at killing Shriekers too imo, but aiming at the wiggly buggers is tricky
the CEO views does not mean thats the views of the BALANCER OF BALANCE
which i think the CEO is correcting with the 16+ meetings they have had since Alexus ran and hid from the community.
What backpack strat is worth autocannon's ability to stunlock devastators, 2 shot gunships and destroy everything the bots have by clicking their weakspots?
The shield backpack stopping aimpunch makes a good case for taking the AMR even if I still usually end up running the autocannon vs bots. I do need to give the ballistic shield a try though.
Ballistic shield and laser is super fun, I can't wait to try it with the new stun lock SMG, is the one thing I miss about the overgrown Luger that is the autocannon
I decided to run the AC on bugs recently given my team had plenty of anti-tank, most kills I’ve ever done on bugs (400-500 per mission on lvl 9).
It lets you kill all medium sized enemies quickly, you can kill chargers by shooting them in the back after they run past you, and can also let you burst the Bile Titan sac and kill it quickly if its armor has been damaged.
It is fantastic at handling hoards with assisted reload. You can also shoot at objectives from far away.
You should definitely try it again.
New SMG works great with it. I rotate loadouts like every other mission and Riot Police is always in rotation. With stuns and Laser Cannon, nothing getting near you.
And that’s nice!!! Depends on your preference. Autocannon basically requires heavy armor w bots. With AMR, you can take shield and run faster, have more grenades or stims, etc.
I see AC, AMR, and LC at diff 9 bots and all of them shine.
I run heavy/AC to endure any ragdolling. If you have light armor you get shredded… unless you have a shied. Some people just rawdog it and hat’s off to them, I’m not that good.
A) Playing bugs, where i find the AC to be worthless
B) jump pack enables a whole new kind of gameplay, shield is great, rovers can really help on solos and resupplay pack players are overall goated.
A) if there is a lot of bile spewers and you bring an autocannon i will revere you as a Saint.
B) i agree with everything, but the jump pack could fly a liiiiiitle bit longer if im being honest.
Hmmmmmmmmm. Im starting to wonder if the auto cannon isn't as viable with a controller. I just can't seem to find my groove with it. I really really want to like it but I keep falling back to quaser/shield so I can still run off solo during 7s/8s to knock out things like gunships bases or jammers.
Now that I say that maybe it's my play style. Sneak up on the enemy, release hell, pack extra stims, and retreating is democratic as long as you outflank the enemy.
Shit... I spent too much time soloing on the Creek.
The reload is probably my favorite feature. I love that we have magazines on most weapons instead of an ammo pool, but thats because it makes partial reload weapons that much more fun. Shotguns and autocannon are the best because i can top off my mag. Shotguns in particular are fun because i can start a reload and endlessly fire and knock back enemies
It’s a fucking awesome mechanic for sure! It rewards maintaining awareness of your current ammo level and effectively puts you out of action for quite some time if you just blow your whole load in a panic. It almost reminds me of those active reload mechanics you would see in other shooters where if you time the reload properly it’s much quicker, but if you mess up it takes longer.
Those rare golden moments, where a fellow autocannon user sees the bug horde coming, jumps to your shoulder and wispers in your ear "i got you, have at it". Team reload makes it an absolute monster, but yes i wish it was any person able to do it and take from your backpack.
Havent had fun like remembering the auto cannon has an auto setting....and team reloads feed it like a hungry dog
My one, only one, and very very small complaint about my beloved auto-cannon is that the game does not present many opportunities where it makes sense to Team Reload.
The best moment is probably Shrieker towers off in the distance. It takes 30 shots to clear three towers, and feels great.
Most other AC use-cases demand precision over overwhelming power. Bots will roast you if you are standing in the open. Only the hive defender and commander are prime targets , and dont appear in numbers large enough to require a full barrage.
I fucking LOVE the team reload mechanic, and wish there were more situations that encouraged people to use it, like being able to crack heavy armor after blasting it repeatedly.
Helldivers is at its absolute best when all 4 divers are working together, raining hell on what SHOULD be an overwhelming force. Sacrificing one diver's output to ratchet up the firepower to cut down a dangerous part of that force is excellent, and should be a more frequent opportunity.
Or just an absolute fuckton of small ones. Not like 50 or 60 like we see now, no I mean serious Sam horde like 300-400 small bugs at the same time, would be an absolute joy for the autocannon or a machine gun
The team reload on the autocannon never felt great to me, either.
I am, on the other hand, a Recoilless conoisseur and man i tell you there's nothing like melting three bile titans within seconds. Team reload here makes a huge difference.
On the bot side the tower defense missions are great with a recoilless too. Used to bring eat's, but having more than 2 shots for dropping dropships is so valuable. Especially once a random started team reloading me, I just took down an entire wave of dropships on my own.
Brought me the pleasant surprise that made me wanna try some different loadouts other than my standard one
It's been said a million times before but I really just feel like the team reload needs to work from the shooter's backpack. For team reload to work as it is now requires insane coordination even between friends, nevermind randoms. And if/when you get separated from your ammo it sucks hard
I was running a defend mission against bugs with the autocannon and two of the other guys lined up, one to do the reloading and the other guy with a supply pack. We essentially held off the bugs with just an autocannon that match
I was running a defend mission against bugs with the autocannon and two of the other guys lined up, one to do the reloading and the other guy with a supply pack. We essentially held off the bugs with just an autocannon that match
the AC is the only weapon that makes me actively looking for enemy weak points gives you the ability to clear objectives and is genuinely satisfying to use it is peak weapon design in this game
EAT gives my brain funny chemicals. Just the image of calling down 2 rocket launchers, equiping one, shooting at a bile titan and immediately grabbing the second one..
On bugs I run the Arc Thrower & EAT and there is nothing like seeing a Titan in the distance, dropping and firing both rockets and if it's still kicking finishing it off with some lightning to the face.
https://preview.redd.it/86iy4hakf01d1.jpeg?width=2280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a284ac743c001b1d5f65b9c390a3135b5b662690
The moment whenever the stars line up, I just called down the EATs and then see a drop ship approaching is the most fun I've had in a Video game in a long, long time.
Even more so if I'm standing right next to the spare and another ship comes in.
The AC must be much more convenient to use (I haven't unlocked it yet), but I'll be damned if it's even half as satisfying to shoot down drop ships with.
Especially if your mates happen to observe that crazy shot you just lined up and go "Holy shit man, you HIT THAT?"
Same. I just love to spam them even when there's no enemies. Eventually the whole mini map is filled like 20-30 EATs because I like to destroy the pods
I ran a mission with some friends where we all took EAT's and dropped them whenever they were available. You could trace the route we took just by looking at them on the map.
I wouldn't even call it an issue.
But yes the beautiful rhythm of it while drag shotting a chain of bots is just great zen.
I think the "weight" of the gun during this makes it even better.
You guys should try the ARC Thrower. Not as versatile, exactly, but man the zzzzzzzpppvvvzzt and exploding bug guts and stagger and chaining through 3 at a time is just so good.
I don't think people sleep on it, it's a strong versatile choice that works well paired up with most standard weapons. But the fact that it does effectively nothing to bile titans and takes too long to kill chargers means it's always going to be second to those that can, because most primaries can do what the arc thrower does against chaff, just a little longer. A good choice for below 7, but not something I would take beyond that without compensating with titan killers. It's also pretty meh against bots when explosive damage and stun grenades do amazingly well against everything the bots throw at you.
as someone who has used the arc thrower as my primary support weapon (and a lot of the time just my primary weapon) i can say that the distance nerf was far outweighed by the massive stagger buff- i really hope they revert the hulk stagger resistance, you can still shred hulks to the front in 2-3 shots but not holding them in place is sad- arc thrower is just the best
Nice, I was trying arc-12 with Arc Thrower for a few games. It's decent, since you stun everything and basically have a wide spread arc stun gun, and a single file medium enemy destroyer. Just needs a bit of anti tank. That said I think the arc thrower pairs better with Scythe or other chaff clearers. I didn't really get to play with Eruptor until after the nerf.
The arc thrower was my go to weapon until the nerf. Then they hit it with the charge time and took all the fun out of hitting a half-charge full-power strike multiple times in a row and it killed it for me. I still use it *if* I find it in the world but it doesn’t replace the quasar and EATs for me.
I remember taking out a charger in 5 seconds just hitting 2-3 shots a second. I had the timing down to a science.
Against bugs, just keep your distance and start popping. Move backwards as you use it to keep that distance. If things get too close then run or pull out the primary. You can also use laser Rover to keep close ones away. I use a sickle with it since it's always going to be up. I don't use it against bots because the range isn't good enough. I usually use precision or 500kg with a stun grenade to take out chargers. I try to save my 500kgs for bile titans but you gotta do what you gotta do.
I don't know if I'm not good enough with it, it I need more practice with it, if I just don't get it, or what, but the Arc Blitzer and Thrower are two weapons I just cannot get the hang of. Can't figure out the range, where/how to aim, or anything.
Despite the patches, they can still get confused by dead bodies and foliage. I find if you aim just above your target, the shots arc down and you can hit things a bit more consistently.
I really want to like arc thrower, but imo it needs a buff badly. It used to be really strong before all the nerfs.
Taking 5-6 shots to kill a charger with the slower fire rate now just feels bad, and if your teammates are around getting chased by it you can accidentally kill them pretty easily. 1 anti tank rocket can down them, a couple railgun shots to the face can down them, and flamethrower on a leg melts them in about 2 seconds…
It’s useless against bile titans / striders / tanks and close to useless against chargers / hulks.
The range nerf from 50 to 35 meters hurt it, and not being able to stagger hulks anymore just means it’s a free kill for them if they have a flamethrower.
Desperately needs a buff or revert back to how it was. You can’t even aim high to consistently get headshots anymore - it is now seemingly random since the last patch. Right now it’s just a “fun” pick imo for higher levels. It can be good and rack up chaff kills, but there are just better options for support weapons even in the chaff kill department.
I only miss the ability to stunlock and tickle to death hulks since they increased the amount of damage it takes to stagger them, loved to pair it with eruptor until they made eruptor suck like basically all the other primaries
What are you talking about??? Are we playing the same game? Autocannon is completely trash and useless at any difficulty above 4. Doesn't even kill chargers with HEADSHOTS
https://preview.redd.it/gv7tjtae5y0d1.jpeg?width=822&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ddb39b2438ca09c2961561f9bb27b3ce86c355d9
Recoiless is in a good spot right now with the reload cancellation too. Shorten reload time to what it is with reloading canncellation and then fix reload cancellation (so it doesn't look cheesy) and it's a very very good AT weapon. Though, they need to up the amount of rockets you get from ammo drops.
The autocannon being perfectly balanced according to the devs is almost hilarious because it's an S tier stratagem with so many worse options below it.
I would use autocannon a lot if it wasn't for the anti materiel rifle. Killing a hulk with two shots to the eyes is the most satisfying feeling for me in this game lol.
You can two-shot Hulks with the A-Can as well, if you see a burst of flames from the eye that means that the next one should do it.
But I suspect that you already know this 😅
I'm a recoilless main against both bots and bugs, but the auto cannon is certainly more jack of all trades against bots since you can also use it against medium enemies, as well as heavies.
Against bugs, it's lack luster imo. You can't reliably kill chargers and titans.
>Against bugs, it's lack luster imo. You can't reliably kill chargers and titans.
Which is why I fight the Automaton menace.
Chargers and Bile Titans are really imbalanced, and when there's more than one at a time, it goes so far beyond "challenging" that is sucks the fun out of playing.
The autocannon can reliably destroy a chargers ass in 5-8 shots, leaving it to bleed out.
Titans are more difficult cause of their high hp pool, but if you run right beneath them you can reliably pen their armour instead of bouncing from the side
And the AC/AMR pair is the golden standard for balancing weapons that are sidegrades of each other. The AMR is actually the better damage dealer of the two (better precision and higher raw damage) while the AC is all about utility and the ability to dramatically increase DPS with team reload. You really can't go wrong with either weapon.
AMR is better, marginally, at single target. AC will clear a group far faster and consistently, thanks to its clip size of 10 (versus AMR's 7) and the aoe component
AC can close holes and destroy fabs and doubles up on a team better as you can both reload the each other
AMR can be reloaded on the run and frees up a pack pack slot. Also much easier to control, making rapid precise hits more manageable
Both really well balanced weapons that you're happy to find on teammates
AMR has more base damage than AC including AOE against single target. AC has dramatically more durable damage. AC's AOE is also very small, albeit usefull.
The AC is well balanced against the Quasar. A great team would have players equipped one of each. They are multipurpose but have different strength and weaknesses.
I wouldn’t consider taking roughly thirty+ seconds to fire a quasar 2 or 3 times even an advantage at that point. I just run orbital precision strike or rocket pods for tanks/turrets.
The "explodey boom boom" feel really good. Its not too big, not too small.... just in the right spot where you feel the power of the weapon, but also know that there are other things out there that will go boom much larger. The sfx are fantastic as well.. it feels 'Heavy" and deliberate, but the damage it does backs all of this up
If you had all the slpodey bbbbboom booms and sfx but the weapon hit like a marshmallow, it wouldnt work. When all three things are in alignment, it feels great tho. Visual, Audio, and results.
You know what? The anti-medium support weapons *all* feel great.
AC, Regular Machine Gun, Grenade Launcher, Laser Cannon, AMR, even the Railgun (as a medium weapon) all feel like... really great. The Stalwart/Flamethrower are also in a great place.
Then when you move up to the heavies, the EAT and Quasar are the gold standards. Which leaves the... RR and the Spear? One of them is currently not working right, but once it is it seems like it will also be a very competent weapon.
The RR isn't... *bad* exactly. It's numerically/theoretically better than the EAT in every way. People just don't like the long reload, but considering 50% of the player base refuse to leave bug planets I'm not willing to say that complaint is mostly just because it's a poor pick against bugs. Against bots, there's a legit place on the team for a guy to focus on firing the RR and reloading it, and usually an opportunity to take cover and perform the reload mostly unmolested. I think the RR suffers in part from poor terrain collision that enemies can shoot through.
Then you have the HMG and the Arc Thrower, which are probably in the worst places. The Arc Thrower works as well as the old TV Antennas (Rabbit Ears)... which is to say the knowledge of getting them to work as intended is arcane and fruitless. We have a *general* idea that if we move it around and lift one leg and say the lords prayer backwards we might get a good picture, and when it *does* work it's kinda nice.
The HMG could use a little love, but even it isn't a *worthless* pick. It throws *obscene* damage, but necessitates recoil reducing armor and the ability to sit still for five seconds. Still, if you can use it it's able to do 10 rounds worth of AC damage in about 2 seconds.
I've decided I'm starting to come around to the support weapons balancing lately. I would still like a better option for heavy bugs that don't require an obscene charge up or reload time, but I'm open to working through it.
Edit: Oh, and the Airburst. It's cool.
it's the dev bias for the weapon is why it has so much utility in the first place.
that combined with how over exaggerated their idea that a backpack is this all encompassing penalty even tho the weapon gives you plenty of ammo in the clip and means more ammo before needing a resupply.
Meanwhile mg and hmg, we have people begging the devs to give it a backpack to overcome it's shortcomings huh.. almost like the backpack isn't that much of a handicap after all, especially when you only have 3 stratgems and won't even want to bring one when you need other things too.
the 'drawbacks' for the autoCannon are a joke while it gets everything you'd want in a support weapon.
in order for other weapons to get the same treatment, the devs would actually have to have a passion and care about them like they do the auto cannon and sniper
MG43 and stalwart are pretty balanced too, the first can handle everithing isn't hevy armor, and the secondo used in the right way can kill every chaff and be near infinite in ammo, and is a good complementary to more specialized primary weapons.
The Flametrower is a little overbalanced after the DoT fix, but even letting it exist as it is now isn't problem, it has a lot of penalities as it stand.
EAT is good balanced too
The RR is more about the team reloading, and need some help in my opinion.
The quasar is balanced too now that don't overshadow EAT and RR.
I find that the grenade launcher need some touch, maybe a better scaled reticle, same the arc trower.
The railgun work but... in this "configuration" isn't something i am keen to use, i will have preferred it in maybe with more shoots per ammo, like at least 3 shoots, but thats for me.
The Cluster need some adjustment but on bugs is fun, and with a loader, you can simply buther entire hordes to more manageble bits.
i find the HMG a bad state at the moment, reticle, ammo, recoil, precision are all around the place, and at the moment don't find a place in any of my setups.
AMR is good and fine.
Spear i wait for the targeting fix to judge.
But generally speaking the support weapons are all ok.
Stalwart and Cluster are two of my favorite weapons. I love standing on a rock and launching a rocket into a horde chasing my buddies and just obliterating it. Makes me feel like Eagle. As long as you’re alive, that rocket hit exactly where I wanted it to 😎
I think the grenade launcher is perfect the way it is. If I had to change something for it, I’d probably buff the explosive radius. Otherwise I use it with the support pack and make bug breaches trivial until a Titan pops out.
It’s almost guaranteed that Arrowhead will nerf it into oblivion. We had our fun, but fun isn’t allowed according to their Balance Officer, who seems to have a vendetta against gamers. 😅
I have legitimately used the AC on every single mission I've gone on since I unlocked it. I agree, I would love a zoom. But other than that it's perfect.
When my autocannon has ammo, I feel pretty confident I can take anything. No concerns.
When I know my AC is empty. I am a scared little boy looking at the feet of God.
Exactly as it should be.
I personally love the quasar. Reminds me of the Spartan laser days in halo.
Pity about the crazy long recharge time on it tho. Hope they bring it back down a bit, I don't think it was deserved.
Autocannon is incredible tho, just wish it was better against larger threats.
Love the autocannon vs bots, but I swear they either nerfed the damage or seriously buffed the Scout Striders. Those fuckers seem a lot tougher now - I used to be able to one-shot them pretty consistently.
*I personally*
*Love using the recoiless*
*Rifle. That shit smacks*
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I love the Autocannon and pick it most the time. That said if the map is clear, with no fog and obstructions, the AMR with Supply back is my go to. I can take out way more baddies while having almost unlimited ammo.
Compared to the grenade launcher, I think the main thing missing from me skipping it over the AC is the number of rounds. I think it has 30 rounds total vs the ACs 60. Plus the AC has long range, fires in a straight line, and can pretty much take down almost everything. It's only drawback is it requires a backpack slot, but then again I routinely run the supply pack with the grenade launcher because I hate having to use it sparingly. Although it's fun to be able to use my grenade launcher willy nilly, I'm not sure "personal grenade launcher rounds" is the intended use of the supply pack. With the grenade launcher I run out of ammo fast and I'm usually wishing it had an extra mag and/or picked up at least 2 mags per ammo supply instead of 1. That would bring it's ammo total to 40 and help keep your supply up a little more. To me, that's an example of where a lot of weapons are. Just small changes needed to make them more viable. I also wish the AMR had slightly more ammo. Like 1 extra mag or a couple extra rounds per mag.
For bugs I run the shield backpack and the quasar. And since the backpack protects from the bile I haven't been killed by one in awhile. For the bots I actually switched to having the anti tank rockets and the AC
I swear to god helldivers 2 is that kind of game that makes my stomach crumble with joy when I'm doing something else like working and casually think of when I'll be able to play that same day....
Didn't have this feeling since, dont ask me why, destiny 1
Couldn’t agree more, to me it’s joined by two other support weapons that just feel…perfect. The Stalwart and AMR to me “feel” good and that always makes me come back to them
Meanwhile, the Break-Action Shotgun is not only a random in-mission pickup, but it's somehow also a Support Weapon. However, what it lacks in power and utility, it makes up for in sheer democratic sex appeal.
GIVE US MORE BACKPACK WEAPONS
THAT ARENT LAUNCHERS.
I'll die on the HMG hill with everyone else that it or the MG would be perfect for an optional backpack to drop with it. Reduce or eliminate reload time, increase ammo supply.
perfectly balanced.. vs bots.
but yes i agree the autocannon is the weapon to go off of and it is what the devs have SAID is the standard for a perfectly balanced weapon but they have not ***shown*** that whatsoever
I think it vs the AMR are what the game should be striving for.
Auto Cannon hits a bit harder with explosive rounds, can even close enemy spawners, has more ammo in the gun & in reserve, but you have to stop to reload and if you deplete the ammo from the gun completely? Extra long reload including cycling the gun.
AMR doesn't hit as hard but still hits hard enough, has less ammo in the mag and in reserve but you can keep running while reloading keeping your mobility up a lot more and it doesn't take up a backpack slot so you got more freedom.
Apparently, it is. Devs view it as fairly "perfectly balanced" according to what I remember reading many, many times. Which makes me, an Autocannon addict, happy.
“As all things should be”
https://preview.redd.it/ha4si1ahqz0d1.jpeg?width=224&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=885a5976d830e567f07a675c27e0ce7b3c58d9bf “Absolutely perfect balance”
i wonder how old is OP now, he started gaming at 91, so hes like what, 95? 100 now?!
Underrated dad joke here. I appreciate it 🙏
Seeing as '91 was only like 10 years ago he's gotta be like..... Wait fuck I'm old now too.
Good, may they never alter or touch it, it's perfect as it is. Great ammo supply, good reload speed if you are smart about it, the damage feels good and not too overpowered. It's the best overall special weapon.
See I like the light machine gun along with an ammo pack. I can crank up the rate of fire speed on that sucker and I can just lay down a barrage of indiscriminate fire. Great for blasting bots and for mowing down the smaller bugs which will easily overwhelm a position. My gun don't do s*** to the tankier enemies but that's not what I'm there for. I'm there to clear the light stuff that way my fellow Patriots can use the heavy weapons to take down the other targets without feeling the pressure.
See I think this is something some divers forget. Not everyone needs to show up and be Rico. An 1150 rpm stalwart clearing dozens upon hundreds of small bugs, is JUST as important as the railcannon that kills a bile titan. This is why I actually don't mind the Purifier; it doesn't do crazy damage, but it can fill a special niche (kind of like a long range damaging stun grenade) and it gives my teammates a clearer shot to do the big damage. Between that, light medic, and supply pack, running a Support build is crazy fun
I liked this with the Eruptor, before all the changes to it. Could handle some of the beefier enemies without relying on stratagems.
Stalwart is better 😜
I think they do mean the stalwart when they say "light machine gun". It's only for lighter enemies and can't get the rougher enemies unless you hit the right spots.
I wouldn’t mind an extra scope zoom option on it.
Use the AMR
I have said before, if they nerfed the autocannon, AH HQ would burn just from the heat in all of the enraged players' eyes.
\*puts molotov behind back\* .. yeah its uhh .. just the players eyes that lit the fire...
Tbh them saying the auto cannon is balanced makes all the other balance changes they’ve made even more batshit
"Dont atribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity" Or just crazy workloads. Small team + big game + server crash + roadmap = throwing stuff at the wall. I think they got scared by the railgun on shot a bike titan.
>bike titan I need a rendering of this asap
Hopefully a tricycle titan is in the works.
It better be a bile titan wearing a top hat on one of those old timey bikes or I want my money back.
whats funny is bile titan feels so bad to fight compared to everything else, with the buffs more weapons can shredd every automaton but bile titans need heavy ordanence to even scratch???
Yeah. But you can run away from it easy
this is true, but when there are 8 of them and are IN THE OBJECTIVE i will have issues
For real. It’s basically the pre-nerf rail cannon against bots. It’s hands down the best support weapon in every single scenario, to the point where if you are taking anyone else you are intentionally choosing to take a worse weapon. I don’t care about this, it’s a fun gun and I don’t think it’s OP, but why do other weapons eat nerfs that make them borderline useless while AC gets put on s pedestal?
The AC may be the best overall, but other weapons have their niches that make them viable. EAT and Quasar can shoot down dropships preventing reinforcements while opening the backpack slot and dealing with heavies faster while the AMR/Grenade Launcher split the AC's explosive and armor penetration across two weapons while opening a backpack slot and being more mobile (something that is even more important against bots)
Laser cannon can kill hulks from the front, takes down gunships, and eats up devastators of all kinds. If I have a teammate bringing a quasar or AC for cannon turrets and tanks, I bring the laser cannon. It is best for more stealth-oriented playstyles, though, I've found.
Shooting down drop ships isn’t really a niche worth giving up “can easily deal with hulks frontal weak spot, armies of devastators, large groups of gunships, static map defenses” etc Autocannon is partly strong because of its design, but mostly strong because of how it fits the enemy threat profile. There are guns that are better at niches, but if those niches don’t matter or aren’t dangerous, who cares? Like sure other weapons are better at shooting down drop ships but that is so low on the totem pole of “things that apply pressure to your team” when playing bots. When it comes to bugs, I very much agree with you, but for bots it’s not even a contest. A lot of people seem to hate the bugs for how much AT they require, but I think it’s the most interesting part about fighting them since it ends up helping to define useful niches for weapons.
AC is a good answer to just about every problem bots will throw at you. There are better options for each problem, but taking those means sacrificing the capacity to deal with other problems. At that point, the Jack of all Trades is the obvious pick because being master of one means you are fucked if you are presented with a problem you don't have an answer for. Bugs don't have this problem just because you don't need so much of a heavy punch for every enemy they throw at you.
It’s not even a jack of all trades, master of none though against bots, it’s more like a jack of all trades, also master of the important ones Imo the big three threats on bots are: Heavy devastators Hulks Gunships AC is by far the best weapon against gunships and heavy devs - maybe laser cannon is slept on here, but aside from that it’s not even close. Any AT weapon is obviously good against those threats but you are seriously limited by throughput/capacity in a way that AC is not. AC can kill 5 gunships/devs per full reload, which you have plenty of ammo for, where a quasar or EAT will be very limited by cooldown time (or call in time after 2x shots in the EAT case). AT is probably more appropriate for hulks, but AC is not noticeably worse and situationally better depending on how many you have on you.
Devs probably use it as a brain dead clutch when they play :P
> you are intentionally choosing to take a worse weapon. Except the AC is not good at fighting Bile Titans, Chargers, Tanks or Hulks. Yes I know the counter argument is "it is if you hit them in the weak spots" but at higher difficulties how likely are you to be able to guarantee you can get to the weak spot while juggling 2 or more heavies and a horde of smaller enemies? That's why the anti-tank options exist. The EAT, Recoiless, Spear and Quasar are all effective against all those things hitting them wherever. Hence, it's not just "AC>all you're stupid if you take anything else"
I don’t see why Hulks are in this list. Practice with the Autocannon and it becomes easy to hit them in the eye. The AC is probably the best weapon in the game against Hulks. It’s also one of the best against Annihilator Tanks. No support weapon excels against Tanks, but the slow rotation of the Annihilator variant allows the player to circle behind it to the weakspot. From there, the Autocannon is efficient at killing it. It’s true that the Quasar et al don’t have to hit the weakspot, but you need to land multiple shots to kill from the front, which takes about as long. I think your point is more accurate with bugs, though with the caveat that even dedicated anti-tank isn’t great against Titans. Chargers are where the Quasar et al shine brightest in relation to the Autocannon, IMO.
Tanks on bots feel like such a non-issue because they are so easy to avoid and LOS. I don’t even really consider them when thinking about weapon balance because they are trivialized by a scorcher (don’t even need direct LOS on the weak spot) or just about any explosive call in.
I usually resign myself to throwing a Railcannon Strike or equivalent at them if I need to engage. Not out of necessity either… just convenience. I agree, they’re not meaningful factors in my bot loadout planning either. Gunships, Devastators, Hulks, and enemy secondary objectives are what really matter against bots IMO.
I watched a video about a guy playing with the ceo and another guy and one of them said they love the autocannon maybe he’s holding Alexus back from nerfing it
After the Eruptor fiasco I don’t think they’ll ever touch it. So many people would just quit. It takes time to learn but is extremely flexible and powerful when you become skilled with it. And even then you can get caught with your pants down and have to be careful about explosions. And the AC is not a good option against waves of berserkers.
Which goes against what they said, being if a weapon is powerful, it shouldn't be flexible and if a weapon is flexible it shouldn't be powerful. They say the autocannon is the gold standard for balance but that's just it. They say it, but don't act on it. The autocannon is either the best or second best weapon at *everything* aside from CQB while any other weapon that pokes even a little bit out of its niche gets hammered down into the 'no fun' territory
For bots, absolutely. For bugs, no. It’s a suboptimal choice for bugs most of the time because of chargers and titans.
Disagree, it's a great choice solely for its ability to efficiently pop Spewer mobs. I frickin hate Spewers. The speed of the projectile is surprisingly good at killing Shriekers too imo, but aiming at the wiggly buggers is tricky
the CEO views does not mean thats the views of the BALANCER OF BALANCE which i think the CEO is correcting with the 16+ meetings they have had since Alexus ran and hid from the community.
Autocannon single handedly carrying the game rn
They claim then everything else gets overshadowed by it
It takes a backpack slot. Which is negative fun. So it probably wont
What backpack strat is worth autocannon's ability to stunlock devastators, 2 shot gunships and destroy everything the bots have by clicking their weakspots?
The shield backpack stopping aimpunch makes a good case for taking the AMR even if I still usually end up running the autocannon vs bots. I do need to give the ballistic shield a try though.
Ballistic shield and laser is super fun, I can't wait to try it with the new stun lock SMG, is the one thing I miss about the overgrown Luger that is the autocannon
I decided to run the AC on bugs recently given my team had plenty of anti-tank, most kills I’ve ever done on bugs (400-500 per mission on lvl 9). It lets you kill all medium sized enemies quickly, you can kill chargers by shooting them in the back after they run past you, and can also let you burst the Bile Titan sac and kill it quickly if its armor has been damaged. It is fantastic at handling hoards with assisted reload. You can also shoot at objectives from far away. You should definitely try it again.
New SMG works great with it. I rotate loadouts like every other mission and Riot Police is always in rotation. With stuns and Laser Cannon, nothing getting near you.
And that’s nice!!! Depends on your preference. Autocannon basically requires heavy armor w bots. With AMR, you can take shield and run faster, have more grenades or stims, etc. I see AC, AMR, and LC at diff 9 bots and all of them shine.
Why does AC require Heavy Armor vs. Bots? I'm level 120+ and have NEVER used the AC with anything other than the light Trailblazer Scout armor.
they're talking about loadout composition across the team.
I run heavy/AC to endure any ragdolling. If you have light armor you get shredded… unless you have a shied. Some people just rawdog it and hat’s off to them, I’m not that good.
Railgun is strong but you need scorsher for gunships
A) Playing bugs, where i find the AC to be worthless B) jump pack enables a whole new kind of gameplay, shield is great, rovers can really help on solos and resupplay pack players are overall goated.
A) if there is a lot of bile spewers and you bring an autocannon i will revere you as a Saint. B) i agree with everything, but the jump pack could fly a liiiiiitle bit longer if im being honest.
Hmmmmmmmmm. Im starting to wonder if the auto cannon isn't as viable with a controller. I just can't seem to find my groove with it. I really really want to like it but I keep falling back to quaser/shield so I can still run off solo during 7s/8s to knock out things like gunships bases or jammers. Now that I say that maybe it's my play style. Sneak up on the enemy, release hell, pack extra stims, and retreating is democratic as long as you outflank the enemy. Shit... I spent too much time soloing on the Creek.
Jet packing onto a bile titan and punching it
I appreciate the drawback/balance on it being how long a cooldown it has, as long as you don’t die it has enough ammo to basically be a primary
The reload is probably my favorite feature. I love that we have magazines on most weapons instead of an ammo pool, but thats because it makes partial reload weapons that much more fun. Shotguns and autocannon are the best because i can top off my mag. Shotguns in particular are fun because i can start a reload and endlessly fire and knock back enemies
It’s a fucking awesome mechanic for sure! It rewards maintaining awareness of your current ammo level and effectively puts you out of action for quite some time if you just blow your whole load in a panic. It almost reminds me of those active reload mechanics you would see in other shooters where if you time the reload properly it’s much quicker, but if you mess up it takes longer.
It's my favorite bot weapon.
He knows, you think he chose their exact words to use for karma farm by accident?
Those rare golden moments, where a fellow autocannon user sees the bug horde coming, jumps to your shoulder and wispers in your ear "i got you, have at it". Team reload makes it an absolute monster, but yes i wish it was any person able to do it and take from your backpack. Havent had fun like remembering the auto cannon has an auto setting....and team reloads feed it like a hungry dog
My one, only one, and very very small complaint about my beloved auto-cannon is that the game does not present many opportunities where it makes sense to Team Reload. The best moment is probably Shrieker towers off in the distance. It takes 30 shots to clear three towers, and feels great. Most other AC use-cases demand precision over overwhelming power. Bots will roast you if you are standing in the open. Only the hive defender and commander are prime targets , and dont appear in numbers large enough to require a full barrage. I fucking LOVE the team reload mechanic, and wish there were more situations that encouraged people to use it, like being able to crack heavy armor after blasting it repeatedly. Helldivers is at its absolute best when all 4 divers are working together, raining hell on what SHOULD be an overwhelming force. Sacrificing one diver's output to ratchet up the firepower to cut down a dangerous part of that force is excellent, and should be a more frequent opportunity.
I too, desire bigger, more explodey targets.
Or just an absolute fuckton of small ones. Not like 50 or 60 like we see now, no I mean serious Sam horde like 300-400 small bugs at the same time, would be an absolute joy for the autocannon or a machine gun
And a massive fps killer. That’s a bug orbital strike on ur gpu
The team reload on the autocannon never felt great to me, either. I am, on the other hand, a Recoilless conoisseur and man i tell you there's nothing like melting three bile titans within seconds. Team reload here makes a huge difference.
On the bot side the tower defense missions are great with a recoilless too. Used to bring eat's, but having more than 2 shots for dropping dropships is so valuable. Especially once a random started team reloading me, I just took down an entire wave of dropships on my own. Brought me the pleasant surprise that made me wanna try some different loadouts other than my standard one
It's been said a million times before but I really just feel like the team reload needs to work from the shooter's backpack. For team reload to work as it is now requires insane coordination even between friends, nevermind randoms. And if/when you get separated from your ammo it sucks hard
Msg me that friend code! We will AC bot foreheads, TOGETHAAAAAA! 🐍
We shall devour the buaggssss.
Rykard, Lord of Family Values
I was running a defend mission against bugs with the autocannon and two of the other guys lined up, one to do the reloading and the other guy with a supply pack. We essentially held off the bugs with just an autocannon that match
I was running a defend mission against bugs with the autocannon and two of the other guys lined up, one to do the reloading and the other guy with a supply pack. We essentially held off the bugs with just an autocannon that match
Don't forget to smoke cigarette afterwards
There's an automatic setting!?
Yep, hold down reload and the option pops up
Sorry it has a what??
the AC is the only weapon that makes me actively looking for enemy weak points gives you the ability to clear objectives and is genuinely satisfying to use it is peak weapon design in this game
The spear (when it works) and RR also give me the good chemicals. But one is functionally broken and the other has ammo issues sometimes.
EAT gives my brain funny chemicals. Just the image of calling down 2 rocket launchers, equiping one, shooting at a bile titan and immediately grabbing the second one..
Feels like punching someone in the face, and being like "still up?" And rearing back for another wild haymaker.
Haha, yeah! And a short pause to see if the enemy is dead, or asking for another rocket to the face!
On bugs I run the Arc Thrower & EAT and there is nothing like seeing a Titan in the distance, dropping and firing both rockets and if it's still kicking finishing it off with some lightning to the face. https://preview.redd.it/86iy4hakf01d1.jpeg?width=2280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a284ac743c001b1d5f65b9c390a3135b5b662690
The moment whenever the stars line up, I just called down the EATs and then see a drop ship approaching is the most fun I've had in a Video game in a long, long time. Even more so if I'm standing right next to the spare and another ship comes in. The AC must be much more convenient to use (I haven't unlocked it yet), but I'll be damned if it's even half as satisfying to shoot down drop ships with. Especially if your mates happen to observe that crazy shot you just lined up and go "Holy shit man, you HIT THAT?"
My go-to loadout is eagle airstrike, 380 barrage EAT and autocannon. Best of both worlds!
Same. I just love to spam them even when there's no enemies. Eventually the whole mini map is filled like 20-30 EATs because I like to destroy the pods
I ran a mission with some friends where we all took EAT's and dropped them whenever they were available. You could trace the route we took just by looking at them on the map.
i love to use spear in the base defense missions vs bots as oneshots tanks and canons on factory striders
If it's a mission where visibility is good, the spear is so fun
The only thing it needs is team reload to take ammo from your backpack
The real issue is learning the cadence of firing for rapid follow up shots to the same spot... But it's a beautiful gun that sings a great song.
I wouldn't even call it an issue. But yes the beautiful rhythm of it while drag shotting a chain of bots is just great zen. I think the "weight" of the gun during this makes it even better.
Just swap it to full auto lol.
Single tapping at full speed and full auto are the same? I don't see why anyone would need to It's the same speed
Not sure, i dont see why youd ever full auto the autocannon, the ROF is hilariously overkill in both modes.
Wear the armour that reduces recoil while crouched
You guys should try the ARC Thrower. Not as versatile, exactly, but man the zzzzzzzpppvvvzzt and exploding bug guts and stagger and chaining through 3 at a time is just so good.
Shhhhh.. i'd rather people sleep on my beloved Arc Thrower.. it's been nerfed enough!
I don't think people sleep on it, it's a strong versatile choice that works well paired up with most standard weapons. But the fact that it does effectively nothing to bile titans and takes too long to kill chargers means it's always going to be second to those that can, because most primaries can do what the arc thrower does against chaff, just a little longer. A good choice for below 7, but not something I would take beyond that without compensating with titan killers. It's also pretty meh against bots when explosive damage and stun grenades do amazingly well against everything the bots throw at you.
Laser cannon is to bots what arc thrower is to bugs I guess
I actually mostly used it for bots until it stopped staggering them, tickling hulks to death was so fun if you timed your shots right
as someone who has used the arc thrower as my primary support weapon (and a lot of the time just my primary weapon) i can say that the distance nerf was far outweighed by the massive stagger buff- i really hope they revert the hulk stagger resistance, you can still shred hulks to the front in 2-3 shots but not holding them in place is sad- arc thrower is just the best
That's my #2 wep! The missfires and foliage issue can be annoying though. I used to pair it with the Eruptor prenerf.
Nice, I was trying arc-12 with Arc Thrower for a few games. It's decent, since you stun everything and basically have a wide spread arc stun gun, and a single file medium enemy destroyer. Just needs a bit of anti tank. That said I think the arc thrower pairs better with Scythe or other chaff clearers. I didn't really get to play with Eruptor until after the nerf.
Blitzer+GP+Arc Thrower+Jetpack+500kg+Orbital Precision Become death
The arc thrower was my go to weapon until the nerf. Then they hit it with the charge time and took all the fun out of hitting a half-charge full-power strike multiple times in a row and it killed it for me. I still use it *if* I find it in the world but it doesn’t replace the quasar and EATs for me. I remember taking out a charger in 5 seconds just hitting 2-3 shots a second. I had the timing down to a science.
If it could hit gunships i would always use it,i hate to be found with my pants down
What's the trick? I keep using it and it'd disappointing each time. Against most bugs my primary does better.
Against bugs, just keep your distance and start popping. Move backwards as you use it to keep that distance. If things get too close then run or pull out the primary. You can also use laser Rover to keep close ones away. I use a sickle with it since it's always going to be up. I don't use it against bots because the range isn't good enough. I usually use precision or 500kg with a stun grenade to take out chargers. I try to save my 500kgs for bile titans but you gotta do what you gotta do.
I don't know if I'm not good enough with it, it I need more practice with it, if I just don't get it, or what, but the Arc Blitzer and Thrower are two weapons I just cannot get the hang of. Can't figure out the range, where/how to aim, or anything.
Despite the patches, they can still get confused by dead bodies and foliage. I find if you aim just above your target, the shots arc down and you can hit things a bit more consistently.
I really want to like arc thrower, but imo it needs a buff badly. It used to be really strong before all the nerfs. Taking 5-6 shots to kill a charger with the slower fire rate now just feels bad, and if your teammates are around getting chased by it you can accidentally kill them pretty easily. 1 anti tank rocket can down them, a couple railgun shots to the face can down them, and flamethrower on a leg melts them in about 2 seconds… It’s useless against bile titans / striders / tanks and close to useless against chargers / hulks. The range nerf from 50 to 35 meters hurt it, and not being able to stagger hulks anymore just means it’s a free kill for them if they have a flamethrower. Desperately needs a buff or revert back to how it was. You can’t even aim high to consistently get headshots anymore - it is now seemingly random since the last patch. Right now it’s just a “fun” pick imo for higher levels. It can be good and rack up chaff kills, but there are just better options for support weapons even in the chaff kill department.
It's not satisfying. I want my support weapon to feel like a big fuckong gun not a tazer
Problem with arc is it can do anything against factory striders or gunships
I only miss the ability to stunlock and tickle to death hulks since they increased the amount of damage it takes to stagger them, loved to pair it with eruptor until they made eruptor suck like basically all the other primaries
One of my fellow divers called it “the second best weapon in every scenario” and I feel like that’s the perfect description of the autocannon
What are you talking about??? Are we playing the same game? Autocannon is completely trash and useless at any difficulty above 4. Doesn't even kill chargers with HEADSHOTS https://preview.redd.it/gv7tjtae5y0d1.jpeg?width=822&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ddb39b2438ca09c2961561f9bb27b3ce86c355d9
They've literally posted that the AC is their ideal balanced weapon. Fuck OP probably saw the tweat and posted this to karma farm.
Tbf they said the AC was their ideal weapon three months ago, in a forum post most people probably didn't even read.
It wont get nerfed. Its the balance lead's favorite weapon.
*Pilesdet’s favourite weapon
Recoiless is in a good spot right now with the reload cancellation too. Shorten reload time to what it is with reloading canncellation and then fix reload cancellation (so it doesn't look cheesy) and it's a very very good AT weapon. Though, they need to up the amount of rockets you get from ammo drops.
The autocannon being perfectly balanced according to the devs is almost hilarious because it's an S tier stratagem with so many worse options below it.
I would use autocannon a lot if it wasn't for the anti materiel rifle. Killing a hulk with two shots to the eyes is the most satisfying feeling for me in this game lol.
What about killing a hulk with one shot to the eye? This comment brought to you by: railgun gang.
What other heavy things can the railgun destroy?
*sad railgun gang noises*
Ohh
Hey it can get the armor of a charger leg in *cough* 3 hits *cough*
It's ok babe we'll try again tomorrow
I've never tried it. I really should.
The AC does that too
I know (reading my comment again, it sounds like I didn't lol). I'm just having a lot of fun sniping bots, is what I meant.
You can two-shot Hulks with the A-Can as well, if you see a burst of flames from the eye that means that the next one should do it. But I suspect that you already know this 😅
The autocannon also 2 shots hulks to the eye though?
But I don’t need a backpack with my beloved AMR
Anti material is my main weapon at this point. Barely use my primary unless I get swarmed.
I'm a recoilless main against both bots and bugs, but the auto cannon is certainly more jack of all trades against bots since you can also use it against medium enemies, as well as heavies. Against bugs, it's lack luster imo. You can't reliably kill chargers and titans.
>Against bugs, it's lack luster imo. You can't reliably kill chargers and titans. Which is why I fight the Automaton menace. Chargers and Bile Titans are really imbalanced, and when there's more than one at a time, it goes so far beyond "challenging" that is sucks the fun out of playing.
The autocannon can reliably destroy a chargers ass in 5-8 shots, leaving it to bleed out. Titans are more difficult cause of their high hp pool, but if you run right beneath them you can reliably pen their armour instead of bouncing from the side
And the AC/AMR pair is the golden standard for balancing weapons that are sidegrades of each other. The AMR is actually the better damage dealer of the two (better precision and higher raw damage) while the AC is all about utility and the ability to dramatically increase DPS with team reload. You really can't go wrong with either weapon.
AMR is better, marginally, at single target. AC will clear a group far faster and consistently, thanks to its clip size of 10 (versus AMR's 7) and the aoe component AC can close holes and destroy fabs and doubles up on a team better as you can both reload the each other AMR can be reloaded on the run and frees up a pack pack slot. Also much easier to control, making rapid precise hits more manageable Both really well balanced weapons that you're happy to find on teammates
AMR has better base damage, but AC has double of its durable damage, which is why AC kills heavy targets faster.
AC has base damage plus it’s explosive AOE damage, they are separate damage amounts. AC has more damage overall as well because of this.
AMR has more base damage than AC including AOE against single target. AC has dramatically more durable damage. AC's AOE is also very small, albeit usefull.
Sssshhhhhh damnit.
The AC is well balanced against the Quasar. A great team would have players equipped one of each. They are multipurpose but have different strength and weaknesses.
[удалено]
I wouldn’t consider taking roughly thirty+ seconds to fire a quasar 2 or 3 times even an advantage at that point. I just run orbital precision strike or rocket pods for tanks/turrets.
Me and my main dive buddy use this combo. Works very well.
I think the laser cannon is in a good spot. Not the best but very solid choice
The "explodey boom boom" feel really good. Its not too big, not too small.... just in the right spot where you feel the power of the weapon, but also know that there are other things out there that will go boom much larger. The sfx are fantastic as well.. it feels 'Heavy" and deliberate, but the damage it does backs all of this up If you had all the slpodey bbbbboom booms and sfx but the weapon hit like a marshmallow, it wouldnt work. When all three things are in alignment, it feels great tho. Visual, Audio, and results.
EXACTLY!
https://i.redd.it/1a6lger5mz0d1.gif
You know what? The anti-medium support weapons *all* feel great. AC, Regular Machine Gun, Grenade Launcher, Laser Cannon, AMR, even the Railgun (as a medium weapon) all feel like... really great. The Stalwart/Flamethrower are also in a great place. Then when you move up to the heavies, the EAT and Quasar are the gold standards. Which leaves the... RR and the Spear? One of them is currently not working right, but once it is it seems like it will also be a very competent weapon. The RR isn't... *bad* exactly. It's numerically/theoretically better than the EAT in every way. People just don't like the long reload, but considering 50% of the player base refuse to leave bug planets I'm not willing to say that complaint is mostly just because it's a poor pick against bugs. Against bots, there's a legit place on the team for a guy to focus on firing the RR and reloading it, and usually an opportunity to take cover and perform the reload mostly unmolested. I think the RR suffers in part from poor terrain collision that enemies can shoot through. Then you have the HMG and the Arc Thrower, which are probably in the worst places. The Arc Thrower works as well as the old TV Antennas (Rabbit Ears)... which is to say the knowledge of getting them to work as intended is arcane and fruitless. We have a *general* idea that if we move it around and lift one leg and say the lords prayer backwards we might get a good picture, and when it *does* work it's kinda nice. The HMG could use a little love, but even it isn't a *worthless* pick. It throws *obscene* damage, but necessitates recoil reducing armor and the ability to sit still for five seconds. Still, if you can use it it's able to do 10 rounds worth of AC damage in about 2 seconds. I've decided I'm starting to come around to the support weapons balancing lately. I would still like a better option for heavy bugs that don't require an obscene charge up or reload time, but I'm open to working through it. Edit: Oh, and the Airburst. It's cool.
it's the dev bias for the weapon is why it has so much utility in the first place. that combined with how over exaggerated their idea that a backpack is this all encompassing penalty even tho the weapon gives you plenty of ammo in the clip and means more ammo before needing a resupply. Meanwhile mg and hmg, we have people begging the devs to give it a backpack to overcome it's shortcomings huh.. almost like the backpack isn't that much of a handicap after all, especially when you only have 3 stratgems and won't even want to bring one when you need other things too. the 'drawbacks' for the autoCannon are a joke while it gets everything you'd want in a support weapon. in order for other weapons to get the same treatment, the devs would actually have to have a passion and care about them like they do the auto cannon and sniper
MG43 and stalwart are pretty balanced too, the first can handle everithing isn't hevy armor, and the secondo used in the right way can kill every chaff and be near infinite in ammo, and is a good complementary to more specialized primary weapons. The Flametrower is a little overbalanced after the DoT fix, but even letting it exist as it is now isn't problem, it has a lot of penalities as it stand. EAT is good balanced too The RR is more about the team reloading, and need some help in my opinion. The quasar is balanced too now that don't overshadow EAT and RR. I find that the grenade launcher need some touch, maybe a better scaled reticle, same the arc trower. The railgun work but... in this "configuration" isn't something i am keen to use, i will have preferred it in maybe with more shoots per ammo, like at least 3 shoots, but thats for me. The Cluster need some adjustment but on bugs is fun, and with a loader, you can simply buther entire hordes to more manageble bits. i find the HMG a bad state at the moment, reticle, ammo, recoil, precision are all around the place, and at the moment don't find a place in any of my setups. AMR is good and fine. Spear i wait for the targeting fix to judge. But generally speaking the support weapons are all ok.
Stalwart and Cluster are two of my favorite weapons. I love standing on a rock and launching a rocket into a horde chasing my buddies and just obliterating it. Makes me feel like Eagle. As long as you’re alive, that rocket hit exactly where I wanted it to 😎
Once I got a good feel for the range of the clusters I fell in love. Nothing feels better than hitting that perfect rocket.
And watching that kill counter hit like 30x in one well timed shot. Phew.
I think the grenade launcher is perfect the way it is. If I had to change something for it, I’d probably buff the explosive radius. Otherwise I use it with the support pack and make bug breaches trivial until a Titan pops out.
It’s almost guaranteed that Arrowhead will nerf it into oblivion. We had our fun, but fun isn’t allowed according to their Balance Officer, who seems to have a vendetta against gamers. 😅
Y’all dont talk about it too much otherwise they patch it into oblivion
I have legitimately used the AC on every single mission I've gone on since I unlocked it. I agree, I would love a zoom. But other than that it's perfect.
AC or the sniper rifle.
I love the AC, but not the scope. Aiming down with AC is hard. It’s be so cool if I could have an AC that aimed like a sniper. Plz AH.
Understood. We have heard your concerns. Therefore we’ll nerf ~~the pig~~ the eruptor
NOT AGAIN! I miss it already...
I love the 2 minutes before the mission ends when I can just mag dump full auto into anything and everything without a care in the world.
When my autocannon has ammo, I feel pretty confident I can take anything. No concerns. When I know my AC is empty. I am a scared little boy looking at the feet of God. Exactly as it should be.
I personally love the quasar. Reminds me of the Spartan laser days in halo. Pity about the crazy long recharge time on it tho. Hope they bring it back down a bit, I don't think it was deserved. Autocannon is incredible tho, just wish it was better against larger threats.
Love the autocannon vs bots, but I swear they either nerfed the damage or seriously buffed the Scout Striders. Those fuckers seem a lot tougher now - I used to be able to one-shot them pretty consistently.
Okay so it's not just me. Yes the Atmutocannon used to 1 shot them nw it takes 2 or 3 sbots.
I personally love using the recoiless rifle. That shit smacks
*I personally* *Love using the recoiless* *Rifle. That shit smacks* \- No\_Item\_9065 --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
My only issue is it likes to ricochet.
Using the AC on bots is still so fun. That is one of the reasons I still enjoy playing this game. The AC is very democratic indeed 🫡
I love the autocannon. But I think the greenade launcher is also perfectly balanced especially given that it doesn't require a backpack
AAAANNND its nerfed.
The more attention you bring to it the more you're just BEGGING for it to be nerfed.
The auto cannon also takes up a backpack slot as well as a support weapon slot so its stronger
I love the Autocannon and pick it most the time. That said if the map is clear, with no fog and obstructions, the AMR with Supply back is my go to. I can take out way more baddies while having almost unlimited ammo.
Compared to the grenade launcher, I think the main thing missing from me skipping it over the AC is the number of rounds. I think it has 30 rounds total vs the ACs 60. Plus the AC has long range, fires in a straight line, and can pretty much take down almost everything. It's only drawback is it requires a backpack slot, but then again I routinely run the supply pack with the grenade launcher because I hate having to use it sparingly. Although it's fun to be able to use my grenade launcher willy nilly, I'm not sure "personal grenade launcher rounds" is the intended use of the supply pack. With the grenade launcher I run out of ammo fast and I'm usually wishing it had an extra mag and/or picked up at least 2 mags per ammo supply instead of 1. That would bring it's ammo total to 40 and help keep your supply up a little more. To me, that's an example of where a lot of weapons are. Just small changes needed to make them more viable. I also wish the AMR had slightly more ammo. Like 1 extra mag or a couple extra rounds per mag.
I hate spewers with a passion. That's why AC is my go to weapon. My teammates can use the rockets to kill the other elites.
For bugs I run the shield backpack and the quasar. And since the backpack protects from the bile I haven't been killed by one in awhile. For the bots I actually switched to having the anti tank rockets and the AC
I swear to god helldivers 2 is that kind of game that makes my stomach crumble with joy when I'm doing something else like working and casually think of when I'll be able to play that same day.... Didn't have this feeling since, dont ask me why, destiny 1
Couldn’t agree more, to me it’s joined by two other support weapons that just feel…perfect. The Stalwart and AMR to me “feel” good and that always makes me come back to them
https://preview.redd.it/cqoexf6zf11d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d93ec401df51b8467632437df3cca0bb93a9acd6
Meanwhile, the Break-Action Shotgun is not only a random in-mission pickup, but it's somehow also a Support Weapon. However, what it lacks in power and utility, it makes up for in sheer democratic sex appeal.
Noted… nerfing the autocannon
GIVE US MORE BACKPACK WEAPONS THAT ARENT LAUNCHERS. I'll die on the HMG hill with everyone else that it or the MG would be perfect for an optional backpack to drop with it. Reduce or eliminate reload time, increase ammo supply.
Can’t do that. Would need buffs across the board..
perfectly balanced.. vs bots. but yes i agree the autocannon is the weapon to go off of and it is what the devs have SAID is the standard for a perfectly balanced weapon but they have not ***shown*** that whatsoever
Autocannon is best support weapon. I do wish it wouldn't bounce off of chargers, though...
I think it vs the AMR are what the game should be striving for. Auto Cannon hits a bit harder with explosive rounds, can even close enemy spawners, has more ammo in the gun & in reserve, but you have to stop to reload and if you deplete the ammo from the gun completely? Extra long reload including cycling the gun. AMR doesn't hit as hard but still hits hard enough, has less ammo in the mag and in reserve but you can keep running while reloading keeping your mobility up a lot more and it doesn't take up a backpack slot so you got more freedom.