Helldivers 2 finally adds a long-range weapon worth using
Arrowhead Game StudiosHelldivers 2’s premium rifle, the Eruptor, is proving long-range weapons have a place in the game, with its explosive nature working wonders.
Soon after it arrived, Helldivers 2’s meta was dominated by the game’s insanely powerful shotguns. Players needed to run the Breaker as it excelled at nearly every range, making the game’s arsenal feel rather weak in comparison.
Long-range weapons in particular have been a weak point in the game’s arsenal, with players having no reason to stay at range and play from a distance when close-range options are so much more effective.
Helldivers 2’s latest Warbond, Democratic Detonation, arrived in early April. Surprisingly enough, it’s finally provided players with a precision primary worth running.
Included are the CB-9 Exploding Crossbow, the GP-31 Grenade Pistol, and more AoE weapons. You wouldn’t normally expect precision out of high-power explosive weaponry. However, the new R-36 Eruptor Rifle bolt-action rifle is turning heads for all the right reasons.
The R-36 Eruptor uses explosive ammo, and it’s rather powerful at cutting through enemy armor. Aside from that, it can also close Terminid Holes. Plenty of players love the rifle, with numerous threads singing its praises and showing how valuable it is.
Additionally, there’s more skill expression with this weapon than almost any other gun in the game. It’s got a slow rechambering animation due to being a bolt-action rifle, but players can quickly swap between their primary and secondary to speed up the animation and get shots out faster than intended.
Just be careful using this thing up close; it’s explosive range is much bigger than you’d think. Heed the warning in the R-36 Eruptor’s description: “Not recommended for close quarters use.”
Hopefully, Arrowhead doesn’t decide to gut the R-36 Eruptor much like the other weapons that rose in usage in Helldivers 2. Time will tell, but for now, make sure to grab this beauty and get to the frontlines to deliver explosive amounts of democracy.