Seems the consensus is to definitely keep the loadout section of the video in! So I'll do that with all future videos, ❤

"It isn't locking on, let's just eagle airstrike this" is the spear users' motto.

I VERY much prefer to see the loadout! I find your videos super informative for my own play, and knowing the build really helps a lot. If more people don't like it, I'd really appreciate at least getting it in the video description!

spear user here. one thing to know about the spear is that its targeting range is very far. you can snipe off certain targets from 200+ meters away, like fabs and cannon turrets. Also pinging your target helps, because centering your aim on the ping makes it easier to lock onto targets in my opinion. The targeting is finicky, what I've noticed is that if you have things in front of you (rocks, plants, etc.) you will have a harder time locking on to certain things. When you do get a lock (the yellow targeting triangle spinning and locking on) it's best to keep your aim centered on where that targeting triangle is locking onto, as it makes it easier for the spear to re-lock onto the target should it fail to lock. Another thing about the lock is that it only targets "heavy" troops too. that includes the little striders (AT-ST looking things), making it very annoying to try to lock onto fabs. when you're targeting a hulk that's chasing someone try to shoot such that the missile will hit the back grate for a 1 hit kill. Otherwise 2-3 spear shots can kill any hulk. Tanks on the other hand are a bit more difficult. The annihilator tanks (big gun) are hard to kill with it because of the missiles trajectory mostly hitting the front armor of the tanks turret, but if you can get a good shot on its top/grate you're in for the money, whereas the shredder tanks I think take 1-2 hits anywhere on the top turret to kill. also HIGH GROUND, and when you come across factory striders, try to aim at the very top of it in order to take out its big cannon in 1 shot. pinging its cannon helps to get that lock on. very helpful especially if you're playing in a squad and need to take some pressure off your team

Love it when you go through your load out and give context. Makes the whole mission more relatable and enjoyable

It makes sense to show your build. That way, we're not second guessing. Thank you.

Your videos always make Level 9 difficulty look like a nice day at a Farmer's Market. I jump into a Level 5 or God forbid Level 6, and it's like my own personal Normandy.

From what I can tell, the empty extraction is indirectly because you completed the map. The patrols spawn in a circle of minimum diameter of 75m. They either spawn from the direction of an active objective or outpost, or from the direction of the closest point at the edge of the map. But you didn't have an active outpost or objective, and toward the edge of the map, the water was at less than 75m away, so the bots couldn't spawn.

spear user here, waiting to finish locking onto this turret tower on malevolon so i can finally rejoin the front.

Pro Spear tip: holding down right click while reloading will preemptively lock on a target (if it sees a valid lock), saving you time in a pinch (such as multiple gunships in the air)

I like when we can see your loadout :)

They're definitely missiles. And it takes two shots to the Hulk because it hits the main body, but incidentally, EATs, the RR, and Quasar also kill it in two hits to the body. The main trick to getting the Spear to kill Fabricators is being able to see the whole foundation of the building, so get higher than the target, and a clear line of sight. Even a fence that doesn't seem like it would block the lock-on is enough to throw it off right now. It's the only weapon that can kill a building without hitting the weak point, dealing its full 1,000 damage to durable parts. =^.^= You're gonna enjoy the Punisher Plasma. I started playing with it last night and it tears bots to pieces. There's only that one group that spawned at extraction because you're close enough to their only remaining spawn point, the edge of the map, that they can't continue to spawn. And that group only spawned at all because they had room while you were standing directly at the terminal.

The Spear uses missiles 🚀.

A few things I noticed: 1. The scout armor can ping an area to radar enemies, use this more for planning an attack 2. Your stratagem throws were shallow, try aiming up 45° to get more distance Mark a target to get its range, a normal 45° throw will go about 45-50m 3. You were always aiming directly at a target with the spear. Aiming a bit high so the target is in the bottom half of the circle will get locks more often.

I love the Spear against Bots, when it works, "When it Works" being the key and operative phase. I hate when I aim down sights, have a clear line of sight on the target and NOTHING HAPPENS No lock on no nothing. Having high ground ups but there's no guarantee it will lock on.

A few things about the spear lockon to make it more consistent without having to wait for the devs on a proper patch: Distance, Clear LOS, and Height. Anything too close, within about 35 meters I feel, the spear will try to lockon but fail. Simply running away a little and trying again works for me. Having a clear LOS is essential as a fence, hill, or something obscuring the target even slightly will mess with the lockon. If you fail once, dont keep trying. Reposition and then lockon. Height goes along with clear LOS. Ive found simply climbing up a small rock solves the lockon in many cases where it previously failed. Also partially due to the arch path that it takes. Like in the part where you tried to fire at the cannon tower. There was too much of the tower inside the target and not the cannon itself where it locks on to

Quick info btw! If you throw down a hellbomb the terminal will ALWAYS be on the opposite side from where youve thrown it. Could save some time :) great videos! ✌🏼

Definitely show your loadout !!! Gives me the chance to see weapons in action I wouldn’t normally use or just haven’t realised it’s good

Thank you for showing the loadout... I often have to go back to the beginning to hear what your loadout is so I appreciate it. Like to hear your reasoning of why you bring what also =)

I like the loadout intro, as well as your thoughts on it. Gameplay is fun but the prep is refreshing

Really enjoyed the relaxed and knowledgeable commentary and approach to making content. Subscribed for more of this. Great shit ✊👌🏻

Love seeing the builds before the drop!

Takibo is a literally "call an evacuation! But not for me" meme

You have my salutations fellow Helldiver, joining the Spear club is something only few can do and understand the magic of it, thank you for preaching the light of the Spear. Also the Hulk will go down with 1 shot if the shot hits the eye or the back, sometimes the tip of the javelin will hit the armor that is why it doesn't take it down in 1 shot.

Love the load out and the expo on it. Gives me a better understanding for my play.

Love the loadout review at the beginning!

I love the spear on fort defense extraction. Always having high ground and decent sight lines eliminates the tracking problems and let's the spear just do work.

Yes I love the loadout overviews I’m always pausing trying to see what your loadout is

Good video bro. Appreciate the loadout too because u explain why instead of just choosing

I always enjoy knowing about the load out and the reasoning behind it. Also interesting build idea anti meta explosive crossbow railgun jump pack

Been using a very similar loadout to this for bots for a while now, and I’ve been loving it. Only differences is that I use light engineering kit, impact grenades for destroying containers and cannon towers up close and I often switch between scorcher, punisher plasma or counter sniper. (I just don’t like the dominator’s slow handling, that’s all) Anyway, it’s great seeing a skilled helldivers content creator trying out this loadout and putting it to great use, glad you enjoyed it and I hope I can learn something from your gameplay too.

I prefer when you go through your load out at the beginning. I like hearing your thoughts on the gear and it makes the build easier to copy if I want to try it out.

I enjoy the loadout review!

NICE VIDEO,BRO It’s very helpful for me 👍

you build your load outs similar to how i do! love to see it. i pick my play style, armor, primaries, then i decide what i want to center the loudout around, then fit accordingly.

I like being able to see the loadout at the start just because I know what the thought process for the build was first thing in the video. So it makes it much easier for me to understand whats going on. Btw I'm a big Spear user. Love it.

You make helldive look trivial. Awesome!

I like seeing the loadout and explanation for it. Helps us understand WHY you buy what you buy

I love how you explained the loadout Before you start the mission!

+1 to loadout coverage 🙏. I'd like to hear about potential weapon synergies or if it's an untested combination etc.

I love that you're doing full clears now

I love using the spear. Everyone talks about the lock on issues, which is fair, it’s really annoying, but I think they either need to give more ammo, or buff the damage. A lock on missle with only 3 extra rounds and doesn’t even reliably one shot hulks, tanks, bile titans, and even chargers, is kinda annoying. Unless when they fix the lock on it auto targets weakpoints or something, but the ammo economy is rough for the amount of damage it deals

That Iron Man landing at 27:14 was dope af

Definitely continue to go over the loudout for the mission. Really helps to hear you discuss the strengths and weaknesses that play into the build. Am a low level amateur player so these videos are gold mines🤣keep up the good work

You got a really good extraction location. Being near the edges of the map causes patrols to have less spaces for them to spawn from.

I started using the Scorcher on your recommendation for bots and loved it. I think the Plasma Punisher is on the same tier and has become my go-to now. I'm a big fan of staggering enemies and it helps so much when fighting the Heavy and Missile Devastators (or whatever they are called). I was kinda disappointed both took 2 shots to take out walkers/striders, I was expecting the Plasma Punisher to use 1 (at least to the front armor). I found I could almost snipe far away enemies with the Scorcher, and it's not like the Plasma Punisher can't hit far enemies either. It just takes a couple shots to calibrate the arch and range, but then I could bombard the enemies like artillery/mortar. Mag capacity could also be a pain. Eitherway, love seeing the loadout, nice to see you exploring different concepts, looking forward to seeing your next video!

I love seeing the load out before you start.

I love the stealth spear plan. always fun and helps with gunships as well!

Always prefer the loadout at the start, others can fast forward..:) awesome video

I def love seeing the loadout first before dropping in

great job. no deaths, earn a sub.

Main spear user here. I love 1 shots on bile titans and hulks. The main problem with targeting as I've noticed is the spear has a 3D cone sight right in front of you. If a rock, hill or building is interfering with the cone, you won't get a lock on, only partials or none at all. Takes a lot of repositioning to get used to.

The spear is a multi stage missile like the Javelin. The first stage fires for as long as it is traveling through the tube, then when the missile has reached a safe distance from the operator, the main thruster kicks on. If the missile continued to thrust out of the tube it would catch the operator in some nasty back blast and maybe even catch them on fire. That’s why the missile kinda falls out of the tube, it’s currently not being propelled. Then when it kinda leaps forward is when the second stage kicks in.

Seeing the loadout is a great intro to the mission.

I love the Spear loadout. It allows you to reach out and hit every factory from distance without having to close.

The greatest market in the world are beginners. Whether someone is new to Helldivers or to a weapon (like the Spear), the beginner will appreciate your guidance & probably come back if they found it helpful. Your content usually is since it includes the loadout & tips on how to use them affectively. Keep doing that. 😎

Recoiless rifle usage has definitely been on the upside ever since the reload staging buff. Also Voiping to someone to be your loader and pulling it off is the coolest feeling ever

loadout walkthrough are superb 👍

SPEAR supporter hear. My friend regularly (90%+) takes spear and it is so so nice to have. Taking out fabricators, cannon towers, and swatting gunships out of the sky at 300 meters is super nice. The lazy bones in me approve. Fun fact: A spear that hits a hulk body or tank turret, setting it aflame, will die to a single 70-80% railgun hit. This synergy is very very nice and saves both time and spear missiles.

I for one like when he goes through his loadout cuz it gives us the viewer some insight on his mindset for the upcoming battle. For example, in this vid he said he went with the barrage just wo he didn’t have to get too involved in a fight. Small things like that gives the viewer a better understanding of the choices made during the gameplay. That’s just my opinion tho. It’s just something that I like.

Master Takibo slowly setting up the rules for HD2 Speedrun category

I like to see the loadout first too. Also spear enjoyer here! Even if it is a love-hate relationship

I think it's not only this armor set, but also the map with a lot of obstacles that were breaking enemy LOS. Also I am a firm believer that shield pack makes your model that much bigger and easier to spot.

The spear is such a fun special. Reminds me of using the javelin in the black ops 2 campaign

I can never get the spear to work I just bring the anti tank rocket

I remember there is trick that if you cannot lock on the fabricator, you can try to first shoot it with primary, make it aware of you, then the spear can lock on it more easily. Also, spears can more easily (usually) if it has a full picture of what you are trying to lock on, so standing on the high ground might be more helpful

Well done Stealthdiver!

spear is fun on paper until it decides not to lock onto your target---wish it had more ammo as well but i understand why it doesnt

This was one of the most fun builds I've seen as of late, great job as always! BTW, I was watching in 1440p 60 and it looks a bit soft, not sure if maybe it's an upload or recording setting but thought I'd let you know it doesn't feel full resolution. Look forward to the next vid!

Man I forgot how much I love the Scout armor as well! I used it in some randoms and while I was running around destroying objectives they were causing havoc behind me lol!

Geez...Y'all are way too good

I love the reaction I get when I can snipe objectives from across the map with the spear. 2 shots to the front of a hulk and one to the back if it hits the soft spot.

fwiw, definitely prefer seeing the full loadout before games. very much prefer as it really helps us understand from the get-go before trying to puzzle-solve as you play.

I run a very similar loadout to yours in this match but with impact grenades. Im also a fan of the recoillesss when running solo against bugs. Its great for popping chargers, spore spewers and the like.

I think the red area can sometimes just indicate posted enemies even if there's not a fabricator. If you kill enough of them the red dissipates. I think using the red areas would be a good way to communicate threat status to the player. The closer a player is to a red area or objective (or just make obj areas red also), the more threat they generate, which will summon patrols faster.

I think a neat way to work the Spear lock-on would be to actually incorporate the game's marking mechanic into it. Whoever is wearing the backpack can mark a target with the mark button, and those become lockable targets for the gunner. This would give a sort of target painting feel to whoever reloads the weapon.

About the factory strider, it takes 3 hits in the same area to kill striders. 2 hits to destroy the armor, 1 to kill. You can also destroy the strider's turret in 1 hit. As for the cannon towers, you typically have to stand quite a ways away to get it to lock on, or be at nearly the same elevation. Also, you cannot lock onto mortars

Extract remains red if there's a single unit present (a static unit from the start of the match). For example one devastator will keep it red on the map. Spear lock on depends on distance and elevation & visibility of the majority of the structure.

Im a recoiless rifle boi, you just gotta get into my games! For real though, I like the extra ammo over spear, and usually I just quickplay so the stealth aspect of the spear is not very useful most of the time. I use it instead of quasar for the shorter time between shots, again usually in group can stay at a bit more range so can stop to reload instead of kiting enemies between shots

I like to see the load-out because then you get pros explaining why they are choosing the armor/primary/side arm and how it syncs with their other load out.

Nice strat! I guess it's important to ask if no one needs samples. Which is generally true for now.. Ill totally do this for medals!

They are known as shell casings, the missile was what was already fired, the casing of the missile is what you pull out of the spear. Its similar to the bradley TOW reloading where someone takes out the casings and loads 2 new ones in.

I have been running a zone control build with the spear. Mines, sentries, machine gun placement, bubble shield. It is fun to hold back the tide while my team stealths the objectives and hunts samples.

Yes to load outs even if it's like 10secs. love the trail blazer used the 70 Def one for a while now I use the new blue one from the warbond.

This man clearing helldives , i can't even do level 6 alone.

From the words of one of the devs when asked about the Spear lock-on: Aim high. When fighting Bile Titans, I've noticed I consistently get better lock-ons when the Bile Titan is placed in the lower half of the Spear reticle, preferably between the dot in the middle and the southernmost part of the circle. I'm pretty sure the lock-on process has to account for the missile's trajectory, so try to visualize that and compensate for any obstacles that might interrupt that flight path.

I love The Spear. Waiting patiently for its lock on fix

The spear works really well when you can gain an elevated position. It locks onto almost everything! Kind of similar to the Arc Thrower where you can aim slightly up and it's a little more consistent in arcing across things, than aiming at things to arc through them...if that makes sense.

I like to run Spear. The main thing is to not get too worked up when it _can't_ lock on. If it's giving you the yellow reticle, then yeah, you should be able to do a little jig and get it green... but if it won't lock at all, just move on to your next target. I always bring the Railcannon strategem, because if the Spear won't lock on or a target is too close, Railcannon is pretty much guaranteed to handle it. Last night when I ran Spear, I took out a charger from across a lake, and later on, a bot base and Hulk from about 200 meters away. Then while defending extract, I was taking out the heavy targets at range. It's not a weapon you use in an emergency. It needs time to lock and distance to home in. So use it for that. You're less likely to be in an emergency situation in the first place when the threat is dead before it can get close to you.

Love the spear, even with the annoying lock on. Will definitely try this on solo.

I’m a spear user on bugs and the amount of times I’ve one-shot titans by simply sticking to the rear of the squad is insane. I fight from the back of the line with a marksman rifle and pop more annoying bugs that maybe my team mates missed or the big ones like spewers or commanders. Then when the titans come out it’s piss-easy to run 10m away from my previous position, shoot one shot from my rifle into the titan so it turns to look at me, and then slam it in the forehead with a 127mm missile. Couple times I’ve seen a Titan rise up from the breach from about 200m away, like the shot up, and fire before it even starts moving after its spawn animation and it’s done. IRL it would be missiles, not shells.

I would love to see you try out the patriot exosuit against the bugs in a defense mission or some other sort of short form, i know its probably not very good but i wann use it with my friends and i wanna see how you'd use it

Spear is absolutely underrated, the aiming feels like a minigame sometimes (like lockpicking in other games e.g) but most people don't use it to its fullest extend, this is not a tactical weapon, if you have to use it in combat, it's shit and that's good. Above 60m or so however, it's truly insane, even on foggy planets it can get locks way behind your line of sight, easily 250m and if you find a nicely elevated spot even beyond that. For duo squads Spear on one person, EAT + Supply Backpack on the other one, constant movement and you can avoid most fights and feel super op. Also if you want to do the "Gone in 360 seconds achievement", this is a very good weapon for doing a quick bot blitz mission.

Fun fact, recoilless rifle and spear can take out stratagem jammer if you take out a bot fabricator thats next to it.

The stealth build really complements the spear. Having the ability to move around undetected makes the lock-on mechanism *almost trivial.

When you get a you good rock to stand on that let's you overlook a base, it sometimes let's you clear a whole base with just the spear.

Yes the first minute or two should definitely be a preview of the loadout maybe even the mission and map. For those that aren't interested in that there is a fast forward option.

I like seeing the loadout at the beginning, but if you ever choose not to do that, please make sure you put your entire load out in the description or a pinned comment

Spear is a one-shot to Hulks if you can get them from behind and hit the heatsink with the missile. If it's from the sides or front, it's a 2-shot weapon.

i sometimes bring the spear, but usually the recoilless. i completely stopped with the shield backpack, thats what rocks are for. automatons in particular are easily dealt with a jar, a rocket eagle and railcannon-strike. the 2 other stratagems are just for fun, as is the special weapon.