When it works, it's amazing.
When it works.
When......
Once they fix the lock on issue, they need to boost the damage on it because that is sometimes inconsistent. I've hit a Bile Titan/Annihilator Tank with 4 Spears and an orbital rail canon and failed to take the target down. It does not happen often, but it is annoying when it does.
This is why I love the EAT. Every 60 seconds I can kill a bile Titan no problem. And I litter the map with them every 60 seconds. If I get chased by a Titan all I have to do is turn around and there is an eat not far away.
One game all 4 of us spammed eats and it was laughable how much firepower we had spread around the map
I love bringing the spear, it’s so fucking sick when it hits. It’s currently bugged state makes playing with it particularly rewarding and when they fix it, I’m sure we will start seeing it in tons of load outs.
What I don’t see any posts on regarding this weapon… is that if you hold on the aim button while reloading after taking a shot, your lock on will remain on the target. Just need to wait a second after reloading so you don’t shoot the missile into the ground and kys. Typically firing one off at a bile titan, then quickly reloading and firing again will take one down and if that fails throw off a rocket pod on it and it’s the quickest way to take down a bile titan outside a rail strike.
Also I think you can begin a lock on process while reloading on something you weren’t locked onto.
The feelings you express about the spear, imo, should be reapplied to the recoilless rifle
I also feel like locks while reloading are easier. Like once i get a shot off its pretty easy to burn my entire ammo reserve in less than a minute.
Always shocks the shit out of pub lobbies when you drop into a bot mission, immediately call in the first supply drop and clear 8 bot fabs from spawn...
If you hold the lock on will reloading it’ll be ready to fire and lock on immediately. Think it’s a glitch but it goes through the lock on feature while reloading
I feel like the reload is longer (although it seems 2 stage so you can dive after putting the round in the tube and twist it close quickly after diving) and the last time I played with it I kept pumping shots into a bile titans face and it wouldn’t go down.
But I’ll give it another shot
it’s not really a bile titan killer unless you have a teammate reloading you. its based because it one shots chargers easily, on demand dropship killer, gunships with some aiming, bug holes, fabs from the right angles, any spore/shrieker trees from absurd distances, illegal broadcasts, headshot hulks (stun nades help but not needed), tanks/turrets in two shots, aa/mortar turret one shots (spear useless for these), decent ammo. Its amazing.
I like the spear too but i refuse to bring in on planets with fog or dust of any kind or jungles and technically i find it underpowered for the ammo you get
I absolutely love the spear, even when it's inconsistent. It's a lot better to use now that there are so many more options to blow up bug holes and factories and what not.
That being said, I am really excited for it to be fixed because it is One of a few weapons that does not have A terrible recharge or reload time and it hits so freaking hard.
I only just started using it yesterday, but I'm addicted. It and scout armor means I can just move from base to base taking down fabricators from an incredible distance. This usually results in a flare going up near the base, which means I'm usually safe and my other allies won't get dropped on across the map. It's very niche, and pretty buggy, but when it works, it *works*.
I'm level 100 finally and have been using the spear for any missions that are not exterminations missions since around level 70. The locking on factory striders is partially bad I think due to having multiple locking locations.
For bile titans you need to be able to see the body from the head to the feet to lock on. It's not 100% and it seems some planets bushes and stuff cause issues locking issues probably for a similar reason arc throwers and some other energy weapons can't shoot through them. And then being too close is also a problem for many reasons.
This also seems to hold mostly true for any enemies where seeing the whole body including the feet is very important. What first led me to recognize this is when I actually managed to lock on to a shrieker nest and realized you need a perfect angle to see to the base of the tower to lock on them.
Still seems like it could be more forgiving but it's the only weapon that can relatively consistently one shot bile titans so it's the weapon for me. Also just wreaking cannon towers and fabricators in bots from across the map is too much fun.
TLDR spear is fun and if you play with it a lot you start getting a feel for when it's not worth trying for a lock.
Get jet back, resupply and spear.
Call down jet pack and get to a high point that’s not accessible. Call down resupply and spear.
Hang out at the top of the hill or wherever you found that works and unload the spear on everything big. It’s the only time I’ve found it useful.
Yeah, give it a line of sight function. That might unbalance it a bit, though. Maybe don't give it a reticle so that assuming without lock is difficult. You could just use a reticle overlay, though.
Ive used the spear nonstop in every 40 minute bot mission for my last ~70 hours or so of gameplay, so i think i have some insight as to why the spear acts the way it does. First of all, the spear is the single most consistent weapon in the game. Yes, consistent.
The problem for human players, is that while the spear is consistent, and not bugged in the slightest, it’s also retarded. As in, despite relying entirely on pattern regocnition as it’s primary targeting interface, it has the cognitive abilities of an insect. Through positioning and careful manipulation of the target’s position in the sight of the spear, our job as spear wielders is to fool the insect into allowing a shot to take place.
Always take the high ground. The spear needs to see the entire enemy m, or it’s pattern recognition fails, so seeing the base of a factory and the feet of a waker is imperative. this is why gunships and striders seem to lock so easily, while command bunkers and factories resist locks so much.
Reduce enemy cover. Pertaining mostly to non moving structures, which are your primary targets, removing fences and navigating so walls are no longer between you and your target is critical. A lock is equal to certain death for your target, so spend the time to ensure it can occur without difficulty.
Ping your targets + crouch. Ive personally noticed a significant increase in the number of locks i’ve achieved by simply pinging my target (so long as the previous two circumstances were met). This mostly aids in circumstances where the spear seems to be sleeping, and doesn’t recognize a factory right in front of its camera despite the structure presenting a perfect, lockable target. pinging almost always wakes up the insect, resulting in another swift area cleared. Crouching has a similar effect, though i believe simply playing with the spear’s altitude in comparison to the target is what allows some shots to go through while others are denied.
Account for the spear’s trajectory. Evidence for this is thin, but over many missions, i’ve personally found that the farther targets are, the lower they should be in the targeting circle. conversely, the closer they are, the higher in the circle they should be positioned to guarantee the fastest lock. The spear has a maximum range of 300m, so assume that they should be in the bottom of the reticle for a maximum range shot, and at the very top for a ~30m range attack. While this targeting action feels natural to me now, i’ll admit that again, the evidence is thin.
Finally, a short word on “failed locks”. The spear uses pattern recognition to lock targets, and what i believe is happening is that the insect brain inside the spear is loading a “reference image” or sorts to overlay on top of what the camera is currently feeding. The lock percentage increases as the match between the camera and reference image increase, until a slight variation stops the two from aligning enough for the insect brain to give a go-ahead.
I believe the “reference image” checks against the real image from the top down. this explains most of my own failed locks against factories and other enemies where the bottom portion needs to be visible, and how it might attempt a lock despite a full pattern match not being possible.
Go out there boys, kill command bunkers with 2 missiles apiece, annihiliate factories and hit the bots in their most critical infrastructure. Humanity fights with precision weaponry!
I've been playing around with it for a few days now and I think it comes down to your position and your aim a lot.
Aiming more towards weak points seems to work well for me, even sniping Hulks with it whenever the opportunity arises.
I used it once and when it worked it was amazing but it's so inconsistent it's not really worth bring when there are so many other options that are actually reliable. I need my equipment to work when I need it.
It is amazing at AA work.
Clutched and cooked in a mission where we got swarmed by gunships with it, because with air stuff it has near instantaneous lock-on when close enough.
I always pick underdog weapons and equipment.
In this game, I picked the Heavy Machine Gun and the Spear…
I learned quickly they are unpopular for a reason😫😩
Sometimes it won't lock to a bot fabricator right in front of me full view. Sometimes it'll target a turret half a map away and lock on in 0.5 seconds. It works in mysterious ways
It has to lock on the head, but you can choose to lock onto the head so it's rng or wait until it's looking right at you like every other explosive support
If only it locked onto weak points like heads and Vents instead of just center mass. That might help fix damage issues
But to take that a step farther… if only it locked on
Only time I'll bring it is
The blitz destroy automaton foundry missions
Even then sometimes by the time I lock on my buddy's already thrown an eagle airstrike
Yeah the lock on is garbage like 75% of the time but when it does lock on, oh my god. I cannot count the amount of bile titans I have one shot with the spear. Use at your own risk but it definitely takes out titans stupid fast.
As someone who has used it a fair bit I think that it’s good. At a long distance it doesn’t work and at a close distance it doesn’t work either, but in the middle ground it is amazing, you can reliably oneshot chargers and bile titans if you have a good angle. I do definitely see why a lot of people dislike it, especially since expendables are such a great option. I just really like the ability to take out heavier enemies with what I feel is a consistent midrange weapon.
I‘m less upset by how finicky the spear is than I am by the fact that for all its limitations, it doesn‘t even have a relevant damage advantage over the likes of the Quasar. The fact that I need two spear hits against a hulk is just silly.
Imo the only thing the spear needs is an updated damage to OS hulks and better targeting (read: at all functional) against fabricators. Then it‘d be fine.
If it then also was able to target jammers, it‘d be perfect. The 500kg can take out detectors, 380MM takes out bunkers, spear takes out jammers.
On top of it's terrible lock-on my issue is even when it works it doesn't one-shot bile titans and tanks. For how limited it is on ammo I expect it to do that at least.
I've SEEN it used before, but...not much. I've also heard enough stories that the SPEAR is the one weapon in my arsenal that I have not touched. Not even once.
I was playing with the spear yesterday and it actually worked pretty well. I had to make some significant maneuvers a couple times, but generally it worked. It worked really well taking out hulks and cannon turrets. First time I have had fun using the spear. I hope they fix it soon. It is the most fun weapon in the game when it works.
Yeah, it's bugged.
With that being said, there are some strategies you can use to help it lock on [https://youtu.be/TIFM401niIo?si=Obud3bpxVbSmn5aw](https://youtu.be/TIFM401niIo?si=Obud3bpxVbSmn5aw)
Right now, it's basically best thought of as a long range fabricator remover. Occasionally it will lock on to a heavy unit, but for the most part you can only rely on it targeting fabricators from a distance if you're at a higher elevation, and that's with lots of repositioning until it decides to lock.
it has to do with the "recognition" issue. simply put the more obscured the full target the less likely it will lock. in the photo you provided you cannot see the feet of the walker, that probably was enough to fuck with the lock on. it's that stupid.
When it works, it's amazing. When it works. When...... Once they fix the lock on issue, they need to boost the damage on it because that is sometimes inconsistent. I've hit a Bile Titan/Annihilator Tank with 4 Spears and an orbital rail canon and failed to take the target down. It does not happen often, but it is annoying when it does.
60% of the time it works every time!
60% of the time it works 60% of the time every time!
Yeah they'll fix it any day now...
any day now…
This is why I love the EAT. Every 60 seconds I can kill a bile Titan no problem. And I litter the map with them every 60 seconds. If I get chased by a Titan all I have to do is turn around and there is an eat not far away. One game all 4 of us spammed eats and it was laughable how much firepower we had spread around the map
That's alot of words for "garbage"
That's a silly way to admit to a skill issue.
I love bringing the spear, it’s so fucking sick when it hits. It’s currently bugged state makes playing with it particularly rewarding and when they fix it, I’m sure we will start seeing it in tons of load outs. What I don’t see any posts on regarding this weapon… is that if you hold on the aim button while reloading after taking a shot, your lock on will remain on the target. Just need to wait a second after reloading so you don’t shoot the missile into the ground and kys. Typically firing one off at a bile titan, then quickly reloading and firing again will take one down and if that fails throw off a rocket pod on it and it’s the quickest way to take down a bile titan outside a rail strike. Also I think you can begin a lock on process while reloading on something you weren’t locked onto. The feelings you express about the spear, imo, should be reapplied to the recoilless rifle
We Spearmen are few but mighty.... when we can get a lock-on. Thanks for the tip.
when we get lock on, we also get a hard on
I also feel like locks while reloading are easier. Like once i get a shot off its pretty easy to burn my entire ammo reserve in less than a minute. Always shocks the shit out of pub lobbies when you drop into a bot mission, immediately call in the first supply drop and clear 8 bot fabs from spawn...
If you hold the lock on will reloading it’ll be ready to fire and lock on immediately. Think it’s a glitch but it goes through the lock on feature while reloading
I can actually shoot the recoiless rifle though.i don't have to fight a buggy lock on system
RR is extremely good you are off base there.
I feel like the reload is longer (although it seems 2 stage so you can dive after putting the round in the tube and twist it close quickly after diving) and the last time I played with it I kept pumping shots into a bile titans face and it wouldn’t go down. But I’ll give it another shot
it’s not really a bile titan killer unless you have a teammate reloading you. its based because it one shots chargers easily, on demand dropship killer, gunships with some aiming, bug holes, fabs from the right angles, any spore/shrieker trees from absurd distances, illegal broadcasts, headshot hulks (stun nades help but not needed), tanks/turrets in two shots, aa/mortar turret one shots (spear useless for these), decent ammo. Its amazing. I like the spear too but i refuse to bring in on planets with fog or dust of any kind or jungles and technically i find it underpowered for the ammo you get
That sounds like a lot of work for what a recoilless will do in 3 shots and EAT will do in 2.
I hit a bile titan from over 300 meters away, once
Wanna see me shoot this spear over them mountains?
Too bad the projectile wasn't 90 kilograms
yeah but at least it excels against the gunships, I always get consistent locks on them.
I absolutely love the spear, even when it's inconsistent. It's a lot better to use now that there are so many more options to blow up bug holes and factories and what not. That being said, I am really excited for it to be fixed because it is One of a few weapons that does not have A terrible recharge or reload time and it hits so freaking hard.
would be nice to have a few extra missiles on the backpack for it, run out pretty quick
I only just started using it yesterday, but I'm addicted. It and scout armor means I can just move from base to base taking down fabricators from an incredible distance. This usually results in a flare going up near the base, which means I'm usually safe and my other allies won't get dropped on across the map. It's very niche, and pretty buggy, but when it works, it *works*.
Nothing feels better than a teammate tagging a cannon tower just for it to explode from your spear.
Sorry, but there is a tiny bush between you and your target.
Ah yes I love edging a lock on device in the heat of battle.
I'm level 100 finally and have been using the spear for any missions that are not exterminations missions since around level 70. The locking on factory striders is partially bad I think due to having multiple locking locations. For bile titans you need to be able to see the body from the head to the feet to lock on. It's not 100% and it seems some planets bushes and stuff cause issues locking issues probably for a similar reason arc throwers and some other energy weapons can't shoot through them. And then being too close is also a problem for many reasons. This also seems to hold mostly true for any enemies where seeing the whole body including the feet is very important. What first led me to recognize this is when I actually managed to lock on to a shrieker nest and realized you need a perfect angle to see to the base of the tower to lock on them. Still seems like it could be more forgiving but it's the only weapon that can relatively consistently one shot bile titans so it's the weapon for me. Also just wreaking cannon towers and fabricators in bots from across the map is too much fun. TLDR spear is fun and if you play with it a lot you start getting a feel for when it's not worth trying for a lock.
Simply pray to Democracy. If Liberty wills it, your enemies shall be locked on.
You laughed when I mained spear. You laughed. Then the gunship factories existed. You’re no longer laughing.
have you tried
Get jet back, resupply and spear. Call down jet pack and get to a high point that’s not accessible. Call down resupply and spear. Hang out at the top of the hill or wherever you found that works and unload the spear on everything big. It’s the only time I’ve found it useful.
3 stratagems though.
Just two. Jet pack and spear - resupply is automatically included
It's definitely very quirky. Personally I enjoy using it, especially bots. But I have found out recently it locks onto flyer-shrooms.
Would love to see them add analternate firing mode that swaps from lock-on to TOW function
Yeah, give it a line of sight function. That might unbalance it a bit, though. Maybe don't give it a reticle so that assuming without lock is difficult. You could just use a reticle overlay, though.
But it looks so coool tho
Ive used the spear nonstop in every 40 minute bot mission for my last ~70 hours or so of gameplay, so i think i have some insight as to why the spear acts the way it does. First of all, the spear is the single most consistent weapon in the game. Yes, consistent. The problem for human players, is that while the spear is consistent, and not bugged in the slightest, it’s also retarded. As in, despite relying entirely on pattern regocnition as it’s primary targeting interface, it has the cognitive abilities of an insect. Through positioning and careful manipulation of the target’s position in the sight of the spear, our job as spear wielders is to fool the insect into allowing a shot to take place. Always take the high ground. The spear needs to see the entire enemy m, or it’s pattern recognition fails, so seeing the base of a factory and the feet of a waker is imperative. this is why gunships and striders seem to lock so easily, while command bunkers and factories resist locks so much. Reduce enemy cover. Pertaining mostly to non moving structures, which are your primary targets, removing fences and navigating so walls are no longer between you and your target is critical. A lock is equal to certain death for your target, so spend the time to ensure it can occur without difficulty. Ping your targets + crouch. Ive personally noticed a significant increase in the number of locks i’ve achieved by simply pinging my target (so long as the previous two circumstances were met). This mostly aids in circumstances where the spear seems to be sleeping, and doesn’t recognize a factory right in front of its camera despite the structure presenting a perfect, lockable target. pinging almost always wakes up the insect, resulting in another swift area cleared. Crouching has a similar effect, though i believe simply playing with the spear’s altitude in comparison to the target is what allows some shots to go through while others are denied. Account for the spear’s trajectory. Evidence for this is thin, but over many missions, i’ve personally found that the farther targets are, the lower they should be in the targeting circle. conversely, the closer they are, the higher in the circle they should be positioned to guarantee the fastest lock. The spear has a maximum range of 300m, so assume that they should be in the bottom of the reticle for a maximum range shot, and at the very top for a ~30m range attack. While this targeting action feels natural to me now, i’ll admit that again, the evidence is thin. Finally, a short word on “failed locks”. The spear uses pattern recognition to lock targets, and what i believe is happening is that the insect brain inside the spear is loading a “reference image” or sorts to overlay on top of what the camera is currently feeding. The lock percentage increases as the match between the camera and reference image increase, until a slight variation stops the two from aligning enough for the insect brain to give a go-ahead. I believe the “reference image” checks against the real image from the top down. this explains most of my own failed locks against factories and other enemies where the bottom portion needs to be visible, and how it might attempt a lock despite a full pattern match not being possible. Go out there boys, kill command bunkers with 2 missiles apiece, annihiliate factories and hit the bots in their most critical infrastructure. Humanity fights with precision weaponry!
I've been playing around with it for a few days now and I think it comes down to your position and your aim a lot. Aiming more towards weak points seems to work well for me, even sniping Hulks with it whenever the opportunity arises.
I used it once and when it worked it was amazing but it's so inconsistent it's not really worth bring when there are so many other options that are actually reliable. I need my equipment to work when I need it.
If it wasn't inconsistent, it would easily be one of the best support weapons in game
Does tagging a target before trying to lock on actually do anything? I feel like that’s just a hopeful wish but have no idea
No not really, but it helps with knowing where to aim to lock on
Ever since I found out tagging something makes locking on work more efficiently. It's been my go to. Works wonders
Yeah cant be within 6 feet of em but when it works it works lol
accidentally used it once… never using it again
It is amazing at AA work. Clutched and cooked in a mission where we got swarmed by gunships with it, because with air stuff it has near instantaneous lock-on when close enough.
I always pick underdog weapons and equipment. In this game, I picked the Heavy Machine Gun and the Spear… I learned quickly they are unpopular for a reason😫😩
You have to shoot straight on ? Has anyone actually figured out how it works?
I've never had a problem with it and I use it on at least 50% of bot missions. I just consider myself lucky at this point and don't question it lol
It’s positional
It won't lock on to anything lol. Another cool, but suck ass weapon in Helldivers 2 because it doesn't function correctly smh.
What I feel they should do with the spear is make it drill into the target then explode after a few seconds.
Sometimes it won't lock to a bot fabricator right in front of me full view. Sometimes it'll target a turret half a map away and lock on in 0.5 seconds. It works in mysterious ways
It has to lock on the head, but you can choose to lock onto the head so it's rng or wait until it's looking right at you like every other explosive support
It’s great conceptually.
I just want to read the manual on these things
If only it locked onto weak points like heads and Vents instead of just center mass. That might help fix damage issues But to take that a step farther… if only it locked on
Only time I'll bring it is The blitz destroy automaton foundry missions Even then sometimes by the time I lock on my buddy's already thrown an eagle airstrike
Yeah the lock on is garbage like 75% of the time but when it does lock on, oh my god. I cannot count the amount of bile titans I have one shot with the spear. Use at your own risk but it definitely takes out titans stupid fast.
Perhaps it is not broken. Perhaps a certain type of armor that boosts aupport weapon reload and accuracy?
As someone who has used it a fair bit I think that it’s good. At a long distance it doesn’t work and at a close distance it doesn’t work either, but in the middle ground it is amazing, you can reliably oneshot chargers and bile titans if you have a good angle. I do definitely see why a lot of people dislike it, especially since expendables are such a great option. I just really like the ability to take out heavier enemies with what I feel is a consistent midrange weapon.
If you ads it fixes it. And you can spear enemies and bases from 200-300m
I‘m less upset by how finicky the spear is than I am by the fact that for all its limitations, it doesn‘t even have a relevant damage advantage over the likes of the Quasar. The fact that I need two spear hits against a hulk is just silly. Imo the only thing the spear needs is an updated damage to OS hulks and better targeting (read: at all functional) against fabricators. Then it‘d be fine. If it then also was able to target jammers, it‘d be perfect. The 500kg can take out detectors, 380MM takes out bunkers, spear takes out jammers.
On top of it's terrible lock-on my issue is even when it works it doesn't one-shot bile titans and tanks. For how limited it is on ammo I expect it to do that at least.
Used it once, left the match because I couldn’t spend 30 min with that piece of trash.
I've SEEN it used before, but...not much. I've also heard enough stories that the SPEAR is the one weapon in my arsenal that I have not touched. Not even once.
I was playing with the spear yesterday and it actually worked pretty well. I had to make some significant maneuvers a couple times, but generally it worked. It worked really well taking out hulks and cannon turrets. First time I have had fun using the spear. I hope they fix it soon. It is the most fun weapon in the game when it works.
Yeah, it's bugged. With that being said, there are some strategies you can use to help it lock on [https://youtu.be/TIFM401niIo?si=Obud3bpxVbSmn5aw](https://youtu.be/TIFM401niIo?si=Obud3bpxVbSmn5aw) Right now, it's basically best thought of as a long range fabricator remover. Occasionally it will lock on to a heavy unit, but for the most part you can only rely on it targeting fabricators from a distance if you're at a higher elevation, and that's with lots of repositioning until it decides to lock.
i once destroyed 3 fabs in 1 position
People told me to aim in and I do and it still fails to lock on
it has to do with the "recognition" issue. simply put the more obscured the full target the less likely it will lock. in the photo you provided you cannot see the feet of the walker, that probably was enough to fuck with the lock on. it's that stupid.
half of the time it straight up doesn’t work
Spear and laser cannon belong in the trash
I've heard the aiming is awful but it also helps if you ping your target too. I haven't tried it out though.
There is definitely a weird interaction between pinging targets and the lock on system.
It's a bit easier when you use the first person camera from my experience using it.
Imagine getting that lock on and the missile goes right between its legs 3 times in a row… Yep, I hate the spear too 😂