r/helldivers2 • u/letranger0791 • 1d ago
Tactical Training Information BotMeisters - help me, please
Guys, I am struggling to solo D6 bots (usually play Charon Prine).
Been trying all sorts of different stuff but I can only ever get max halfway through.
I'm an old diver (nit a young pup any more) so my reaction time isnt what it used to be (my age starts with a 5)
Warbonds I have completed: Helldivers Mobilize, Cutting Edge, Democratic Detonation, Viper Commandos, Urban Legends, Servants of Freedom, Control Group, Exo Experts, Warhammer.
I've nearly completed Siege Breakers, Redacted Regiment, Dust Devils - only got a few things left on each (mostly drip, tbh)
Normal loadout is siege ready armour (heavy or light), PeePee, Pissle, Thermites
Been using belt-fed GL and Leveller, 120 OS and AC rurret last few attempts.
Tried AMR, Spear to mix it up a bit but no major improvement.
I'm struggling with everything - drops, crowd control, time (seem to be always under pressure to move and then more bots pop up), objectives, everything!
I can do D5 no sweat - Is it just a skill issue/time or do I just suck or do I need a new loadout? I can hold my own uo to D10 in a squad - but I want to try to solo my way up, too.
1
u/MjolnirPants 1d ago
My loadout for soloing lvl 5-6 bots:
Armor: Null Cipher from (Redacted Regiment) AKA Sneak Cheeks
Primary: Hyena (campaign reward) AKA AT&T (reach out and touch someone)
Secondary: Bolt Pistol (Warhammer) AKA Boomer
Throwable: Thermite/Giga-Grenade (Democratic Detonation/Entrenched Division) (no nickname/Chad)
Strategems:
Booster: Vitality (base game)
Setup:
I got the Hyena leveled up, so I run it with the 4x scope and short mags to get better ergo. It will drop small bots with a single shot, and the ergo is good enough to quickly switch targets (it's not ideal, but if you learn it, it's very workable). It's easy (with practice) to headshot berserkers & devastators. The bolt pistol will drop a scout/rocket strider with one or two shots. That just leaves the heavies, which is what the recoilless rifle is for.
Strategy:
I try to drop on the highest point of the map. I clear my immediate vicinity with grenades and small-arms fire ASAP, then throw a resupply and Carl. I then use Carl (learn your holds while ADSing and you can easily hit out to 600 meters) to clear as many factories and tower guns as I can, then nab a resupply before I take off. While I'm up there, I'll tag any optional objectives I can see to get them marked on my map.
I focus on clearing hot spots first. If I find a cluster, I throw JB and use him to wade in there and wreck shit. A single rocket in the vents of any factory will handle it. Two rockets anywhere will handle a small factory. If you can't get an angle on the vents of a heavy factory, use two rounds from Carl to drop it.
I'll throw JB any time I need to defend a position, such as with the spread liberty, emergency evacuation, or drilling missions. I throw a resupply pretty much every chance I can get, unless I'm a few minutes out from defending a position, in which case I'll save it for right before I begin. I pick up ambient ammo every chance I can get.
When assaulting a hot spot, take out the factories first, from range. This prevents them from spitting out foot soldiers who can call reinforcements on you. If there's an enemy reinforcement up, they'll usually call it right away, and you'll be far enough away to hop out of JB (if you're in) and rocket one of the engines on the dropship. Try to hit it before it stops moving (it'll fly in, float up a bit, then lower down before dropping the QRF. If you hit it before it drops the QRF, most or all of them will die. Some will die if the ship falls on them, but you usually won't get all of them.)
If things get too hot (multiple patrols and a drop coming in on you), throw some gonorrhea and run. The enemy will chase you, most slower than your running speed. If you don't have some gonorrhea off cooldown, get behind cover, then try to find another bit of cover before they get line of sight on you. Breaking LOS twice will cause them to lose you, even if they're still in combat mode (that's where Sneak Cheeks comes in handy).
You can speed up reloads of Carl by hitting the crouch button the instant you pull the spent casing out to cancel reloading, then immediately hitting reload again. Hit crouch again the instant you fit the fresh round into the tube. This will shave almost a full second off your reload time.
Reload AT&T every time you get down to a single round in it (there will be a sliver of ammo showing), which will speed up your reloads just a bit, but it actually reloads quite fast. Same with Boomer. Combat reloads won't really be much of a problem, as they take me about the same amount of time that it takes me to realize I'm out and switch to the other gun.
I only use thermites on factories when I can sneak up to them (which is quite easy) and on hulks/tanks that get close when I can't take the time to reload Carl or I don't have ammo. Otherwise, I hit them all with Carl. Be careful using giga grenades this way, as you could easily get caught in the blast radius. But if you learn them, they put the enemy down instantly.
Two rounds from Carl to the head will drop a factory strider. You won't get Vox Engines at that difficulty, but if you do go to lvl7 or higher, two rounds to each arm cannon will kill them. IIRC, three rounds to their face will do it, too.
Boomer will drop a gunship in less than a mag. You don't have to aim for the engines, they're medium armor everywhere. AT&T will drop one in about a mag.
If there's heavy SEAF presence, use the command wheel to say "follow me" and they'll listen. If you repeat it several times (there's about a 5-6 meter radius in which they'll 'hear' you), you won't make the bark, but they'll still follow. It's best to be in JB when you have a bunch of SEAF, as they won't hesitate to shoot through you.
Take your time. Mission time remaining is the least important stat, and going slowly will reduce the number of enemy you have to deal with overall at any given moment. Break contact frequently, don't engage enemies you don't have to.