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You find yourself in the middle of a rough battle. You are surrounded by the enemies swarming in. But, you look around and find a strategically perfect spot for your sentry. As it turns out, you might have found a way out of the tight spot! You call in the Stratagem, but instead of sticking, it just… bounces away. Seconds later, you’re overpowered by the enemy and that’s it. The majority of Helldivers 2 players know just how devastating it is to watch the Stratagem ball just bounce off. Why does this happen and is it avoidable?
The Devs Are Aware of the Stratagem Ball Occasionally Bouncing
Depending on how lucky and experienced you are, this might not be an issue you experience frequently, or it could be your worst nightmare. Veterans have been aware of this issue for a long while. Of course, the devs are aware of it, as well.
As you know, every patch comes with extensive patch notes. Sometimes, if it’s a bigger patch, the patch notes also include a section named Known Issues, with top priority and medium priority. Now, as far as we’ve seen, this issue made a debut as a top priority all the way back in September. At some point it was downgraded to medium priority, but it quickly regained its status.
Most recently, on February 4, this issue appeared once more on the top priority list of Known Issues in the patch notes. The devs noted: “Stratagem balls bounce unpredictably off cliffs and some spots”. So, this issue is bound to be fixed soon.
Helldivers 2 Players Claim Experience Helps With Placing the Stratagem
According to some Helldivers 2 veterans, if you want to successfully place your Stratagem Ball each time, you need to practice. Some players claimed that, in time, you’ll be able to tell if the Stratagem would stick to certain rocks. FatalisCogitationis noted: “Smaller rocks are fair game, there’s a sweet spot you’ll find with experience”.
Several other players suggested a neat trick that helped them out. GwadTheGreat stated: ” I have better luck with getting sentry balls to stick when I throw them straight down at the ground. I will climb onto some cool ledge, then look down at my feet and throw the ball straight down at the ground. When they hit the ground at more of a glancing angle, they seem to bounce more often. This does apply to how the game treats deflected bullets”.
Another player, damned4alltime, added: “Point the camera directly onto your feet and throw it. It will stick if the surface is viable. You start realising which surfaces stick and which not with time, but at lvl 80 I still find myself having to chase my recoilless rifle”.
We’ll be trying this out, for sure! It could be quite helpful for the current Major Order, as J.O.E.L is in a special mood. So, you’ll find us on Andar for the time being. For Liberty and Super Earth.