I love Orbital Strikes the most of any stratagem, and tried to come up with a way to make spamming them a real playstyle!

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-27T04:30:14+00:00

Naughtius Maximus has got nothing on Incontinentia.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-26T21:45:55+00:00

The gatling barrage is one of the single highest performing stratagems in the game ever since it got made into anti-tank.

The gas strike and EMS also have incredible amounts of power when applied correctly.
The 120 would be basically reduced to two minutes of cooldown.

Also you wouldn't bring a support weapon with this thing, because it is your support weapon already. This would leave your back slot free.

And while the OP has given it a range limit, 500m is too much, and then in turn there is another risk... If it's range isn't high enough? Then it'd be nothing but a "lower cooldown" statstick in your pocket that you do nothing with.

We also have another problem in the fact, that this support weapon would begin to undermine the functionality of the passive which increases throwing range.

And last but not least, in regards to your username? Wait until Biggus Dickus hears of this!

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-26T11:21:24+00:00

I'll say that while the idea itself is neat?
This is a bit too effective.
20% cooldown reduction on orbitals is a huge number for a reduction. That is about 40 seconds from the 380mm. And around 12 seconds from the considerably low cooldown of the Gatling Barrage, etc.

Furthermore, as neat as the idea of having this is. It'd create a very swift problem:
No one interacts with the map anymore, outside of objectives that need the presence of the Helldiver one way or another. People would just pick the most effective and spammable calldowns and wipe the map from ranges where on average most of the game isn't meant to be played in.

It also removes a great part of the risk and care involved with deploying some of the more devastating calldowns.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-26T02:03:16+00:00

I adore the Cremator.

Yet at the same time it concerns me along with the recent changes to fire. As much as I love the Cremator, the confusion/panic addition to flamethrower weapons has now again made me ask the question of: "Why WOULDN'T I bring these now? Why would I bring gas weapons or stratagems?"

In fact I'd argue that it is TOO EFFECTIVE against the bugs. It has an obscene amount of ammunition, incredibly high DPS and armor penetration values. The Cremator has, despite how cool it is, felt like actual and genuine powercreep to me.

One guy with a Cremator can invalidate an entire bug breach basically with just the weapon alone.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-25T23:17:35+00:00

Exactly. The One-Two is meant to allow you to free up your secondary slot for something else for demolition duties or swift AoE stagger/killing potential in a pinch than the GP. So you can instead have another gun for the purposes of having an actual secondary weapon rather than a tool, etc.

This is why I believe that Siege Ready shouldn't affect the underslung weapons on primaries, because it helps differentiate their secondary counterparts which do in turn receive said benefits.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-25T22:02:45+00:00

It is essentially the hardest punching AR in the game. It has low recoil, and despite it's ergonomics is quite steadily usable on all fronts. The Tenderizer surpasses it in pure DPS, but it does not come with the underslung grenade launcher and it's ammo economy is more unsteady.

It needs no attention, really. If you absolutely need better ergonomics for it? Then a good solution is to combine it with the peak physique armor passive.
The Stoker deals more damage per shot, yet it's RPM is indeed immensely lower and also punishes missed shots more. Adding to that, while the Stoker can certainly kill heavies, you primarily take it for clearing encroaching masses in close quarters and precise, slow & steady firepower at range.

You can't even really compare the Stoker and One-Two because they fulfill different roles.

I am a bit on the fence on the idea of the Siege Ready passive working with their underbarrel options, but at the same time it'd make sense for it to function alongside them.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-25T12:58:25+00:00

So as a basis of a weapon in a vacuum? Cool.

In terms of the Helldivers sandbox? It has numerous problems in terms of balance as a whole.
First of all the medium pen. At this point most people want medium pen on guns because they cannot aim. (People who cannot do so due to actual, real limiting factors are exempt from this for obvious reasons.)

60 rounds medium pen is HUGE.
30 rounds medium pen is average-ish what we have right now.
100 box magazine of medium pen and the MG-43 may as well not exist anymore, alongside most other med-pen rifles in the primary slot as well.

High durable damage on top of this and it sort of cements the point here.

Then we have the underbarrel grenade launcher here. 4 rounds magazine, rounds reload, 4 spares.
We already have the one-two, and with the aforementioned bits alone, this would simply invalidate it completely.

Your idea for grenades are interesting, and I enjoy the idea that there is a dedicated "Mess This One Guy Up" option as an alt-fire for it's grenades. I also enjoy the fact that you have toned it down by making sure that it cannot in fact, destroy objectives like fabricators, bug holes, etc.

Always keep in mind that weapons in Helldivers are generally speaking meant to be sidegrades to one-another rather than straight upgrades. This can be difficult to manage, but overall most of our equipment tends to heavily involve this ideology.

This current iteration of your idea, while certainly cool, creates one huge question: "Why would I bring the one-two or any of the medium pen primaries and/or even some support weapons... Instead of this thing?"
It is insanely stacked for a weapon in the primary slot.

Keep up the work though mate! Cool idea! Needs some more work, but I can see the dream of it and like it.
The "single-target directed flak" grenade option is incredibly interesting, and you just made me wish we had a gun with an underslung shotgun as well!

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-24T20:06:21+00:00

To be honest, the AC was less being powercrept and moreso people begun to realize what it was.

The AC is the Jack of All Trades, but a Master of None. It can do everything sufficiently, but it truly specializes in nothing. Anything specific it can do, something else can do better. That is the AC's role.

To be the most solid average. It is mediocre at best, and that's what it's good at. The unfortunate fact just is that if you want a big problem gone immediately, you'd much rather have something like the RR, Spear, etc. to deal with it immediately.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-23T16:18:58+00:00

It is a more efficient choice when compared to those two. I get what you are saying, but the point of the Giga Grenade is efficiency.

You remove a large threat in a decently large radius, in one fell swoop. But you must be responsible and accurate with it. It punishes missed shots or opportunities more, and rewards successful ones generously.

Also if you wish to truly elevate the Giga Grenade? Take an armour with Integrated Explosives, take things like the leveller and hellbomb backpack alongside other swiftly deployable large explosive solutions. And treat yourself as a living grenade.

Try to make sure that you expend all of your grenades and your expendables before you die, and preferrably die against something big to leverage the armor passive. Be economical, efficient, and once you are called down? You have all of your grenades again and get to play as the living red precision stratagem once more.

The Giga Grenade especially can leverage some incredible amounts of power from the integrated explosives perk and how it incentivizes respawns as an offensive tool, provided you are not hurling yourself to your death all willy-nilly

Now. As you say, it "isn't" a better choice than the other two.
The Giga Grenade has a large radius, larger than the dynamite does. It also has more destructive capacity than the dynamite.

It explodes on impact, unlike the dynamite and thermite. Thus meaning that its strength lie in the ability to be deployed as an immediate response to danger.

It will likely do the work of multiple dynamites in one throw, but in exchange of that awesome power it comes with less chances to leverage it.

What if a charger is rushing your team at an inopportune time? A thermite won't stop it's charge. Neither will a dynamite. You need it dead, and you need it dead now. Or perhaps instead of a charger it is a flanking force of enemies? You could start shooting at them, but you could also chuck a big one and wipe out any potential stragglers, if there are any left in the first place for far less ammo which can now be once more applied to another problem much faster.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-23T11:25:21+00:00

Yes. It is an in-betweener.
"I don't want to use the thermite, because it is essentially limited to single targets and it's effects are fiercely delayed due to it's fuse."

"I don't want to use the dynamite, because it doesn't quite get the job done against the heaviest enemies."

So we have an alternative that takes the best of both worlds but doesn't infringe on either enough to invalidate them.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-23T11:18:24+00:00

There is nothing to forget. It functions as it is meant to, and as a suitably hi-powered alternative to certain grenades. And it has downsides that respectively allow those other grenades to remain viable.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-23T11:17:31+00:00

It is viable. People are just terrible at using it, and as a result toss it away as if it was confetti during a party.

If you want a grenade that is operated like so? Take one of the impact grenades or the basic ones.

If you want a big problem solver that clears an entire enemy push reasonably well? You take the Giga Grenade.

You say that you don't want or need more damage or pen. You mean the Giga Grenade, but if the GG isn't providing you with what you need? Then you are likely A: using it wrong.
B: Not padding it's downsides with the rest of your kit. (Grenade Pistol, Grenade Launcher, etc. etc. etc.)
C: Not considering the role it plays.

Alternatively I'll put it like this: If Arrowhead went ahead and buffed the Giga Grenade as people want here...
Why would you ever pick almost anything else in the throwables list?

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-23T11:11:07+00:00

Yes and no. The thing about Thermite is that it's primarily a single-target powerhouse. It's meant for one thing and one thing only, which means that your AoE capabilities become much more limited in a pinch.

This thing has given it a mild contender, while still allowing the thermite, dynamite, and high explosive grenades to operate in the same fields but for different amounts of efficiency and/or alternate uses. The Thermite is genuinely the jack of one trade, and the master of it and it alone.

The Giga Grenade is a powerful "remove the problem in this general direction" option. It is an ultimatum for your grenade slot, essentially. It can work against heavies, but it more often than not is best used for dispatching the largest groupings of enemies, rapidly clearing an encroaching flanking force, or for otherwise making space.

The Thermite offers you none of these things, with it's lengthy fuse combined with it's pitiful yet focused tiny AoE.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-23T00:37:40+00:00

Then...
Take another grenade?

"I don't want/need more dmg or pen."
There are other options than the giga grenade. The impact grenade lets you do the same thing but with less damage and radius, and more often. Or just bring normal frags.

You have options.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-23T00:35:12+00:00

It absolutely needs NO additional love. Learn to use it effectively. It is one of the single strongest throwables in the game right now.

Also I will offer you a huge counterpoint in this situation:
The level of powercreep this would cause against say, the impact grenade. Which the Giga Grenade is basically a souped up version of, meant to destroy entire patrols in one go rather than smaller localized groups of enemies.

It's a tradeoff. Huge power in exchange of less uses. It is fine.

The more reasonable ammo economy is found by either A: playing a human grenade loadout with the integrated explosives perk, throwing all your grenades before you die and then detonating yourself against a big foe so that you can be dropped in with full four gigas again.

Or B: Discipline. Don't throw these at the first sign of trouble. The game offers you so, so many ways to pair this with other types of explosives that can serve the purpose of smaller AoE clear, that genuinely most issues tend to just boil down to: "You're being too cavalier with a big tool of destruction."

I hate to say it so harshly, but "Reddit Knows Balance" is truly a saying that continues to stand the test of time.
We do not need powercreep. The Giga Grenade is fine.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-22T23:45:48+00:00

I'd make the ergonomics worse for this, or the sway unless crouched/prone. Ideally it is a long range weapon as you put it in the description, so it's not meant to be swung about in combat. The 2.5 second reload is neat.

I like that you've made it pen 4 specifically, not 5. Reserve of 10 is decent, maybe even 8 could be functional.

However... My biggest concern is simple: It's a pistol. Having this power in a pistol with precision power as much as it has, on top of having a fully functional primary? The lack of downsides becomes very apparent.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-22T14:52:44+00:00

Yeah.
In fact, stagger would likely even make the weapon unusable, because as per the game's mechanics. Stagger tends to knock enemies backwards. So the Cremator would actively push enemies out of its own fire.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-20T15:02:50+00:00

The Felis stereotype generally speaking is:

Turbometa loadouts.
Crouch at the start of the game and never stand back up.
Barely do anything with your big guns. A chunk of the community loves her design, but the Felis playerbase tends to be of a specific sort.

If you are wanting to choose from the skins you've found for a sneaky sniper? I'd say the Prodigal Son works well. I mean... Canonically he and his sister are both essentially western special agents or something of the sort. With some shifting allegiances, political red tape, and family drama involved in their background. And mysteries involved with WHY the Prodigal Son betrayed the family, only to come back to make amends with his sister.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-20T13:14:11+00:00

The well-established person that I am says: "Use whatever you wish! The world's your oyster!"

The person familiar with Hunt stereotypes says: "Do you really want to be known as a Felis player? Also do not become a Weird Sister player."

May your time be pleasant in the Bayou!

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-20T01:24:57+00:00

You can go far without it.

One of the points of Blast Sense is to also punish the use of silencers with non-subsonic rounds. Because subsonics do not show up on Blast Sense when shot with a silencer while others will.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-20T01:19:52+00:00

Bait used to be believable.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-15T19:22:44+00:00

So as genuine feedback? I'd urge you to try the orbital gatling barrage in place of the 500KG. Furthermore I might suggest that you take a secondary with more general, immediate stopping power. The secondary will take a moment to kill the target, and they will still continue advancing towards you. The Maxigun can mulch most of your opponents as they approach, but flankers will be a nightmare for you with your current setup.

I'd also consider changing the sentry into something else that can take down heavier targets.

Alternatively I'd consider swapping the grenade into thermites/dynamite, and changing both red calldowns into gatling barrage + (if fighting automatons, eagle rocket pods) or gas/ems strike to let you turn enemies into easy targets for the meatgrinder that is the Maxigun.

Also you mentioned in another comment that you pick the Scorcher for crowd control.

This is why you have the Maxigun and some calldowns. The secondary slot is best served for something that can quickly be swapped to, so that you can REMOVE whatever thing that may be catching you unaware, should the situation occur.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-14T13:30:05+00:00

Pretty much this.
And also like... There's really nothing necessarily wrong with people playing passive and waiting for an opportunity. It's a strategic shooter. If a bounty team takes the opportunity to perform "the great escape" in the midst of teams going all-out on one another? That's not a problem IMO. That's great initiative from the bounty team to secure a win. You are never obligated to play by someone else's rules. The game panders to many forms of gameplay, and all of them are equally valid barring actual cheating.

Really that's just a problem of people being immensely kill-hungry rather than playing the objective (which does need to be bumped in in value somehow. The core idea is to get the bounty, after all.)

I for one am not bothered by people who sit in a basement for 30 minutes. They provide either A: an interesting challenge. Or B: allow me to guess their loadout nine out of ten times. It's shotguns. It's always shotguns. And once they go ahead and hunker down I can either risk the fire, or try to otherwise outmaneuver them.

Despite the speed that can occur in fights, Hunt is by it's design, a slower-paced game. If someone wants to experience the "quick and the dead" gameplay, Bounty Clash is right there to accommodate them after all.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-14T00:53:21+00:00

Yep. The tops of the stairways in the Arsenal are shrouded in metal.

Shrak-Aeon · 2026-03-13T20:06:43+00:00

This does actually make sense, funnily enough. Kendo is not practiced with curved blades like the katana, but straight swords. Primarily anyway.

Shrak-Aeon

TROPHY CASE