Helldivers 2 // Shield x HMG - Automaton Solo Helldive w/ Commentary - Al(most) Clear, No Deaths

Solo Helldive, Max Difficulty Lvl 9, all sub-objectives completed, all outposts destroyed, no deaths.
Modifiers: Extreme Cold (lower firerate, faster cooling on energy weapons), Meteor Showers, Orbital Fluctuations (increased strat cooldown +25%), Complex Stratagem Plotting (increased strat call-in time +50%)
Planet: Maia
Patch version: 1.000201

Spoilers: Well…quite the facepalm here. I don't usually post fails, but aside from that one brainfart it would have been a perfect run. Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time I’ve been had by this objective, something about seeing the radar in position makes me assume we’re done. If I’d realised there was one more step at the console, I would have waited and still had enough time to reach the extract to finish off another solo deathless all clear. What could have been…

Hopefully that doesn’t detract from the main purpose of this run - showcasing how well the Ballistic Shield and HMG can work vs the Bots, for a more aggressive playstyle!

This is the version with commentary - if you want the one without, click here:    • Helldivers 2 // Shield x HMG - Automa...  

___________

Build:

The Ballistic Shield has received some nice buffs in the latest patch, which increased the block arc and made it so that you no longer drop the shield when staggered by rockets etc. This makes it so much more useful at taking bots head on, letting you pick enemies off at leisure while under fire from Heavy Devastators and MG Troopers. I find the Defender a good match for it, with a pretty controllable ROF and good damage per shot, making Devastator headshots relatively manageable even in full auto. The shield also pairs well with the Senator, letting you line up those one-headshots on Devastators and reload from safety.

Meanwhile the much maligned HMG was actually…kinda nerfed in the last patch, with a reduction in its max firerate. However, this helped me realise what its actual intended purpose was – previously, I’d been experimenting with it as a Charger killer and been a little underwhelmed that it was only slightly faster at killing Chargers than the normal MG, with vastly inferior accuracy and mag size.

Instead, I started messing around with it vs Automatons, and found it a surprisingly effective Hulk killer – its superior armour penetration means it only takes a few shots to the eyeplate, and instead of trying to snipe it with single shots, I found a quick spray to the face was often enough to take it out. Check out 10:00, 18:25, 21:30 and 23:55 for a few examples. Having an armour with recoil reduction when crouching definitely helps, as does simply aiming via hit marks instead of the sights.

While it cannot penetrate a Heavy Devastator’s shields, it tears through all other medium enemies including Strider armour, so I’ll use the HMG liberally vs Rocket Devastators, Striders and Hulks, and the SMG for everything else – the HMG also comes in handy for destroying the vents on Tanks, AA guns and Mortars.

Eagle Airstrikes and 500kg bombs take care of objectives and heavier targets, while for nades, I went with Impact nades for nuking groups of enemies, though the Stun nade also comes in handy for those Hulk kills.

Finally, I’m running Executioner armour again for the explosive resistance and recoil control, with the Radar Booster giving me better awareness of incoming patrols.

_____________

00:00 Intro
00:15 Insertion, Outpost 1, 2 & 3, Detector Tower 2, Hard Drive 1 / You have my shield
05:45 Radar Staton, Power Generator, Detector Tower 2 / And my HMG
13:20 Outpost 4, Outpost 5, Escape Pod, Clearing Relay / Attrition
26:50 Outpost 6, Outpost 7, Hard Drive 2 / I'll be back
32:30 SAM Site, Outpost 8, Relay / I'm back
40:40 Extraction / I've got that strange feeling again...
44:00 Mission Stats / Report to the Democracy Officer, Helldiver