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The P-11 Stim Pistol was the only weapon added in the Chemical Agents Warbond, if we don’t count Stratagem patterns like the Steriliser. Even in that, it’s hardly a weapon, since its primary purpose is to heal allies. Yet one glaring issue with the new gun is that it’s a bit difficult to hit Helldivers who find themselves in dire straits. Some fans have suggested that the gun desperately needs a lock-on mechanic.
Ragdolling players make it difficult to heal with the Stim gun
We’ve all been on the receiving end of getting thrown about during an average Helldivers 2 deployment. Our models are already notoriously small and during the chaos, players will dive to ground, strafe, zig-zag, or get blown away. Trying to use the Stim Pistol to heal them is a nightmare as it currently stands.
AnemoneMeer on Reddit has proposed that the new gun needs a lock-on system to make it more viable. Otherwise, the gun is only useful when there’s nothing going on, kind of defeating its purpose. They wrote: “Trying to hit a small target being bounced around by the automaton bouncy castle, even post nerfs, is hard. Support tools should not require better trickshots than actual trickshots. Arcing a grenade pistol into a fabricator at 100m isn’t required to use the grenade pistol. Trying to hit a flying helldiver with a stim pistol to save them from certain death is.”
We have to agree – since the Stim Pistol only heals for around 30%, it implies that it’s meant to be used during combat as a fail-safe measure. With only six stim bullets and a small amount of healing, this sidearm feels like it was meant to save someone in a pinch, rather than as a full healing tool.
Is it time to bring back the old healing tools?
Most players agree as well, with Grumpf_der_Sack coming up with a frankly amazing proposal: “Maybe some day we get a „Good Boy“ guard dog with a stim pistol”. Now this is something we’d love to see in the game! Having a hands-off healing option that occupies the backpack slot, while leaving your hands free to shoot is an amazing support option.
Veteran Helldivers remember the Angel from the first game, which was a very similar concept. It was a drone that healed nearby players with a regen effect. Others also mentioned the REP-80 arc weapon, which healed players with a healing beam that chained between allies.
In either case, as it currently stands, the P-11 Stim Pistol has little going for it to recommend it. The time spent healing to try to save a ragdolling Helldiver could be better spent covering them with suppressive power. The small amount of healing is not worth all the missed shots. Have you tried out a Stim Pistol for yourself and do you have any advice to help other prospective healers?