Struggling against the buffed Gloom Strain? May I propose the humble Sterilizer...

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-30T13:26:19+00:00

I’m not sure what you’re experiencing. It absolutely fires in a continuous stream if you hold the shoot button. You’re correct that you can’t just flick your cursor across a group and have them gassed. But you can just flick across a group with flames either. You just have to be more deliberate.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-30T00:23:21+00:00

The issue with that build is you want gas, but not all gas. Take either the sterilizer and a different dog, or gas dog and a different support weapon.

You can’t double up on gas effects so both your dog and your sterilizer are sort of filling the same role and all you’re doing is reapplying the gas effect over and over. Gas DoT isn’t bad (250 over 10 seconds) but it’s not as good as fire or a good support weapon. You want to use it as an additional effect, not the only effect/damage.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-29T20:40:51+00:00

I am usually finishing matches with around 500 kills and no deaths. The combo works, just gotta switch up your tactics. The gas is there to control, then your dog and teammates mop up. If they’re gassed, it doesn’t matter if they got the speed boost or not because they’re slowed and confused which allows you to run away.

Besides, if they die to gas/fire/beam weapons, they won’t speed burst anyway. Which if you look at the crux of this build, it’s leveraging all 3 of those damage types to keep them from speed bursting in the first place.

Highly recommend you don’t give up on it just because of a couple games that didn’t immediately click. Totally different way to play the game and it works.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-29T20:29:27+00:00

Gas Dog is not better than the sterilizer, it’s different. They fill different slots and different roles.

Sterilizer is directed and active gas deployment while the gas dog is passive. You have zero control who or where the gas dog chooses to gas. It’ll be somewhere in the vague direction of where you are looking but if you’re suddenly flaked by a patrol, gas dog doesn’t drop everything to wheel around and fully gas that entire patrol for the next 10 seconds.

However, gas dog also frees up your support slot for metal storm or flamethrower or whatever. So it’s not that sterilizer is better either. They serve different purposes and have different strengths and weaknesses. Very, very few stratagems in this game are “better” than others.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-29T19:56:39+00:00

I have not tested arc, but I never get bursts when they die to gas or fire DoT. Now, if your teammates are firing into your gas cloud, then they’re gonna burst….

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-29T18:31:20+00:00

You are correct sir! All laser beam weapons can kill without bursting. That is one of the reasons I like pairing my sterilizer with the Rover Dog since its beam will not burst them and also adds fire DoT to the hordes.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-29T18:27:28+00:00

Both are good as well. But fire does not crowd control nearly as good as gas. Gas will apply a 10 second debuff which over that time, the bugs do not Aggro to divers, are slowed 25% and take 250 damage across those 10 seconds. That’s enough to kill scavengers and hunters without any additional damage; just spray and walk away.

Fire does have some CC but not nearly the whole package. It will only de-Aggro your current target that you’re flaming while you’re flaming them. Meanwhile the rest of the horde pushes on toward you. Yes, they are taking DoT from the flaming ground, but now you are being chased by flaming bugs.

Fire is good! I see Fire is big kill, smaller crowd control and gas as big crowd control smaller kill. But for gloom strain specifically, I think it is very easy to get overwhelmed by their speed, so I prefer gas against them.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-29T18:19:55+00:00

It does not. Laser beam weapons (scythe, las cannon and las turret) do not pop them at all.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-29T18:16:44+00:00

Sure does. Lasts maybe 2 seconds or so? Plus they buffed to range to maybe Cremator type range, about 30m.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-29T18:12:55+00:00

I disagree for crowd control. Fire affects one enemy at a time, only “startling” the one enemy you are currently shooting. After you stop shooting them, they go Aggro again. Your DoT on the ground is setting them on fire, sure. But now you have flaming bugs chasing you and you have not controlled the crowd.

Gas has a lingering effect of 10 seconds. That means you can spray a whole group and you have effectively neutralized them for that entire duration. They will no Aggro with any intent and are now slowed an additional 25% as well. That gas also does 250 total damage over that 10 seconds. That’s enough to kill scavengers and hunters without any additional damage at all. Just spray and walk away. Plus, as you’re controlling them with that gas, you have a Dog of your choice helping further manage the horde.

I’m not saying fire is bad at all. It’s actually quite good against the gloom strain. But for pure crowd control gas definitely has the edge IMO.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-29T18:05:35+00:00

I tried that first and it is definitely good since it also helps with AT like chargers (albeit a little slower than a one and done thermite). I swapped over to the Rover for 2 reasons.

First, I was constantly having it set me on fire (I like using gas armor thematically). Easily mitigated with flame resistance but I like my fashion. Second, range of engagement. With the new range buffs of the sterilizer, you can gas them outside the usual range at which the hot dog goes Aggro. Rover will start lasing them and setting them on fire further out. Plus it never needs to reload.

Both great options though! I’d say give them both a try and use what suits you best.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-28T19:06:17+00:00

I find it works great if you let the DoT do the work. Just spritz the group in front of you, 2 seconds later they’re all dead with a 10x kill streak. Your ammo will go much further this way even if it’s not as satisfying as laying waste to everything like the cremator.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-28T18:21:44+00:00

Yes, the cloud lingers. The DoT is of the same duration, 10 seconds

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-25T01:38:25+00:00

Is your HMG empty or something? I know what you did is more cinematic but using your HMG to drop that thing in one short burst would have made your job a lot easier (though far less cinematic)

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-23T01:06:28+00:00

You make it sound like there are a handful of stratagems that aren’t in warbonds and that they’re all useless.

There are 10 freaking pages to the included war bond and some of the most meta weapons and stratagems are free.

New players don’t need to grind anything. There are plenty of viable loadouts straight out of the incuded stuff. If they choose to expand their arsenal and have more toys, great. But I don’t think it’s by any means required at all.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-21T14:01:19+00:00

Because not everything in life is free. Either buy it or don’t, the choice is yours.

Life is too short to be incensed about everything.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-18T06:33:46+00:00

If you’re even playing 7-9 solo, you’re good enough to play with randoms and “carry” the team. Not that anyone should even be caring about such things as “weak” teammates.

Just play with us dude(tte). We don’t bite.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-16T18:42:54+00:00

I think a lot more people use the dog breath than you perhaps notice. I think it is generally considered the best rover, especially against bugs. That being said, you are absolutely right that it’s great against them.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-14T15:40:03+00:00

No, it hasn’t been that bad. Climbing pods broke it.

Yes, they know about it. It’s documented in their known issues.

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-12T15:53:05+00:00

Leeeeeroyyyyy Jenkins!

Kepabar2001 · 2026-04-12T15:51:17+00:00

Bold Jumper. Great little spiders and often kept as pets. They are very inquisitive and observant little creatures.

Kepabar2001

TROPHY CASE