Primary weapon vs Terminids

[Vicpool]

Hi there. Considering I don't really enjoy plasma/explosive/energy weapons, cause I prefer the feeling of "real bullets" (I mean, feeling-wise, machineguns are my favs in Helldivers 2), which PRIMARY weapons would you recommend against terminids? Purifier, Crossbow and Blitzer all feel pretty busted/easy picks, but they fall in the categories of weapons that I don't enjoy using (plasma/explosive/energy), so what would you recommend to use? I usually play from 7 to 10 difficulty, so I'm looking for a decent/viable pick, and usually bring grenade pistol (mainly to close bug nests) and recoiless to deal with big stuff, so I tend to use primary weapon a lot, in combo with short cooldown stratagems such as Gas or Gatling orbitals to zone/deal with packs of smaller/medium enemies.

I've been enjoying Cookout the most, but already feeling like I need a change. New shotgun (Halt) felt pretty good, but all around I still prefer Cookout, mainly cause I hate spewers and stalkers, so staggering is pretty top when dealing with them (with Halt you gotta swap stun - flechette, and still against armored vile spewers it's not that reliable cause you need to hit soft spots, while Cookout just stops them no matter what lol). So, considering this, any other non plasma/explosive/energy weapon at least on Cookout levels of "viability" to get/try, or am I looking for something that doesn't exist? :3

Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks a lot and have a nice day!

[Mezore]

I don't see you talking about the punisher, the cookout is just his incendiary equivalent. Faster pellets, more damage and great at mowing down the terminid tide (cookout is technically better against multiple ennemies but punisher do more instant damage, increasing the chance of killing something dangerous fast)

[Dr. Rockso]

Try the different weapons and see which one you like.

All of the ones I would recommend you don't want to use.

[Vicpool]

Originally posted by Mezore:

I don't see you talking about the punisher, the cookout is just his incendiary equivalent. Faster pellets, more damage and great at mowing down the terminid tide (cookout is technically better against multiple ennemies but punisher do more instant damage, increasing the chance of killing something dangerous fast)

Thanks, will prolly give the classic Punisher a try. It's true that I enjoy the incendiary part cause you can basically rain fire on enemies afar, and if they catch fire, you can delete small enemies in an easy and cool way, but maybe the big punch of Punisher against bigger stuff could be nice too (for example, against Alpha Commanders, Cookout feels decent cause you can stop them, but you gotta shoot a gazillion times to kill them). Thanks for the suggestion!

[Vicpool]

Originally posted by Dr. Rockso:

Try the different weapons and see which one you like.

All of the ones I would recommend you don't want to use.

Thanks for the feedback, never thought about that!

[Cheez3]

I dont know bro, I use the scorcher in both fronts and that thing is such a wonderful machine. me and my scorcher are best friends.

[Mega]

Even with the recent buffs just a few primaries really stand out.

[Khal'cynee]

i have read somewhere that penetrator liberator is good now since buffs patch, could be what you are searching, its a bullet go brrrr and its can penetrate chaffe armor

[Señor Robótico]

The R-2124 Constitution is the Democratic Choice.

[Dudebro171]

I've found some success with the Liberator Carbine, make sure to only pulse-fire it or keep it on burst-fire, but it's really effective at obliterating most bugs in less than a second, and accuracy is less of a consideration on the bug front. Only real con compared to the base Lib is the lack of a magnified optic, but aside from that I've never seen a Commander disassembled as fast as a support weapon, let alone by a Lib but stubbier and green.

If you want something more practical, there's the Tenderizer. It can do big damage, can swap between 600 and 850 rpm with less recoil than the base liberator, auto semi and burst for every occasion, and it can even snipe with a magnified optic. It's Liberator 2: Democratic Boogaloo, only reason I don't use it constantly is the small mag size and how fugly it looks.

For some other picks:

The Jar-5 Dominator may not be pure ballistic machismo, but it hits like a freight train fueled by dark matter with both heavy stagger and 275 chitin-crushing damage a shot. Just bring it with Peak Physique so it doesn't take half a year to turn around.

The R-63 Dilligence is pretty underrated. It can do some decent damage, is really spammable for a marksman rifle, and has bullets for days. It's good both for fire support and for sticking it down a hunter's throat and seeing the E-710 splatter out of them. And the DCS does more of the same but with a bit more damage, the power to utterly screw over hive guards, and a lot less bullets.

And the basic AR-23 Liberator is always a valid choice. 45 rounds a mag with 7 in reserve, decent damage, a high fire-rate yet butterly smooth handling, magnified optic with that crisp red cross, auto semi and burst for every situation, and it's even fashionable and really compliments that bumblebee color scheme. It never jams, can survive in any weather, and it's even got the skull on the side as it's The Right Arm of Managed Democracy; no wonder it's got a bajillion different variants.

[LoveTruffle]

For assault rifles on bugs I usually use a Tenderizer. It's got strong damage, very high stability and two fire rate settings. The lack of medium armor pen doesn't matter as much against bugs since most of the enemies you'll be fighting with your primary either don't have medium armor or they have exploitable weak spots.

[W]

D5 and below the ARs are very usable. You could use Adjudicator in single shot mode for eg.

[Shy]

1 word: Cook out.

That's 2 words but it hits with the power of 2 guns so it works.

[Snowfunk]

I play on Difficulty 10.

And I just keep coming back to the Breaker.
Incendiary or Spray version works good too, but have their kinks.

I would love to run an AR's, but it's a struggle.
The starter Liberator, or Tendrizer works reasonably well.
Decent enough damage, with precision, but AR's have absolutely no stopping power.
On 10, Commanders spawn in pairs, you can empty a clip in the head, remove the head, but that thing is coming at you in full speed. A Breaker clip will stop that thing, or seriously cripple it.
Alpha Commander's just makes this even more obvious, they will just run you over without stopping power.

I just don't get the AR's in their game, their damage is decent at best, and combined with the microscopic clips they are all plagued with, it's miserable, you are emptying clip after clip, constantly reloading, you clear chaff efficiently, but against anything mid sized you lack power.

[MagikarpMagi]

SG-8 is my comfy go to

[Frost Spectre]

Try Liberator Carbine, it has fastest reload speed along faster fire rate, altho you cannot damage armored enemies, but it is best against anything light armored (such as Scavs, Leapers and Spitters which you should be killing as quickly as you can, since they're gonna pop pheromones if ignored too long, Warriors and higher do so after while if pheromones are not popped and Hunters pop pheromones when alone). Use recoil reduction passives or crouch when shooting, change firemode to burst for longer range take downs.