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Helldivers 2features a wide variety of weaponry, ranging from underpowered primaries not worth your time to niche Support Weapons that shine in very specific scenarios. The Autocannon is perhaps one of the most versatile weapons in the game, able to dish out excellent damage at extreme ranges to troublesome medium-armored targets and clusters of weaker units alike.
This Support Weapon isn’t going to be the answer to all problems on the battlefield, but it will aid you and your allies in a wide variety of situations, from clearing out mission objectives across the map to exploding some of the most annoying and troublesome enemies in the game. This guide will detail the best loadouts that allow your Autocannon to shine against each faction (Terminids and Automatons), as well as some tips and tricks for wielding the Autocannon as effectively as possible.
Best Autocannon Loadout Against Terminids
The Terminids feature swarms of instectoid enemies that want nothing more than to tear you limb from limb, but the Autocannon can do quite a bit to prevent just that. It’s a little better against Automatons than Terminids, but even so, it’s able to deal with most Bugs easily — up to Chargers andBile Titans(Chargers are possible, but trickier due to the placement of their heavy armor). But the Autocannon isn’t going to save you in every scenario, so it’s important to equip yourself with other weapons, tools, and Stratagems to prepare for every obstacle these devilish insects can throw your way.
Best Stratagems To Pair With The Autocannon Against Terminids
Best Autocannon Loadout Against Automatons
The Automatons are in many ways a bit more challenging than their insectoid counterparts, due to their proclivity for ranged combat and entrenched positions. However, the Autocannon itself can destroy every Automaton unit save for the Factory Strider (though the Autocannon can actually deal quite a bit of effective damage to this enormous unit if you know where to shoot). Even Hulks are vulnerable to an Autocannon aimed right at its eye (two shots), though Tanks are trickier (their glowing vent weak point at the rear of the main gun being the only place to damage them).
Best Primary Weapons: Breaker Or Dominator
Both the Breaker and Sickle are alsogreat at quickly staggering Rocket Troopersout of their way-too-accurate aiming.
Level Requirement: 10
Cost: 7000 R
The Autocannon is the quinticential Helldiver Multitool,excellent for such a wide variety of scenariosthat many players fear an incoming nerf. But theArrowhead CEO has stated that they’re very happy with where the Autocannon is at, performance-wise, which makes sense. It’s not good at taking out the biggest targets on the battlefield — its strength comes from its versatility. Beyond simply wiping out the enemies of democracy, it’s also excellent at dealing with a variety of mission objectives, from destroyingSpore SpewersandIllegal Broadcasts(from across the entire map) to closing Bug Holes and Bot Fabricators at the right angle.
Switch into first-person view for slightly more accuracy and less recoil.
Reloading Solo & With A Partner
Reloading the Autocannon takes some time when you’re solo, but it’s nowhere near as prohibitive as the Recoilless Rifle. Similar to the Recoilless Rifle, if you have a friend wearing your Autocannon’s ammo backpack, they’re able to keep you reloaded as quickly as you can shoot.
How To Close Bug Holes & Bot Fabricators
Closing these enemy spawn points is a very important objective during any mission, and the Autocannon is incredibly useful for this task. Normally, players can simply toss an explosive grenade in or drop a specific Stratagem (Eagle Airstrikeis great for this), but with the Autocannon, you’re actually able to take these enemy spawns out from extreme range — so long as you have a good line of sight into the Bug Hole/Bot Fabricator.
