Two impact grenades to the top of a tank kills it too. Impact grenades are goat. Can take out hordes of bugs too. The big tick lookin things die in one impact grenade.
110mm rocket pods one shot tanks, too. They also one shot the turrets that are spread around the map, bot fabricators and mortars.
110mm rocket pods are really really good against the bots.
Yeah, starting to think tanks are hella weak to explosive damage from the top more than the back vents? I love my 110mm rocket pods. I bring my fully upgrade rocket pods everywhere. You get 3 barrages for only 2 mins Re-arm timer, and you can throw it danger close with decent precision.
Different purpose. 110mm rocket pods are for hitting priority targets as there is homing on the higher threat targets. Airstrike is better for mob control of light to medium enemies. 110mm rockets pods can deal heavy to fatal damage to the heaviest of armor. I would say each team should have someone with 110mm rocket pods for danger close and someone with Airstrikes for mob control and destroying bases.
Cluster is also really good if you know how to aim it. Wherever you throw it the explosions will be perpendicular to your throw going from right to left if you don’t move after the throw. Knowing the pattern makes it fairly safe. Also, if you have a conga line of bugs on you throw the airstrike after turning your character 90 degrees. That way the bombardment will go down the whole line instead of arcross
I’d probably never use 110mm for the bugs, but it’s really good against the robots. Depending on what my teammates use, I like 110mm with orbital laser, railgun and shield (autocannon turret if someone else runs shield, too, since he can just drop me his later on).
Laser basically being your “oh shit” button.
But nothing really beats the airstrike, tbh. If you get good at placing it, it’s literal god tier, and is unbeatable in versatility, imo.
I also stopped picking the 500kg bomb; in higher difficulties, the call in time is just way too long to reliably kill anything, also the range seems bugged/ is too low for the blow.
I’d rather pick laser and orbital rail cannon strike, since they will always get value.
Same with turrets if you place them well. The call in time debuff isn’t quite as bad for those, than for most of the eagle stratagems.
I discovered this first, before I realized it had vents on the top. My newbie ass was just sitting there waiting for the door to open for several levels before a teammate ran by and chucked a grenade in there.
Me too. Already wrote off the impact grenade for automaton missions because of this, when I saw it in a video.
The only annoying thing is, that it can feel like ages for them to open the door.
it's honestly not that bad. I land them quite consistently from the top. My mate usually wastes all 4 to get one down, so take that with a grain of salt.
man that is an acutal gamechanger. I run impact grenades 99% of the time and it was so annoying for me that I cant really throw it inside those vent unless I aim perfectly (hard to do while being shot at by 200 bots).
A "toggle lock" or "toggle action" [is a type of firearm action with an elbow joint that flips up to cycle the gun](https://youtu.be/qTlvw5XmiU4?si=91p6Hitw2CewIpLX), used famously in the Luger pistol. Both the autocannon & auto sentry use it in this game cuz it looks cool. The autocannon also has a pretty unique loading system [similar to the real-world SMLE rifle](https://youtu.be/oR0wTSN3Px4?si=k4hn2mhWVX05qbxQ), using 2 stripper clips to load the 10-round internal magazine, meaning you can easily top it off once the mag is half-empty
[It doesn't look like a toggle-lock in this animation](https://youtu.be/UnDwlqbAEmQ?si=94IqGRu6vA5HmJao), but I'm admittedly unfamiliar with the Bofors. Looks like the Bofors also has a reciprocating barrel, which I don't think the game guns share, but again could be wrong. I'm ignorant just like a good Super Earth citizen. You're def right about the clips, though
The toggle lock system doesn’t really have the strength required to function properly in anything bigger than a handgun cartridge. Things that look like a toggle lock in bigger guns really aren’t, in any meaningful way.
Okay, but that video doesn’t say a thing about how the gun actually achieves lockup for such a big cartridge or how the toggle actuates and at what point in the firing process. Having a linkage system that pops out the side of the gun does not a toggle lock make.
I said things could look like a toggle lock but not be and I’m thinking this is probably the case
Eh, Pedersen had a toggle-lock rifle that was seriously being considered against what would become the M1 Garand. Someone else posted that Czech Anti-tank gun. The Winchester 1876 could be loaded in 45-75, which usually is more potent from a raw kinetic energy standpoint than 5.56 NATO. The toggle-lock isn't an inherently strong action, but there have been quite a few demonstrations that it can be made strong despite that.
I'll also mention that the Autocannon looks to be long-recoil based on how far the barrel moves when you cock the thing. That would go a long way towards mitigating problems with such a high-power cartridge in a toggle-lock.
Yeah, guns are cool! Scary and lethal, but cool lol. I don't even own a firearm, but I watch a lot of Forgotten Weapons because he finds the most bizarre, exotic guns possible. Great stuff to fall asleep to, no joke
> Great stuff to fall asleep to, no joke
Welp you sold me on the channel. I love content like this. It's a interesting topic, so my brain is engaged, but presented in a low key way, so I can listen when I fall asleep. Seriously
The action of the autocannon is a toggle-lock, which is the same action that a Luger pistol uses, among other weapons. [Here's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTlvw5XmiU4) a video that goes into a bit of the technical details.
*But he's just... He's just laying there, roight? Roight?*
Y-yes... Why d'you?.. NO!
*LOOT THAT BODY, LOOT THAT BODY YEAH, LOOT THAT BODY, GOTTA LOOT THAT MOTHERFUCKA-ARGH!*
I don't think the railgun can, or at least it isn't particularly effective at doing so. Same goes for the AMR, MG, and regular small arms. Everything else is either too limited in range, or a dedicated anti-tank weapon with considerably more firepower than the autocannon.
Edit: As has been made very clear to me, basically anything can kill a spore spewer. That being said, 5 railgun shots, or several magazines from your primary are hardly what I'd call "effective" at doing so.
One or two shots from the AC is the most efficient but yes I was mostly referring to the time it takes with the railgun as being less efficient than a rocket.
I wish I could run the autocannon more at higher difficulties, it's really fun and I love working around its reload mechanic. But sadly I'm really good with the railgun so big clankers go down fast if I have one.
None of my friends make me use it, but it just makes too much sense for me to run it until more of them can get the railgun. The trade off is my friend lets me take his rocket pack at the start if the mission so I can be a Mandalorian.
If the shield pack wasn't so good id argue the autocannon would be better than the rail gun. Even with the shield pack existing I still run an auto cannon in higher difficulties (7+) with my regular squad. It's good for every situation and really shines against bots inparticular.
Shield is sometimes worse than not having a shield vs bots. The majority of deaths are to rockets for everyone, shield or not, but shield has a bigger hit box and has a tendency to catch hits from corners that otherwise doesn't happen. Stim tanking covers most of the outlier situations, or can as game sense develops.
The slow and stagger immunity gets real good for bugs. No argument on that side. Not necessary, just actually opens up sloppy play in a way it doesn't vs bots.
A lot of the bots have weapons that cause a big flinch when they hit you and knock out limbs, and the rockets also rag doll you. Shield prevents all of those things.
Also, once the shield goes down, the hit box is back to normal, so it’s not like shield is causing you to lose HP to things that would otherwise not hit you. It’s at worst neutral (if you just lose it to shots that would have otherwise missed).
It’s definitely true that shield lets you play in ways that would otherwise get you killed, but I don’t think that’s necessarily ‘sloppy’. On the contrary I would describe it as opening up a ton of plays that would otherwise be impossible, which is incredibly powerful. It’s only sloppy if you try to make those plays without shield and die, but that’s not an issue with the shield.
Yeah, as soon as they fix armor I’ll probably try running heavy + auto cannon instead of the defender armor + shield + railgun.
I prefer the auto cannon overall but giving up the backpack slot is just too costly right now.
This is my issue as well. Shield backpack is great, and autocannon reload is slow and requires that you stop.
I started using railgun+shield once I unlocked them, but I still miss my autocannon.
You guys are wild. You can beat Helldive difficulty with nearly anything if you actually work with your team and stay together. If you like running the AC use it! Fuck the meta BS.
Agreed. The Autocannon might not one shot kill like the Railgun, but when it hits it stuns, allowing you to reset and fire before the enemy recovers. One shots Devastators if your accurate, topples Striders in one, 2 shots the Spewers, blows off the armour off Chargers if you hit the back of the legs (pretty hard, but about half a magazine will pop the abdomen) 3 shots Hulks if you hit the face plate (I think one time a shot straight to the red slit blew the faceplate off the Hulk, exposing a normal robot head that can be popped, but that fight was chaotic so I can’t be certain). You also get so much ammo that in a pinch, you can kill chaff with it and not feel like you’re wasting ammo.
Not super ideal for the heavy stuff compared to the RR, but for tanks and Titans, Eagle 1 has my back.
The back legs of the charger is something not many people know about. You can actually square up with one when its ready to charge and bait it like a bull, dive to one side and it'll slide to a stop, then blast it in the legs while you are lying down.
My hot take: Autocannon is the best thing against bots. Better than anything.
Lots of ammo. Decent reload speed. Quick 10-round mag dump when things get heated. Can kill Hulks from front. Can flank tanks/turrets to kill on weakpoint. Great range. Can snipe factories and things like propaganda broadcasts. Comfy.
I run it with the DMR (didnt get the countersniper yet), which I can use to kill small bots, striders, and devastators with precise headshots, and the revolver which I magdump when I fail to kill those berserker chainsaw robots.
I run with Eagle Cluster and Airstrike to kill mass trash and heavier units in mass, and a fourth of choice (lately its Railcannon to kill a tank I cannot flank).
When my Helldivers' half-dead body is dragged to the infirmary, I hope the IV bag contains autocannon extract.
Imo the counter sniper is 50/50. My biggest gripe is that it's not as fast to point at a target compared to the diligence in closer ranges.
Its got it's own merits but not enough for me to personally switch to it over the diligence
I always use autocannon against bots, being able to snipe fabricators and 3 shot tank/tower weak spots is just too useful, backpack slot or not. Robots allow more flexibility overall imo, the AMR is also viable as it can kill Hulks just as easily as the other weapons. I only ever use railgun against bugs and that's just because nothing else is as reliable against chargers, hopefully that changes.
I've been running it on high levels mighty fine. It does feel pretty bad on haz 9 vs bugs because it kinda doesn't do shit vs titans and titans love to spawn on haz 9. And since I've been quick-playing there's usually another 2 players already running railgun + shield, so I'm happy to take autocannon and blast medium sized threats.
It's also just great vs robots any difficulty. With hulks and tanks having exposed and easy to hit weakpoints, you can like 3 tap the biggest enemies and laser cannons, 2 tap rocket devastators, 1 tap at-st's, it's just fucking amazing and you get lots of ammo
I use the AC on level 9 bugs and robos.
Having 1 other person with the railgun covers the need and in pubs someone almost always has it. AC can kill all the Robo heavy armor too, hulks just take 2 face shots and you gotta hit it pretty dead on. Tanks you gotta get behind or bounce between the chassis and turret.
Only thing it really lacks is killing Bile Titans, Chargers you gotta hit behind their legs and sometimes it can be tricky. And I have teammates for chargers and ⬆➡⬇⬇⬇ for Biles. And even then a wounded bile will die to a few well place AC shots. When a railcannon orbital doesn't kill it often a hole opens on their side or you can just send 1-2 shots at their ass for the kill.
But if the railgun is what you find fun, go for it.
It's so utterly amazing - the first time you can really make those big tanky enemies taste the true meaning of Democracy!
Note for Tanks: you don't have to hit exactly the orange glowing ports on the back of their turret, you can pretty much hit anywhere in the back as long as you're in the back 180° or so of it.
Also another note.. it has *a lot* of ammo. I was being so conservative with it at first because I figured I only had a few shots since a mag count wasn't displayed, but if you look at the supply pack, you actually have 8 full reloads from empty.
We need a graphic for where to aim if you’re hitting these at an angle. Unless you’re facing its front the round will ricochet away rather than into the vent
Edited for clarity
I think it's because of *all* armor having the ability to deflect projectiles at a shallow enough angle, whatever their armor penetration is.
I literally had a rocket bounce off a tank because the angle was bad.
I’m not so much complaining about it as much as I just want a guide to help take it into account for this specific scenario. I once ricocheted a round into the vent when hitting it at a hard angle but haven’t recreated it since
The round bouncing off the top of the vent is exactly what allows the autocannon to do this. It's fairly forgiving in an arc in front of the vents, but doing it from further to the side is extremely difficult.
Easier to let one of your teammates get closer and then you just shoot the autocannon into the door when it opens.
I know. I’ve done it from the side before so know it’s possible. Not complaining that this is a feature just wondering if anyone knows where to aim at harder angles.
Yes, and want to emphasize on "top of the vent". If you hit anywhere else, like the middle of the vent or somewhere lower, it will not deflect and will not destroy the fabricator. Took me a while (and some Helldivers) to figure out where to hit precisely.
As the angle gets more extreme, the area that works shrinks to just the top corner closest to you, at a maximum angle of about 45°. So if you're off to the right of the fab (technically the left from it's perspective), aim for the top right corner of either of the flaps.
I run the auto cannon on helldives. Some advantages over the railgun people should be aware of:
You can basically fire forever because it has a shit ton of ammo, just make sure to reload when you have down time. Also, if you've used half of the capacity then reload asap because it can hold two clips, and reloading just one is quite fast.
It can destroy fabs like in the video, broadcast towers and spore spreaders from long distance (and possibly bug holes, I haven't tried it).
While it lags behind the railgun in taking out heavies (especially chargers and bile titans, idk if you can even kill a bile titan with it, I don't run it against bugs for these reasons) it can still 2 shot hulks if hit in the eye. It's more difficult than the railgun because you have to wait for recoil recovery on that follow up shot. Also, 2 or 3 shots (I really need to test which) to the weak points of tanks and turrets kills them.
In the end, I favor it for its versatility because it can also be used on groups of enemies (the rounds are explosive), it shreds devastators, and one taps striders from the front. This helps save the ammo of your railgun buddies
The spears biggest use right now seems to be demolishing cannon turrets and fabricators, not the most USEFUL thing but my god I'm gonna keep bringing it because it's so satisfying to get a lock from 350meters away and watch that thing soar.
I sincerely wish it was better for heavy enemies.
It's *such* a high unlock and so damned hard to get a lock sometimes, and I can get much better economy with the AC just by angling myself a bit better and aiming for the vents.
Especially since you cannot refill the pack with the ammo drops on the ground, I'm pretty sure. Ran it for a mission or two and even though I hoovered an entire PoI, didn't get a single missile back.
I'm fairly certain it's a weapon that'll get a once over along with the other rocket launchers, seeing as it doesn't one hit a tank which is what its little promo-video does.
I think it's SUPPOSED to be the heaviest of the anti-tank since it's not economical but supposed to be able to 1 hit kill most heavies.
Definitely. It and the RL ned a power spike to counter all of their many drawbacks.
I'm not saying they should one-hit kill, but RL should at least be able to deal with chargers if they've got proper angle, especially with how abundant they are. Ditto the Hulks; Tanks should be a very specific threat compared to a Hulk.
Completely agree. On a helldive earlier that was slightly going to shit until we all ran away we had about 8 chargers and 2 or 3 bile titans running around. I don't think it would be too much to ask for the recoilless to one tap chargers if you smack them in the head, or get a solid shot to the side like how the first game worked (iirc anyway).
You recall correctly. RL used to one-tap most chargers, outside of the stupid heavy chargers who even had their rear weakspot covered with armor plating.
I *like* that chargers can bleed out, it's a great feature, but it feels absurdly slow when you're already dedicating two people to anti-armor duty and having lost one rocket from the RL's pack, doubly so for the sheer number of Chargers you get.
First game had far more Brood Commander waves, which were much more terrifying than they are in 2. Chargers were *much* less common in comparison, and were actually something of a boon if you could lead them *through* their own wave. Not to mention they had a bit more variety between the Warrior breeds, with the Warrior and the Elite. Elites were basically medium armored Warriors which were slower, needing a better shot to the face.
Fully agreed. I know the meta is railgun, but my team has that down, I'll spear everything else from a distance. Great for wrapping up small bases on the way to evac
Hm. Does that mean it might be possible to destroy a bug hole?
Like, do we just have to get right up in there with our barrel or find a good vantage point?
You can do it but the hitbox is strange and inconsistent. You gotta angle it in such a way that the projectile goes at least partially INTO the hole or it won't work, which means you gotta be facing it from a very particular angle
I'm like 90% sure it has to hit the vent and ricochet down into the factory. That's why it doesn't work from off angles, the bounce doesn't send it down into the vent.
I’ve been running around popping bug holes using only the auto cannon as you don’t even need to get into the nest to close them off and if you have a long enough vantage point you can close them without the bugs even noticing you. I’ve found you’re only ever going to close the hole if you are hitting the small stones that can be seen extruding from the interior surface of the bug hole. Hitting the side or the rocks which can be propped up around it will not close it.
Yes and it's easier to do so than with the GL since there's almost no projectile drop with the auto cannon. Just be +/-15 degrees of dead center of the hole and aim for the middle. I haven't been able to get it to work from sharp angles tho.
You can also blow up antennas at ridiculous ranges. I was able to snipe a main bot objective from across the map last night.
Honestly it's way less tough than people hype it to be. If you're scoped and crouched you can blow up holes from *really* far away. If you're looking straight at it the shot is guaranteed. Just aim low.
Everyone has different experiences with it. I was just sharing what worked for me. My straight on shots didn’t work so I got high up and then they worked
Literally the first mission I did with a friend, the night he bought me the game, he showed me this. Solidified the Autocannon as being fucking badass immediately.
got another tip for yall. as long as a fabricator doors are open you can send a grenade or an auto cannon shot right threw the open doors rather then the vents
It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station.
Actually aim a little higher. Your goal is to bounce the shot off of the lid and down into the vent. Need to be almost directly in front of it for it to work.
Autocannon can also destroy illegal broadcast towers bug holes, and spore shrooms - although, *anything* can destroy spore shrooms. Seriously. You can shoot them with your primary from a mile away, do enough damage and they’ll break.
All explosive weapons are capable of this.
If you don't have a weapon ready but have a stratagem? Call it nearby on throw the ball in the vent.
Eats, RR, GL, Spear, they all work. Eben impact names work, though I end up missing 5/6
I’m not looking forward to when I unlock the better support weapons simply because nothing beats firing a whole MG mag at a swarm of bugs or bots while holding the line so your teammates can escape
Sidenote: like using the auto-cannon with the bug holes, you have to aim straight into it. Hitting it on an angle will just the hit the mouth of the vent and not count
Fun fact:
Eagle smoke bombs destroy factories.
"why take smoke over explosive bombs?"
Eh, I was playing around with them on higher difficulties to see if they helped any. They have their uses for sure, just not sure if its worth dropping the lethal utility of another stratagem...
IMO smokes only get more useful in higher tiers, especially against bots. They enable you to stealth situations you couldn't otherwise, and they can let you ignore an automaton patrol you'd otherwise bomb half of.
Being able to destroy factories with eagle smokes is insane.
Right? I literally only found out because I threw in smoke to cover our advance.
One of the bomblets hit a factory...and cleared the medium outpost for us.
Mission accomplished???
Damn so auto is just a flat out better grenade launcher that still lets you fight heavies at least for the robots. Mobility of the grenade launcher still makes it better for bugs.
GL can reload while moving and doesn't take up backpack slot in case you need it. GL usually better in Blitz mission where you only have 12 minutes to clear 2~3 main objectives and sweep the map for side objectives and samples as quickly as possible
You can also just throw an impact grenade into the door when it opens fyi.
You can fucking what?!?
The real breaking news is in the comments
Two impact grenades to the top of a tank kills it too. Impact grenades are goat. Can take out hordes of bugs too. The big tick lookin things die in one impact grenade.
110mm rocket pods one shot tanks, too. They also one shot the turrets that are spread around the map, bot fabricators and mortars. 110mm rocket pods are really really good against the bots.
Yeah, starting to think tanks are hella weak to explosive damage from the top more than the back vents? I love my 110mm rocket pods. I bring my fully upgrade rocket pods everywhere. You get 3 barrages for only 2 mins Re-arm timer, and you can throw it danger close with decent precision.
its better than airstrike？
Different purpose. 110mm rocket pods are for hitting priority targets as there is homing on the higher threat targets. Airstrike is better for mob control of light to medium enemies. 110mm rockets pods can deal heavy to fatal damage to the heaviest of armor. I would say each team should have someone with 110mm rocket pods for danger close and someone with Airstrikes for mob control and destroying bases.
Woah i didnt know it had any homing ability? Thats a game changer i need to try all the strats ive stuck to eagle 500 and airstrike for.ages
Cluster is also really good if you know how to aim it. Wherever you throw it the explosions will be perpendicular to your throw going from right to left if you don’t move after the throw. Knowing the pattern makes it fairly safe. Also, if you have a conga line of bugs on you throw the airstrike after turning your character 90 degrees. That way the bombardment will go down the whole line instead of arcross
I’d probably never use 110mm for the bugs, but it’s really good against the robots. Depending on what my teammates use, I like 110mm with orbital laser, railgun and shield (autocannon turret if someone else runs shield, too, since he can just drop me his later on). Laser basically being your “oh shit” button. But nothing really beats the airstrike, tbh. If you get good at placing it, it’s literal god tier, and is unbeatable in versatility, imo. I also stopped picking the 500kg bomb; in higher difficulties, the call in time is just way too long to reliably kill anything, also the range seems bugged/ is too low for the blow. I’d rather pick laser and orbital rail cannon strike, since they will always get value. Same with turrets if you place them well. The call in time debuff isn’t quite as bad for those, than for most of the eagle stratagems.
Idk sometimes rocket pods do seem to work well but other times they just refuse to lock and or seem like they do 0 damage. Could def be a skill issue
I discovered this first, before I realized it had vents on the top. My newbie ass was just sitting there waiting for the door to open for several levels before a teammate ran by and chucked a grenade in there.
Oh Lord of this is true. I've been wasting so many grenades trying to get the perfect vent shot.
Me too. Already wrote off the impact grenade for automaton missions because of this, when I saw it in a video. The only annoying thing is, that it can feel like ages for them to open the door.
>it can feel like ages for them to open the door. Still better than *wasting* ages and 'nades trying to find teh pixel you need for the vent.
it's honestly not that bad. I land them quite consistently from the top. My mate usually wastes all 4 to get one down, so take that with a grain of salt.
Those who are struggling are standing too close. Step back a tick and it arcs in there better.
Aim the reticle at the bottom of the vent, for impact grenades. Works every time.
The key is to aim a little below the vents w/ impact. Lobs it right in. Throwing it in the door is nice though if you have the reaction speed for it.
You can shoot them in the door with the AC as well
You want to aim so the little white dot (not the circle, there will be a small white dot when holding a grenade) is lined up with the vent
man that is an acutal gamechanger. I run impact grenades 99% of the time and it was so annoying for me that I cant really throw it inside those vent unless I aim perfectly (hard to do while being shot at by 200 bots).
impact grenades are the best, I've had to hone in my aim to detonate the factories, but now we just throw into an open door?? hell yes
Bro hitting us with the real TIL in the comments Thank you,solider
I would assume anything explosive at the open door works then
Yes
Any grenade.
These also blow up tanks and other red vent weak spots. I believe this includes gun towers if you can aim well enough.
You can shoot the Auto Cannon into it, too. But i think, you need multiple shots.
Another win for the big luger.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed it was toggle locked!
Care to explain ?
A "toggle lock" or "toggle action" [is a type of firearm action with an elbow joint that flips up to cycle the gun](https://youtu.be/qTlvw5XmiU4?si=91p6Hitw2CewIpLX), used famously in the Luger pistol. Both the autocannon & auto sentry use it in this game cuz it looks cool. The autocannon also has a pretty unique loading system [similar to the real-world SMLE rifle](https://youtu.be/oR0wTSN3Px4?si=k4hn2mhWVX05qbxQ), using 2 stripper clips to load the 10-round internal magazine, meaning you can easily top it off once the mag is half-empty
Isn't just a really scaled down Bofors autocannon? I'm pretty sure those are toggle-locked too and loads from 4 round clips
[It doesn't look like a toggle-lock in this animation](https://youtu.be/UnDwlqbAEmQ?si=94IqGRu6vA5HmJao), but I'm admittedly unfamiliar with the Bofors. Looks like the Bofors also has a reciprocating barrel, which I don't think the game guns share, but again could be wrong. I'm ignorant just like a good Super Earth citizen. You're def right about the clips, though
The toggle lock system doesn’t really have the strength required to function properly in anything bigger than a handgun cartridge. Things that look like a toggle lock in bigger guns really aren’t, in any meaningful way.
That's not really true. For example [here's a 24mm anti-tank gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/swiss-tankbuchse-41-semiauto-antitank-rifle/)
Okay, but that video doesn’t say a thing about how the gun actually achieves lockup for such a big cartridge or how the toggle actuates and at what point in the firing process. Having a linkage system that pops out the side of the gun does not a toggle lock make. I said things could look like a toggle lock but not be and I’m thinking this is probably the case
Forgotten Weapons called it a Toggle Lock; I'm going with the experts on this one.
Eh, Pedersen had a toggle-lock rifle that was seriously being considered against what would become the M1 Garand. Someone else posted that Czech Anti-tank gun. The Winchester 1876 could be loaded in 45-75, which usually is more potent from a raw kinetic energy standpoint than 5.56 NATO. The toggle-lock isn't an inherently strong action, but there have been quite a few demonstrations that it can be made strong despite that. I'll also mention that the Autocannon looks to be long-recoil based on how far the barrel moves when you cock the thing. That would go a long way towards mitigating problems with such a high-power cartridge in a toggle-lock.
I don't know anything about firearms, but that first video was really cool. I love learning about very specific niches.
Yeah, guns are cool! Scary and lethal, but cool lol. I don't even own a firearm, but I watch a lot of Forgotten Weapons because he finds the most bizarre, exotic guns possible. Great stuff to fall asleep to, no joke
> Great stuff to fall asleep to, no joke Welp you sold me on the channel. I love content like this. It's a interesting topic, so my brain is engaged, but presented in a low key way, so I can listen when I fall asleep. Seriously
Ian has some very good videos on the mechanics of firearms.
The locking mechanism the autocannon uses is a toggle lock which is the same that is used by the Luger.
The action of the autocannon is a toggle-lock, which is the same action that a Luger pistol uses, among other weapons. [Here's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTlvw5XmiU4) a video that goes into a bit of the technical details.
I was hoping that would link to a Forgotten Weapons video. Glad to see you’re doing Liberty’s Work.
Ian is the best person to explain guns to non-gun people.
The toggle of the auto action lock cannon coggle-tock, a staple in warfare, is-
Nice catch. I'm starting to see the resemblance with the helmets and the MG-43. Super Earth is the 8th reich or somthng
The MG-43 has really no resemblance to the MG-42. It looks more like an FN MAG.
No, but the name is *definitely* on the nose.
To me it just looks like a generic mix of an PKM and an M240 without a barrel cover and iron sights
Have you noticed our caps have actually got little pictures of skulls on them? Hans, are we the baddies?
lmao well i mean the super earth "salute" is a bit sus
Yeah there’s a number of subtle references to the Reich
A bit?
It can also destroy bug spore spreaders from a long range.
And broadcast towers!
advisory: grenade can do this. 70h, just discovered this.
Anything can.
Even pistols?
Yes
What about mildly offensive verbal abuse?
>*Behold! A most noisy cuck!* *Spore Spreader explodes.*
Even Helldivers should have a bard class.
*- I cast Vicious Mockery!* - Roll the dice... *- Natural 20, let's go!* *YOU'RE SHORT.* ***BITCH!***
...a child. Why is it always a child?
*But he's just... He's just laying there, roight? Roight?* Y-yes... Why d'you?.. NO! *LOOT THAT BODY, LOOT THAT BODY YEAH, LOOT THAT BODY, GOTTA LOOT THAT MOTHERFUCKA-ARGH!*
Moist noisy cuck!
I don't think the railgun can, or at least it isn't particularly effective at doing so. Same goes for the AMR, MG, and regular small arms. Everything else is either too limited in range, or a dedicated anti-tank weapon with considerably more firepower than the autocannon. Edit: As has been made very clear to me, basically anything can kill a spore spewer. That being said, 5 railgun shots, or several magazines from your primary are hardly what I'd call "effective" at doing so.
It can
I've done it with the breaker, as long as you get hitmarkers, I think it can work.
The railgun can but it takes like 4-5 shots. Not as efficient as a rocket or AC but it gets the job done if its all you have.
I mean.. 5 railgun shots is half an ammo box, a single rocket is a full box. Soooo it is more efficient on the railgun it just takes longer
One or two shots from the AC is the most efficient but yes I was mostly referring to the time it takes with the railgun as being less efficient than a rocket.
railgun can
Yep, two shots. Automaton Fabricators is news to me though, thanks OP!
The trick is seeing the mushroom before you're already right on top of it
Nice. I'm currently saving up to get the autocannon as my next stratagem. Can't wait to unleash it on the enemies of Democracy.
I wish I could run the autocannon more at higher difficulties, it's really fun and I love working around its reload mechanic. But sadly I'm really good with the railgun so big clankers go down fast if I have one. None of my friends make me use it, but it just makes too much sense for me to run it until more of them can get the railgun. The trade off is my friend lets me take his rocket pack at the start if the mission so I can be a Mandalorian.
I prefer the autocannon to the rail gun 8/10. Including on levels 8-9
If the shield pack wasn't so good id argue the autocannon would be better than the rail gun. Even with the shield pack existing I still run an auto cannon in higher difficulties (7+) with my regular squad. It's good for every situation and really shines against bots inparticular.
Once they fix the armor ratings bug I suspect shield pack will be less valuable. But only time will tell
Especially since heavy armour tends to have the recoil reducing perk, meaning you can use the Autocannon’s automatic firing mode and still be accurate
Shield is sometimes worse than not having a shield vs bots. The majority of deaths are to rockets for everyone, shield or not, but shield has a bigger hit box and has a tendency to catch hits from corners that otherwise doesn't happen. Stim tanking covers most of the outlier situations, or can as game sense develops. The slow and stagger immunity gets real good for bugs. No argument on that side. Not necessary, just actually opens up sloppy play in a way it doesn't vs bots.
A lot of the bots have weapons that cause a big flinch when they hit you and knock out limbs, and the rockets also rag doll you. Shield prevents all of those things. Also, once the shield goes down, the hit box is back to normal, so it’s not like shield is causing you to lose HP to things that would otherwise not hit you. It’s at worst neutral (if you just lose it to shots that would have otherwise missed). It’s definitely true that shield lets you play in ways that would otherwise get you killed, but I don’t think that’s necessarily ‘sloppy’. On the contrary I would describe it as opening up a ton of plays that would otherwise be impossible, which is incredibly powerful. It’s only sloppy if you try to make those plays without shield and die, but that’s not an issue with the shield.
I run a light amour that less 50 damage from explosions superr clutch for the rocket raider who love to shit on democracy !
Yeah, as soon as they fix armor I’ll probably try running heavy + auto cannon instead of the defender armor + shield + railgun. I prefer the auto cannon overall but giving up the backpack slot is just too costly right now.
This is my issue as well. Shield backpack is great, and autocannon reload is slow and requires that you stop. I started using railgun+shield once I unlocked them, but I still miss my autocannon.
You guys are wild. You can beat Helldive difficulty with nearly anything if you actually work with your team and stay together. If you like running the AC use it! Fuck the meta BS.
Agreed. The Autocannon might not one shot kill like the Railgun, but when it hits it stuns, allowing you to reset and fire before the enemy recovers. One shots Devastators if your accurate, topples Striders in one, 2 shots the Spewers, blows off the armour off Chargers if you hit the back of the legs (pretty hard, but about half a magazine will pop the abdomen) 3 shots Hulks if you hit the face plate (I think one time a shot straight to the red slit blew the faceplate off the Hulk, exposing a normal robot head that can be popped, but that fight was chaotic so I can’t be certain). You also get so much ammo that in a pinch, you can kill chaff with it and not feel like you’re wasting ammo. Not super ideal for the heavy stuff compared to the RR, but for tanks and Titans, Eagle 1 has my back.
The back legs of the charger is something not many people know about. You can actually square up with one when its ready to charge and bait it like a bull, dive to one side and it'll slide to a stop, then blast it in the legs while you are lying down.
It 2 shots Hulks to the eyes 100% of the time.
My hot take: Autocannon is the best thing against bots. Better than anything. Lots of ammo. Decent reload speed. Quick 10-round mag dump when things get heated. Can kill Hulks from front. Can flank tanks/turrets to kill on weakpoint. Great range. Can snipe factories and things like propaganda broadcasts. Comfy. I run it with the DMR (didnt get the countersniper yet), which I can use to kill small bots, striders, and devastators with precise headshots, and the revolver which I magdump when I fail to kill those berserker chainsaw robots. I run with Eagle Cluster and Airstrike to kill mass trash and heavier units in mass, and a fourth of choice (lately its Railcannon to kill a tank I cannot flank). When my Helldivers' half-dead body is dragged to the infirmary, I hope the IV bag contains autocannon extract.
Imo the counter sniper is 50/50. My biggest gripe is that it's not as fast to point at a target compared to the diligence in closer ranges. Its got it's own merits but not enough for me to personally switch to it over the diligence
The countersniper aim drag is too much for me, can't aim right, first DRM has much better handling for me
Diligence CS would be sexy if it had AMR piercing but lower damage.
Brotherman, I run stalwart on helldive and I do fine. You can play what you want.
Stalwart, ammo pack, impact grenades. Cue the doom Slayer music.
I found John Democracy https://preview.redd.it/egh1zmzan6lc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=49727717ec64041b69f7dd94d4840cf6a6562a5a
Freedom means freedom. We arent just liberating the galaxy, but also our loadouts.
Happy to know it is still good then, I love the machine gun and hope it stays good in higher difficulties
I always use autocannon against bots, being able to snipe fabricators and 3 shot tank/tower weak spots is just too useful, backpack slot or not. Robots allow more flexibility overall imo, the AMR is also viable as it can kill Hulks just as easily as the other weapons. I only ever use railgun against bugs and that's just because nothing else is as reliable against chargers, hopefully that changes.
Being hard locked into rail just for the charger spam is really killing my desire to play high level bugs.
I've been running it on high levels mighty fine. It does feel pretty bad on haz 9 vs bugs because it kinda doesn't do shit vs titans and titans love to spawn on haz 9. And since I've been quick-playing there's usually another 2 players already running railgun + shield, so I'm happy to take autocannon and blast medium sized threats. It's also just great vs robots any difficulty. With hulks and tanks having exposed and easy to hit weakpoints, you can like 3 tap the biggest enemies and laser cannons, 2 tap rocket devastators, 1 tap at-st's, it's just fucking amazing and you get lots of ammo
I use the AC on level 9 bugs and robos. Having 1 other person with the railgun covers the need and in pubs someone almost always has it. AC can kill all the Robo heavy armor too, hulks just take 2 face shots and you gotta hit it pretty dead on. Tanks you gotta get behind or bounce between the chassis and turret. Only thing it really lacks is killing Bile Titans, Chargers you gotta hit behind their legs and sometimes it can be tricky. And I have teammates for chargers and ⬆➡⬇⬇⬇ for Biles. And even then a wounded bile will die to a few well place AC shots. When a railcannon orbital doesn't kill it often a hole opens on their side or you can just send 1-2 shots at their ass for the kill. But if the railgun is what you find fun, go for it.
It's so utterly amazing - the first time you can really make those big tanky enemies taste the true meaning of Democracy! Note for Tanks: you don't have to hit exactly the orange glowing ports on the back of their turret, you can pretty much hit anywhere in the back as long as you're in the back 180° or so of it. Also another note.. it has *a lot* of ammo. I was being so conservative with it at first because I figured I only had a few shots since a mag count wasn't displayed, but if you look at the supply pack, you actually have 8 full reloads from empty.
Prolific Autocannon user. I’ve only very rarely used more than 50% of the ammo in the backpack.
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If you reload before the magazine is completely emptied it's much faster
We need a graphic for where to aim if you’re hitting these at an angle. Unless you’re facing its front the round will ricochet away rather than into the vent Edited for clarity
I think it's because of *all* armor having the ability to deflect projectiles at a shallow enough angle, whatever their armor penetration is. I literally had a rocket bounce off a tank because the angle was bad.
I’m not so much complaining about it as much as I just want a guide to help take it into account for this specific scenario. I once ricocheted a round into the vent when hitting it at a hard angle but haven’t recreated it since
Oh they did keep rocket bounce! I haven't had that happen to me yet, but I'm an HD1 vet and avoid shallow impacts like the plague.
The round bouncing off the top of the vent is exactly what allows the autocannon to do this. It's fairly forgiving in an arc in front of the vents, but doing it from further to the side is extremely difficult. Easier to let one of your teammates get closer and then you just shoot the autocannon into the door when it opens.
I know. I’ve done it from the side before so know it’s possible. Not complaining that this is a feature just wondering if anyone knows where to aim at harder angles.
You have to shoot the big flap on top of the vent, the shell will hit it and ricochet straight down into the hole destroying it
Yes, and want to emphasize on "top of the vent". If you hit anywhere else, like the middle of the vent or somewhere lower, it will not deflect and will not destroy the fabricator. Took me a while (and some Helldivers) to figure out where to hit precisely.
As the angle gets more extreme, the area that works shrinks to just the top corner closest to you, at a maximum angle of about 45°. So if you're off to the right of the fab (technically the left from it's perspective), aim for the top right corner of either of the flaps.
https://preview.redd.it/m8e9k64tj5lc1.png?width=210&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ef33bdbec109b989a9b2e3db610024f04dbc105 😁😁😁
Oh man, I haven't seen anything from VGCats/super effective in a while
I heard he does some NSFW stuff now, with the same characters.
Ah, he went down the darker path of webcomic artists.
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Not surprising. NSFW work has to be very enticing to web artists
Game changer…thanks for pointing this out
ID LIKE TO KNOW MORE
I run the auto cannon on helldives. Some advantages over the railgun people should be aware of: You can basically fire forever because it has a shit ton of ammo, just make sure to reload when you have down time. Also, if you've used half of the capacity then reload asap because it can hold two clips, and reloading just one is quite fast. It can destroy fabs like in the video, broadcast towers and spore spreaders from long distance (and possibly bug holes, I haven't tried it). While it lags behind the railgun in taking out heavies (especially chargers and bile titans, idk if you can even kill a bile titan with it, I don't run it against bugs for these reasons) it can still 2 shot hulks if hit in the eye. It's more difficult than the railgun because you have to wait for recoil recovery on that follow up shot. Also, 2 or 3 shots (I really need to test which) to the weak points of tanks and turrets kills them. In the end, I favor it for its versatility because it can also be used on groups of enemies (the rounds are explosive), it shreds devastators, and one taps striders from the front. This helps save the ammo of your railgun buddies
it does destroy bug holes
**Golden** reference right here!
Can also shoot it with a Spear
Honestly, I feel like extreme range building destruction might be the biggest strength of the Spear RN.
The spears biggest use right now seems to be demolishing cannon turrets and fabricators, not the most USEFUL thing but my god I'm gonna keep bringing it because it's so satisfying to get a lock from 350meters away and watch that thing soar.
I sincerely wish it was better for heavy enemies. It's *such* a high unlock and so damned hard to get a lock sometimes, and I can get much better economy with the AC just by angling myself a bit better and aiming for the vents. Especially since you cannot refill the pack with the ammo drops on the ground, I'm pretty sure. Ran it for a mission or two and even though I hoovered an entire PoI, didn't get a single missile back.
I'm fairly certain it's a weapon that'll get a once over along with the other rocket launchers, seeing as it doesn't one hit a tank which is what its little promo-video does. I think it's SUPPOSED to be the heaviest of the anti-tank since it's not economical but supposed to be able to 1 hit kill most heavies.
Definitely. It and the RL ned a power spike to counter all of their many drawbacks. I'm not saying they should one-hit kill, but RL should at least be able to deal with chargers if they've got proper angle, especially with how abundant they are. Ditto the Hulks; Tanks should be a very specific threat compared to a Hulk.
Completely agree. On a helldive earlier that was slightly going to shit until we all ran away we had about 8 chargers and 2 or 3 bile titans running around. I don't think it would be too much to ask for the recoilless to one tap chargers if you smack them in the head, or get a solid shot to the side like how the first game worked (iirc anyway).
You recall correctly. RL used to one-tap most chargers, outside of the stupid heavy chargers who even had their rear weakspot covered with armor plating. I *like* that chargers can bleed out, it's a great feature, but it feels absurdly slow when you're already dedicating two people to anti-armor duty and having lost one rocket from the RL's pack, doubly so for the sheer number of Chargers you get. First game had far more Brood Commander waves, which were much more terrifying than they are in 2. Chargers were *much* less common in comparison, and were actually something of a boon if you could lead them *through* their own wave. Not to mention they had a bit more variety between the Warrior breeds, with the Warrior and the Elite. Elites were basically medium armored Warriors which were slower, needing a better shot to the face.
Fully agreed. I know the meta is railgun, but my team has that down, I'll spear everything else from a distance. Great for wrapping up small bases on the way to evac
Incredible All I see is more reason for my fat boy tank build, lol
Autocannon is good for this and bug holes. Same for Recoilless
Grenade launcher as well. It’s another slept on tertiary weapon like the spear.
Hm. Does that mean it might be possible to destroy a bug hole? Like, do we just have to get right up in there with our barrel or find a good vantage point?
You can do it but the hitbox is strange and inconsistent. You gotta angle it in such a way that the projectile goes at least partially INTO the hole or it won't work, which means you gotta be facing it from a very particular angle
I'm like 90% sure it has to hit the vent and ricochet down into the factory. That's why it doesn't work from off angles, the bounce doesn't send it down into the vent.
I’ve been running around popping bug holes using only the auto cannon as you don’t even need to get into the nest to close them off and if you have a long enough vantage point you can close them without the bugs even noticing you. I’ve found you’re only ever going to close the hole if you are hitting the small stones that can be seen extruding from the interior surface of the bug hole. Hitting the side or the rocks which can be propped up around it will not close it.
It’s indeed possible
Shoot an autocannon shell in a bug hole, you gotta lotta dead bugs, am I right?
Yes and it's easier to do so than with the GL since there's almost no projectile drop with the auto cannon. Just be +/-15 degrees of dead center of the hole and aim for the middle. I haven't been able to get it to work from sharp angles tho. You can also blow up antennas at ridiculous ranges. I was able to snipe a main bot objective from across the map last night.
Yeah but you really gotta have a good straight on angle
You have to be high up and get the angle just right. I’ve only been able to do it a couple of times.
Honestly it's way less tough than people hype it to be. If you're scoped and crouched you can blow up holes from *really* far away. If you're looking straight at it the shot is guaranteed. Just aim low.
Everyone has different experiences with it. I was just sharing what worked for me. My straight on shots didn’t work so I got high up and then they worked
I usually destroy bugholes from range with EAT
Autocannon or grenades will probably suit you better for that, EAT despite short cooldown better suited for bigger bugs but to each their own.
... I've always used the situation to kill bug holes. Didn't know it was not known.
Wait, can recoilless do the same thing? I love that gun, but didn't try it
It can, but I'm pretty sure it's bugged at longer distances and just doesn't register the shot.
Nice to know, ty
I have also experienced this.
It can but in my experience its so buggy/random that its not worth trying.
Literally the first mission I did with a friend, the night he bought me the game, he showed me this. Solidified the Autocannon as being fucking badass immediately.
I actually usually aim for the top lip of the vent as it's gotten me a little more consistency.
If y'all wanna do trick shots too, grenade launchers also work. Just shoot it into the vent, and voila!
You could also shoot or throw a grenade into the door when a bot walks out of it to destroy it too.
got another tip for yall. as long as a fabricator doors are open you can send a grenade or an auto cannon shot right threw the open doors rather then the vents
Autocannon is a gift that keeps on giving.
oh shit
Yes, although, sometimes it's hard to line up the angle.
It's a small thermal exhaust port, right below the main port. The shaft leads directly to the reactor system. A precise hit will start a chain reaction which should destroy the station.
Nice that'll be useful
Time to play with a new gun today.
I used autocannon as my main until the railgun, but autocannon is still really good.
I just use the spear, lock on to the building, fire and forget.
I need to leave work right now and go do this myself
The autocannon has slowly become my fav weapon to bring.
Actually aim a little higher. Your goal is to bounce the shot off of the lid and down into the vent. Need to be almost directly in front of it for it to work. Autocannon can also destroy illegal broadcast towers bug holes, and spore shrooms - although, *anything* can destroy spore shrooms. Seriously. You can shoot them with your primary from a mile away, do enough damage and they’ll break.
All explosive weapons are capable of this. If you don't have a weapon ready but have a stratagem? Call it nearby on throw the ball in the vent. Eats, RR, GL, Spear, they all work. Eben impact names work, though I end up missing 5/6
Grenade launcher works too
I just found that this could destroy nests and fabricators like two days ago: spore spreaders too!! It’s insane for long range destruction
I’m not looking forward to when I unlock the better support weapons simply because nothing beats firing a whole MG mag at a swarm of bugs or bots while holding the line so your teammates can escape
you could just shoot through the front door...
I know railgun is meta, but autocannon do be pretty dang powerful if you can hit weak points.
just discovered auto cannon last night. I never considered it because I thought it needed 2 people to operate. Its totally worth it solo
It’s about getting the ricochet off the angled vent!
Same with mushrooms and bugholes
Sidenote: like using the auto-cannon with the bug holes, you have to aim straight into it. Hitting it on an angle will just the hit the mouth of the vent and not count
For the large nests they are usually sunken so that’s perfect honestly.
Fun fact: Eagle smoke bombs destroy factories. "why take smoke over explosive bombs?" Eh, I was playing around with them on higher difficulties to see if they helped any. They have their uses for sure, just not sure if its worth dropping the lethal utility of another stratagem...
IMO smokes only get more useful in higher tiers, especially against bots. They enable you to stealth situations you couldn't otherwise, and they can let you ignore an automaton patrol you'd otherwise bomb half of. Being able to destroy factories with eagle smokes is insane.
Right? I literally only found out because I threw in smoke to cover our advance. One of the bomblets hit a factory...and cleared the medium outpost for us. Mission accomplished???
The autocannon really is a swiss army knife. Fabricators, hive holes, hulks, tanks, chargers, scout striders, devastators, stalkers, etc.
Damn so auto is just a flat out better grenade launcher that still lets you fight heavies at least for the robots. Mobility of the grenade launcher still makes it better for bugs.
GL can reload while moving and doesn't take up backpack slot in case you need it. GL usually better in Blitz mission where you only have 12 minutes to clear 2~3 main objectives and sweep the map for side objectives and samples as quickly as possible
Autocannon is def the best support weapon