The Mechs: A tutorial | Helldivers 2

A tutorial on the Patriot Exosuit and Emancipator Exosuit in Helldivers 2 (colloquially “mechs”).

I have deliberately chosen to skip the usual list of basic stats as they are subject to change and self evident. I am happy to bring this video to you at long last, it has been in various states of working and waiting since the Patriot Exosuit dropped. Now that this video is finally out I can resume work on other topics. I hope to see you out there Helldiver.

A few things came to mind after publishing. This mech is much more like a mech from the Mech Warrior or Battletech franchise than a mech from Gundam or Armored Core. This makes the player feel more like a "tank" than they actually are and gives them a false sense of how to play this mech. Understanding the mech more as a light attack vehicle serves better. Something like a Humvee or Sentinel (40K) or even a walker from Avatar would probably serve as a better guide post. This is why thinking of yourself as Big Infantry is such a big game changer, because you play more sensibly and win more fights and lose less.

00:00 Fun Bit
00:23 Intro
00:42 Defenses
01:57 Key Details – Defenses
03:01 Offenses
03:40 Tips – Offenses
04:38 Key Details – Offenses
05:56 Mobility and Utility
07:31 Shield
07:53 Tips and Tactics
09:32 Key Details – Tactics
11:14 When to call
11:42 Assaults
13:05 Outro

[rightnut]

Oh my god, I can't believe it, someone who actually shows how to make the mech work instead of saying "mech dies when you stand in front of the enemy like a chicken with it's head off. It sucks!"

[Marines_Memelevolent]

It’s incredible that the front armor is the weakest lmao

[a_rat_named_mouse]

Me and my buddies use the mechs not as tanks or even "super infantry", but as artillery.

Two of us go in and complete the objective, the other two, in their mechs, use either their rocket pods or their autocannons to MASSIVELY thin out the dropships that get summoned. Because the offensive pairing draws the dropship to them, the mech pair can afford to be in a safer place, and focus entirely on dumping ammo onto the dropships' exposed infantry or their engines (in the case of a tank of factory strider).

Additionally, the autocannon mechs are able to destroy fabricators from ludicrous ranges, while the standard is able to mow down trash mobs from equally long distances.

Furthermore, two players bringing mechs allows for versatility in how we use them. Redundancy is always a good thing to have, and having an extra mech is always nice, especially considering just how fragile they can be when used recklessly.

[Ticking]

Typically, when an armored vehicle is designed, the front of the vehicle (which ideally is the side facing enemy fire) bears the thickest armor.
Super Earth did not learn this lesson. As someone who loves armored vehicles and tanks and such, it drives me crazy that the FRONT is the weakest side of the mech!

[Nyx]

Helldiver 17762 here, thank you Reginald for the information on the mechs, may this knowledge help us spread managed democracy.

[themarlboromandalorian]

2:45
I like to call those spike trees "tree urchins" because they look like trees covered in sea urchins.
Spread the word, I hope it takes off like wildfire.

[StellariumSound]

No bullshit, straight research and take-home advice. Thanks for the info.
For what it's worth, even though the entire game is in a constant state of flux, the devs were absolutely unwilling to do much to change the mechs back in HD1. Buff requests in particular were nearly unilaterally ignored. So what we've got now may stick around.
Armor 2 on the front is truly baffling though; I personally tried out the Patriot on its release, watched it blow up on landing or by brushing up against a thorny bush, and never used a mech again since their initial release. Even after the defensive buffs, I'd rather have the flexibility of another strategem than "become stronger infantry for a bit". There's strangely no tank fantasy to be had from "stomping around in a big metal mech".
The Autocannon mech that got a lot of flak for being crap against bugs and bots may be very powerful against the illuminate when they come out because they don't use armor. However, the illuminate also use homing projectiles and instant hit sniping attacks that would absolutely penetrate the mechs as they are now, so the jury is out.

[arbaman]

The mechs completely trivialize egg missions. My buddies and I drop right into the middle of the map, drop our exo-suits, and just go on a leisurely walk. Send one mech to each egg nest and you can clear that mission type on difficulty 9 in mere minutes.

[delvercetti]

I had 0 clue there was a stomp attack this whole time. That will save me some ammo in the future. Also, emancipator 4 lyfe

[mochiboot]

one of the best helldivers channels on youtube (indisputably top 3)

[erwinsetyo]

I think people forgot about the nature of these mechs that disposable like Helldivers. These things has more useful as mobile fire support for supporting the team

[dapugloaf]

About the ending and regarding replying to comments, I was once making a series of artworks and they went semi viral. What surprised me was how exhausting it is to reply to everyone. It wasn't that i didn't have enough time, it was just... So oddly tiring. It's not even that I didn't want to or didn't like it, it was just that it was a surprisingly mentally taxing thing. It's like trying to have a deep meaningful conversation with every person you see on the street, which is just not sustainable. It really really does help so much to just read comments and not feel the pressure of feeling like you need to like or reply, so the next time you feel ignored even though they say they "read every comment", they're probably telling the truth, I can tell you that from experience.

[UnkieNic]

as an old MechWarrior head I very much appreciate the love and attention given to the bots

[punishedgwynie]

the mech isn't dropped by a pelican. it's a different type of jet vtol chopper.

[denodagor]

Nice knowing that chargers aren't that big of a threat. I was always worried about getting hit by them.

[judyfps]

Helldiver “Stomper of Terminids, ” here. I’ve always enjoyed the mech and never understood people’s whining. Every single strategy requires exactly that, a DIFFERENT STRATEGY and like every other support ; it’s got it’s uses and weaknesses

[RisingChaosWriting]

I haven't used it a ton, but I found the most success with the mech on defence when i committed to holding an angle.

The big benefit of the mech is that you are largely immune to the weapons that come online the fastest when an enemy sees you. Rockets take a moment to aim and stance up, for example, and so where a helldiver holding an angle can be suppressed by enough small arms fire from a rush of enemies, in a mech you can shrug it off and they have to deal with the barrage of rounds coming their way. Best part? when things get hairy, you just move.

[Sestze]

I liked the video. Very informative. Possible thing that could've been added was complementing strategems, and how the mech functions when you get out of it.

For complementing weapons, whenever I bring a mech, I usually bring EATs or the Spear. For bugs, popping out of the mech to land a Bile Titan headshot with an EAT or Quasar can reduce the amount of AC shots or Rocket Pod shots from the mechs to down it by a significant amount, letting you save on ammunition. Using EAT calldowns liberally also lets you handle shrieker nests or spore towers while, again, saving a lot on your mech's ammo. For bots, the Spear allows you to tactically approach bot bases by stripping cannon turrets and popping tanks in heavy outposts before wading in to kill the chaff and destroy the fabricators. Once those key targets are down you're free to assault the base with impunity.

Other strategems I bring whenever I'm running a mech are the AC sentry and Eagle Strikes. Against bots, your mech is a bigger threat than an AC or rocket sentry, drawing the fire of rocket raiders and devastators while your turrets can attack from a flank mostly unhindered. For bugs, you can screen for your turret more effectively, or use a shorter cooldown MG sentry as a distraction. Eagle strikes let you hop in and out of your mech to toast certain objectives at range (specifically, running 500s vs Detector Towers). While you're in transit to the next objective, you can send a rearm, making up for the loss of strategem firepower against roaming patrols with your mech.

Mech calldowns don't aggress enemies unless you call down the mech in their vision range. This means, if you toss down a mech at extract at the beginning of the mission, as long as no enemies saw you do it, it'll still be standing there when you come back for it. On the other hand, since the mech is an important target to bots/bugs, you can also use an empty mech as cover or a distraction. Bot bases have wide enough corridors for a mech, but not a mech and a strider or hulk. Leaving an expended mech in a corridor or chokepoint can force enemies to shoot at the empty mech or melee it instead of closing with you while you deal with an objective.

[xtxownage]

So basically

Bugs - Act like you're a terminator
Bots - act like you're a hulk
Squids - run away from energy walls

[Metacritical_]

All I really want is for them to add a Dual Flamethrower mech, so I can relive the glory days of playing Papa Scorch in Titanfall 2