Solo Helldive, Max Difficulty Lvl 9, all objectives (Main + Optional) completed, all outposts destroyed, no deaths.
Modifiers: Stratagem Cooldown Time +50%, Stratagem Call-In Time +100%, Ion Storms
Planet: Ubanea
Patch version: 1.000103
The FAF-14 Spear - for when your target's in another zipcode!
The Spear isn't the most popular of support weapons currently - against Terminids, the EAT and Recoiless Rifle are more practical for Charger and Bile Titan kills, while the Grenade Launcher and Autocannon can take care of Bug Holes efficiently.
Against Automatons though, the Spear is an amazing tool for taking out Fabricators and certain objectives from a safe distance, making it perfect for missions where your strats are hit by cooldowns and Ion Storms, Jammers and AA Guns can cut your strats off altogether. With enough distance, you can also one-shot Hulks if they're facing you, and any other enemy type whatever the direction (dropships included).
That lock-on system can be finicky however - you need to find a sweet spot where you're not too close or too far from the target, and a clear line of sight unobstructed by fences. Certain objectives like AA guns or mortars can't be locked onto either, so you'll have to use your strikes or go in the old-fashioned way!
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Build:
The Spear is what this loadout is built around, so while we'll be using it for fabricators, objectives, and the odd long-distance Hulk kill, we'll need a primary weapon that's comfortable with dealing with all other enemies. The Plasma Scorcher is amazing for this, its AOE letting you take out shield Devastators and Walkers from the front in a few shots. The Slugger would be another alternative - just make sure to go for crotch shots vs the Walkers as the slugs won't penetrate through that shield. The Senator is our sidearm of choice as always vs the Bots for its Trooper one-shots.
For grenades, you could go with Impact Nades for quickly taking out armoured enemies or the vent weakpoints on tanks, AA guns, etc., or Stun Nades if you're on Hulk duty, holding them in place while you get enough distance for the Spear to lock on. For this run, I've gone with the default nades for easier throws into fabricator vents.
The rest of our stratagems we're picking to take care of anything the Spear can't - Eagle Airstrikes for any grouped objectives like the Mortars and AA guns, and the Orbital Laser can destroy entire bases, locking onto fabricators, objectives and enemies alike. The 500kg is our answer to Detector Towers, saving us from having to run in and deploy a Hellbomb. NB: while the Spear can't lock onto Stratagem Jammers, often there'll be a Fabricator attached to it that it can lock onto - blowing that up will destroy the Jammer for you!
For armour we're bringing the Trailblazer Scout - that enemy detection range reduction is irreplaceable for stealth, and the radar range also comes in handy for detecting patrols before you can see them. For Boosters, I'm doubling down on Radar Range for that extra situational awareness.
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00:00 Intro
00:15 Insertion, Outpost 1, Jammer, Detector Tower / Jam This
03:00 Outpost 2, AA Emplacement, Escape Pod, Outpost 3, Dropships 1 / No Eagle, No Problem
10:05 Mortars, Outpost 4, Dropships 2 / Oh no, an Ion Storm...anyway
17:30 Outpost 5, Control Tower / All Flights Cancelled, No Refunds
25:05 Extract / All Quiet On The Western Front
31:00 Mission Stats