Re-Ranking the BEST and WORST Secondary Weapons in Helldivers 2

[@DrPooplove]

Correction: Hulks take 3 shots to the face with the Senator. Just gotta hit them better than I have been

[@Bedhed47]

You can get them in one shot if they have taken miniscule shrapnel/enviroment damage

[@damienmcdonald7610]

Yeah lol usually takes me 4-5 too

[@TheVoicelessPoet]

​@@damienmcdonald7610I'd been training my whole life for the moment it got heavy pen. *Cue Gambit from Deadpool 3 quote*

[@john-paul3271]

@@DrPooplove I mean it’s fun when it happens, but I’ve died more times trying than doing it successfully. Ultimately, I don’t think it worth it at my skill level. Quasar is usually more reliable.

[@garylangford6755]

Disclaimer was so long holy cow bro chill

[@joshuasmyth3115]

I love the Verdict, since I feel like it's a nice middle ground between the senator and the peacemaker

[@DrPooplove]

I went from a verdict hater to a verdict lover

[@fredericoeusebio9770]

@@DrPooplove pair the veredic with crossbow and u can deal with anything the game can trow at u with only ur guns...

[@braydenhosler7645]

I love the verdict cause u start with 90 rounds (10 shots in ur first mag+8 10 round reloads) and it’s awesome for berserkers with a good fire rate and the devastators can usually take full damage if u hit the right spots

[@TheVoicelessPoet]

My problem with the Verdict, is that it's not the Senator 🙂 But also I feel like it kind of makes the Peacemaker have zero redeeming qualities with the way it is now.

[@Jhunta]

@@DrPooplove verdict was always a goated side arm even before the med AP buff. been stuck to my hip ever since polar patriots was dropped, one of the best warbonds.

[@helpfulangel7484]

Even though I do agree with the placement in a tier, remember you can stack the stim pistol with effects like the medic armor for a really long duration and also experimental infusion for damage resistance and extra movespeed.

[@Jace-jy1nc]

I wish i was told this sooner???

[@cgmaster2]

I love using this combo with friends, especially on bots , give everyone a quick stim and charge into a large base while we're all faster and more damage resistant. Feels like blitzkrieging as a helldiver.

[@balintx2980]

@@cgmaster2 sabaton stormtroopers plays

[@_aWiseMan]

(TF2 riff)

[@samhell3524]

came here to the comments specifically looking for this, awesome!

[@LovleyLemonade]

The spinning that the Senator does when I switch to it automatically makes it S-Teir regardless of its performance.

[@o.oo.o2788]

Stim pistol : nah i think arrowhead intended it to work that way, in which your team will misunderstood what you are trying to do, it even says "it might sting a little" in its discription :x

[@silvergamer7250]

Main way to get people to not do that “hey I’m bringing a stim pistol, if I’m shooting at you I’m trying to heal you”

[@lance7909]

I’ve used the stim pistol a few times with random and every time they were able to just realize on their own that I was using the stim pistol and healing them and they always said thank you, never had anyone mistake me for trying to kill them…

[@silvergamer7250]

@@lance7909 I’ve had it happen a few times but it makes sense. Now I tell people before the match “hey I’m bringing a stim”

[@millcp]

LAS-Dagger is definitely an A tier for me for both factions. Unlimited ammo, no recoil, fire dot, accuracy, unlimited range. The lack of armor pen is mitigated by the fire dot. Main downsides are the brief wind up and the medium to low damage compared to some of the other secondaries. It's the perfect sidearm to pair with the crossbow or other heavy hitting primaries.

[@DrAsh-eg7or]

Also was a great delete button against the jet brigade and I noticed other teammates realized that to. I think people are starting to see how useful it is. Also goes well with my cyborg technician build

[@millcp]

@@DrAsh-eg7or yes immediate kills

[@banaiquinonez5107]

Scythe with the dagger equals unlimited ammo so fun to use

[@scurtus1885]

The dagger on bugs having that wind up is the 1 reason it gets a low grade for me, I usually bring explosive primaries so being able to say "no you" to a hunter/pouncer in my face is nice

[@Strav24]

Its worth noting the stim pistol effect can be stacked if your friend has low health to heal faster

[@Mlgpug553]

08:05 the revolver can actually take out a hulk with just 3 perfect headshots, not "a little over one mag". I love this thing. Ur most likely not hitting headshots if it takes more shots. I like to stun them then tap them 3 times to take them out

[@TheVoicelessPoet]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@nickchavez720]

The revolver is great when dealing with mid armor enemies; espcially if you need to reload your main and need to pick off stragglers. It's saved my ass numerous times.

[@Jumpboy5100]

Gas gernade and senator is my go to for hulks on the bot front. I had a sick play earlier where I got backed into a corner by 2 hulks and a trail of berzeekers and knife boys. I threw 2 gas gernades and stunned all the bots, autocannon flak obliterated the 10-15 little guys, then threw my last gas nade. I got the first hulk with the senator while diving to put out the fire. At this point I had no stims, grenades, primary out of ammo, unable to reload the autocannon, and half health. I reloaded 1 bullet and perfectly shot out that last hulk. Unfortunately I had nowhere to go so the 2nd hulk explosion killed me

[@Grottogoob]

@@Jumpboy5100 You went out like a true hero.

[@yetson]

The LAS7 Dagger pairs well with heavy hitting explosive primaries. The Crossbow / Eruptor has slow fire rates with a punishing reload time so having a infinite beam weapon can save your skin if you got chaff enemies that are too close to use explosives on.

[@charKT-7461]

bugs with pouncers, good lord

[@zlomun7459]

The Crisper actually has an extra use on the bot-side of the map, being able to take enemy emplacements such as mortars and anti-air (not as effective as just blowing them up with a Hellbomb, but the option is there)

[@lockehart7716]

Achievable with the Senator also

[@Penumbra_sol]

honestly i think its best use against bots is killing hordes of berserkers; on lvl 10, ive found that its super helpful for just dealing with them due to its aoe. it also kills them in one full mag, at least from my limited testing of it

[@thz6853]

I love the crisper the moment I realised it has armour pen 4 & can last longer than a senator on the bug front

[@brave_shaggy]

The stim pistol is basically a reskinned Senator. Meaning you can spin it as well! (And with good aim your teammate will have full health) The Dagger pretty much instantly explodes the jetpacks of the jump bots. So a lot of people where running it against the jet brigade!

[@DrPooplove]

Oh I need to try that spin out

[@hippoace]

yeah i think the heat dot ignites the jetpacks

[@h2o848]

@@hippoaceIt's pretty much just the jetpacks exploding upon taking any amount of damage, you can kill those bots similarly by shooting the pack, but waving a laser is way faster

[@bigchungus2462]

The dagger has been my go to sidearm on the bot front. Love using it with a shield and crossbow. Its saved me many crossbow bolts lol.

[@johnvanek9514]

True, it belongs in A or possibly S tier. I use it alongside the counter sniper and recoilless, it cleans up chaff and devastators just fine with the added bonus of being great at minesweeeping. I agree with the rest of the tier list though.

[@SP-sy5nq]

And it instantly explodes enemy jet packs

[@dik2bik]

Senator and dagger are the top 2 secondaries depending on your needs. Senator better vs armor. Dagger better vs small singles, sets stuff on fire, best run and gun, infinite ammo.

[@johnmorse2969]

the dagger goes so hard, ill clear a whole mini base of lil guys with it no sweat

[@viysnjor4811]

the infinite range is underrated tbh, its a pocket sniper with infinite ammo (scythe is great because of this as well)

[@Arx_724]

The bushwhacker is so nice alongside the crossbow/eruptor and an anti-tank support weapon.

[@kirant]

The Bushwhacker against bots makes a great "trench clearing" weapon since it has a "to whom it may concern" level of precision. I use it in conjunction with any longer ranged weapon as a way to not have to fiddle with a scope at close range (I keep my Counter Sniper at 100 m). The biggest issue I find is that its damage is inconsistent: I can either be one rounding Troopers or spend all three on a single bot and not down it. I might have to give the Verdict a try given how a 10 round magazine should be enough to keep pesky Berserkers at bay...it won't buy you space by halting them like the Bushwhacker, but it should have greater killing power per magazine (3 rounds of Bushwhacker generally kills 1 Berserker, while the Verdict should almost kill 2 if you can't focus down a body part...if you hit their chest, you can power through about 3 of them before needing to reload).

[@h2o848]

@@kirant I do quite like the shoulder aim on the DCS for close-quarters can opening, but the restrictive magazine is what makes me pull out the pistol

[@Sonichero151]

The Bushwacker causes my brain to create the same dopamine that I get using the Super Shotgun from DOOM

[@bl0ccr4fter24]

Did you guys know there’s no finger guard around the Peacemaker’s trigger, which means there’s nothing that stops your fingers from sliding behind the trigger and stopping you from firing? Of course a Helldiver’s glove has ridiculous amounts of friction so it won’t slide anywhere in it so it’s not like it matters

[@robjsmiles]

The whole gunspinning thing with revolvers was because with single action you could flip it around without worrying, because it wasn't cocked. Not true of double actions like the Senator, but well, helldivers don't live that long in the field anyway lol.

[@kaijuslayer3334]

The dagger is probably the best sidearm when it comes to using weapons like the crossbow and Eruptor, for the shear sake of it being very good at killing chaff and serving as reliable self defense. Prevents wasting precious ammo on those weapons, not to mention the slow firing rates and explosive nature means hectic self defense can be tricky when threats get too close. The fact that it has the best range of any secondary on top of accuracy, while also having potentially endless ammo is just icing on the cake. For those using weapons like I mentioned, it is quite literally “Ol Reliable”. I think against the bots especially, it deserves a B at the very least.

[@RoflcopterPunch]

I have been enjoying the Dagger against bots since the early days after we re-took the Creek; so glad they gave it the love it deserved. Old Reliable, indeed. 🔥😎

[@Gee0F]

While everyone's been (Deservingly) telling you the dagger should rank a little higher when you consider it's use cases, there's an extra tidbit with the dagger that might change how you play with it: Anytime you set any of the smaller enemies like bot troopers or bug scavangers, they are MARKED for death. You no longer have to shoot them, the damage over time will do the rest. Same with the shriekers, wave it at them like a flashlight for a second or two and they usually fall out of the sky after you've stopped firing at them a second or three later. So while fighting a wave of bots, just zip the dagger across their forces with the aim to spread the fire debuff instead of outright going for kills, you'll have a far better use for it. Do give it another shot (Ba-dum-tish) with that kind of gameplay in mind, you might find some more use-cases for it than you expected.

[@wyvernsbane7752]

Small question, been diving for a long while but just haven’t really messed with the scythe since before the buff. Does this advice apply to the scythe as well? Or the laser cannon? And is it buffed by the fire upgrade on the ship?

[@sertchouwy3506]

Dont think they're affected by the fire damage upgrade but all the continuous beam weapons set enemies on fire​@@wyvernsbane7752

[@TheBeetleKing]

@@wyvernsbane7752 fire upgrade is only for stratagems. I haven't used the dagger since it was released, but I tried the scythe last night and found myself doing the same thing and roasting bugs.

[@SeJoHu]

The Dagger also SHINES (heh) against the Jet Brigade. Oh no, there's a whole patrol of Jet Jerries over there? Not anymore there isn't. Also if paired with the Ballistic Shield, it can be a reliable medium-to-long range option with no recoil and very clear aiming. You can set Berserkers on fire from 100 yards away.

[@millcp]

@@SeJoHu yeah it's quick too

[@mailcs06]

Yeah The Dagger (along with the Breaker Spray and Pray) turns the Jet Brigade it the Firecracker Brigade XD. You can even pick off their jump packs as they're being brought in via bot drop, killing all the troopers on the dropship and weakening or killing everything else!

[@r6TrdSlow]

Wait… Dr. Pooplove is just an alias? You’re not a real doctor??? That’s a super cereal offense right there Love the videos man. Keep it up

[@john-paul3271]

He’s not a real doctor guys!!! 😂

[@TheLongWind]

A cereal offense? So a crime against Kellogs or General Mills?

[@McNIMs]

Swear to god WHY is his whole thing poop

[@DrNiradino]

Agreed. Posing as a doctor on the internet is no laughing matter!

[@AC-hj9tv]

​@@TheLongWindGeneral Mills

[@chazdoomy1512]

My main sidearm has been the peacemaker. But a mag increase and a slight damage buff would be nice. It’s a great back up when you just need a little bit more and its great at wasting small threats without sacrificing your main ammo pool.

[@h2o848]

Despite its flaws, I do find it satisfying for precisely cleaning up chaff on lower difficulties where you aren't being swarmed with bulkier enemies

[@sgt.choper4650]

There is no reason to buff the base pistol. It just exists so you have a starter pistol. It's supposed to be replaced with something better

[@chazdoomy1512]

@ all weapons should perform when democratically necessitated.

[@CheebsM22]

Ever since the Viper Commandos warbond, the Bushwhacker has rarely left my side. I quite like sawed off sidearms

[@Usernamehear]

Best sidearm all around

[@ilovedemocracyy]

It enforces AR loadouts so well and stagger force from bushwacker will save you from commanders or stalkers.

[@nikolas-1145]

the dagger is, in my opinion, not great against bugs but FANTASTIC against bots! the headshots on devastators is fantastic, it's been buffed to be almost exactly where the old scythe was! which i always said was a good stat block for a sidearm lol

[@garretbernard8174]

A little info about the stim pistol, its shots are effectively half of a normal stim. One shot heals slowly, only heals half of your maximum hp, and the stamina regeneration is so slow that it only counteracts stamina loss from sprinting, but can't regain stamina while doing so. Fortunately, the effects of all stims stack, so hitting an ally with two shots is effectively the same as them having stimmed themself. I do not currently know if stim pistol shots truly work with the stim infusion booster, but if so then the effects would also likely be reduced by half

[@phierle1061]

it does work with experimental infusion, as well as the med-kit armor passive.

[@serioussponge6416]

The Peacemaker is the humble choice, out of all of the secondaries it serves the actual purpose of being a sidearm. It has the best handling and recoil control while balancing ammo capacity and damage. You can never go wrong picking a weapon like this, you're not going to be incapable of doing things if you use it over another pistol but it won't help you do crazy things either. It's just a handgun.

[@pyllette]

I like it too, suppose to run n gun compared to other secondaries or gun fu action

[@ihave2cows]

The senator deserves to be in its own tier above s tier, the senator tier. It’s unironically just better than most primaries in the majority of situations against bots. That armor pen is honestly stupid.

[@puthenveetilnoel]

I love the senator. The buff was huge. But I've personally moved past it. The low ammo capacity and long reload even with the speed loader makes for a rougher experience when you're overwhelmed. A lot of this is due to my loadout of sniping with the DCS or stunning with the Halt. The Verdict is slotting well into that build compared to the senator. Senator would be an A rank for bots just like the verdict. But that's for how I play.

[@FelisImpurrator]

​@@puthenveetilnoelSenator's for when you aren't carrying heavy ordnance in the primary slot, the DCS seems exactly like the kind of weapon you would never pair it with because they do the same thing (pop heavies in the faceplate for massive damage, slowly). Now, if you're running a different kind of weapon entirely like the primary flamethrower or one of the MGs in support, I'd say having the biggest iron in the game is a good way to switch things up... And it does have heavier pen than most primaries, so that actually is a valid scenario.

[@Sonichero151]

The senator has saved my life from the illuminate numerous times.

[@puthenveetilnoel]

@@Sonichero151 senator is goated for 2 shotting the illuminate scouts.

[@SGTMinguez]

There needs to be an AutoMag type version of the Senator. Call it the President: 9 rounds of devastation in a mag-fed autoloader.

[@gregoirebasseville4797]

I'd argue the stim pistol shines brighter against the automatons. It's probably mostly because I suck and use light armors against them, but against the terminids, I find damage to be a little all or nothing. Either you hold the swarm back and stay pretty much unharmed, or something catches you and you get stun locked to death. So the stim pistol has more opportunities to heal a more or less wounded helldiver against the automatons, than in a terminid swarm where you are diving and running and getting eaten alive.

[@kuronanestimare]

Bot Front is definitely good for Scout Light Armor... but I highly recommend running Heavy Armor otherwise. There is nothing worse than collapsing like a house of cards because one of the small guys blindfired at you from 100 meters away and scored a lucky headshot.

[@h2o848]

Another thing to consider is if the target Helldiver will stim before you manage to hit them; it's much more common to stim right after getting hit by bugs so you have the stamina and health to run, but conserving stims is a more common tactic against bots, who have many more opportunities to hurt you.

[@FelisImpurrator]

Pretty much how fighting bugs shakes out. Either you have them at a comfortable distance and can pick them off while running away (or just drop an eagle), or three hunters are up your ass and you're either guaranteed dead or lucky enough to get out mostly unscathed. Meanwhile bots do chip damage constantly, everywhere, across the field, at any moment you're in LOS...

[@Oxygen_Breather.]

17:35 for the final tier list

[@king_kmarce]

10:43 pause

[@erikkusters378]

Bit late but the Experimental stims work with the stim gun. Giving your teammates damage resistance and move speed and acts as an indication they are being healed.

[@jalakor]

I gotta say that the Dagger is my favorite for the most part, though I lack access to a lot of these weapons. The infinite ammo is just super good. I typically use the Scorcher against Bots, but with Bugs, I use the Sickle a lot, and pairing the Dagger with the Sickle results in zero ammo problems. I just switch between the two constantly as they get close to overheating and just let one cool down while I dish out damage with the other. The fire damage lets me deal damage to almost everything, then I throw in a Quasar if I need to take down a big enemy.

[@internetfriend6701]

On Malevelon Creek I used the Redeemer as a melee weapon. You can saw through maniacs at close range like a chainsword, and a short burst (2/3 bullets) is still accurate enough to deal with single conscripts at mid-range.

[@blecao]

I literally use a lot the redener and people just dont recognise how much you can control recoil with short burst You basically can pop devastator heads no problemo

[@hale608]

Another niche use case I find for the LAS-7 Dagger is the ability to clear out or trigger objects without using ammo. Mainly the mines the bots have spammed around their outposts or the occasional incendiary barrels and malfunctioning hellbombs. Also, the bug's bio mines and the ice flowers on cold planets.

[@BugVall]

a two handed primary sword combined with the bushwacker will make me do unspeakeable things to the bugs

[@killerstache5321]

Having 2 tier lists, 1 for bugs and 1 for bots, is an awesome thing I wish everyone did

[@christophermiller1394]

Not taking credit. It was the community, but the stim pistol came from my son and I got Discord to champion that effort. Thank you Devs for being cool and listening.

[@DrPooplove]

That’s awesome! Great idea!

[@Tenchigo100]

Might have to update the list for the Illuminates

[@Derotter1345]

I can remember the Senator as the "Revolverheld " ( german name ,idk the english one) out off helldivers 1 , its so nostalgic 😢

[@905SONICking]

when the flame pistol came out i thought i wouldn't use it as often and would be pretty weak. but that thing, has helped me, so many times when a hoard is just 5 feet from me whether automatons or the bugs even for armor enemies because armor just doesn't matter as long they're on fire they will die, eventually. it's not perfect because flamed enemies if they hit you then you're also lit on fire with being knocked down too so your health is draining while struggling to get up to either leap or heal. and most times, I die. When it comes to hitting multiple units you wont miss.

[@mawnkey]

The Peacemaker fires apologies. The Redeemer fires apologies quickly.

[@Veryspecificassortmentofwords]

Helldivers community is great because you’ll have a bro come to you and say “yeah I know what weapon is best for this situation. I heard it from a guy named Dr. PoopLove” and they’re 100% serious

[@Wanderer8045]

Laser Pistol has an excellent niche on clearing jetpack bots, especially when used in a map heavily filled with them. A few days back, during the Jetpack Brigade campaign, a dropship can spawn so many Jetpack Automaton at once. You can easily get 20+ kill streak just by using that pistol during Flag Mission, and then dragging that laser across each dropships. If there is another Jet Brigade major order, bring it. It is so satisfying to use.

[@dik2bik]

I saved so many teammates vs jet bots and landmines with the dagger

[@TheFukkles]

Appreciate the Dagger getting recognition in this video. It's handy especially when you need to resupply and it's all you have left

[@ArgonByte]

I quite like the little Peacemaker :( I use it a lot vs the bots. Mainly use it against the troopers in order to save my Adjudicator ammo for meatier targets. It feels satisfying to use in first person. Admittedly I do not use it against the bugs, as the laser pistol and Verdict surpass the Peacemaker on the bug front.

[@siegekeebs]

Use the redeemer on semi, it's just so much more efficient and breakpoints are basically all the same, but dagger beats both

[@Jhunta]

@DrPooplove i dont always agree w your tier list decisions, but i always watch them! you make great tier list videos w a positive and optimistic approach to this game we all love so much, so I don't care if I agree w your lists 100%, I just enjoy listening to YOUR takes on the weapons and appreciate you take the time to put these together. keep it up, friend. you're actually one of my favorite hd2 content creators just to how you put your scripts, videos and edits together. as soon as I see you post a new vid, I make sure to tune in and like. plus, you've gotten really good w the toilet puns lol.

[@DrPooplove]

Thanks! Appreciate that! Especially that you are noticing improvements in my toilet puns :)

[@NychusX]

15:35 Don't disrespect the dagger. It was indispensable in stopping the jet brigade

[@Subject-106]

Man the poor peacemaker. It's sad this little guy is left behind by everything else. I love the design and it's really the only normal regular hand gun in the game. I don't know what it really needs to be buffed. Personally, double the mag count and give it the concussive properties that the Concussive Liberator has. Make it a nod to Halo CE's pistol which also shoots explosive tipped ammunition.

[@t-rex9809]

You can use the verdict tbh if you want a semi auto regular pistol but yeah, peacemaker I wish it was better

[@Subject-106]

@@t-rex9809 It's the worst gun in the game now compared to everything else. It needs some serious love.

[@t-rex9809]

@@Subject-106 it's not even bad by itself, it gets the job done, but I wish it was better. What if it got a suppressor, that would be neat

[@Subject-106]

@@t-rex9809 Gets the job done? Bro it's practically more efficient to run away and find ammo for my primary than use this thing. 15 rounds, 6 magazines, lowest penetration, and practically outclassed by every other secondary. Bro there's literally no legitimate reason to bring this over any other secondary. It's dog crap. It is bad.

[@h2o848]

@@Subject-106Liberty day fixed that o7

[@lahdensamu]

The SG-22 Bushwacker is ultimately the best secondary. 3 shots stalkers to the head (aka 1 shots), and other medium sized enemies. It's the ultimate "i need damage and i need it now" weapon.

[@masterjedi8072]

While I love the Senator, the model has the barrel in the wrong place. its on the bottom on the cylinder instead of the top where the hammer strikes. So the gun literally won't fire in real life. Well, it will fire... a round directly into the steel frame and basically explode in your hand.

[@bobzthabarbarian]

The best use of the stim pistol I have seen was from the other night. We were bombarded by drop ships due to a detector tower, so I threw down my HMG turret and one of my teammates was behind me stimming me when I would get hit as I was mowing down the bots dropping in. It was truly an amazing moment of teamwork, being we was a random team. Edit: Another thing the lazer pistol is good for on the bot side is taking out those pesky landmines.

[@TheJurassicPyro]

Id love to run the stim pistol more, it just doesnt feel very intuitive. The personal bubble shield blocks it, having to lead your shots means you're either trying to hard for half a stim or missing it entirely, and the reload is slow as hell. I do like the fact it works with the stim booters from the warbonds. If arrowhead wanted to buff it, make it to have auto aim within your crosshair, fix the shield glitch, and maybe speed up the reload a bit but not necessary if the other two are implemented. Also maybe give allies an indicator that someone is running it so they don't just stim off of muscle memory.

[@Takamiya_Mio]

As a botdiver, Purifier & Verdict + Thermite with RR & HMG Emplacement became my main loadout. I love these changes.

[@aviatornic2839]

With the cripser on bugs, aim for the ground. Area denial is it's unique use case that puts it in S tier for me. It also fuckin melts bots of most sizes youd pull a secondary on

[@Geotexify]

The Redeemer has imo the most satisfying reload animation of all the secondary weapons. The mag flick and chunky slide rack just actives my neurons.

[@Ashbringer36]

10:40 just one more thing to mention is the stim pistol also provides the incoming damage reduction modifier and speed boost if your team is running the experimental infusion booster and if the recipient is wearing stim armour the modifier from the armour also applies

[@torch1028]

Mostly agree Only major point i have is the redeemer not being a tier for bots/s tier for bugs Its an amazing plug gun for if youre running any kit that you might get closed in on, like a gl or a scorcher. It just brrts an enemy away

[@splicer1158]

Grenade pistol on top. No doubt. Running impacts with it gives you basically 11 angry fireballs to use at any time

[@konan102102]

I am glad they did something with grenade pistol stun grenade meta. It was like the only valid option

[@creeperking7721]

I take the dagger pistol almost every match, bots or bugs. Not necessarily for damage, but these two reasons- 1. If you play it right, you can never run out of ammo, something that every other secondary has as a major downside. I can generally complete an entire mission without every needing to change the ice. 2. Clearing hazards. Simply tapping mines or the bug's spike pods on the ground with it will set them off, removing the risk of teammates stepping on them, making the area much safer to walk through without wasting bullets.

[@viewer3998]

As someone who runs a sniper against the Automatons, the P-19 Redeemer is a very versatile tool. You can clear minefields with single fire, panic dump a mag into the occasional swarm of Automatons, it’s just a great PDW for a guy who’s thing is long range engagements and no armor.

[@samwild6630]

Good list mate. I think you really demonstrated that all of the secondary weapons are really strong at the moment, except the peacemaker. They're really in a good spot overall, it feels great to use any of them on either front!

[@DrPooplove]

Yeah I can find it makes sense to take any of these out for different reasons… except the peacemaker

[@samwild6630]

@@DrPooplove and a new warbond announced! With a new pistol! Time for another set of tier lists 🤣

[@DrPooplove]

@@samwild6630 gosh darn it!

[@shoaibalali4093]

Fun Fact: don’t waste an eagle or two on a tank! That’s stupid! Melee it 10-15 times and it’s dead (this works way better with peak physique)

[@desertdude8274]

Ill be honest I think the Dagger is A tier. It does everything and has no drawbacks other than being light armor penetrating.

[@null-0-f1h]

Your primary kills Your secondary keeps you alive

[@nateckert2424]

My poor peacemaker 😢 Nice list as usual, I've seen all of yours and they have actually been very useful for me and my buddies

[@sentientgoogleaccount8265]

I actually really like the dagger against bots because when you just slice the laser over the mine fields they all blow up pretty much instantly, removing the chance of ever coming into contact with them without losing any ammo, or limbs.

[@Tinandel]

Ever since I unlocked the grenade pistol, the secondary slot has pretty much swapped entirely from "weapon" to "spawner-delete button"

[@marc1164]

I think one thing that makes the laser pistol better on bots, potentially back to B tier, is that in tandem with a shield it is quite easy to pop devastator heads. As you said it’s good at conserving ammo for medium penetration like the explosive crossbow, having the laser specifically as the backup is quite good while running with the shield

[@HalFromTartary]

2:10 wait… you’re not a real doctor?

[@pilotkaboom2974]

I think you may have understated how good the dagger is at taking out devastator heads. The literally zero recoil and fire damage actually makes it quite quick and long range at popping heads, but to be fair your primary and all the other secondaries can also do this.

[@gabrielgrossman5624]

Nah Nah, no way i use the tag Dr. Love, and then i see this guy with Dr. pooplove

[@gilgonzalez8985]

I already knew the name of the channel, but “Dr. Pooplove here” caught me so off guard I died a little bit 😂😂😂

[@Janus1000]

One thing about the Las, when paired with the guard dog rover, the combined lasers set things on fire, significantly faster well also doing damage so smaller calf enemies die extremely quick, so you and it together can move from target to target and double up on the benefit.

[@TheXerninja]

Senator is basically my primary weapon

[@davidacuriel]

50 second unskippable ad followed by a 30 second unskippable, love the content but what the hell youtube?

[@endlessgalaxyz]

KZbin has completely changed the ad system, basically slowly forcing us to buy premium. It’s absolutely ridiculous how long these ads are & you gotta love the “If you watch this whole AD you’ll get less ads later!”

[@memdic6987]

I tried using las-7 with the shield, it it felt like I used las-5, but with more protection and the main weapon slot open for more specialised options. Give it a try!

[@tylerplo4545]

Secondary weapons feel so balanced right now. I love how much versatility there is now with loadouts. 6 months ago everyone ran the SMG secondary but now you see people using everything

[@ludewich]

Thanks for your tier list and the disclaimer - well done! The LAS pistol is my standard weapon against the bots whenever I bring an explosive primary. Explosive primaries are inherently bad at killing single small guys, and they fail to protect you from close-range berserkers. The LAS pistol is the perfect weapon against both. Haven't used the senator intensively so far despite hundreds of hours in game, maybe I will.

[@clownsanity]

Making 2 differents lists for the bugs and the robots is a very good move. Made me watch the rest of the video for sure.

[@starsidescav9487]

the stim pistol can apply experimental infusion affects, ive taken this to begin a sort of fire support role, using the machine gun and eruptor (soon to be replaced with the Constitution because i expect it to come out with or be buffed to have heavy penetration because it'll essentially be a primary senator) im able to provide a sort of fire support role giving teammates constant speed buffs and 40% damage resistance while using the jetpack to both jump between spreadout randoms and also keep up with speedy teammates

[@Flame_Machine]

6:26 "Definitely not recommended for the heavier enemies however." He says while shooting an Annihilation Tank from up above

[@RupertTheOctopus]

The laser pistol is a great mine clearing tool, which is great when a mine can one-shot you after being ragdolled in light armor

[@yes.elevens3688]

Grenade pistol is a must have if you want to play a themed “fire only” or “gas only” build

[@shaggythisisntweed8970]

I've been saying this since the beginning of the game, make the laser weapons like the inferno tower in clash of clans. Massive damage to single enemies with heavy armour penetration, and another mode with a multi target that has much weaker damage and can't penetrate armour.

[@murphyisadog]

Just use a recoilless rifle and a arc gun

[@2ndRAK25]

Honestly I find having 2 energy weapons is very effective. When one gets close to overheating and you still need to fire, switch to your second energy gun and use that until your primary is cooled off

[@Yogowafel]

Everyone is talking about Senator, but honestly Verdict is now a very reliable "oh shit" button and I love it. Medium pen combined with high RoF, quick reloads and huge damage feels very nice.

[@oneoftheWyldthings92]

I don't know if this has already been mentioned but something else. I figured that needs to be said about the stim pistol. Is that it gives all the benefits that you have on your stims onto the pistol so that includes the experimental drugs and the passives from the medic armor. So full medic build is hilarious, especially if you have the ammo pack

[@kingcrimson9171]

im a bug diver primarily (its just more fun and the planets are more atmospherically pleasing) and my two favorite sidearms are the verdict and bushwacker. i love those things, the verdict genuinely feels like a flat upgrade to the peacemaker (though i do feel that giving the peacemaker a poophate ranking was a little harsh) and the bushwacker is incredible for making a retreat when a brood commander charges you, i keep it on triple shot to just blow it away and make some room to escape. i also enjoy the grenade pistol situationally, just like you said it gives me the ability to close nests and destroy objectives with non-explosive grenades or when i dont want to waste one.

[@duanewong1527]

As a mostly bot front player, I find the Las-5 dagger to be a great backup weapon. It shreds smaller, fast-moving bots, is accurate enough to snipe at mid-range, and does not need ammo, allowing me to conserve ammo on my primary (which is mostly the explosive crossbow).

[@yeskevz]

Peacemaker - in the absence of a supply, best at extended fights due to mag size and its slower fire rate and recoil forces you to fire slower and conserve ammo. Good for players who splits up solo with the team since you'd use less supplies. If you don't really worry about supplies, all the other secondary weapons are better than it Redeemer - fastest at killing enemies chasing you or buying you time to reload your primary or support weapon. Runs out of ammo fast even on semi fire mode (less damage, less durable damage = more shots) Verdict - good middle ground and usually good as a backup. Can be good at hitting enemies at mid to long range but you have to stay still. Slow fire rate so you might not be fast enough to kill a trooper before it calls a bot drop specially if there are many of them in the area Senator - best for hitting heavy armored targets at their armors, slow reload means you might have times when you're in the open and you're not fast enough to deal with pursuers (hunters, bots). Slow fire rate so you might not be fast enough to kill a trooper before it calls a bot drop specially if there are many of them in the area Bushwacker - good for buying you time against multiple grouped enemies and for unleashing large damage in such a short time. Fire behind you as you run. Good for burning enemies that are chasing you. Especially useful if enemies are grouped together. Fire does not care about armor so it's also good for heavy enemies. Can burn the ground for crowd control or area denial. Fire behind you as you run Dagger - longest range secondary weapon, allowing you to take out enemies from afar one at a time if you have no long range weapon (say, you have blitzer and flamethrower as your other weapons, for example). Excellent at shooting behind you as you run Loyalist - excellent ammo, damage, versatility and ability to hit multiple enemies when grouped together. When not fighting enemies at melee range, it can outclass all the other secondaries in terms of damage and reliability. In the end, it depends on what you need, your playstyle and how it compliments your other weapons. Secondary weapons are your backup weapon. When you run out of ammo and have no time to reload, you have to rely on your secondary. If your primary and secondary have long cooldowns and an enemy is about to call reinforcements in front of you, you need to rely on your secondary. If your primary and secondary has a weakness (long reload, limited range, not capable of dealing damage to a large number of enemies quickly) then you need to rely on your secondary. That's how I see secondary weapons. When I run solo stealth, I often find myself out of ammo if I can't find ammo packs around and to avoid bot drops or take out berserkers chasing me, I need something that can last longer so I use the peacemaker. A dagger is not fast enough at dealing with them. If I need something that can provide me some killing power against medium and heavy targets when my primary and support are either on cooldown or out of ammo, I use the verdict and the senator, granted I would stick near the team to get resupplies when they drop it. If I need something to deal with groups of enemies like in illuminates or terminids, I use the crisper or the bushwacker. Loyalist, however, due to it's versatility and firepower might be go-to these days. Only drawback I have about it is it's hard to use when you're running and shooting behind you

[@ASFalcon13]

4:30 P-19...note that you can also mag-dump it to fairly reliably take out a Stalker.

[@Moodyman90]

The fact they made the Dagger of all weapons feel good to use after the buffs proves that the 60 day plan was the right move.

[@nayhem]

Dagger excels on wide open maps where you might be able to spot guards well in advance. Past a certain distance, targets don't even alert, dying quietly while you dump pure energy on them. I wish fire weapons such as the Crisper had a chance to blind or disorient.

[@MongoThinks]

Been using the Crisper lately and it’s been pretty nice. In a pinch, the Crisper has surprisingly helped me out pretty well on the bot front. It’s a nice, quick surprise to pull out against a heavy in close quarters.

[@chandlerguy3231]

I know I'm late to the game, but one other thing that the Dagger is great for against the bots is diffusing mines! It's probably the most efficient way to free up those side entrances to bot outposts and fortresses by clearing all the mines out in seconds and without using ammo!

[@damienmcdonald7610]

Agree with most of the list 100%, but I love the dagger more. Troopers are one of the more annoying enemy so having something in hand to pop them really fast is awesome, especially the jet brigade. Also against bugs it utterly annihilates scavengers, hunters, warriors, bile spitters (the small ones) and shriekers, again with unlimited ammo and fast ttk. Honestly the choices are so much more open over all now though which is great.

[@pxugg6329]

not only does the stim gun heal, it also fixes broken limbs AND also applys the stim booster AND gives infinite stamina for a few seconds. its insane for support players dont underestimate it

[@turelaiti7037]

The las dagger is also really great in bot missions for the purpose of clearing minefields because it's pinpoint accurate and has an absurd range

[@noahyoung9651]

One thing to also keep in mind with the las pistol is the super fun niche of running a full las load out and never running out of ammo. Lasrifle overheating? Swap to Laspistol. Laspistol overheating? Swap to lascannon. Lascannon overheating? Lasrifle is most likely cooled down by now if not on a hot planet or just constantly holding the trigger, swap back over to that. Rinse and repeat until no more bad guys.

[@FelisImpurrator]

Energy trooper loadouts are some of the most fun for that exact reason. Wish we had a plasma nade though.

[@amc6169]

I know this is only relevant now, but I really like the peacemaker vs the illuminate. It did a really good job clearing the trash mobs, allowing me to conserve primary ammo.

[@Quincy_Morris]

1:28 hence why you can run and shoot at the same time with your secondary. You’ll talk about that right?

[@DrPooplove]

@@Quincy_Morris literally talk about immediately after

[@Thumbtin]

I think with the stim pistol they should make it self injection as a option when holding the modify button. Or imagine it with a lock-on setting like the Spear. Longer the lock the more allies it can make a tracking shot to.

[@IMXLegedaryBard]

Before watching the video, im gonna say just this one thing. Now I haven't played with all the sidearms myself, but the rule of thumb I have is the training Call of Duty taught us. "Switching to your pistol is faster than reloading". That's pretty much my only reason to use a sidearm, if I unload a mag at a horde of bugs and theres just one or two left that are too close, I switch to whatever sidearm I have and just finish those few off. Now to watch and enjoy your video, good sir!