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Helldivers 2 fans have noticed a lack of once beloved Stratagem in the game. The problem isn’t that it isn’t available anymore, the problem lies in the nerfs it suffered. There has been a trend of lowering weapons’/mechs’ stats, and the Mech is one of the casualties. Now, with lower stats, this Stratagem is one of the least used ones, as players deem it not worth the hustle. Can Helldivers 2 fans bring the Mech out of oblivion by getting some buffs?
Nerfs Ruined a Beloved Stratagem for the Players
One of the dedicated Helldivers, TheYondant, noticed that they hadn’t seen a Mech “in the wild” in quite some time. The EXO-45 Patriot Exosuit used to be quite popular in its glory days. The OP said: “Seems like, after that one instance where we got free mechs around the MO where we were unlocking them, mechs basically stopped being used at all”. They explained that the lack of Mechs wasn’t surprising. The “ridiculous cooldown time” and the mech’s fragility outweigh its “pretty impressive firepower”.
Another Mech fan, adamtonhomme, explained: “I used to rock it quite a lot before they nerfed the rockets… The aiming sucks and I can get around it, but straight-up nerfing the rockets was just such a dumb move”. They added: “Kinda dumb for a stratagem that you can only deploy twice in a 40 mins game”. That confirmed the OP’s complaint about the long cooldown time. And, we agree. Ten minutes is way too long of a cooldown time, making the Mech hard to love.
TheMilliner shared their experience: “I see them all the time on missions with lengthy defense sections against bugs, particularly Extermination missions. Sometimes I see them on egg missions, though only rarely there. I’ve never seen one on bot missions though”. M-Bug agreed: “I usually pick it on bug extermination missions”.
Apparently, another issue is the missile accuracy. AffixBayonets stated: “The missile accuracy since the “fix” is so unreasonably bad I can’t stand to use it anymore”. Significant_Wall_668 added: “At launch, mech aim was flawless, you could snipe anything with pinpoint accuracy”. Some players explained that the aim problem probably originated in “a lazy fix to prevent the rockets from exploding in the tube”.
Which Buffs Could Help the Mech Compete?
An experienced fan, Managed-Democracy listed all the upgrades the Mech needs. The armor needs to be stronger, and maybe have some degree of resistance to explosives. “Stomp needs QoL improvements”. The strength and accuracy of the Rockets and the Minigun need to be rebalanced. “The Mech now has gun depression issues with its rocket pod. Despite having the animation to rotate 360, it can only depress downwards about 15° now. Making it extremely hard to use it when uphill, going into a large bug nest, or defending at a captured bot stronghold like a jammer”. All valid requests, if you ask us.
It wouldn’t be a Helldivers 2 topic without some wholesomeness coming from the community. Just_Ad_5939 shared their experience with the mech. They said: “I just saw one yesterday and the dude even let me use it! They were like: “Here, try it little Helldiver”. Yesterday was my first day playing”. Other fans welcomed the new cadet, stating how amazing it feels to help out a level 1 cadet.
No matter the gloomy state of the Mech, it’s important to remember why you are playing this game. Nerfs and debuffs are annoying, especially if you’re an avid player. But, you chose this game to have fun, obliterate some bugs and bots, and, maybe, make some friends along the way. A new patch is coming, so hopefully, you won’t have to suffer the inadequate stats much longer.