Deeper look into the Emancipator Exosuit

[SilentHero]

So, after playing for a while, here's my conclusion.

The Emancipator excels in both Gunship Facility and Stratagem Jammer, which are, in my opinion, the best objectives for it. To be honest, I was thrilled to see a Gunship tower. When a factory is attached to the Jammer station, the mission becomes simple due to the height of the guns on the Exo-Suit, Making it easy to take out from a distance and Gunships are easily taken out with well-placed shots.

The worst objectives are those with a Factory Strider, Command Bunker or Cannon towers. it just doesn't deal enough damage and require you to get out your exo to utilize anti-tank weapons or stratagems, leaving you expose, It's not a big thing, but nevertheless.

Finally, the Emancipator requires a great level of expertise and understanding of the enemy's weak points in order to exploit them. A lack of expirance will get you murdered in this thing.
Avoid anything that can one-shot you at all costs, anything with a cannon really.
could be well-served by a capable pilot who supports ground units that are making progress. Depending on whether your group wants to split up or stay together, this could be beneficial or terrible. The suit works much better when your team stays together and two or more divers use it at the same time.

I believe you can easily utilize it in bugs missions to seal Bug holes ; the main challenge will be avoiding targets that consume your ammo. During the assignment, you will most likely disregard a large number of foes in favor of eradicating the Terminid/Stalker Nest and Terminid Eggs.

The final report, At its current state, the exo-suit is a risky tool to use in missions involving individuals who are unlikely to work well together. One error could have serious consequences, including locking you out of a slot and making you wonder why you brought it in the first place when other divers are using the standard tactics.

Even if you might be able to destroy one or two bases, more potent stratagems like the 380 or Orbital Laser ultimately make it tough to defend the Emancipator existence. The two usage and ten-minute cool-down period only increase the drawbacks.
The power it provides for such lengthy wait times and uses is disappointing. For instance, a strategically positioned Eagle Air Strike, on a bot factory, can complete tasks more quickly and easily and serve multiple uses during the mission.

At its current state, the exo-suit serves a niche role; it is regrettable that this exo was brought in to battle against Automaton and Terminated. This may work may better for Illuminateand perhaps fore shadowing their return?


The Emancipator would benefit from an upgrade by increasing the amount of ammo to 250 for a total of 500, But 300 would be preferable for total of 600. This allows you to fight without worrying about wasting ammo on minor targets.

Modifications:
More ammunition would be helpful, and the left gun turret may use some adjustment as it feels a little strange to me.
Use caution when aiming downward since it could seem impossible to do so.
Having "Guard Dog" at your disposal to help out whit garbage mobs, Would help ammo consumption.

Future patches:
The mech will greatly benefit from being able to reinforce with whit in the ex-suit, not to mention reviving several disused stratagems.

Orbital Airburst Strike
Orbital Gatling Barrage
Orbital Gas Strike
Orbital EMS Strike
Orbital Smoke Strike

Eagle Strafing Run
Eagle Napalm Strike

Originally posted by REP-80:

"This is a very versatile repair tool capable of repairing damaged vehicles as well as mending flesh. Helldivers proficient with the REP-80 are much loved by their comrades; no one enjoys to die."

HellDivers Wiki [helldivers.fandom.com]

The Rep could make the tank a bullet sponge, which would let the mech to continue to function even after its ammunition runs out. This might be especially helpful for heavy armor users, as a speedier way to continue getting about.

Community wish list
Being able to reload ammunition,
The eject function
Health bar

Friendly tip

When activated, Ballistic Shield enhances its effectiveness by absorbing damage.


Final Verdict: While better than the Patriot Exosuit, it leaves much to be desired.

Originally posted by Dusk:

Thank you for the report! I have taken it out on exactly 1 mission now, and used it against bugs, but found it performed much better than I expected. I selected it as a stratagem, so I was able to take it 4 times total. I've head thru the grapevine the personal shield works on it. I don't know if this is true or not, but I had a shield, and didn't lose a single mech, so I would recommend testing that, it might be useful against bot chip damage.

When it comes to chargers, I was able to kill 2 with 1 mech fairly comfortably by just firing at them indiscriminately as they approached. It appears to stagger (or I just got lucky and they didn't charge). Over-all, it isn't an efficient way to deal with them, when you can EAT or Quasar them, but at least you aren't helpless against them.

Against Bile titains it is terrible. I thought it would do okay, because I was able to kill one within 4 shots at range, but my squad must have damaged it earlier, because after that there were 2 at the extraction, and I emptied almost my entire ammo reserve into them to very little effect.

Your assumption was correct, it was amazing for sealing a giant bug nest though, and basically allowed me to solo one while my squad was messing around. I think its current niche is doing objectives like this. I whole-heartedly agree that it needs a much higher ammo capacity to be viable, and a reasonable alternative to other stratagems. I would also like to see it do significantly more damage against armored targets. Over-all, I'm actually very pleasantly surprised, though there is a lot of room for improvement.

https://youtu.be/vAHJYtYzCww?si=NmzXI7m5grO-rOGR
https://youtu.be/_NMdt-qRlFQ?si=Lz-oeGRJ15S0P99s

[LeftIsBest-James]

I liked it.

[Wutever]

I find it pretty decent against Factory Striders, especially if somebody can dump an Airsrike on the thing beforehand. You're near-immune to the machine guns (I'm pretty sure the Strider doesn't even bother shooting you), and the cannon will only have an angle on you from a significant distance. It seems to take like 34+ shots to the face to kill one, but I honestly expect that to be addressed with either ammo upgrades or a buff to durable damage on the cannons.

What I'm confused by is why I can't seem to hit the head weakspot itself. It should only be 12 shots to kill when hitting that.

Still pretty bad performance for something that has a 10 minute cooldown, but that's just the sad state of mech right now.

[SilentHero]

Originally posted by Wutever:

I find it pretty decent against Factory Striders, especially if somebody can dump an Airsrike on the thing beforehand. You're near-immune to the machine guns (I'm pretty sure the Strider doesn't even bother shooting you), and the cannon will only have an angle on you from a significant distance. It seems to take like 34+ shots to the face to kill one, but I honestly expect that to be addressed with either ammo upgrades or a buff to durable damage on the cannons.

What I'm confused by is why I can't seem to hit the head weakspot itself. It should only be 12 shots to kill when hitting that.

Still pretty bad performance for something that has a 10 minute cooldown, but that's just the sad state of mech right now.

Yes, the turrets don't for a reason, but it will likely be fix. It's such a gamble because of the cannon on top. if you do mange to survive its a great feeling!

Originally posted by LeftIsBest-James:

I liked it.

Some people do, while others don't

[Bastila Shan]

Its sad to see people doing their best to justify this weak mech for which theres no reason to use it over the rocket mech.

[Aldain]

Originally posted by Bastila Shan:

Its sad to see people doing their best to justify this weak mech for which theres no reason to use it over the rocket mech.

There's barely a reason to use either Exosuit in the first place sadly.

The lack of any ability to repair or resupply them along with the sheer lack of durability coupled with the outrageous call down timer makes them arguably an active handicap due to taking up a stratagem slot rather than a boon.

[Myth Alric]

I used the old mech all the time, and it was definitely useful. There is no other stratagem than can put in as much work as a mech, in such a short period of time.

[Bastila Shan]

Originally posted by Aldain:

Originally posted by Bastila Shan:

Its sad to see people doing their best to justify this weak mech for which theres no reason to use it over the rocket mech.

There's barely a reason to use either Exosuit in the first place sadly.

The lack of any ability to repair or resupply them along with the sheer lack of durability coupled with the outrageous call down timer makes them arguably an active handicap due to taking up a stratagem slot rather than a boon.

Yes true theres little reason to use either. But if you were gonna use one i see no reason why you use the ac mech.

[Gul Bjorn]

so you're using it on difficulty 4?

[Cadwell]

Impressive Report, i must admit!

Overall, it confirms what we already knew about the Emancipator, it's extremely situational due to these factors:

CONS:

-limited ammo capacity that cannot be resupplied
-lenghty call down time between the first and second Mech
-limited uses per mission
-overall low damage for a mech
-low durability and with no ability to repair it
-pilot dies when the mech explodes instead of being ejected

PROS :

+the Pelican shoots nearby targets when landing the Emancipator



I am pretty sure it was only useful during a solo dive when the evac zone was being overrun and the Super Destroyer wasn't in orbit anymore.

But even then, still extremely situational and i ran out of ammo in like 5 minutes.
But like i said, it's EXTREMELY siuational.

[Cadwell]

Originally posted by Myth Alric:

I used the old mech all the time, and it was definitely useful. There is no other stratagem than can put in as much work as a mech, in such a short period of time.

I can name a few!

-Orbital Laser
-Orbital barrage
-Multiple tipes of Eagle Stratagems
-Autocannon and in general Turrets

It's fine if you like the Mech, by all means you are allowed to enjoy it.
I , on the other hand, cannot justify bringing any of them when there are so many drawbacks and my loadout and stratagems do more than they do.

[Zephyr]

I'm sorry, but I can't take seriously a report that calls the 380 barrage "potent"... The 500kg bomb, yes. The orbital laser, yes. The railgun orbital, yes. Hell I would even settle for the rocket pods because they offer a cheap middle ground to take out some targets that don't really deserve the very big guns. The 380 barrage is a liability, the spread is way too wide(with upgrade mind you), and it's left to luck if it will do what you expect of it, or not. It's something you take for minor orders, and not otherwise.

The report also states cases that aren't reflecting the reality of the battlefield: You should not, for example, have a mech who "supports the team as it progresses". This is an aberration as in general, a team progresses by trying to engage the enemy at a strict minimum only going at patrol that can't be avoided or are in the way, and clearing static enemies on objectives and POIs, if possible before they can call for help, which means striking fast and hard. While the mech can lay support fire to do just that, it will probably only have enough ammo to sustain 2 or 3 prolonged engagement, or maybe 10 very small ones. It has to be noted the mech also needs to be dismounted every time a destination is reached for the looting process, or remain on the move and leave it to others players. Because of this, there is a risk for the mech to be surrounded/attacked when the pilot is out, in a position where it can't be moved away fast enough. It basically screams for the mech to be used as part of a group force, which kills efficiency as ideally Helldivers want to move in loose formations, or independantly.

The mech itself provides no real intrinsic merit defense wise. It's not sturdier than an human, and will be insta killed by the same attacks that would kill a Helldiver, with the difference that the Helldiver can potentially heal after a brutal attack not leaving him dead. The process of leaving the mech is long enough that the mech can be destroyed before evacuation, making the mech a death trap. The mobility of the mech being also inferior, it's at greater risk. The mech also can't adjust aim fast, be it vertically or horizontally, making rapid response to threats impossible, and creating a delay that's easily exploitable for enemies of all kinds, using flanking and/or swarm tactics. It doesn't help that the aim of the mech itself is very bad, requiring the operator to "eyeball it" instead of being able to use crosshairs, or have a decent UI to line up shots. This in turns leads to a lot of wasted ammo on a machine which has limited and finite stockpiles of it. Most common weapons and support weapons have some degree of precision aiming, offering better long range engagement capacities, and the ability to quickly answer to threats at 360°. The mech also suffer from further mobility issues, being unable to navigate small elevations like a Helldiver on foot can.

The mechs would in theory have a niche role for cases where others stratagems are impossible to use, such as jammers territories. But in reality, even that niche is covered better by support weapons. Even in the case the mech makes it to a jammer station, the operator will have to dismount to activate the terminal, or be relegated to a covering role, something that can be done equally well, if not better, by Helldivers on foot. In fact, taking over an automaton turret would be about equivalent in effect. The mech also can't use cover the way a Helldiver can.

The whole situation could be resumed by having the mech standing here, and a Helldiver standing next to it and singing "Everything you do I can do betteeeeeer~ !"

[SilentHero]

Originally posted by Bastila Shan:

Its sad to see people doing their best to justify this weak mech for which theres no reason to use it over the rocket mech.

I can see you didn't read any of what I wrote, please do so.

Originally posted by Gul Bjorn:

so you're using it on difficulty 4?

I primarily focused on Difficulty 9 automaton; I believe that if you can find any use for it, it is the ideal spot to find out.
Against Terminid, I could definitely do much better because D9 for bugs is more manageable.

Originally posted by Cadwell:

Impressive Report, i must admit!

Overall, it confirms what we already knew about the Emancipator, it's extremely situational due to these factors:

CONS:

-limited ammo capacity that cannot be resupplied
-lenghty call down time between the first and second Mech
-limited uses per mission
-overall low damage for a mech
-low durability and with no ability to repair it
-pilot dies when the mech explodes instead of being ejected

PROS :

+the Pelican shoots nearby targets when landing the Emancipator



I am pretty sure it was only useful during a solo dive when the evac zone was being overrun and the Super Destroyer wasn't in orbit anymore.

But even then, still extremely situational and i ran out of ammo in like 5 minutes.
But like i said, it's EXTREMELY siuational.

Role-playing here.

General, Thank you. I am pleased that you found my extensive research worthwhile. I really believe that the Exo-suit will only be worthwhile for our most important experience. Hell-diver, because to its challenges, will cause suffering for the pilot. Relay the message to Super Earth engineers; its current form is still in beta, and improvements will be needed.

Hail, Super Earth! Long live democracy!

[Wutever]

Originally posted by SilentHero:

Originally posted by Wutever:

I find it pretty decent against Factory Striders, especially if somebody can dump an Airsrike on the thing beforehand. You're near-immune to the machine guns (I'm pretty sure the Strider doesn't even bother shooting you), and the cannon will only have an angle on you from a significant distance. It seems to take like 34+ shots to the face to kill one, but I honestly expect that to be addressed with either ammo upgrades or a buff to durable damage on the cannons.

What I'm confused by is why I can't seem to hit the head weakspot itself. It should only be 12 shots to kill when hitting that.

Still pretty bad performance for something that has a 10 minute cooldown, but that's just the sad state of mech right now.

Yes, the turrets don't for a reason, but it will likely be fix. It's such a gamble because of the cannon on top. if you do mange to survive its a great feeling!

If it does get changed and the turrets shoot at the mech then I would consider it a buff. They don't have enough penetration and durable damage to actually harm the mech in a meaningful way. If they are shooting the mech they are not shooting other Helldivers.

[LeftIsBest-James]

I feel OP's post was:

PART 1/3: "short comings of Emancipator"

• It mentions obvious limitations of the suit, it's not a 'I Win' stratagem.
  
• It's not 10min of invincibility. Any Elite shot will take you out in 1-2 shots.

PART 2/3: "musings of what we could add to the Emancipator"

• Entertaining for a couple of bulletpoints; bolting on guardog and extra stratagems.
  
• haggling more ammo, more health just everything more.

PART 3/3: "Yootooob videos"

• You typed so much; you should've articulated it in OP

[Dekart]

Thanks for your review !