And here’s everything you need to know to avoid encountering the dreaded “8-9 titans” per mission on difficulty 8 and above.
Agro Tactics 101
Before we dive into the good stuff, let’s go over the basics of stealth. Hold onto your rifles, because by stealth I mean the art of taking on enemies one at a time, not skulking around like insects.
Stealth revolves around vision and proximity. Crouching, utilizing foliage, and going prone all help to improve stealth. When enemies spot you, bugs will perform a little dance and display their wings, while bots will “scan” the area.
During this warning phase, you can still retreat, and the enemies will eventually return to their normal state. You can even exploit this by running into their range, throwing a stratagem, and then running away. They will likely investigate the location where the stratagem landed, giving you an opportunity to escape.
If you manage to disappear from their sight for about 30 seconds (rough estimate), the enemy, particularly the arachnids, will become completely disoriented. This can be achieved by using smoke stratagems or clever use of the environment. After a while, the enemies will even despawn if they can’t find you. Bots, on the other hand, will shoot and throw grenades at your last known location as they cautiously approach and search.
Now that we’ve covered stealth, let’s move on to the explosive aspects of combat.
Combat Maneuvers and Reinforcements
Excellent! You’ve found yourself an enemy to engage, or perhaps the enemy has decided to engage you. Ideally, your team is with you.
Combat in the battle for democracy is all about quick and decisive action. If enemies survive for too long, they will call for reinforcements, which can quickly overwhelm your team.
To prevent this, utilize all available resources to eliminate the infantry as rapidly as possible. This way, they won’t have a chance to call for reinforcements or summon the bigger, nastier enemies like chargers, automatons, and tanks. If the infantry is already accompanied by one of these big boys, it’s best to deal with them individually and leave them be.
If everything goes according to plan, you should now find yourself covered in either bug guts or oil. If not, keep reading.
The Endless Reinforcements Dilemma
It appears that you may have failed to dispatch the infantry swiftly enough. Your allies might have retreated to alert a patrol, or perhaps luck simply wasn’t on your side.
Don’t panic – there’s still hope. If you’re facing bugs, throw a long-lasting stratagem like gas, barrages, or airbursts at the entrance of their tunnel. As previously mentioned, focus on taking out the infantry. Try to regroup with your team if you’ve been separated, and above all, avoid running into more bugs, as this will only increase the likelihood of reinforcements. If you’re facing robots, equip yourself with EAT-17s or similar anti-vehicle weapons and prepare to target the dropships. Make sure to communicate with your teammates about your role so they can focus on clearing out the robots, particularly the commissars.
If you fail to swiftly eliminate the infantry and they call for reinforcements multiple times, it’s time for a tactical retreat. Smoke grenades are incredibly useful in obscuring vision. Throw smoke, take cover in a bush, and seize the opportunity to run away. Try to lure enemies away from objectives, so they’re left wandering aimlessly. If the idea of running away and relying on smoke seems like a bunch of cyber-commie hogwash to you, you can always designate a dedicated teammate as an “anti-loop” specialist. This player can deploy multiple turrets and use any form of mass-clearing strategy, such as a 500kg bomb, to try and eliminate the enemies.
If none of these options are available, you can have someone attempt to divert most of the enemies away from the objectives.
Summary
1. Avoid picking fights while already engaged. Take on the enemies of democracy one at a time.
2. Stay together. More helldivers means more liberty and freedom delivered in a shorter amount of time.
3. End battles swiftly. Leave no bug or robot alive. Throw everything you have at them and don’t hold back. It’s better to overdo it than to underestimate the situation, especially when the latter leads to an onslaught of enemies.
4. If reinforcements are called, remain composed. Focus on their dropships or tunnels.
5. Leave the big boys for last!
6. If all else fails, disengage, employ smoke tactics, or have someone distract the enemies while the objectives are completed.
7. Stealth is a valuable strategy for smaller groups. Understand the whereabouts of your enemies, carefully choose your battles, and execute them quickly.
