An advanced tutorial on Automatons | Helldivers 2

Will this tutorial help you defeat Automatons? Absolutely yes.
Is this tutorial good? Possibly the best I've ever made.
Is this tutorial fun? yes.
Part 2: • An advanced tutorial o...
I hope you join me for this latest experiment in deep diving a subject, especially one as interesting as this. I'm tying in historical concepts and modern ones. I leveraged Sun Tzu and an American 2007 infantry field manual along with a few other concepts to help provide you with some stellar tricks for handling bots. In this tutorial I cover Ambushes, Enfilade (or Enfilading fire rather), Terrain types, and strategic methods for attack as well as a build guide. Smelly bots can be easily defeated with this one simple trick.
Here are some guides I've personally found useful and think are worth the watch:
@Claysthetics
• The Best Way to Kill E...
@DownloadableContent
• You Are Fighting The A...
Thanks to:
My Subscribers and Viewers
The Redemptionists for always being so helpful
@TheWileSpice for some fun flamer footage
@cashcrop for the fabulous armor data
If you made it this far into the comment then you are worthy! I invite you to Reginald's Redemptionists (its a 40K joke). If you are interested just comment on this video and I will send you a bespoke link just for you.
#helldivers2 #helldivers2gameplay #suntzuquotes
00:00 Fun bit
00:11 Intro
01:04 Video Roadmap
01:53 Tutorial begins
02:09 The Ambush Section
02:40 Enfilading Fire
04:39 Target Selection
07:06 US Military Manual
07:27 Definitions on Ambushes
08:59 Ambush Methods
09:10 Linear Ambushes
09:37 L-Shaped Ambushes
10:10 Anti-Armor Ambushes
11:09 Bot sight-lines
11:20 Sun Tzu on the nature of military tactics
12:08 Build Guide
12:29 Offensive Gear
12:45 Why?
14:53 Terrain
16:17 Types of Terrain
16:35 Modifiers of Terrain
16:54 Explaining awareness of terrain and modifiers
17:40 Open Ground
17:55 Difficult Ground
18:18 Narrow Ground
18:39 Fortified Ground
19:10 Fighting where the enemy isn’t
19:31 Sun Tzu on outplaying bots
20:53 Applying it
21:59 Outro

[@AyvonKestrel]

it pains me when i see my team trying desperately to hold a single, pointless rock in the middle of an open field because one guy tried to solo a patrol and now half the automaton army is dropping on their heads. this video needs more traction!

[@MrHocotateFreight]

I do notice that as well. For me, it's the scale of enemies at difficulty 7 that makes me have to take a break, but my friends seem to cause their own despair Constantly starting battles, never clearing a wave before reinforcements are called, never destroying air-dropped enemies before they hit the ground On one hand, the bots suck to fight. On the other hand, my friends are NOT helping their own situations

[@rambo-cambo3581]

​@@MrHocotateFreight if you think the bots suck to fight, I tell you that's a massive skill issue Only reason people have a problem with bots is because unlike the bugs, they are not a pushover. They actually shoot back, and you actually have to think about how to engage them, and exercise some patience You're more than entitled to feel the way you do, but as someone who prefers fighting bots over the termanids, I think you're full of guff

[@matthewwolf90]

@@rambo-cambo3581he didn’t say it was a ridiculous challenge fighting the bots, he stated it’s a Pain when your teammates are just holding a single spot with No objective, only to try n fight off a Endless stream of black bloods, or even bugs. It’s a pointless, frustrating tactic too many HellDivers have to deal with, it either drains limited resources, waste time only making future waves harder as difficulty scales with time, or cost the team failure. Stop calling everything a “Skill Issue” it just comes off as cringe when you literally try and shoehorn it into Everything 🤣

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I'm not gonna lie, I'm absolutely guilty of doing this which is one reason why I thought to make this video. Pinned.

[@Echo_Online]

A lot of people wanna trade shots out in the open and don't realise you can skedaddle and fight from a better position

[@bottheskitarii8881]

When you're playing helldivers so much that your learning fucking military strategies. We salute you helldiver

[@Jay-si8xb]

Reminds me of some people who play 22:39 War Thunder a bit

[@Jay-si8xb]

Oops didn’t know I added a timestamp

[@Hebdomad7]

For Democracy!

[@mclovin2408]

Screw strategy, stratagem your way out of every problem, all the strategy you need is where to throw that ⬆️➡️⬇️⬇️⬇️ don’t be a stratagizer, be a strategemizer, just blow things up and don’t think so hard about it.

[@knpark2025]

TIL there is a real word for "Cross the T but on land".

[@deanofett]

Whos the absolute madman thats running flamethrower on bots.

[@thathandsomedevil0828]

😂😂😂😂

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thats The Wile Spice. He's a buddy from our Darktide days and also has a KZbin channel. He is thinking of doing a tutorial on them and the first step is F-ing around to find out as they say. Honestly I couldn't cut those clips, looked really cool.

[@deanofett]

@@Reginald-sc9tk he's incredible based for doing so, it was so cool.

[@nurgle333]

I took flamethrower+shield by accident once because I thought we were fighting bugs lol it was not trash actually

[@sirrealism7300]

​​​@Reginald-sc9tk you have no idea how incredibly fun shield and smg is now that the shields been buffed. You can stand in front of those machine gun tanks and force them to turn around for your team to hit their backside. You're the frontliner. Also you can act as cover for your team by standing next to them as everyone runs. Just make sure you have the bots on your left side and you should block 90% of incoming shots. (Oh my bad I see you made a video on it lol. But the buff makes it arguably better than the energy shield on bots now if you run smg.)

[@eliaspanayi3465]

"The sneaky guy, does not die" - sun tzu, the art of war

[@exqueue3813]

"Scout armor OP", Sun Tzu probably

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

This dude definitely gets it

[@sicariusdracus]

❤

[@KoishiVibin]

"O divine art of subtlety and secrecy! Through you we learn to be invisible, through you inaudible; and hence we can hold the enemy's fate in our hands." ...yeah p much lol

[@Rylo1101]

“Stop making quotes I never said” - Sun Tzu, the Art of War

[@roomtempwater1]

I think it’s really cool that Arrowhead has managed to create a silly horde shooter that’s also a tactical military extraction shooter

[@fatrat600284]

It's neither of those, it's just helldivers, it's a very simple game at it core, but they just made a coop shooter and the systems that go with it and let the players pick how they want to play.

[@chip6933]

⁠​⁠@@fatrat600284it's both of those things he said. Nothing about Helldivers is simple though, it has so many different complex layers to its missions with the stratagem system that I don't see how you could think that

[@uncleulysses2328]

@@fatrat600284you literally said what he said with extra steps somehow disagreeing. Go to bed lmfao

[@fatrat600284]

@@uncleulysses2328 Yeah, thanks for reminding me, i should go to sleep.

[@uncleulysses2328]

@@fatrat600284 ❤️

[@jovifidelis]

Bugs: Haha, gun go brrrrrrrrrrr and bug go splash. Bots: We must learn the art of war to best counter them. always take cover, atack them when least expect it, cheese through the objectives with our strategems, and we must evitate the millions of rockets.

[@kes_poco]

Bots: Glowing weak spots and carefully designed weaknesses to promote strategy and counterplay. Narrow cones of telegraphed vision and alert voice lines to encourage stealth, and few but specialized unit types making strategic snipers not just viable but often necessary. Bugs: Bring a bigger gun and fire hoping the problem will go away. Any strategy you have goes out the window when the horde of bile titans are alerted by infinitely spawning invisible stalkers smelling you from across the map. Violates every rule in the Geneva convention because they're bugs and don't give a damn.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

- and all of that is a good thing

[@TotPocket]

​@Reginald-sc9tk 100%. Both factions bring a different, not necessarily easier, playstyle to the game. The folks complaining about bots probably just got mowed down because they were trying to fight the bots the same way you fight the bugs, by staying on the move in wide open spaces

[@thebaddestguy]

everybody gangsta until the hive guard calls in 3 titans and more hunters than you have bullets

[@panzer00]

Is it really cheese, though?

[@7fatrats]

The fact that picking your battles is considered "cheese" by some is pure bug mission helldiver type shit lmao

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I think its more just hucking stratagems into bases and leaving that is "cheese"

[@Scarletraven87]

It's cheese to me when you remove the randomness factor, which in this game takes the form of any enemy alertion. Because base guards will always guard the same spots, so if you can solo-sneak inside a base and quietly complete the objective at the terminal you can do it one million more times and it will always be the same. Zero variation, zero unpredictability, and boredom rises.

[@dillbourne]

​@@Reginald-sc9tk I just hear "Valid military tactic" :D

[@jamesfoy4341]

@@Reginald-sc9tk We call that "a proportional response"

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

Reminds me if lethal mode in state of decay 2 The game can be obnoxiously easy but when you crank up the difficulty, THE most important skill is to learn when to run away

[@TheWileSpice]

Happy to have cameo'd as a Pyromaniac taking the Flamethrower into Automatons haha. Very nice video!

[@tropius8163]

You’re a real one for that. I often used the breaker incendiary before the recent buff, but you take it to the next level of badassery!

[@StabbyCel]

thank you for your patriotic service o7

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Those clips had real aesthetics. I especially like the strider kills

[@Wolf37f]

You're insane. Lol

[@mustang_5197]

giga based

[@sirrealism7300]

My favorite is when I ping a bot patrol on helldive to warn my team and they take it as a sign to shoot them.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

This statement is extremely real.

[@bryanzzz748]

that’s why i follow the lead of whoever decides to ping; if i see that you ping and are running past the patrol, i’ll follow. but if i hear the ping followed by shooting, best believe im engaging. i also make sure that if im pinging i run around the patrol as best as i can and hope the rest of the squad gets it

[@InvaderTroy]

hey if they wanna bait the drop to let me go press objectives then I say more power to em

[@frumsmcnoodles323]

@@bryanzzz748 If I see the team make a terrible engage, I'm breaking LOS so I can reinforce them in a safe location 10 seconds later.

[@kylestanley7843]

​@@frumsmcnoodles323 Same. Call me a bad team player, but when an objective is done I'm gone regardless of how many bots and how many divers are brawling. They keep the bots distracted, I go off and do something that needs doing. I can't tell you how many times I've zipped away from an engagement mid-fight using the jump pack and scout armor.

[@fatrat600284]

Holy shit, a Helldivers youtuber that isn't just reading reddit posts or making click bait videos of the same NEW META OP BROKEN weapon videos for the 10000 time. Good work, it seems like you actually understand the game beyond just it being a "horde shooter."

[@Notsuperpopular]

Ikr thank God, I've blocked more channels in the last 2 weeks than I do in a year from the amount of pop up channels that share obvious lore or useless information you get from standing around your ship for 30 seconds 😂 either clipboard lady or the guy waiting at the map are constantly spewing exposition, which I love but doesn't need a whole 1 minute short made about a 4 second line being presented as new info

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Sorry it took so long to get to this comment. I am very happy to have provided a higher quality viewing experience. Personally it came out of the exact same frustration. As much as I make videos I also watch them like everyone else and I wanted someone to go deeper and give me more. I probably went overboard but at least it was fun. Can't wait to make the next one! Though after the warbond tomorrow ;)

[@fatrat600284]

@@Reginald-sc9tk No, no not at all, you did not go overboard, i really like this style, maybe you could make more in this style, maybe not all the time, but i really like the more in-depth takes on this game you have.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

@fatrat600284 Thanks very much! I'll take your feedback to heart.

[@probablypragmatic6893]

@@Reginald-sc9tk This wasn't overboard, you didn't take yourself too seriously or sound pretentions. Keep up the good work my dude

[@basedSHARK]

I was reminded of my favorite quote the other day when my friends and I were holding a position against a bot drop and I was taking the anti-armor role with EAT-17s, but our positioning was poor and my friend kept getting hit by the exhaust from my rocket launchers. "Watch the backblast, idiot" - Sun Tzu

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Remember you need at least 8 feet of space and an open door to fire an EAT-17 indoors! - Sun Tzu

[@OPgamingstyle]

My friends constantly dying to back blast is the exact reason I've just been taking the railgun. Still takes out the heavies which is what they want me for since I'm the one that can hit the heads best out of our group. Now they don't die to back blast but the one time my friend ran in front of me right as I was firing and the others were like "Don't step in front of the barrel moron!"

[@SepticFuddy]

Boy you guys really have your teammates up your ass. Never once had a problem with backblast in HD2. If they're that close you're blocking each others' lines of fire anyway and creating sweet explosives opportunities for the enemy

[@ostrich00]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate that they actually programmed back blast as well.

[@hellspawn236sk]

so many of the people i play with complain that i "run away" when we get dropped on. tactically retreating and flanking/enveloping from behind left/right of the group are always the best options no matter what firefight you get into. i was infantry in the USMC, and you explained all of this all beautifully.

[@xhappybunnyx]

Had a great time solo last night heavily leaning on the "prepare to run away" strat. Lured plenty of heavy armor to the rocket turret i left on the hill where I had come in; made it very easy to trail everything I needed straight to it then turn and go right back!

[@thebulletkin8393]

Kiting is something lots of people who play games like this intuitively learn, I can see why some folks drop into this game and expect it to turn out like that ‘man on the hill with the big machine gun fending off hordes’, but coming from deep rock that playstyle simply isn’t viable. We need vids like these so these folks can at least understand what it’s we are trying to do.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thank you so much for the compliment on my explanations. I am hoping to talk about flanking/enveloping and other manuevers in the next one. Might be a bit though, these take a lot of time. I hope other players see this video and stop giving you a hard time on "running away" because taking bad fights is just dying for no reason.

[@leadpaintchips9461]

Honestly it's like people forget that we get no rewards for killing. That patrol will despawn, the enemies will drop aggro if you drop site to them, and only like 2 unit types can keep up with a 'Diver in medium armor. If things get hairy, we should just leave. If we absolutely need to pick up something in the area (like samples or a SSSD) we can always come back.

[@ExtraRaven_]

@@leadpaintchips9461 counterpoint, the reward is fun. however yea it just gets too much eventually

[@binnieb173]

I haven't heard about enfilading fire in 20 years... Thank you for bring that gem back up from my machine gunning days.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

My pleasure. In fact if you keep an eye out in a few examples I use for footage one of my friends found an MG on the ground and was using it. Very satisfying.

[@01_zenyobi]

​@@Reginald-sc9tk Cant wait to start playing HMG Emplacement ambush attack to automatons.

[@Grafvollundr]

Same Heavy weapons win battles

[@binnieb173]

@@Grafvollundr well, artillery is the queen of battle :)

[@steventhornhill6335]

@@binnieb173nice try cupcake. Infantry is always the queen. Artillery will always remain the king and save the queen when she bites off more than she can chew.

[@doomzdaygaming5868]

I like how the Sun Tzu quote about water is just "Don't be stubborn and don't attack a stronger enemy, doofus" 11:20

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I mean, yea pretty much. Though I would say that specific quote is more about "stop being dumb and just throwing dudes at the problem and actually look at what your enemy is doing"

[@AlkisGD]

@@Reginald-sc9tk Russia in WW2: "So, anyway..."

[@synapse0]

It's the most important lesson for Helldivers. Most of the heavy losses I see are because people got pinned in a fight and didn't realize disengaging is an option AND the primary way to create a different tactical scenario.

[@doomzdaygaming5868]

@@synapse0 I had a scenario recently playing with my friends where we tried to clear a stratagem jammer and we lost most of our reinforces, but the moment we spread out to complete the rest of the objectives, it was smooth sailing. It's the ability to recognize a lost battle, and to move on that is so difficult

[@leadpaintchips9461]

TBF that's most of his writing, "Don't be stubborn! Pride doesn't win wars.".

[@Milk_Man990]

First helldivers video I've watched that genuinely helps with strategy without just saying "use this gun or armor". And this is saying a lot because I've seen tons of vids on this topic.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I'm very glad to contribute to breaking that chain.

[@firewalkwithjuno5421]

Enfilading fire but able to be understood in 1 minute, already can tell this is gonna be a good one

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

This is a high compliment for my work, thank you

[@Neo2266.]

Love it when a teammate positions himself in an open area and starts taking out a shield rocket boi, ignoring the regural bots and having 4 ships summoned onto him as a result

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Is this the famed self-deleting ground?

[@warmechanic8186]

You've pretty much hit the nail on the head here. I've been running a Defensive Trench doctrine whenever I've played for the past month now (digging cover with explosives to augment my teams power), and I fully agree with every point you've raised about terrain. I'm surprised less people like bots, it makes for such a cool tactical theater.

[@orionstokesweiss2344]

Bots are just irritating for a new or casual player. Most weapons do not damage them, and most of the objectives are very finicky. Bugs you can be effective with a diverse range of tools and strategies and are not forced into a narrow range of options

[@ethanalspencer7294]

A lot of times in games when it’s advertised that you need to change up your tactics or build based on what you’re facing it’s pretty much just fluff and there’s still an objectively best way to play every time. Arrowhead has aggressively made sure that that’s not the case and you do need to change up your tactics and build based on what you’re facing and even what mission type. A lot of people aren’t used to that but I find it wonderful when you learn to accept it as it makes your whole arsenal feel more worth having.

[@ghoulbuster1]

YOU CAN DIG HOLES?

[@burbs1101]

@@ghoulbuster1 Im seconding this comment! I imagine either an explosive stratagem, grenade, support weapon, I don't know. But please, what are you doing specifically to be running TACTICAL TRENCH WARFARE???? I NEED ANSWERS!!

[@leadpaintchips9461]

@@orionstokesweiss2344 Every primary that I've used can drop infantry and devastators. Only a couple can drop walkers head on (you can still flank) and their heavy armor. I've had more success with a wider variety of weapons against bots then bugs. Horde clear can still work against bots (as you can see with the flamethrower in the video) and they have more spots that you can just shoot to kill with light armor penetrating weapons.

[@HalFromTartary]

“I love attacking my enemy where he is…” *checks notes* “Unpraired?” Absolutely great guide though, this was so fascinating, I cannot wait for the next one

[@jeffsorrows]

Yep saw that too 19:39

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

cursed typos. Or whatever my hands were doing at the time.

[@jeffsorrows]

@@Reginald-sc9tk ita alright not every HellDiver is given the privilege of Managed Grammacracy

[@undertaker2766]

One thing I'll say is if your comfortable playing without the backpack shield generator consider bringing the shield dome. Very nice to use in a team

[@rambo-cambo3581]

Doesn't last long, and 9/10 on higher difficulties you need to move constantly, you really shouldn't be standing anywhere that long that isn't an objective And ngl when I'm attacked on difficulty 9 at an objective, the most efficient thing is to leave and drag the aggro elsewhere And the bots and bugs on higher difficulties swarm you easily, no bubble shield is going to save you from that CQB. Once they're in there bubble is useless.

[@undertaker2766]

@@rambo-cambo3581 it's for bots for sure. I suppose un the last difficultiescitz not as good, it always helped us on extractions and siege positions

[@noteansylvan6051]

Actually, a lot of enemies will aggro your shield generator before you, so you can use it as bait and drop a 500kg on it to kill the entire bunch

[@cabbage712]

​@@rambo-cambo3581shield is great even on higher difficulties (8-9) it makes it 10x easier to run across a small bit of open terrain and retreat and also tends to save a lot of stims

[@chamberlane2899]

Can work well as an opener on kill bot missions since movement is pretty restricted anyway, and can allow the powerhouse that is the heavy machine gun turret to do its thing. You can often get through half of the kill quota in the first few minutes. The short cooldown can also give you a bit of respite when you really need it.

[@Dr_Speedy]

As an experienced bot player who hard carries randoms; this video is excellent. The tactics here will really get you places. The emphasis on ambushes is great. The loadout is pretty much the same as what I use with exception of armor. You will benefit greatly from light armor, but only after you learn to survive. The scorcher primary can be really good if you have a team ripe with sickles, but if not the sickle is the best all arounder. Stealth and knowing when to engage/retreat are key. I'd also highly suggest dropping the super samples near extract. Even S-tier players die and can't recover gear sometimes. It's ok; just get your main objective done and continue to spread freedom, peace, prosperity and extreme managed democracy throughout the galaxy

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

The tips you've added here are excellent. I'm especially fond of "you will benefit greatly from light armor, but only after you learn to survive." I think that's pretty much what I was getting at and said more concisely.

[@xhappybunnyx]

legit just learned last night you can drop off samples; this makes late game so much less stressful hoping your rando squad doesn't leave you for dead. With some proper planning, now they can afford to!

[@nisviik]

You captured my full attention when you started quoting the US Military Manual. This was probably the most entertaining and informative video I've watched about Helldivers. Also I now want an in game title called "Heaven-born Captain".

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Very glad I did! I wanted to add some depth to the conversation.

[@ClintonRivas]

This is amazing. I love the incorporation of real military strategy. I'm a USMC Infantry vet and I think you did a solid job handling infantry doctrine. Good work!

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I take this as high praise, thank you very much!

[@ClintonRivas]

@@Reginald-sc9tk I haven't heard "L shaped ambush" or "enfilading fire" in years, and it was soothing to my soul. I think it speaks to both the quality of this game and the quality of your channel that the tactics can be applied so well to Helldivers. I hope your channel grows! I already shared the video with all my diving buddies on Discord.

[@tacticalpause3767]

Oorah. 3/7 wpns company here

[@ClintonRivas]

@@tacticalpause3767 Rah, devil. 3/9 Lima Company, Designated Marksman.

[@shermhart7617]

SFMF 3/8 Lima here

[@TheIvanMilky]

This first point about flanking is massive for people who struggle with bots, the way I simplify it in my head is I ideally want to flank the bots and bottle neck the bugs

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thats very much right

[@ghillysniper45]

I think it's wonderful that the bots and bugs require such different tactics, bots: method over sheer power. Bugs: sheer power over method. I love the difference in how the engagements are handled and arrowhead knocked it out of the park

[@tommywilkinson33]

It’s funny, I’ve never heard of enfilade before this, but that’s the strategy I generally always use against bots because it just naturally puts me out of focus for the bots and where I can more easily hit their weak spots. Props to this game to encouraging actual, real world military strategy.

[@zquerdo3479]

I have another pro tip for you fellas. If you want to do good, find what you like and are comfortable with. I’m most comfortable with the standard issue armor because it looks cool. I often do better when I wear this armor because I like it. If you like something weird in this game or something that isn’t inherently useful, rock it. It’s amazing how much of this game is mental over skill.

[@xhappybunnyx]

As someone who likes making video games I have been taking SO many notes from Arrowhead. The amount of tools at your disposal and how weirdly effective a large combination of them are is definitely keeping the playerbase fresh and happy

[@TheJestersDoor]

Jetpack+Grenade Launcher ❤️‍🔥

[@OPgamingstyle]

I was struggling with light armor because my friends were all using it to get around quicker so I used it to keep up. Came to realize that whenever we get into a gunfight that we can't easily back out of I'm usually trying to draw the aggro. Once I made the switch to heavy armor and the deployable shield my gameplay became so much better.

[@eke4146]

@@TheJestersDoor thats a battlefront 2 player right there

[@phoenixguild8375]

19:37 - All warfare is based. - Sun Tzu

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Based. - Sun Tzu

[@KAEFARIK]

"Heaven and Earth and Earth and Heaven, and when 'one' knows Heaven Earth Heaven - earTH HHeaven Heavearth eareven hevereneartheheaven" - Sun Tzu ...and the hipsters go WILD!!!

[@lebitelexie9350]

Light armor with the Scout (aka stealth) passive is great for hit and run tactics. The enemy won't notice you from afar and you can sneak quite close so you can have the drop on them then sprint away, break line of sight and disappear until the spot calms down. The map ping passive is great for scouting ahead and see enemy positions before even getting there. Perfect for guerilla warfare with stuff like the Quasar and Autocannon that can pop fabricators and heavy enemies. Heavy and Medium armors are great when you will go toe to toe with the bots with the intention of wreckingball through them! In fact, when we play harder difficulties, we have a healthy mix of armor types and stratagems with us. 2 or 3 player equipped to deal with threats face to face. 1 or 2 player equipped for blitzing around, flanking, ambushing, sneak completing objectives and looting. A great deal of objectives can be completed mostly silently by a helldiver or two while the rest raises hell elsewhere. If the enemy called in reinforcement at the loud team, the sneaky team won't need to worry about them cause its on cooldown. Orbital Laser is my favorite fire and forget weapon against automatons. Sneak in, toss it into the enemy base / objective, let it wreck havoc then kick down the doors and finish the stragglers!

[@Yogowafel]

Ghostdiver all day. "Aggresive stealth" playstyle is so underrated

[@eliaspanayi3465]

I'm a solo and this is exactly how I like to play

[@sirrealism7300]

Isn't this the meta?

[@lebitelexie9350]

@@sirrealism7300 Not sure. Its just a versatile playstyle which you can further toy with depending on the weapons and Stratagems of your choices. Nothing is set in stone.

[@xhappybunnyx]

unlocked orbital laser last night, took it for a spin on some smaller targets early in the mission, slowly get in the shit, realize orbital laser only has 3 uses, *skull*

[@Vixcis]

Very nice video good sir, it really changes on those "ULTIMATE LOADOUT" videos around there.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thank you! That's precisely what I was hoping to achieve

[@elliotnemeth]

I absolutely love that this game is sophisticated enough to benefit from real world combat strategy. I'm gonna send this to my squad so we can start practicing tactics

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Me too! It's super fun and just adds to the fun of playing it.

[@dr.1277]

This game is going to make us into military academists without even hitting our 30’s

[@Hawkeye_PC]

As a Certified Creek Crawler I cannot give this better praise. I frequently drop on pug games and as just one man do more damage in the same amount of time then it takes 3 pugs going hog wild, as they are attracting all the heat while I'm methodically picking apart base after base after POI 90% of the time hitting them without them knowing I was there. Pick your fights and don't fuss over the chaff is what I try to tell anyone I'm teaching to deal with Bots. if it isn't sitting on an objective it can more often then not be ignored. and if it can't be that's when you lay the hammer down. and as you preached in the video. pick off the weak boys first then mop up the fat boys who can't scream.

[@xCCflierx]

The radar armour is a godsend for patrols. Ping the entire area to measure a patrol

[@zaniatnik]

Helps find stashes, too. Ping a random area. Static enemies? They are guarding something. And usually they do not guard worthless stuff.

[@kylestanley7843]

I have the Nuclear Radar ship upgrade and I often bring the UAV booster when I can afford to. Let me tell you dude, I can see everything and avoid it before it becomes a problem. Stealth has never been so easy.

[@commandercors]

Advice I want to give from trying out heavy armor last night is to be very aware you are going to be slower than the rest of the team. If they are randoms, they will leave you behind/ you’ll get caught by a patrol your squad sneaks by cause you can’t keep up. Move proactively and first. Avoid being the rearguard.

[@King.-Arthur]

Yeah I like to take the ballistic shield and draw devastator fire so the team can take them out easier, but it's tough to get in front in the first place with the heavy armor if I'm not leading the way to the fight.

[@ghoulbuster1]

Heavy armor and a sniper and become the teams head popper and elite eliminator.

[@leviboley]

Taking the jump pack can help mitigate this

[@KoishiVibin]

imo heavy armor should probably be across the board for assault action except for your machinegunner. the guy who's gonna be taking a good position needs mobility, so infiltrator or trailblazer. violence of action should suffice for sheer protection, and ideally the guy with the light armor has an e-shield to absorb incidental hits without needing to interrupt for healing. i think the pointdiver might wanna consider the ballistic shield? but its not an excuse to take fire tbh, more to make sure you can tackle a position w/ more confidence.

[@sinteleon]

Being the rearguard is sometimes fun though, though it helps to take a completely separate route as well (partially because you got split up by a patrol but still)

[@deadeyecpt.7765]

I've been doing this out of habit since my days on Battlefield 4 yet never realised they were actual military stuff. Helldivers 2 brought me back to the boots on the ground experience that I had kind of forgot about for the past 4 or 5 years.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I've heard similar things from various people. Codification of instinct often allows higher efficiency.

[@hotpenguin607]

Its rare to find a guide that teaches tactics and strategies instead of tips and tricks Well done Edit: Been applying the things I learnt here and found great success, its actually fun for a Bug Squasher like me to fight bots now 🤣

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I'm glad I got to your post after your edit. Thanks so much for letting me know this guide helped you have more fun, that was exactly why I made it.

[@camolotthe42]

I try to flee when I realize that I'm not fighting for anything. The more you flee when you realize you're not achieving anything, the more you become used to thinking like that- disengaging and re-engaging when it suits you to do so. Unless you get pinned behind a single piece of cover, being flanked by rocket and heavy devastators, with your team trying to open a friendship door a klick away. At that point you might as well throw out whatever stratagems you have and think of England.

[@Chimerathon]

The concept of enfilading fire is very important for the use of the new HMG. People complain that it doesn't have enough ammo, which is arguably true, but one 75 round magazine is easily all you need to devastate huge groups of bots so long as you are positioned to rake the column with enfilading fire. I've gotten over 20 kills with one mag just sweeping it over a group of clumped soldier bots, very satisfying.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

How does it compare in this role to the MG43? I'm sure it's the appropriate way to use the HMG but I'm just curious. I've only heard negative things so far and haven't used it much.

[@Chimerathon]

@@Reginald-sc9tk I find that the mg43 requires much more aiming at specific targets and jumping between, while HMG is more of a bullet laser beam that you can drag over weaker enemies and kill them with very little thought as you transition between enemies that have heavier armor. The best reason to bring HMG is because of its vastly greater armor penetration, it can engage a wider range of targets and dispatch them faster, even including the hulk, as it can penetrate the faceplate. HMG is still hard to recommend due to how unwieldy it is, but between the two weapons I personally prefer HMG over MG43 for bots quite easily.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

@@Chimerathon ok cool, I will give it a shot one of these times.

[@zaniatnik]

@@Reginald-sc9tkI’d say the HMG is a compromise between dedicated AI and dedicated AT. MG-43 takes about as much time to dispatch infantry as HMG, but is far more wieldy, has way better recoil control and has more ammo. Proper AT does a far better job at taking out heavies. But HMG is better than nothing when you planned to do anti-infantry and suddenly bump into a Hulk.

[@OPgamingstyle]

@@Reginald-sc9tk The MG43 can't take out the devastators easily. There is a video somewhere explaining that it deals 50% damage to medium armor whereas the MG206 does 100% damage. So in patrols with mostly troopers the MG43 is better because of the increase in ammo but the MG206 is better for patrols with more medium armored enemies. The sights are not aligned correctly though and the reticle is far off from where the bullet traces are going when firing more than one round at a time. Just go into a mission or two and get used to where the tracers are going. I find if you ignore the dot and look squarely in the center of the sight ring you will hit your mark more often than not if you can compensate for the recoil.

[@slyllamademon2652]

I actually learned about enfilading fire before I knew what it was called. I learned this playing gears of war 2, where cover is the most important resource. It is especially effective when you have a weapon that can provide sustained fire or damage multiple opponents at once.

[@jonnymo1976]

Same here. Most of my flanking instincts were honed to a razors edge playing Gears of War & is now coming in very handy in another 3rd person shooter like Helldivers 2.

[@-The-Golden-God-]

Bots? Never heard of them

[@Thatdude126]

As someone who’s in the military it’s really cool seeing everyone learn small squad tactics

[@jackknight1899]

An advantage when fighting bot unlike bugs is that YOU CAN OUTRUN THEM but extremely hard to OUTGUN THEM Meanwhile with bugs, YOU CAN OUTGUN THEM but quite hard to OUTRUN THEM

[@much7395]

You are the biggest blessing to the HD2 community that I am aware of

[@archbishopTL1]

There’s something that just hits different when you enter a lobby with randoms that are willing to strategize. The amount of insane plays you can pull off like baiting entire hoards of enemies to chase one or two people, or funneling them into a choke point with fire/gas from behind while your allies fuck em up from the front.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Its very fun, and kinda why I made this video. Bots allow you to choose to play a deeper game if you want.

[@TheEpicPancake]

I'm a noob with less than 10 hours in the game, but it's satisfying to see my intuitions about fighting the automatons being validated. Bugs feel like a horde shooter, and automatons feel much more guerilla and tactical. It's a fantastic paring of play flavors, honestly, and I very much understand why people either gravitate towards one or the other. They feel *very* distinct.

[@MalumNecessarium]

Hearing about Sun Tzu in relation to Helldivers was both unexpected and very pleasant, given I’ve read the Art of War myself and try to use my understanding of it while playing

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed that section and that you've also tried to apply it. I think its a remarkably fun exercise.

[@rykenxiv]

Military tactics, history, and practical knowledge to use in the field. If this was out and available for all Helldivers during the first week, Melevolon Creek might have been overtaken then! Excellent video - made me think about my own tactics in my games (only for other teammates to throw a wrench into the plans by blowing my position or pulling aggro when we are at a disadvantageous position...)

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thanks so much! I wish I had had the idea for this sooner but at least it's out for the final push on phase 4 of the major order against filthy bot scum. My hope is that if this guide gains a bit of traction we will see a bit more of random players playing sharply. Personally I've seen some great and some not so great randoms. Also we still gotta get that game in! I've been heads down this week but I'll ping you this weekend.

[@rinnolkrinnolks984]

This one has been super fun. Like trivia+advice+thoughts is a good mix.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thank you very much!

[@Commander_Appo]

19:16 “It’s always stuck out at me in one the most interesting things in Sun Tzu’s treaties; ‘Orbital Barrage incoming’.”

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Orbital quotation barrage incoming

[@PongPogPonderan]

It goes to show. When shooting bots. I focus on turning every rocket bot into molten slag, shouting "GO BURN OUT YOUR FUSE SOMEHWERE ELSE ROCKET MAN!"

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

The real question is can you shoot Rockets out of the air and if not why not

[@caerphoto]

@@Reginald-sc9tk it wouldn't surprise me if it's actually technically possible, it's just way too hard in practice due to their size and speed.

[@JudgeNicodemus]

"Watch out for those (wrist) rockets!" Just like in the simulations!

[@totsugekiii]

This is so, so much better than just some guy telling you what equipment to use where. Even having adjusted to bots a bit more, helps a lot to have some of these ideas and strategies put into words in addition to expanding on them a little, great work on the video!

[@EXPLODINGMELONHEAD]

i'm a level 102 bot specialist, i've killed over 85000 automatons in my 300+ in-mission hours, and even i learned some really useful information from this video if this video had a sequel, i'd definitely recommend covering some eagle smoke strike strategies. great for evasive maneuvers, flanking maneuvers, covering an advance into enemy bases, blinding a tank so you can flank, and especially getting the super samples from near the pelican to inside the pelican when surrounded by enemy forces. again though, fantastic video, worth every minute of the watch even for a crusty diver like me.

[@coleostimie9725]

The new airburst launcher is perfect for opening an ambush because it usually takes out the ones who can shoot flares and leaves the heavier bots without support

[@refresh4736]

Best tips I have for solo play/playing with randoms at high difficulty are: Take eagle airstrike. It is the most versatile stratagem. Use it on fabricators when attacking outposts or bot drops when defending at a main objective. Its got 3 uses and its rearm cooldown is low even after you use them all. 80% of the time you can destroy a light or medium outpost by just chucking one at the fabricator without having to fire a single shot at the defenders. Grenades are great for clearing out groups of enemy infantry quickly, prevent bot drops from larger infantry groups by hitting as many as possible with a grenade and quickly cleaning out the rest with your primary before they can react. Don't fight when you don't have to. Scout armor is amazing for this reason, the passive decrease in detection radius, extra mobility, and ability to ping the map are in combination far better than more armor, the easiest way to avoid dying is to control which fights you actually take, being slow and not knowing where their patrols are coming from/what corridors are clear to maneuver through is going to get you killed more than random one-shots are, especially if you have the shield pack and health booster to insulate against them. Always be ready to disengage fights. Bots are slow, especially compared to scout armor. You can outrun them easily. Break line of sight and double back once they have split off the objective you are looking to attack. Shield pack, Breaker, and Railgun are still extremely effective against bots even after the nerfs. Sweep around and kill the small groups of infantry on the outskirts of main objectives before starting them, otherwise they will get caught in fights and you will have more bot drops than you can deal with. Orbital laser or 380s are good for clearing a main objective/heavy outpost before moving into it if you have 4 stratagem slots. Tell your squadmates what you plan to do and what they should do. People often listen even if they don't have a mic to respond, and even some very minimal guidance can make your squad much more effective. This goes double if you are running scout armor, call out incoming patrols and use waypoints to navigate your squad around them.

[@DownloadableContent]

Thanks for the shout out mate! I appreciate it.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Absolutely, and thank you for your solid and concise tutorial that was easy to follow and had lots of very solid tips. I am glad it seems to have performed very well.

[@Roobotics]

22:40 Tank: "I shot you off my comrade." Helldiver: "Nah you just shot your comrade, I'm still here."

[@xdSuXide]

Imagine making this video but we already have erradicated automs xD

[@sanikku7359]

Good video, most of my friends already fight like this so there's not much I can take; however I do have something I can add that I've told them to do themselves. At 17:41, you mention that open ground has “no cover.” While that’s factually correct, I like to say that it's not true. You see, the game’s terrain is deformable, and there’s a cool little known real-life technique called “micro-cover.” When you lie prone on a flat surface, it you can see all sorts of bumps and irregularities. If you’ve called in an orbitals or thrown grenades during combat, you’ve created some of those deformations yourself, and if the crater is deep enough, it can serve as cover. Bots aren’t usually very accurate too so by going prone inside one, you can establish a small, fortified position and avoid getting instantly killed. It's really good for bounding from point A to point B. I’ve found that using micro-cover is only a bad idea when facing Hulks, Meatsaws, or Tanks. However, against Striders, Walkers, and Devastators, it’s a blessing; assuming they're not too close to you. Of course, you should know when to use this tactic and normally diving into an empty field will lead to your doom, but it helps. Also, for clarification on how deep a crater should be in game, if in first person prone, the crater everything slightly under the middle of the screen (so like 35-40% obscured), that's good enough. The deeper the better of course.

[@uncleulysses2328]

This is something that I’m surprised a lot of people haven’t clued into yet. The bots are basically fucked if you head glitch them and laying prone makes your hit box from the front the size of a basketball making anything but rockets miss you 90% of the time. as long as whatever is infront of me isn’t completely flat literally anything is usable cover for bots and so many people die not using it to their advantage

[@unrelentingduress]

I find that if you go prone the bots just instantly headshot you more often. However if you go prone parallel to the enemy some of the bullets hit your body rather than just like homing on your head. For that reason I always die of to the side.

[@Menkhu]

This was a million times better than I expected! Educational, entertaining, and well structured! You have truly gone beyond.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thanks so very much!

[@ShawlyWereGaming]

Perhaps the best tactical advice to give to players is "Hard to kill =/= Largest Threat"

[@ZeroMaddok]

Enfilading fire effectiveness is why the Eagle Strafe is the most underrated strategem in the game. Only fodder can call in drops. Strafe wipes out all fodder in a patrol. No more bot drops.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Does it strike before the bots can launch flares? Because red beams make angry bots generally.

[@xhappybunnyx]

@@Reginald-sc9tkime eagle's go off before flares do, pairs well with getting their attention and picking a few off while keeping them still

[@the_dugster]

@@Reginald-sc9tk It's the fastest Eagle strike, and does land faster than they launch flares (assuming you aren't seen). I usually follow it with a frag grenade or 2, just to be sure.

[@ZeroMaddok]

@Reginald-sc9tk Yes. The range is longer than you'd expect, too. You can start the run from pretty far away from the patrol. The tail of the run will catch them. If things go bad, you are far enough to disengage easily.

[@ZeroMaddok]

I'll add, it takes practice to know the AOE, both width and length. After a few days, you should be able to anticipate who it's going to hit. You can already know who's left to target. Bonus reason it's underrated: With practice, it's almost impossible to teamkill. It fires almost immediately. You can drop it at your feet, take two steps back, and be perfectly fine. Worst I've gotten is a little ragdoll once from trying to prove to a friend how close to the beam you can stand.

[@lohwentao707]

Automatons are so much more easier if you go for stealth. But my trigger-happy teammates think otherwise

[@kylestanley7843]

A lot them will say some shit like _"JuSt LeT mE hAvE mY fUn"_ bro there is no way you are having fun getting combo'd with rocket devastators in mid-air.

[@user-zp4ge3yp2o]

They obviously are having fun if they keep doing it ​@@kylestanley7843

[@jojonr619]

I love listening to this kind of stuff like a podcast while working. Good info.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

As a big long podcast listener myself I take this as a high compliment. Thanks

[@Pootytooty]

I typically choose an armor with Democracy Protects. I do this both because I have a gambling addiction and because the armor matches my headpiece well. The amount of times I’ve survived the impossible because of it is amazing.

[@HiyuMarten]

FYI while the video format is ultrawide, on my ultrawide monitor it's both letterboxed *and* pillarboxed, due to being rendered with black borders on 16:9. I'd use the plugins that fix it by zooming in, but they started opening tabs with ads :( Great vid though! Thank you for this

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Sorry about that, I've been trying to come up with solutions to the problem and will probably just buy a different monitor at this point for recording.

[@KARLOSPCgame]

​@@Reginald-sc9tk you can just upload the videos at ultrawide ratio, youtube will do the rest

[@GaryVR]

Poor guy didn’t know this knowledge will become irrelevant 2 days later

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

In this case I actually did. I put out the guide to ensure a victory. (And because they'll be back. Don't tell the ministry of truth i know)

[@GaryVR]

@@Reginald-sc9tk :D

[@Liverator]

Guerilla warfare is also technically viable in Helldivers. Units spawned by bot drops (and bug breaches) despawn if you get far enough away from them, so you can soften up the outer defenses of a fabricator base (picking off things like the HMG infantry, walker pilots, or rocket devastators) and just leave once a bot drop is called to complete other objectives (which will be easier with bot drops on cooldown) Then you just circle back later to actually finish the job.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Quite so!

[@gloomreach4325]

Your line about the rockets reminds me of “Watch those wrist rockets.”

[@FrankDAlvarezB]

How feasible is the laser cannon instead of the quasar? I just love the inf ammo cycle that can be achieved combined with the sickle and dagger

[@lebitelexie9350]

The old Laser cannon with the beam vs the Quasar? They don't really compare. The Laser cannon is good against infantry and some of the heavier enemies but the Quasar is more of an all purpose heavy and armor buster. The Quasar can get rid of fabricators, Hulks, Tanks, Turrets, Dropships, chargers, bile titans. The downside is the recharge between shots. The Laser cannon have no ammo and can fire long but you will be using it to fight ground troops up to medium armor. In summary, they fullfill vastly different roles.

[@CheemsofRegret]

Laser Cannon is very good if you can consistently hit weakspots. It'll burn down tanks and hulks really fast if you hold the beam on the heatsink. You can pop devastators quickly if you can hit them in the face or waist, but torso shots can burn them down eventually. If you don't mind not carrying frags, a stun grenade can do you wonders in taking out big targets.

[@simj202]

Its very okay. On one hand, youre a triple laser threat (four, if you bring a rover buddy, and five if you have orbital laser), and you can melt most things in medium armor. You'll also be dealing consistent stream of damage On the other, youre not taking out any heavies any time soon. The TTK is also remarkably slow with the dagger and laser cannon. Things you can normally one shot with a quasar or EAT takes a few more seconds to die. All in all, its definitely possible to run the laser set, you probably just need to cover your bases with some anti-heavy stratagems

[@FrankDAlvarezB]

@@CheemsofRegret this is what I was thinking, 'cause I do always take the 500kg and Orbital Cannon anyway

[@beltempest4448]

The laser cannon is very effective at gimping rocket devastators by shooting their rocket pods. I find that breaking as many rocket pods as I can while in a big fight can massively increase the teams survivability by reducing the amount of rockets flying around. After that you can start dispatching things at your leisure. It will kill all devastators heads very quickly if you can stay on target and completely melts raiders. Also try to release the trigger between acquiring your next target to give yourself a little more time before it begins to overheat. Another great use is it’s ability to providing sustained fire support to your teammates at range who might be caught alone with a patrol chasing them. So yeah it’s great when used properly. Also try pairing it with the guard dog (machine gun drone) and you can very easily take care of large groups on your own.

[@chaincat33]

Honestly, I find bugs more challenging than bots, even after the nerfs to rockets. Bots you can just apply stealth. Bugs you have to weather the swarm.

[@eliaspanayi3465]

Bugs are okay as long as you apply the engage and slow retreat concept. Engage and hit the big guys hard, then as you retreat you funnel all the small guys into line. I'm a flamethrower fan, and because it bypasses armour it does both of those things well.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I actually agree with you, not least because bug heavies are so resistant while bot heavies have weak points.

[@allanredhill8682]

I agreed with this! Your equipment also is more flexible with the bots. In general bugs have just more constant pressure applied to you and stuff like hunters and stalkers can push you into a doom spiral really damn fast. More so then hulks or devestators can imo

[@chamberlane2899]

I feel like it’s two different kinds of challenges. With bots, the challenge comes mostly from their range, power, and armor. Their heaviest units are frighteningly difficult to deal with without the right tools, so heavy hitting weapons, and a lot of them, are a must. With bugs, the big guys are a nuisance, but on their own, are kinda pathetic and easily cheesed. They’re a distraction from the main show: the swarm. The tiniest bugs can bite off up to half your health bar if they get close, hunters slow you down enough for everything else can kill you, and bile spewers can one shot you if you aren’t careful. If your squad doesn’t have a way to keep the swarms at bay, you will know pain. So long as you do have something like a flamethrower, stalwart, MG, Arc thrower, grenade launcher, and/or AC in the mix, and the guys using them keep bugs off the Quasar, EAT, RR, and/or Spear users, bug missions can and will go smoothly. Though the numbers can still feel overwhelming at times.

[@MagikarpPower]

Bugs are very simple. just keep running.

[@teeheeteeheeish]

Another tactic that we employ in the military is a “defense in depth”. Having overlapping fields of fire, combined arms killing power, and layered fires/effects to bring upon mass devastation. I recommend having to divers forward, with two behind establishing a deep defense. Then the forward two should fall back when they can. Hopefully they have shields or jump packs.

[@ziggydo]

In the ocean of “NEW UPDATE Illuminate leaked?!?” videos you’ve managed to make entertaining *and* informative content without being obnoxious

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Glad to hear i pulled it off in your view. Your complaint was exactly my complaint really. Tired of "NEW UPDATE LEAK OMG" myself.

[@TheSleyar]

About the high priority infantry: so far the only infantry unit that can flare is the commissar. It’s got a Sword in one hand and a gun in the other. Devs have said only this unit can fire flares

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I dunno what the devs have said on the matter but if true they're wrong. Any random bot can do it and you can see that in my video. Commisars will do it first if alive then it seems to go to the backpack guys.

[@YourLocalMedic]

Is there a reason that this video is rendered in 16:9 even though the gameplay is 21:9? If it was rendered at 21:9 it would look better on 21:9 monitors and shouldn't look any different on a 16:9 screen. In fact most phones are taller (my previous phone was 18.5:9) so 21:9 would actually take up more of most phone screens i believe. Something worth looking into

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I don't think youtube can take the girth of my screen. Its definitely something I need to fix. But all my photage was pre-recorded and zooming it seemed worse in this case.

[@YourLocalMedic]

@@Reginald-sc9tk wdym? KZbin can handle any aspect ratio. Linus Tech tips does 18:9 i believe. Also if you look up "Why 4:3 looks so good" you'll see a 4:3 video that's really good and surely others too

[@fryfly5599]

Most important tip: Use the highgroud. It will allow you to throw stratagems and grenades further, you can shoot more comfortably from a prone position, and you will have an easier time landing shots on certain enemy types. The last point primarily applies to scout striders and devestators (shooting from above enables you to shoot over the shield a lot less difficult), but to a lesser extend to tanks and hulks as well.

[@Commander_Appo]

I love that the I managed to find a bot tutorial that uses actual military tactics and the Art of War

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Its the exact kind of thing I always thought would be awesome and never found. So I made it. I'm genuinely so grateful many other people like it.

[@plastiquemonk]

this info is no longer necessary since WE WON LADS

[@RevanReborn3950BBY]

Sike

[@JesterLaughAtU]

Frustrates me to see people needlessly fighting bots. “We’re killing the enemy!” Right, but, we have to do objectives, thats what counts. I’m a Jonny NoMates, so just randoms, but countless times I see people die, get reinforced and run straight back to the grinder. Kills don’t count, objectives do

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Precisely

[@pascaljean2333]

I solo, but if i die, they res me back into their bs

[@FinnishArsonist]

A helpful thing in general in this game is assisting your teammates when they are in danger. I found it came quite naturally to me, due to my background of playing - of all games - Splatoon. It's an *extremely* fast paced 4v4 game, and because of the low team size + speed of the game, literally firing one or two shots towards your teammate's target while remaining safe can make or break an entire teamfight. It'll turn a 4v4 into a 4v3, which, now that you have a 33% advantage, will snowball it into a 4v2 and so on. In Helldivers it's incredibly helpful because not only can you prevent a fellow Diver going down (and thus losing potential team DPS), but also shooting the enemies that are on your teammate rather than letting them deal with it on their own means that they can take the time to aim carefully or call in stratagems. And another, suprisingly large impact, is on morale - you would be surprised at how much just being a supportive teammate can make your other teammates play better - there are plenty of studies on it.

[@ltpunkrocket522]

I'll be one to admit, I get so caught up in the combat I forget the point once in a while.. but in my defense the combat is just so damn satisfying!

[@julienandrus4169]

This is useless now

[@primary_magic1227]

We did it, we goddamn did it. We will remember the souls lost at the creek. Jokes aside, I don't think they will be gone forever.

[@MrWazzup987]

Report to the nearest democracy officer

[@KARLOSPCgame]

THINK AGAIN ⚠️ GO TO THE FRONT NOW 📳

[@horusthehorse]

The true challenge is tolerating massive crashing problems after EVERY SINGLE 'hotfix' on PC. This shit is out of control and it's turning into a serious buzzkill. But hey- don't forget to buy the new warbond!!! **also, pls execute a perfect L-shaped ambush with multiple overlapping fields of fire and then come back to roleplay as an expert fireteam leader

[@viktorg6823]

Some people keep complaining about crashes, but I haven't experienced any crashes myself in about 30 hours of mission time.

[@TrixyTrixter]

Don't see the point with the warbind dig. Its free

[@eliaspanayi3465]

Haven't had any crashes yet personally, not sure why some people are and some people aren't

[@user-ek9lp4hg8p]

outside of the warbond comment, i agree. nothing hurts more than crashing in the last 10 minutes of a dive. Fresh install, optimized settings, and up-to-date drivers haven’t fixed it.

[@horusthehorse]

@@TrixyTrixter because they are prioritizing that over the functionality of the game you paid money for. And it isn't intended to be free. Technically, you CAN get it for free with gameplay, but it ABSOLUTELY is included in order to make money by those who will pay for it. It is absolutely their main objective in this game, and that is to make money. I wouldn't gripe about that at all if they were also prioritizing the game functioning as advertised, but they just plain aren't and that's not up for debate.

[@PaulVoss-fc2ry]

I fucking love that actual military tactics are being adopted into Helldivers and am definitely gonna try out ambushing next time i do a bot mission. Already stoked for part 2.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

If executed well it works wonders when you can't otherwise maneuver.

[@justanotherinternetuser7939]

My go-to load out for bots is medium fortified armor, defender smg and senator, incendiary grenade ballistic shield, AMR, eagle rocket pods, and usually Gatling barrage if the 4th slot is open. The AMR can 2 shot hulks if you shoot them in the head, which can be tricky up close, but at a distance is incredibly easy. The ballistic shield has been buffed recently, and a number of the bugs with it have been fixed. If you hold it, it pretty much makes you completely invulnerable to any shots fired from a general direction, and can prevent you from dying to rockets. Furthermore, when you un equip it, it goes on your back, where it protects your back and head from headshots from the rear. incendiary grenades can create temporary zones, that if used correctly, can deal MASSIVE damage to a tightly packed patrol in a choke point, or can be used to time enemies into easy kill zones. Eagle rocket pods aren’t great against small things, but they one shot tanks, turrets, and fabricators. Orbital Gatling barrage has an incredibly short cooldown, and kills every light enemy is a fairly decent radius. Great for getting the jump on patrols and taking out striders.

[@MxJavice]

I got lucky learning this game. My first fights were actually against automatons and I met a Finnish ex military sergeant. Still play with him a lot, taught me guerilla tactics best way. Get in fast, unseen, get the objective done, get out. Avoid fighting what you don't need to. It's a waste of time and pointless risk. Servo assisted is under rated vs automatons because you can wipe out bases with an eagle, go prone immediately after throwing and they won't even see you after it hits. Helped me enjoy the game a lot more than randoms starting a firefight out in the open and getting slaughtered. I'm often breaking off to get the side/back angle on the patrol ambush now.

[@Grizzlybear-ok7gp]

Something that a lot of people have been missing out on is the eagle smokestrike, helps out a ton with repositioning and cutting off the bots line of vision from our democratic officers

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I actually think smonk is underrated.

[@cousycousy]

I NEED to see a full playthrough of a helldive mission with this all in mind. PLEASE.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I'll see what I can do.

[@chowhn1993]

Learning about Sun Tzu's art of war in a video about Helldivers 2. Evidence that learning can happen anywhere.

[@ZCid47]

One simple recommendation, if a POI have something and you want it, organize to drop two stratagems with a small delay and with some meters apart. the first is going to hit them hard and any survivor is going to scatter or try to call reinforcements, then the second stratagem hit dealing with them. Also, even the super samples are not worth 10/15 lives, if you see the team getting kill bad, let them get kill, run as far as you can and after the others are death reinforce them. if they try to go back use the chat of mic to tell them to stop, do other objetives, make the bots of the patrols disappear and return with your stratagems ready and from a better angle of attack

[@naradloff]

Thank you so much for making this video. I constantly see players doing dumb things instead of making good choices in tactics. They start near the extraction so you have to double back to leave. They don't use cover. They don't crouch or go prone. They don't focus on headshots. They don't bring the right kit. Everyone needs to learn what defensive in depth means.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I need to remember to talk about defense in depth.

[@KsnypsAdventures]

I like how HD2 is such a good war simulator that we’re using actual military strategy now

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

What works, works!

[@McMuster]

I love that so many of the concepts that you need to play ArmA well follow through into this game (which the devs have said is basically a funny arma mod)

[@memes_the_dna_of_the_soul5487]

Some Notes from some notable stealth enthusiasts. Poping smoke when disengaging is as effective as it is in real life, any enemy alerted on you will lose track of you, so long as they aren't immediately on your 12 o'clock (within 10 meters). But there are some very key notes to make regarding how certain enemies will behave around smoke. Bots Can and Will blind-fire into smoke, so change angle when leaving it. Chargers will charge right through smoke. Bile titans do not care about smoke, as they tend to target one person in particular. Smoke is also good when working on objectives, notably Scientist Extraction. A strat for Sci Extract is to have one guy on the objective cover the objective in enough smoke that it looks like Silent Hill, and the rest of the team deal with reinforcements elsewhere. Enemies only notice RED strategms. They will not alert off of Blue Strategms (stratgems with a blue call-in beam). Meaning you can open up an ambush by dropping a sentry turent _smack-dab in the center of an enemy patrol._ But be aware that the sentry may shoot your allies given the fact it does not care about overpenetration. I wouldn't know, because I haven't tried it. 5:05 All infantry can fire flares, but Commissars will _ALWAYS_ fire flares immediately upon beginning an encounter. They appear similar to an Assualt trooper, with a blade in one hand and a pistol in the other, but they lack the Assualt's Jump pack. While they may prove difficult to ID at a distance, if you spot one, make _sure_ he dies first.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I read everything. I want to respond to the last thing; that order of operations makes perfect sense with my experiences and will help me execute better attacks. Thanks.

[@SkarmoryThePG]

The idea that the quasar can do anything the autocannon can is not incorrect. It can do it! Every thirteen seconds, at most.

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

I did mention the rate of fire, the point is what targets it can kill and its infinite ammo and easier tank busting. The point is "what is good for rookies" not "what is optimal"

[@sbsymbols_7534]

" When in doubt ⬆➡⬇⬇⬇" -Sun Tzu (The Art of War)

[@DatsRandom]

As soon as I saw the custom timestamp overlay I gave this an immediate like. Top notch stuff

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Thank you! I'm gonna upgrade that for next video

[@Wardaddy1996]

I’ve literally been thinking the same thing, I hate when the randoms I play with want to fight every enemy and get bogged down in a fight we didn’t need, like when I see waayyy too many devastators I remove myself from that situation entirely

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Devestators are a key run away choice for me too.

[@astor2994]

Probably the best Helldivers vid I've seen yet. I use a lot of these strats to go off and solo objectives when playing with my friends (They tend to go off and start huge fire fights, but since I always run off to the other side of the map, that just means less heat on me. Lets me focus on hit and running bases, grabbing samples, completing objs etc while they have fun ripping and tearing away).

[@Reginald-sc9tk]

Its honestly not a bad way to play. Decoy and destroy.