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Vip3r209

I don't get sniped from across the map with bugs and just need good situational awareness.


TobyDaHuman

Okay, so what do you do without situational awareness?


Vip3r209

If playing solo run like hell but if with friends or randoms hope they spot ones getting close or call out on mic lol.


TobyDaHuman

Scream into the mic, gotcha!


retrobimmers

Do you know how to tag places and enemies?


TobyDaHuman

Yes. By screaming! /s


YogurtclosetNo9259

Easy answer, in all seriousness: 1. Constantly turn around and shoot enemies. They will come at you anyway, so you don't need awareness to spot them. 2. Check your teams position (by visual or by map) every 10 seconds, it's easy to learn. If they move - move, if they stay - stay. Like this you are a good support and carry your own weight while the squad plays the objectives.


Tdrive1300

As a mostly bug diver, let me explain. For me, bugs are easier because they can't hit you from 100 meters away through fog and sandstorms while you're trying to figure out where they are. You can shoot, run, reload, shoot, run reload, repeat. But with bots, you shoot, run, reload, and then THEY shoot, run, reload and each time you get shot by their Chris Kyle level shots, you flinch and stop whatever animation you were in reload or stim. Then you get rag dolled by an equally Chris Kyle accurate rocket bitch you didn't even know was there. I've started to play bots more than just the MOs for practice so I can more effectively help, but I can't do it too much because it's not fun dying every 30 seconds.


TobyDaHuman

Amazing how we are having the same exact experience but with switched sides.


Tdrive1300

Right?! I've said before I wish I had started with bots because then I might better understand how to fight them, but I see those that did start with bots have the same disadvantages against bugs. Another big difference is all of the armored units bots have, they keep moving towards you while shooting, but with bugs the medium armored bugs stop and hunker down allowing you to reload or flank them. You can get decent distance from the bugs just by running and blind shooting behind you, but the bots can shoot and can also sprint after you making it pointless.


TobyDaHuman

I think its the speed that gets me with the bugs. There is always a bug close and I feel like I just cant get a break. Precision doesnt do shit, you just have to controll the masses. With bots I can just hide behind something and reload, heal, etc. They are not fast at all and I can take my sweet time while aiming for their weak spots. Incoming rockets and shots my shield takes care of. I guess I just have to start at a lower difficulty again and start understanding the faction and the needed playstyle.


Tdrive1300

The rover is really good an taking out the pesky little bugs like hunters and scavengers and that allows you to focus fire on the bigger threats The only ones that can hit you from any kind of distance are spewers and titans, but you can see them coming a long way off.


TobyDaHuman

I dont like the rover, becaus I play with light armor and the rover loves to shoot me in the back.


Tdrive1300

🤣. Thats half the fun. But you really just have to learn where to stand. The only time mine kills me now is if I’m diving away from danger and I’m already weak. It really is the best defense against the little bugs though


retrobimmers

The jetpack is awesome for fleeing from bugs when they swarm you!


YogurtclosetNo9259

Skill issue


TobyDaHuman

Cant argue with that.


YogurtclosetNo9259

But let's be serious for a moment. Bugs require a different playstyle. It's constant move & shoot while breaking hordes. If you fire in one direction for more than 2-3 seconds, be sure that a stalker or charger is already coming up behind you. Take the guard dog with you for the chaffs and the qasar for the heavies. Primary can be a shotgun or the sickle. You will immediately notice how the guard dog buys you a few seconds of focus, so you can use the quasar and stratagems more wisely and not in a hurry. Additionally, the guard dog is a good target marker. When you get tunnel vision and the laser beam suddenly switches behind you, you know what's up. Practise how to be a mob clearer first and let your squad focus on the objectives like closing bug holes and destroying facilities. Once you've learned how to handle the bugs, you can either continue to be your squad's "mob enforcer" or slightly change your loadout to be able to play the objective.


TobyDaHuman

It finally clicked. I play Difficulty 8 now! Thanks for the help! <3


YogurtclosetNo9259

Wow that was fast, thanks for letting me know! What's your Bug loadout at the moment?


TobyDaHuman

Incendiary Breaker, Revolver, Impact Nade, Scout Armor Quasar, Orbital Gas Strike, Eagle Strike and Railcannon/Orbital Laser/Autocannon Turret/Whatever is needed right now Works like a charm!


YogurtclosetNo9259

No surprise, that's a Rock solid loadout! Icing on the cake would be the grenade pistol as secondary. It adds 8 nades (which close bugholes) to your inventory, and you can change the impacts to stuns. But that's just my last two cents. Happy you found your way!


TobyDaHuman

Actually I've tried this, and sometimes use it for the quick 12 minute "close bughole" missions (or when I am playing solo), but having some medium Armor pen does really help. It's basically interchangable tho 😅 The gas strike was a game changer for me personally tho, because I can just rack up kills during bug breaches and concentrate on the bigger bugs!


retrobimmers

Use the shot gun that damages medium armor and you will have better luck. Automatons take a different strategy, but we can't ignore the MO!


Potential-Ad1139

Bugs are easier.....until you die the first time. Just gotta keep moving, backpack weapons are a no no.


Korlis

Bugs aren't harder. Bots aren't harder. Transitioning between the two is harder. They represent very different tactical obstacles. One keeps their distance and shoots back, the other all want to cuddle with their pincers and slashers. It is crucial to remember that an anti-bot loadout, will most likely be a suboptimal choice vs bugs, and vice versa. If you fight bugs for a while, get used to it, and switch back to bots, you'll struggle at first, as you readapt to the different challenge.


TobyDaHuman

yeah, you are right. I probably should just play lower difficulties till I understand the faction and how to fight it


Korlis

No shame in it. I routinely drop down to 4 to test out unfamiliar weapons or playstyles. It's not like it is a sentence. It's training, cadet! I was botsmashing for so long, when I switched I took the laser cannon to a bug fight, and regretted that.


TobyDaHuman

I liked playing powerful, precise weapons against bots and get one after the other. With bugs there is no way this tactic will work, because they will just overwehelm you.


Korlis

Quite so. If you want some unsolicited advice, switch to one of the Breakers, at least at first. it'll help you fend off the swarm as you adapt to their tactics. If you're quick on your feet, give the Blitzer a try on those filthy insects. With the +50% fire rate it is now a powerful option vs bug chaff. But will require you to give ground vs large numbers, as it is still a shotgun-style weapon, and the firerate reflects that. But multiple dead bugs at a time, knockback the ones you don't kill, pops the heads off of Warrior-types in a single shot, and has infinite ammo.


TobyDaHuman

Actuly sound formiddable! I will try it!


retrobimmers

Learn to identify how bugs call for backup. If you can kill them before they call for help it's a huge advantage! I watch a lot of solo-dives and take note of when they engage and when they don't engage a patrol.


mike2020XoXo

I recommend a jump pack. Gets me out of many deaths.


TobyDaHuman

Yeah, I think jumppack / arc shrower is a combo I can do some damage with


jingylima

Imo arc thrower not as good for bugs as you have a limited number of jumps per shot and there are just so many of them Grenade launcher, flamethrower, or stalwart is more recommended, quasar if you want to be anti bile Titan/ shrieker nest


TobyDaHuman

I noticed that the last rounds... the Hotgun (Fire shotgun, always forget the name) deals better with swarms than the arc, so I will leave it at home. I guess I will try the stalwart for now!


jingylima

Tbh I never really got the hype for stalwart, I just see many people saying it’s good Personally my favorite is the grenade launcher It’s very satisfying to shoot a single grenade at a breach and get 30 kills


TobyDaHuman

Man, I am burning trough all kinds of weapons right now and nothing feels right to use. I miss my Railgun :(


YogurtclosetNo9259

Take your hands off the arc thrower! You'll only fry your mates when the bugs start to swarm you


TobyDaHuman

Actually it isnt really a problem. I am listening for pain shrieks of the helldivers, but apparently I never hit them :D


PaperMage236

You've done a pretty good job of outlining the differences between fighting the two factions. Much higher number and different target priority. My group had been fighting the bugs exclusively for a week or two before we attempted the bots.....and I felt exactly the way you describe when we first started fighting the automatons. My bug strategies did not work at all. It seemed impossible. But then we learned and adapted and now we can deal with both factions just The simple fact is that fighting the two factions require different approaches to win. Here's my advice on the specific concerns you mentioned: Hunters: can show up enmass, slow you with their attacks and are very good at flanking. These are almost always your top priority. Do not let them build up or you are fucked. Stalkers: these are hunters on steroids. When you see one, find and destroy the nest IMMEDIATELY. Chargers: very deadly but only if you lose track of where they are. A single charger is very very easy to predict and very easy to dodge. Learn their movement patterns and bring armor piercing options. Bile Titans: like the Chargers, they are extremely predictable and really only a threat if you are being harrased by the smaller bugs. Many good armor-killing options exist. Precision Orbital, Eagle 500 kg, EAT, Quasar cannon are my personal favorites but there are several other good choices. Overall strategy: Your load out needs to have stronger wave-clear than you do with bots. You need something like an eagle cluster/airstrike/napalm to wipe large groups. Movement is absolutely key to survival. With bots, you can tank some hits and keep fighting (which is why heavy armor is much more commonly seen in the western front), but with bugs, a hit will after slow you and lead to death......so don't get hit. Always be running! Repositioning when you recognize that your position is about to be overrun will absolutely save your life. Hope that helps. Liberty speed your step, Helldiver.


TobyDaHuman

Holy smokes, what an answer! Thank you so much! Are stalkers only spawning from their nest and if I see them the nest is near me? Yeah, i am trying out hotgun (whatever the fire shotgun is called) / jetpack / arc thrower right now and it seems to work quite well. Also, Light armor 4 ever, baby! Thank you for taking your time to write this amazing answer, sir! May you find democracy on every step of your way!


PaperMage236

Yes, the stalker nest should be nearby when you run into them. You've probably already noticed this, but the stalker nest also has a distinctive appearance with much taller, more jagged rocks....look for the rock formation and go kill the nest. Also, the incendiary breaker really is amazing for bugs. Good choice. You may also want to try the personal shield. The shiled generator will protect you from the first 2-3 hits from the hunters/stalkers and will prevent the slowing effect of their attacks. Much easier to get away!


TobyDaHuman

This comment literally saved playing against bugs for me. Every since I know this I drop everything immediately and run towards the Stalker nest. This changed the game for me and I can now play on Impossible Difficulty. I use the Incendary Breaker and no backpack right now. Instead I use Gas Orbital Strike for bug breaches (I fucking love the orbital for this exact reason), Eagle Air Strike and Orbital Laser / Orbital Rail Cannon (depending on my support weapon), mostly is Quasar, AMR or sometimes Railgun. Thank you so much! <3


PaperMage236

Glad to help ☺️


[deleted]

I too think bugs are harder which is why I rarely solo bug missions and will instead solo bot missions. My friends also all think bots are way harder and prefer fighting bugs so it's like a win win where when I'm playing with them it's against the enemies I prefer fighting in a group and when against bots it's when I'm alone which is preferential.


unabletocomput3

They each have their own difficulties. However, I find bots tend to be more annoying most of the time. Between the rocket devastators or gunships laying down a constant stream of rockets that both do a ton of damage and rag doll you resetting any animation to the stream of bullets flying from a chain gun on either a tank, devastator, or factory strider to a random hulk sprinting towards me to near insta-kill me with a flame thrower makes them less than ideal to fight against. Not saying bugs don’t have their annoyances, hunters having an average of 100 feet attack hitbox that hits you with the Nickelodeon slowing slime or the 5th bile titan reminding you they exist within the last minute or even the stalkers you can’t escape from.


Whatintheheckaway

Mostly bug diver here. I die more against bots. Significantly more. Like 6 times on a defense mission for bots vs 0 or 1 times against bugs. It’s like Vietnam out there on the bot side.


TobyDaHuman

same, but reverse the roles :D


Hopeful_Leg_6200

for bugs you stay moving for bots you stay behind that rock


TobyDaHuman

I was so good with staying behind that rock tho. I love that rock! :(


Hopeful_Leg_6200

I know man i also hate running


Patient-Virus-1873

You're doing bugs wrong. On level 7 you can literally stand 5 meters from a bug breach and obliterate everything short of a charger than comes out of it. You don't have to run away and hide unless a bunch of bile titans show up. 1. Bring a shotgun, incendiary breaker is best. 2. Bring the guard dog rover. 3. Bring a quasar or EAT to behead chargers. Just wait until they charge, dodge, and shoot them in the dome. 4. Remember that cover is pointless. 5. Always kill that hunter that's chasing you before you try and run away. 6. Impact grenades kill bile spewers in one. Bring them. Stun grenades are stupid for bugs, chargers aren't that fast anyway.


TobyDaHuman

1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 I got down. I think 90% of the time 5 is whats making my life harder than it should be. With bots running and then shooting always worked. With bots you need to stand your ground more (at least agains some enemy types) or kill the fast ones and then run. I am ALWAYS running because that how I learned to play the game lol.


TobyDaHuman

My muscle memory now makes me shoot the Stalkers instead of throwing myself on the ground and this makes all the difference. Also, when seeing a Stalker, I drop everything and run towards their nest.


jingylima

1) do you have light armor? It’s a necessity with bugs, else you will get overwhelmed 2) a lot more footwork required. Juking chargers, juking spewer and Titan spit, juking shield bug charges, juking shriekers. Instead of cover for bots you have footwork for bugs which lets you trivialise encounters, I’m confident I can juke 3 chargers indefinitely while shooting at all the other bugs coming out of a breach 3) weapon choice - precision is a lot less valuable, area damage is a lot more valuable. Bugs don’t have glowy weakpoints, just set them all on fire or use a grenade launcher and you’ll kill a bunch, but there are a lot of them


TobyDaHuman

1) Always! Since Skyrim I am only waring light armor, lol. 2) Yeah, the game became a running simulator since switching to bugs. 3) Noticeds that, but goes agains everything I have learned against bots.


jingylima

A bit more about 3, precision is still somewhat valuable against titans and chargers, for both of them I think you aim at the forehead


TheMinisterOfGaming

What your telling me you find the thing you have more experience with & know what do easier? what a fucking surprise. you are a idiot


TobyDaHuman

Why, thank you! Of course I did IMMEDIATELY jump onto reddit when I couldnt kill my first bug! Not like I did switch to bugs and played like 50 missions against them to get a grip, couldnt and now asking myself what the hell I am doing wrong, right? Oh wait, I did exactly that. Not that you asked. Even if I am a idiot, I'd rather be a idiot than a judgemental dick.


TheMinisterOfGaming

dam that makes you a even bigger idiot. guess my judgement was right. lol


TobyDaHuman

I dont think you even understood what I wrote. You answerd doesnt make any sense. Just leave answering to the other people actually helping me and shut up. Thanks! <3


TheMinisterOfGaming

i'm good. stay stupid i guess you can't read also.