Helldivers 2 (PS5/PC)

[Neon Ignition]

Returned to the fight this weekend. Managed to rank up three times mostly thanks to finally making the jump up a difficulty class so Exp flows a bit faster. Doesn't feel like it's made too much of a difference to mission clearance as long as the team sticks together so I might make another jump up this week. Only seen one player using a mech suit so far, the biggest shift in difficulty is player reliance on large scale Strats and so the higher chance of getting wiped out because few bother to survey the area for friendlies first. Going back as well highlights how much more fun the Terminid sectors are, the machines aren't that different on paper but feel more like a chore.

[fishbowlhead]

I've been consistently using the emote wheel and telling the group to hold position before throwing a big strat down, seems to work with more experienced players consistently as they are looking out for it, i think for newer players the character announcement gets lost in the chaos.

[Tobal]

I prefer the bugs over robots, feels like you have to have the shield due to the amount of incoming laser beams and rockets.

I spent my first level 3 upgrade on rotating the turrets much faster, really needed for cannon and rocket launcher. Started taking in the emp mortar, really good to have taking on a nest or defending the extraction/sub mission, watching bugs slowdown or spend a while stunned helps alot, while it barely effects your teammates. When i get enough orange samples i'll do the eagle to lvl3 next.

[fishbowlhead]

I did eagle level 3, health for turrets & ammo, but i should have done turret tracking speed instead of one health, the emp morter is my go too for level7 above as its absolutely essential.

[QualityChimp]

[hudson]

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[QualityChimp]

[hudson]

Wow, that video has all the stuffs! Nice to see stuff is coming!

[Neon Ignition]

Ratcheted up another difficulty level last night and might have hit a limit till I can get more strategems unlocked. I'll see how it goes as I didn't get a full game with a full team maintained. Had people drop out quite frequently so it was easy to find yourself isolated which is deadly the higher up you go. On the last run we finished the first objective of the three required and then when we helldove back down for the second it was one of those where you have to grab the SSD, then the codes etc. Everyone just went off in different directions and started to get overwhelmed, then two of them dropped out of the game. I ended up miles away from the host player surrounded by a sea of enemies and no Stems whilst they tried to complete the objectives. We really ran down the clock as they were killed at one point and reviving them meant they were then miles away too. After getting the objective done we got down to zero revives remaining and he went to start clearing up side objectives - Hell no!

I legged it to the extraction point, managed to just about get there and call in a resupply before it went mental. It's so easy to find yourself getting ragdolled by multiple chargers etc. A sea of enemies and ammo almost out the extraction ship finally landed and with a tiny amount of health we just about managed to dive in and escape. That left the two of us and one objective left, decided to give it a go despite the odds and it was the mission type where you have a small area of play and had to kill 350 enemies - gutting. But, whilst he banded around being chased by two chargers and bugs I spotted a flat topped raised rock face and managed to get on top of a concrete barrier and nudge the climbing mechanic into letting me on top. He got killed and so I revived him on top too and we were able to spam the enemies from relative safety.

Definitely feels like I'm at the point where a full four man team that sticks together is becoming essential to mission success.

[Tobal]

what level are you on now, 6?

7's become a sweet spot for me, where i can pick up the slack if i get 1 or 2 terrible team mates (soloing or friendly fire everywhere) or sub level 10 as they have really don't have the power to take on 2 or 3 elites at once and i can get my pink samples.

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, just nuzzling into it but I'm only rank 16 so have plenty to unlock still also. I've been leaning into hoarding samples till I get past Level 20 as I imagine I'll need them.

[fishbowlhead]

Year I’ve settled on 7 as the sweet spot, any higher and the game is just not fun.

[Neon Ignition]

Hit Level 20 and firmly settled currently in difficulty 6, I keep getting tempted to try 7 but it's becoming really scatty getting a game where the team has any real common sense coordination. All too often they use strategems too liberally leading to us losing our lives and it becoming a push just to get through extraction after the core objectives. Another pain is ending up in the same situation because of players going in separate direction. All it does is trigger too many enemies and before you know it you're over run. Sticking together and being methodical is all that's needed but matches can go sidewards quickly for poor reasons so I can only imagine 7 exaggerates those issues as that's been the pattern so far. I've seen the flying terminids, they're irritating to deal with unless seen on their own and Hellmire was a right pain, trying to hold Extraction with a mass swarm of Terminids and five fire tornados giving no room to move. I'm still not sure that having a 'forever war' state for the game is great move, as fun as the loop it feels like having the game be in a situation where territories claw back when the community pushes an enemy back so far has kept it in a stalemate and any future change will now feel over engineered by the devs. I'd like to hit Level 25, the current 'peak' in terms of having all strategems available to buy, but I'm now getting the sense that planets are oversimilar given how the play loop remains the same on every planet - changes being more aesthetic than anything else. Undecided if the hours taking me to Level 25 will be when it's time to step away for a while

[fishbowlhead]

I’ve unlocked all stratagems & nearly all ship upgrades, the ship upgrades are really the most important thing, most the stratagems just aren’t powerful enough to bother using or just plain dangerous to the group, but the ship upgrades make all the difference on 7 difficulty and above.

[Tobal]

7 is usually a mess, expect mayhem and lots of reinforcements specially on the extraction. There is only so much you can do in blitz or defence/cull mission, just run at those holes or kite elites around picking off the weak mobs and if you get out with 3 super samples even better. I usually go in looking at my teams loadout now, if it's arc heavy i'll be wearing the damned arc armour, if someone not packing the cannon or grenade launcher, i'll bring that for dealing with armoured/meduims and holes, if no one brings a ATM, i pack that just for others to use.

I do wish they would cap the missions at 2, 3 in a row is just to much for a average player to go through.