Welcome to the HELLDIVERS™ 2: Weapon Data guide. Here, you will find a brief overview of the total damage potential for various weapons in the game. It’s important to note that this number represents the maximum potential, as factors like spread, blocked shots, and missed shots can lower it. Also, please keep in mind that this data does not include explosive and incendiary damage, as there is limited information available on those types. Let’s dive in and compare the stats of these weapons.
Overview and general info
I made this after the recent nerfs and buffs to see how weapons compare statistically to each other. The numbers are mostly pulled from the displayed stats in-game with the machine gun damage being assumed by comparing to other guns.
If you want to get to my analysis and opinions just skip this section for I will just talk about my methods and sources.
I do not know if “fire rate” is in rounds per min (RPM) or some random game number so for the time being I will assume it to be RPM. DPM is calculated by multiplying damage by RPM which clearly shows why the SG-225 Breaker is so liked.
Fire time is calculated by taking total ammo count and dividing it by RPM which will give us total firing time in minutes so to convert to seconds, I multiply by 60.
Shotguns
As you eyeballs can see, all of the shotguns pack really good total damage potential with great single shot damage! This is a problem…yea…it is…Overkill is common thing with these blasters! Lets take a standard automaton mindless drone, lets say he has 500HP. With the SG-225 it would take 2 shots at a total freedoms output of 660! That is almost 200 damage wasted! Overkill is a blast of fun but do keep it in mind while reading (if you can read?) this hell diver!
Another thing to keep in mind is spread! Your god’s gift of a hand cannon fires a handful of pellets which spread out quickly! Take the SG-225IE Breaker Inc. for a spin diver and see that its spread is random. This does make firing at long distance a big waste of total damage potential. However, this is great for dealing with hordes of enemies! Get above them diver so that you do not waste pellets into the unholy ground or empty space called a sky above!
Here is a clip of the shotgun spread
and from infront
Rifles and SMGs
First things first:
The standard issue, the soliders rifle, the freedom dispenser! The Liberator is A GOOD GUN! Most people throw it away for more shiny or big guns but its no secret…the liberator is a solid gun! Easy to control and good amounts of ammo. However, it does lack a lot in the total damage potential but due to its ease of use you can make the most out of the potential.
Now on to an overlook of the rifles and SMGs as a whole. Underwhelming! No big bang, no crazy burst damage and to be frank…they dont look like much. This does not mean they are worthless (besides for the AR-23E Explosive). Most of the rifles do great at midranges and are all generally efficient with their ammo use, unlike shotguns who spray all over or MGs which…also spray all over.
The biggest issue with the rifles and SMGs is that they are over classed by other weapons. Shotguns far outclass at closer ranges and energy weapons pack a lot more punch over longer ranges while MGs just shred where the rifles should be best at mid ranges. They clearly need a buff of either more ammo (which is what I would prefer) or let them be the only class to have attachments like suppressors, grips, bayonets or under-barrel weapons.
I still recommend you try them all out (besides for the AR-23E Explosive) since they can make the game more challenging in a fun way.
Pistols
Just take the Redeemer! It has more rounds (that do the same damage) as the P-2 Peacemaker and in burst does more upfront damage than the P-4 Senator while not having the god awful reload which can let them nids or bots run you over diver!
The Senator need a quicker reload to be worth it since its damage and feel is great!
The Peacemaker is the worst gun in the game…sadly
LAS, PLAS and JAR
Due to how different they are, lets look at them one by one diver.
LAS-5 Scyth
Is ammo a problem for you solider? Do your worthless fellow divers steal all the supplies again or call it on the other side of the map? This gun is for you!
INFINITE AMMO!…yea…let that sink in diver! That means you can just keep killing! Also…NO RELOAD…just let off before the over heat and throw stratgems, pull out your redeemer or just go for a stroll on the corpses of your enemies while it cools and then what ya know! KEEP FIRING!
Although it might feel underwhelming to fire since it doesn’t give any feed back (no pew pew or bang bang)…it is doing damage solider! It is the light of democracy destroying your enemies! It is great at cutting the arms of bots and toasting them nids!
PLAS-1 Scorcher
You a fan of starwars? This is the blaster for you!
This gun is great since it deals double damage to weak spots due to it being explosive (+100% of explosive and only +10% for regular rounds). It also has a great blast radius! It can take out tanks from the front (and slightly above). It basically a auto cannon in the primary slot!
Biggest issue is the total damage potential but unlike other guns…this potential is easy to achieve due to its slow firing and easy control.
Easily my favorite weapon but the grind for it is long
JAR-5 Dominator
You a fan of warhammer? This is the boltgun!
Very similar to the PLAS but feels heavier. More ammo but more recoil! Still gets the explosive bonus towards weak spots.
I’m not a fan yet I have seen divers do crazy things
And that wraps up our share on HELLDIVERS™ 2: Weapon Data. If you have any additional insights or tips to contribute, don’t hesitate to drop a comment below. For a more in-depth read, you can refer to the original article here by IronFox, who deserves all the credit. Happy gaming!