This is how you can eliminate strikers in Helldivers 2
Strikers are quite annoying and dangerous for three reasons. First: They are very heavily armored, so it takes a lot of firepower to bring them to their knees. Second: A single striker does not pose a major threat on its own, but bugs often appear in large numbers and/or in combination with many other bugs. Often other beetles have a higher kill priority and this leads to problem number three: The name “Striker” is no coincidence, because they like to run over inattentive Helldivers with their rush attack. You can survive the onslaught, but you will often be picked apart by other bugs. But there are some ways and means by which you can master them:
This is what strikers look like in Helldivers 2.
The most effective weapons and strategies against Chargers
Weapon choice
To counter the extreme armor of strikers, you should primarily rely on heavy guns with explosive or armor-piercing effects: EAT-17 disposable anti-tank, AC-8 automatic cannon, GR-8 recoilless rifle, LAS-99 Quasar cannon, the good old RS-422 railgun (effective again since patch 1,000,300) and so on are the best choice at a distance. The FAF-14 Javelin is also a good option because it can even oneshot strikers. However, chance determines where the missile hits, it can also be that only the striker’s armor is destroyed in one place, the striker takes light damage, or nothing at all.
The flamethrower is particularly effective at close range (some players are talking about the new META weapon against strikers) because it ignores all physical armor. However, close combat is quite risky because you can catch a blow so quickly. A shield backpack is recommended in this case. Also watch out for fellow players, because you can torch them too.
Special mention goes to the ARC-3 bow thrower, with which you need a few hits to melt the huge life point pool of a striker (approx. 10 to 12 hits), but you have infinite ammunition, you don’t have to aim precisely, and you don’t use up yours Back space (for shield) and can grill even the toughest bugs very quickly, especially in a team – when several Helldivers use a bow launcher. Not to mention that the bow jumps to nearby enemies and fried them too.
Grenades are therefore the better choice if you have poor equipment, but you have to pay attention to your supply. Alternatively, you have to adapt your tactics accordingly and focus on hitting the weak points instead of massive firepower.
Tactical equipment
When it comes to stratagems, it always depends on the situation. If you are only dealing with one or a few strikers, you should rely on heavy weapons rather than support from above, because it is often not that easy or sensible to hit a single striker with tactical equipment.
If so, the orbital laser or the orbital rail cannon strike can kill a striker immediately. Area attacks such as “380 MM HE orbital barrage”, “Eagle – Cluster Bomb” or the “Adler – 500 KG Bomb” are also effective – as long as they hit. The same applies to guns, although they are quickly destroyed. Another good choice is the EXO-45 Patriot exosuit, whose missiles can easily crack the heavy armor of strikers before the Gattling does the rest.
Striker’s weak points
Strikers are almost fully armored and even though the yellow spots look like supposed weak points, they are not considered as such in the game. Means: Any non-explosive damage only deals 10% of the original damage. But there are a few weak points that you can and should take advantage of:
Hit the head
Although strikers can withstand a lot of damage thanks to their strong armor, since patch 1,000,102 a hit in the head with an armor-piercing weapon such as the EAT-17 disposable anti-tank, GR-8 recoilless rifle or LAS-99 quasar cannon is enough to kill to flatten them with one shot. To do this, you have to aim and shoot well, which is not always possible in the hectic pace of battle. Alternatively, it is recommended to target the legs.
Shoot legs away
If you don’t have time for a targeted headshot, the easiest tactic is to aim at a striker’s forelegs with heavy armor-piercing weapons such as the RS-422 Railgun, GR-8 Recoilless Rifle, or LAS-99 Quasar Cannon. This will allow you to trip them up and destroy their armor. As soon as the armor is gone and the flesh is exposed, a short bombardment with simple weapons such as AR23-Liberator, SMG-37 Defender, SG-8-Punisher, etc. is enough to kill a Charger. If you don’t have any heavy weapons at your disposal, you can also aim at the stomach.
Hit your stomach
If you don’t have any armor-piercing weapons available yet, the unprotected belly of a striker is your target. Hitting this isn’t that easy since the beetle’s armored legs often get in the way, but this is the only area that is less armored. Simply attack the underside of the Charger with large calibers (machine guns, pump shotguns, etc.) or, better yet, explosive attacks (grenades, grenade launchers, etc.) until the belly takes on a torn appearance and the striker kicks the bucket shortly afterwards. Although this method is less efficient, it also works with poor equipment.
Hit leg joints
If you don’t have good equipment yet, even simple weapons like the MG-43 machine gun can damage a striker’s legs – without removing the armor. To do this, however, you have to shoot at the joints of the legs, which is quite difficult because the joints are tiny and moving targets.
The best tactic to kill strikers
Acts in a team
The best protection for a Helldiver is a team and of course strikers with more manpower are easier to take down. Strikers usually focus on one Helldiver at a time and do everything they can to kill them. Accordingly, one (faster) player should try to draw attention to himself, giving the other players relatively free rein to target a Charger’s weak points. Of course, you rarely have to deal with just one striker. Often every player has a whole pack on their backs, but here too – while you run away from your striker – you can deal with the pursuers of your fellow combatants and thus keep the bugs off each other’s throats.
Circles striker
Despite their appearance, strikers are very fast, so the most important rule is: don’t run in a straight line, because even with light armor they will inevitably catch up with you (at the latest with the charge attack). However, the cockroaches that have grown too large are not particularly agile and you should take advantage of this fact. This means: Stay close to the striker and circle around him or run past him, but don’t get too close, because strikers use their claws at short distances. If you have the right distance, the striker won’t come after you and you can attack relatively safely.
Watch out for the attack and dodge
The strikers owe their name to the assault attack and every Helldiver has probably had more experience with it than they would like. During this attack, the beetles rush quickly in a straight line towards their target and attempt to trample them or grab them with their massive forelegs, which inflicts significant damage and can knock the victim to the ground, stun them, or throw them into the air (depending on the situation). Impact angle).
This attack can be easily dodged because strikers don’t just change direction in the middle of a sprint, but it’s easy to miss the attack in the thick of battle and that’s why strikers are so hated. It is therefore important that you always keep an eye on them (at least in the corner of your eye) and, if necessary, dodge to the side during an attack or – if it’s close – jump to the side to save yourself.
Tipp: You can use a jetpack to jump over a charging striker. But make sure that you take off early enough, because if the altitude is too low you will be impaled in the air. Alternatively, an FX-12 shield generator relay can stop the attack directly when fully charged, but the striker can then simply dachshund to the shield generator and destroy it.
Use the charge attack for an effective counterattack
Once you’ve dodged a charge from a striker, this is a great time to counterattack. To do this, simply aim a heavy weapon – the AC-8 automatic cannon is particularly suitable for this – at the unprotected back of a leg. Depending on the level of difficulty, one shot is enough, but you often need another shot at the same leg (no matter where) to finally eliminate the striker.
Stun striker
Strikers are vulnerable to stun grenades and EMS attacks. If you hit them with it, you can immobilize them for a short time and then slightly aim at the weak points.
Alternatively, you can stand in front of a massive wall/rock and wait for the attack. Dodge them and the striker will be immobilized for a short time upon impact, which also gives you a perfect window of opportunity for a targeted attack. Attention: This only works with massive structures, smaller rocks and walls can easily be overcome by strikers.
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