As someone who mains the Scorcher, the video is pretty much spot on. I love using it on the Automatons, but I feel like switching my primary against the bugs at times. However, it isn't bad enough for me to bother switching it. I personally love using the laser bot backpack with my Scorcher and light armor, in order to keep the small bugs off of me.
I prefer switching to jar 5 when fighting bugs. It kills them faster through headshots and doesn't damage yourself, and its awful handling doesn't feel as bad because the aim sway is mostly horizontal, and bugs are quite wide. Otherwise it's quite similar to the scorcher
@@pfontanesi I completely agree I have more than 200 hours now and this is my primary. I do not kill myself although it has happened before and 1 thing to the viewers is that it can very easily take out turrets and tanks if you aim their back. You can easily do to that from very far. For tanks u can climb them and lay into them taking it down very easily. Sheild + hellbomb + shield gen + q cannon is what I use the most. For bug ill replace the shield for a dog rover from time to time.
My feel with Bile Spewers the splash is hitting the green areas behind the head, and because it is explosive does the full damage not the 90% reduced damage for tough flesh. On the strider I find the same is true, straight on it fails a lot of the time, but if I clip the side or just below the shield it will splash on to the rider.
I think more specifically it’s stagger damage. The armor is technically undamaged but the explosive ammo type staggers the enemy. The bounce back or stun animation also indicates damage. My guess is
this is what I run for bots now, Scorcher and quasar, with a laser rover.. but ill try the supply pack, that sounds like a good idea. I used the punisher after the slugger nerf and honestly it still is amazing for bots and bugs (im keeping it for bugs over scorcher) Quasar to blow the bot drops out of the sky, and the bigger enemies and can one or two tap everything else is great. I noticed one quasar shot to a turret or a tank followed by one single shot with the scorcher is enough to kill them.
I typically go Scorcher + Personal Shield + Quasar Cannon vs. the Bots and then just swap out the Shield for the Laser Rover against Bugs. For the other 2 stratagem slots I typically go Orbital Laser for Bots, Orbital Rail strike for Bugs, and then always 2x500kg bomb. If I’m solo-diving and sneaking around the map then I might swap out the orbitals for the autocannon turret instead, either as a distraction/decoy to pull away and eradicate patrols, or for supporting fire to cover my back while completing an objective. Occasionally I might roll with the Sickle as a primary but I feel like that pairs best with the Senator pistol that pens medium armour and for the most part, that’s against the bugs. Sickle is fantastic against large patrols of just chaff, but Scorcher outshines it versus mixed groups of chaff with medium armour enemies. I do feel however that the Scorcher’s magazine capacity needs to be bumped up by an extra +5 rounds. Total ammo is ok for the most part, maybe an extra magazine would be nice but the mag size is what always feels just a little too small IMHO.
I don't know why but I hear Ron Swanson's cadence from your voice, you don't sound like him, but you talk like him Edit: I did nOT see that Ron Swanson edit coming in at 5:54 lmao
One thing to note, the illuminate army will likely require us to wear the armor that resists 95% electric damage, also as a separate note, don't worry about the subbed to not subbed viewers ratio, it is much better to have new unsubbed eyes then just subbed ones, this shows you are reaching new people more than you are having subbed ones return out of choice.
@@StCreed "paywalled". Look at the first war bond, then look at how much you get in game from finding super credits. If this was any other publisher you would be forced to pay 10€ per war bond, now you have the option to farm credits for buying them and also unlocking more super credits inside the war bonds.
@StCreed there is no pay wall in this game. Could have bought mine with credit I got from a week of playing if I wanted. I didn't because I'm more than happy to throw money at this company because they have been nothing but awesome since the game released.
One of the reasons I love this game is the delicate balance of various weapon and stratagem choices. So many combos! For example I love wearing a shield for bot missions, because there's so much random long-range fire. That makes using a supply backpack a pretty tough choice for me. And if I pick up a Stalwart or similar to deal with smaller targets, then I will probably not be able to bring my beloved Quasar for camps/cannons/tanks/hulks/spore spewers/bug holes etc etc. Everything has a niche (with a few exceptions for weapons that are currently underpowered), and combos are fun to puzzle out.
Little late with this one (try to release on Fridays), but finally got it out. Nevertheless, because I missed my deadline, I have admitted myself for disciplinary action and reconditioning due to undemocratic behavior. For Super Earth 💪 PS. Happy Easter.
For me it displays the shield icon (like the AA gun in the video). Am I unable or is the explosion capable of killing the tank while the shot itself doesn't penetrate?
@h4xorzist hit the shredder tank on the side of its turret. Or if you're on high ground, shoot at the back part of the turret when it's facing you. The blast radius of scorcher will reach its vents and destroys it in 2 to 3 well placed shots. Same goes for annihilator tank and the cannon turret. But I haven't tried it yet with AA emplacements since I use quasar cannon for it, and eagle for mortar.
Seeing this when I’m in the middle of unlocking it currently like 200 medals from getting onto 10 page and it will be a nice combination with the hmg I’ve been using lately.
Good and accurate to my experience Another tip against tanks specifically the shilka quad tank: front on you can kill it by hitting the upper gun mantlet above the top to guns to damage it unless you can get the other softer sides. takes about clip to clip and a half Standard devastators: the crotch since spread the damage more, backpacks for rocket and gunner
scorcher is the gold standard that all other weapons should be held to. its amazingly useful even with the clip size drawback. I find myself reaching for it even though i’m always looking for ammo because it’s so damn effective at what it does.
You can actually three shot or even two shot armored spewer if you hit their underside, so the fastest way to kill them is to wait for their "spewing" animation which exposes their unarmored bottom. It should be indicated by red hit marker. This is high risk high reward stuff, though it's a lot harder than you think.
The scorcher goes quite nicely with an HMG build against the automatons. HMG + supply pack + scorcher. The scorcher kills stuff the HMG doesn’t take down fast, like striders, and the HMG quickly kills devastators, which can sometimes tank a full scorcher mag. Also your ammo worries are a thing of the past due to the supply pack.
This man gets it. I equip my bot mission with scorcher. It's more useful against the bots who are shielded or have weak vent points. For bugs I rather use the slugger or JAR shotgun.
Subbed! Great video and your Swansonesque tones make your advice seem much more credible than other HD2 commentators 😂 “Literally everything is a weapon, son. That folder, in my hands, is far deadlier than this bow of yours"- Ron Swanson 😂
I’ve learnt that the best tactic is to destroy their rockets and allow your teammates to score the killing headshot. The explosive property allows is to destroy limbs, parts and weapons systems (of bugs and bugs) way too easily, almost support Stratgem levels of easy. Do that with Bot weapons and the Scorcher shuts down the offensive capabilities of most enemies.
from my pov, there isn't a single king of all traits weapon. Every weapon have a very specific task, in which it excels at compared to others. All depending on what enemy types there are, and how many. I generally use the slugger for it's stagger effect, and precision. I can take out a lot of targets fast, even heavy ones (like devestators) in usually 2 shots. 1 for stagging and 1 for headshot. While Scorcher is faster than taking them down, they will still shoot at you. If you're overwhelmed or surrounded, you can atleast buy time with the slugger, and get to a safe place. Scorcher is just taking as many as down with you before you die. I love the tradeoff every weapon has, so in a way, it comes down to playstyle, but still thinking "what weapon should i use for *this* situation?"
@@WarriorVII ONTOP of that... even the same mission type does not guarantee what enemy you will generally face. Yes, Bile Titan are.. kinda rare at level 6, and normal from level 7. However... Is this mission mostly bile spewers? or more brood commanders? or more chargers? Even those factors fluctuate, so even the "best" weapon might still not be "good enough" let alone strategems. There is a "general" loadout, but not 100% perfect. Unless you're lucky.
Yeah, Scorcher benefits greatly from the weird way how hurtboxes work in this game, just like the flamer - the tiny explosion AOE clips and is good for targets with very fragile bits hiding behind armored layers. (Walker pilots, Shield Devastator heads). That, and the explosive tag probably doing hella work in general. To make it a solid contender for meta though, I think it needs automatic fire with a slightly larger clip, or official overpenetration/some sort of quirk to make single shots more remarkable. As it is, it's very middling, especially for a gun buried at the very bottom of a tech tree. Perhaps if they gave plasma weapons more damage / AOE the further they travel or something.
I have been using the Plasma Shotgun too because of that Explosive Damage being very effective against bots lineups. (units with grillers takes more damage from explosives) It might not have the DPS that scorcher has, but has bigger AoE and DMG per shot. Treating that as a mini GL while bringing AC or QCannon, makes me able to solo run the whole field lol. One thing to note to prevent killing yourself, learn the habit to pull out 2ndary more often to deal with agile fragile mobs, such as the dual bladed running bots. one handed weapon, such as SMG, can be blind fired behind you while running, so that's your easy escape strategy while ensuring safety. Easily solving the "killed myself with my own primary weapon's explosive"
I think that armor platings that can be broken off and the enemy behind it are treated as two separate entities that have been melded together in close proximity. Thus, a heavily armoured enemy would be treated the same as two different units moving in close proximity with one another. Such a configuration would then allow the splash damage from AOE weapons to damage both entities.
fun fact the scorch 4 shots spore spewers at any range, as for killing the robot walkers, i just think the splash radius is going through the face shield and killing the pilot.
The plasma punisher (primary weapon) can also one shot the automaton walkers. Just wanted to point that out as you said the Scorcher is the only primary that can.
Definition of glass cannon rifles. Amazing dmg, fairly accurate as there is some bullet drop which can lead to missed headshots on bots. This thing chugs ammo though, amazing to combo this with the resupply backpack.
it seems that there are mor then one penetration stat in my mind, yes one is armor penetration while the other seems to be how far the bullet travels AFTER it penetrates, i noticed this while most bullet type weapons go through grass while the laser riffle stop at a leaf, making me think the lsaer more cooks then penetrates
for anyone who is interested how it might work, Warframe does something similar even if its meters of punch through i dont know why it couldnt be cm and then reduced by the thicckness of armor
I don't think the Scorcher is piercing the Scout Walker's armor. The Scorcher explodes in a small blast on impact. The aoe of the explosion is killing the driver behind the walker's shield. Also, the reason you are seeing a difference in armor between between the Scorcher and the Slugger is because there are actually ten levels of armor, not three. While both may say light armor pen in the description, The slugger could be a 3 and the scorcher be a 2, for example, and both penetrate light armor. Being beneath armor pen causes a full deflect, being equal cause a 50% damage reduction, and surpassing causes full damage.
The Scorcher was my favorite gun from Helldivers 1, and still is even with the nerfs it so obviously needed. The explosion radius was like 10 times bigger and had incendiary 😂. Was a threat to the enemy, yourself, and your teammates if you weren’t careful. Everything breathing on the map got a taste of your liber-tea
I mean it was never nerfed in Helldivers2. It's just the way its designed, I can see why it is like it is. If it had burning damage as well as the large aoe it had in the first game it would just blow ever other weapon away. No one would use anything else. It's honestly a good balanced weapon. Wish I could say the same for a lot of the others.
When it comes to attacking walkers. It's the scorcher explosion that is doing the damage, not that it is penetrating armor. Works great on the shield devastators also. Just don't shoot the shield directly.
It does not penetrate the armour, when hitting an enemy it creates a hit box that looks like a ball, one part of this heatbox is outside of the enemy’s model, so it’s deflects from the armour and does not penetrate, but the other side of this ball-hitbox are actually inside the enemy while it hitting it, so it deals damage ignoring the armour
The scorcher makes other support weapons shine, specially against bots. AMR + stun nades for 2 shotting the eye off hulks, the scorcher can handle almost everything else. Including Tanks and Cannon Turrets. I prefer shotguns against bugs since they don’t stop pressing W.
idk, i´ve been running the dominator for everything for i think a week now. it has medium armor pen and is explosive. it oneshots warriors and devastators in the head and everything smaller outright. i really dont see myself using anything else anytime soon. its also low on ammo, so i trained myself to use my secondary on singlefire to doubletap trashmobs when they get to close for comfort. now every weapon i bring has a role: secondary for trashmobs, main for mediums and quasar for anti-tank. no matter what the game throws at me, i have the tool for the job.
as i heard it untill now, explotion dmg just ignores armor, but only the explosion part of the dmg dealt. means the AOE explosion dmg hits the rider of the stryder and kills him in 3-4 shots. armor dosent just protekt it reduces dmg if its not deflecting. thats the reason the slugger is so effektiv bc its dmg is high enouth to just still kill even with reduced dmg. but the scorcer explodes while beeing deflektet, so u still bring 100% of the explosion part into your target. good example would be the chargers back, it reduces 90% of normal dmg but not explosive dmg thats why the scorcer is supereffektiv and a mg is not.. (exept the heavy one that shreds evrything)
I knew I loved this gun the second I picked it up because it feels like a weapon from destiny 1 with explosive rounds. I miss my cryptic dragon every day.
Dude you really have some of the best Helldivers 2 content I've seen! Appreciate this video and the Dominator video, keep it up can't wait to see more from you dude! For Super Earth! 🫡
I do not kill myself although it has happened before and 1 thing to the viewers is that it can very easily take out turrets and tanks if you aim their back. You can easily do to that from very far. For tanks u can climb them and lay into them taking it down very easily. Sheild + hellbomb + shield gen + q cannon is what I use the most. For bugs ill replace the shield for a dog rover from time to time. I can argue it is the best primary hands down.
In the game there is Explosive dmg that is just a dmg multiplier on weak spots and there is True Explosive dmg that is an AOE. True Explosive can pen armour. Explosive cannot. Scorcher works as both Explosive and True Explosive.
Great video! I don't have the scorcher yet but I'm sure I'll try it out soon. Wouldn't the Jump Pack be better for the terminids since you could just jump away from swarms?
Believe it or not, I find the Dagger to be useful with this weapon against bugs. Clears the trash for free so I can use the Scorcher for mid-tier enemies. I also pair it with Arc Thrower so it is the only thing that requires ammo. No ammo problems if you can do just fine without.
Yall using the plasma breaker? That is impressive against bots. One shot (usually) on walkers. The stagger affect is effective paired with the Libby rover drone for quick headshots. Plenty of ammo 12/12 so use it as a support weapon for arcing your grenade launcher over walls and into groups.
Terrible ammo economy but this thing hits like a support weapon and easier handling than slugger. Utility for killing walkers from the front is crazy and it can stagger devastators + kill them quickly. Dealing with rocket devastators quickly is what Helldive difficulty bots is all about.
The scorcher is so good against bots that I actually feel bad for using it. I usually like using a variety of weapons, but I feel gimped against the bots if I'm not holding the scorcher.
Fantastic review. First time viewer here. Think what I liked best was not what you said but how you said it. Too many videos I see on HD2 are people yelling trying to add that extra hype in for no real reason. You’ve gained a new subscriber! Keep it up! Just curious, what’s the end song you used? That slow theme is 🔥
The 15 rounds per mag is a real bummer, I expected abit more from the scorcher instead of having to run the supply pack with it losing one slot of your load out sucks considering its last gun you can unlock in the default warbond.
Scorcher Is my go to weapon for automatons, like instantly, precise, tactical, efficient, while for bugs i'd rather get something faster As i Always Say, right tool for the right job
I don’t think they’ll nerf it. It feels pretty balanced where it is right now. With its poor ammo economy and ability to kill yourself even through a personal shield it definitely isn’t nearly as strong as some other weapons
Don't be dumb. They aren't stupid. They don't make hard to unlock things stronger because they aren't shit at game design. The plasma scorcher feels strong but it doesn't feel OP. I still prefer the diligence, or even the plasma punisher.
My problem with it is fighting normal devastators. I can't seem to hit their heads, and they've soaked over 2 magazines before dying to a single pistol headshot. Idk, man, something about regular devastators just completely counters the scorcher....
It's great, but nowadays I use the sickle. It's not as powerful, but I love how versatile it is (and isn't a shotgun). I prefer a primary weapon that's universally okay, rather than great but situational
@@AngryBoozer Railgun is perfect now. The adjustment was needed, imo. Sickle will likely get a nerf because it dwarfs every other auto weapon currently, so imo that is also needed (to some extent). Though, I'd also be fine with the ARs getting a buff. Two of them need it BAD.
Scorcher is amazing but the limited ammo is a real issue. Unlike the video recommendation with ammo backpack, I would recommend the guard dog rover vs bugs. That cleans up the trash mobs fine leaving scorcher and whatever support weapon you prefer to clean up the bigger stuff. I might actually seriously consider the backpack against bots though. I usually use the shield generator vs bots but I have had real issues with ammo.
I could offer numerous recommendations, but for the video's sake I chose one, and the reason being a supply pack provides valuable ammo for the Scorcher. With or without a Rover, the Scorch burns through ammo fast. I do like rovers for the reason you gave, and definitely think they're a suitable alternative for trash bugs - I was specifically talking about making the most of the Scorcher. In terms of bots, the extra ammo is definitely nice as the devastators can be beefy/soak up shots. Also, while the shield gen is nice, just make sure you're running explosive resist armor (at least medium) against bots. I find that when I use the shield gen I end up using it as a crutch rather than adapting my playstyle around the bots and just being more careful/strategic. *shrug*
This is why I like plasma guns. The shotgun is better imho. It's basically a 12 mag grenade launcher. Slightly less splash damage, but far more shots to make up for it over the grenade launcher. It can 1 shot walkers too. With a Quasar special and Senator in hand I can dispense democracy to all types bots!
I HATE that I forgot about the Plasma Shotty when I said the Scorcher is the only primary that can easily dispatch walkers. In fact, both plasma weapons can, as you stated. I'm still working with the plasma shotty - it's been pretty mid to me and have been convinced it needs a buff. But I'll keep an open mind.
@@WarriorVII Just think of it as a mini-nade launcher. Even has that trademark knockback effect that all Punishers get. Great for staggering rocket devastators, shield bois, and can even blow up hulks and tanks if you hit em in the back a few times.
damn.. I never thought of pairing the scorcher with a supply pack so I stopped using it because of that even though i liked its versatility. I think ill have some fun with it now. thanks for the tip. like and sub. Any suggestion for specific builds against bots and bugs?
My suggestion is always play around and test different builds that appeal to you. Ultimately, use whatever is both fun and effective. Some basic suggestions would be... for bugs, especially on higher difficulties, you generally want good wave clear options as well as a reliable method to close holes. I usually run +2 grenade armor for the latter, though you could also just use the grenade pistol for hole closure. If I run a shotgun as my primary, say like the Incendiary Breaker, then I would prioritize heavy armor for my stratagems ie. 500kg, Precision Strike, Airstrike, etc. Basically things that take down Chargers and Biles. But carrying a support weapon is also VERY useful for this as well, like an AT rocket or Quasar. But generally bugs force you to be varied with your approach as you'll need both effective wave clear AND anti-armor. There's multiple ways to do this, as sometimes I'll main an Arc Thrower the entire match for wave clear, and then just use my grenade pistol for hole closure and mainly use heavy armor stratagems for any big enemies. With bots, you generally want to go with precision weapons and focus more on heavy armor/base destruction stratagems. Again, there is some play here with which primaries you want to rock, anything from an SMG to AR works fine, but you'll need something that effectively headshots or at the very least staggers devastators. Bots are also very susceptible to any form of plasma, so both the Plasma Punisher as well as the Scorcher are excellent options. I like to servo assist armor which enables me to chuck any stratagems deep into the heart of a base and stand back and watch the destruction - both 380 and 120 barrages are good for this, but orbital laser is definitely king for bots. Spear shines against them as well, as its the only AT weapon that can destroy fabricators and heavy turrets from any angle. The new airburst rocket is also effective at clearing small bases and fabricators. The Anti-Material rifle is also VERY good for bots as it can headshot literally anything, even Hulks (2 shots). Auto-Cannon also a bot staple because it can destroy fabricators and take down hulks. Hope that helps - that was more broad than specific, lol.
comparing the total ammo between the slugger and the scorcher is exactly the same: 75 rounds, but with the slugger you can reload whenever you want without wasting any bullet p.s.: i just unlocked the slugger and it’s insanely powerful, can’t wait for the scorcher
The only thing I feel that holds this gun back is the low ammo count and it NEEDS good accuracy. Its the only gun I've run completely out of ammo with.
As someone who mains the Scorcher, the video is pretty much spot on.
I love using it on the Automatons, but I feel like switching my primary against the bugs at times. However, it isn't bad enough for me to bother switching it. I personally love using the laser bot backpack with my Scorcher and light armor, in order to keep the small bugs off of me.
same here after 200+ hours that's what I am more confident with
I usually quick switch to my Redeemer to get some space then get back to the scorcher if enemies get too close.
I prefer switching to jar 5 when fighting bugs. It kills them faster through headshots and doesn't damage yourself, and its awful handling doesn't feel as bad because the aim sway is mostly horizontal, and bugs are quite wide. Otherwise it's quite similar to the scorcher
I use the sickle against bugs, having infinite ammo is huge.
@@pfontanesi I completely agree I have more than 200 hours now and this is my primary.
I do not kill myself although it has happened before and 1 thing to the viewers is that it can very easily take out turrets and tanks if you aim their back.
You can easily do to that from very far.
For tanks u can climb them and lay into them taking it down very easily.
Sheild + hellbomb + shield gen + q cannon is what I use the most.
For bug ill replace the shield for a dog rover from time to time.
I believe the explosion damage bleeds through armor
That is my supposition as well.
@@WarriorVII pretty sure that's why you get the bouncing and red hit markers on the walkers/ striders. The AT ST lol
My feel with Bile Spewers the splash is hitting the green areas behind the head, and because it is explosive does the full damage not the 90% reduced damage for tough flesh. On the strider I find the same is true, straight on it fails a lot of the time, but if I clip the side or just below the shield it will splash on to the rider.
Dominator has medium pen and doesn't damage striders top half so id also say yes.
I think more specifically it’s stagger damage. The armor is technically undamaged but the explosive ammo type staggers the enemy. The bounce back or stun animation also indicates damage. My guess is
The scorcher pairs well with the quasar cannon, it helps clear out most units whilst the quasar cools down in preparation for the next shot.
Pair scorcher with the stalwart, supply pack and EAT-17. Great combo for the bugs.
Qausar is my new fav AT weapon.
this is what I run for bots now, Scorcher and quasar, with a laser rover.. but ill try the supply pack, that sounds like a good idea. I used the punisher after the slugger nerf and honestly it still is amazing for bots and bugs (im keeping it for bugs over scorcher)
Quasar to blow the bot drops out of the sky, and the bigger enemies and can one or two tap everything else is great. I noticed one quasar shot to a turret or a tank followed by one single shot with the scorcher is enough to kill them.
I typically go Scorcher + Personal Shield + Quasar Cannon vs. the Bots and then just swap out the Shield for the Laser Rover against Bugs. For the other 2 stratagem slots I typically go Orbital Laser for Bots, Orbital Rail strike for Bugs, and then always 2x500kg bomb. If I’m solo-diving and sneaking around the map then I might swap out the orbitals for the autocannon turret instead, either as a distraction/decoy to pull away and eradicate patrols, or for supporting fire to cover my back while completing an objective.
Occasionally I might roll with the Sickle as a primary but I feel like that pairs best with the Senator pistol that pens medium armour and for the most part, that’s against the bugs. Sickle is fantastic against large patrols of just chaff, but Scorcher outshines it versus mixed groups of chaff with medium armour enemies.
I do feel however that the Scorcher’s magazine capacity needs to be bumped up by an extra +5 rounds. Total ammo is ok for the most part, maybe an extra magazine would be nice but the mag size is what always feels just a little too small IMHO.
I don't know why but I hear Ron Swanson's cadence from your voice, you don't sound like him, but you talk like him
Edit: I did nOT see that Ron Swanson edit coming in at 5:54 lmao
One thing to note, the illuminate army will likely require us to wear the armor that resists 95% electric damage, also as a separate note, don't worry about the subbed to not subbed viewers ratio, it is much better to have new unsubbed eyes then just subbed ones, this shows you are reaching new people more than you are having subbed ones return out of choice.
Everyone knows the Illuminate Army was totally eradicated in the last war. Don’t make me call the nearest Democracy Officer, soldier. ;)
"The armor that resists 95% electric damage" is paywalled. Good luck doing those major orders there by your lonesome self.
@@StCreed paywalled by collectible credits
@@StCreed "paywalled". Look at the first war bond, then look at how much you get in game from finding super credits.
If this was any other publisher you would be forced to pay 10€ per war bond, now you have the option to farm credits for buying them and also unlocking more super credits inside the war bonds.
@StCreed there is no pay wall in this game. Could have bought mine with credit I got from a week of playing if I wanted. I didn't because I'm more than happy to throw money at this company because they have been nothing but awesome since the game released.
One of the reasons I love this game is the delicate balance of various weapon and stratagem choices. So many combos!
For example I love wearing a shield for bot missions, because there's so much random long-range fire. That makes using a supply backpack a pretty tough choice for me. And if I pick up a Stalwart or similar to deal with smaller targets, then I will probably not be able to bring my beloved Quasar for camps/cannons/tanks/hulks/spore spewers/bug holes etc etc.
Everything has a niche (with a few exceptions for weapons that are currently underpowered), and combos are fun to puzzle out.
Little late with this one (try to release on Fridays), but finally got it out. Nevertheless, because I missed my deadline, I have admitted myself for disciplinary action and reconditioning due to undemocratic behavior. For Super Earth 💪
PS. Happy Easter.
I LLLLOVE the storytelling here, how well information introduced and presented, great! you earned a sub
I’m yet to unlock this one. I like the accuracy and the small AOE it has. Great review.
Scorcher destroys cannon turrets with one full mag to the rear. Great for conserving stratagems/support ammo, or pairing with AMR/Arc Thrower.
it also can shoot through the front of the tank with the fast turn speed machine gun lasers
@@To0t
The Shredder tank?
For me it displays the shield icon (like the AA gun in the video). Am I unable or is the explosion capable of killing the tank while the shot itself doesn't penetrate?
Hitting a cannon turret with 1 quasar shot and a couple of Scorcher shots gets it done.
@h4xorzist hit the shredder tank on the side of its turret. Or if you're on high ground, shoot at the back part of the turret when it's facing you. The blast radius of scorcher will reach its vents and destroys it in 2 to 3 well placed shots. Same goes for annihilator tank and the cannon turret. But I haven't tried it yet with AA emplacements since I use quasar cannon for it, and eagle for mortar.
this is the best weapon of ALL THREE warbonds for me...plasma scorcher...the name itself speaks out
give the first one from the third warbond a try again then. it's the overall best primary weapon in the game.
@@helterskelter416 Yeah sickle is 100% the best gun rn. Love that thing
@@inspectorbananas8157yeah sickle is still one of my main go to choices
Seeing this when I’m in the middle of unlocking it currently like 200 medals from getting onto 10 page and it will be a nice combination with the hmg I’ve been using lately.
Good and accurate to my experience
Another tip against tanks specifically the shilka quad tank: front on you can kill it by hitting the upper gun mantlet above the top to guns to damage it unless you can get the other softer sides. takes about clip to clip and a half
Standard devastators: the crotch since spread the damage more, backpacks for rocket and gunner
scorcher is the gold standard that all other weapons should be held to. its amazingly useful even with the clip size drawback. I find myself reaching for it even though i’m always looking for ammo because it’s so damn effective at what it does.
Your slo-mo shots have my sub…and my semi…..
You can actually three shot or even two shot armored spewer if you hit their underside, so the fastest way to kill them is to wait for their "spewing" animation which exposes their unarmored bottom. It should be indicated by red hit marker. This is high risk high reward stuff, though it's a lot harder than you think.
The scorcher goes quite nicely with an HMG build against the automatons. HMG + supply pack + scorcher.
The scorcher kills stuff the HMG doesn’t take down fast, like striders, and the HMG quickly kills devastators, which can sometimes tank a full scorcher mag. Also your ammo worries are a thing of the past due to the supply pack.
This man gets it. I equip my bot mission with scorcher. It's more useful against the bots who are shielded or have weak vent points. For bugs I rather use the slugger or JAR shotgun.
Same for me
Subbed! Great video and your Swansonesque tones make your advice seem much more credible than other HD2 commentators 😂
“Literally everything is a weapon, son. That folder, in my hands, is far deadlier than this bow of yours"- Ron Swanson 😂
Great intro speech! For managed democracy
I love the scorcher, but it feels like it takes so many shots to take down the rocket devastators.
You really gotta score headshots for it yeah
It's the magazine capacity that's why. If it has 20 shots per mag, this thing is perfect.
Headshots it goes down quick. Sadly if you miss by a tiny bit it takes ages
I’ve learnt that the best tactic is to destroy their rockets and allow your teammates to score the killing headshot. The explosive property allows is to destroy limbs, parts and weapons systems (of bugs and bugs) way too easily, almost support Stratgem levels of easy.
Do that with Bot weapons and the Scorcher shuts down the offensive capabilities of most enemies.
That’s what the auto cannon is for
my go-to for bots
SES Father of Justice reporting. Subscribed.
from my pov, there isn't a single king of all traits weapon.
Every weapon have a very specific task, in which it excels at compared to others. All depending on what enemy types there are, and how many.
I generally use the slugger for it's stagger effect, and precision. I can take out a lot of targets fast, even heavy ones (like devestators) in usually 2 shots. 1 for stagging and 1 for headshot.
While Scorcher is faster than taking them down, they will still shoot at you.
If you're overwhelmed or surrounded, you can atleast buy time with the slugger, and get to a safe place. Scorcher is just taking as many as down with you before you die.
I love the tradeoff every weapon has, so in a way, it comes down to playstyle, but still thinking "what weapon should i use for *this* situation?"
Completely agree. The give and take of each weapon is great. One of the things I love about the weapon balancing.
@@WarriorVII ONTOP of that...
even the same mission type does not guarantee what enemy you will generally face. Yes, Bile Titan are.. kinda rare at level 6, and normal from level 7.
However... Is this mission mostly bile spewers? or more brood commanders? or more chargers? Even those factors fluctuate, so even the "best" weapon might still not be "good enough" let alone strategems. There is a "general" loadout, but not 100% perfect. Unless you're lucky.
there are clearly weapons that have zero benefits
Yeah, Scorcher benefits greatly from the weird way how hurtboxes work in this game, just like the flamer - the tiny explosion AOE clips and is good for targets with very fragile bits hiding behind armored layers. (Walker pilots, Shield Devastator heads). That, and the explosive tag probably doing hella work in general.
To make it a solid contender for meta though, I think it needs automatic fire with a slightly larger clip, or official overpenetration/some sort of quirk to make single shots more remarkable. As it is, it's very middling, especially for a gun buried at the very bottom of a tech tree.
Perhaps if they gave plasma weapons more damage / AOE the further they travel or something.
I look forward to seeing a video on MARKSMEN RIFLES
Hmm...
@@WarriorVII With update DILIGENCE is MEDIUM penatration
Great video, the market is saturated with HD2 content but your format and objective information is great!
Yeah it is the explosive bleeding through. Cover does not stop explosions from damaging things behind it and that includes the armor of enemies.
depends on how thick the cover is. Large objects defiantly do stop all explosion damage. It's just thin things that do not.
Friendship ended with Slugger
Now Scorcher is my best friend
I have been using the Plasma Shotgun too because of that Explosive Damage being very effective against bots lineups. (units with grillers takes more damage from explosives)
It might not have the DPS that scorcher has, but has bigger AoE and DMG per shot.
Treating that as a mini GL while bringing AC or QCannon, makes me able to solo run the whole field lol.
One thing to note to prevent killing yourself, learn the habit to pull out 2ndary more often to deal with agile fragile mobs, such as the dual bladed running bots.
one handed weapon, such as SMG, can be blind fired behind you while running, so that's your easy escape strategy while ensuring safety.
Easily solving the "killed myself with my own primary weapon's explosive"
I enjoyed the content and found the info useful. Subscribed.
I think that armor platings that can be broken off and the enemy behind it are treated as two separate entities that have been melded together in close proximity. Thus, a heavily armoured enemy would be treated the same as two different units moving in close proximity with one another. Such a configuration would then allow the splash damage from AOE weapons to damage both entities.
fun fact the scorch 4 shots spore spewers at any range, as for killing the robot walkers, i just think the splash radius is going through the face shield and killing the pilot.
Very great weapon. Plasma shotgun is also very nice (it one-shot walkers), but it's more tricky to use and has less range.
The plasma punisher (primary weapon) can also one shot the automaton walkers. Just wanted to point that out as you said the Scorcher is the only primary that can.
I was debating to grind for this or not, it will now be my go to for Bots, great review!
Subbed! Excited to see more content from you!
Definition of glass cannon rifles. Amazing dmg, fairly accurate as there is some bullet drop which can lead to missed headshots on bots. This thing chugs ammo though, amazing to combo this with the resupply backpack.
it seems that there are mor then one penetration stat in my mind, yes one is armor penetration while the other seems to be how far the bullet travels AFTER it penetrates, i noticed this while most bullet type weapons go through grass while the laser riffle stop at a leaf, making me think the lsaer more cooks then penetrates
Makes sense.
for anyone who is interested how it might work, Warframe does something similar even if its meters of punch through i dont know why it couldnt be cm and then reduced by the thicckness of armor
I mean it would make sense that a laser, something with 0 rest mass, wouldn't penetrate very far.
I don't think the Scorcher is piercing the Scout Walker's armor. The Scorcher explodes in a small blast on impact. The aoe of the explosion is killing the driver behind the walker's shield. Also, the reason you are seeing a difference in armor between between the Scorcher and the Slugger is because there are actually ten levels of armor, not three. While both may say light armor pen in the description, The slugger could be a 3 and the scorcher be a 2, for example, and both penetrate light armor. Being beneath armor pen causes a full deflect, being equal cause a 50% damage reduction, and surpassing causes full damage.
Love your content bro 👌🤌👌
After starting to the the slugger I never bothered to try another weapon, but this video might have changed my idea big time!
The plasma punisher can deal with a scout walker in one shot i noticed.
Arc thrower/scorcher combo runner here. Its like swapping strat and primary rolls. Primary for big bots, arc thrower for the multitudes of trash mobs.
Really great video bud!
The Scorcher was my favorite gun from Helldivers 1, and still is even with the nerfs it so obviously needed. The explosion radius was like 10 times bigger and had incendiary 😂. Was a threat to the enemy, yourself, and your teammates if you weren’t careful. Everything breathing on the map got a taste of your liber-tea
I mean it was never nerfed in Helldivers2. It's just the way its designed, I can see why it is like it is. If it had burning damage as well as the large aoe it had in the first game it would just blow ever other weapon away. No one would use anything else. It's honestly a good balanced weapon. Wish I could say the same for a lot of the others.
I thought there would be no way i would like this weapon more than my slugger. But after one match i feel the power
When it comes to attacking walkers. It's the scorcher explosion that is doing the damage, not that it is penetrating armor. Works great on the shield devastators also. Just don't shoot the shield directly.
It does not penetrate the armour, when hitting an enemy it creates a hit box that looks like a ball, one part of this heatbox is outside of the enemy’s model, so it’s deflects from the armour and does not penetrate, but the other side of this ball-hitbox are actually inside the enemy while it hitting it, so it deals damage ignoring the armour
The scorcher makes other support weapons shine, specially against bots. AMR + stun nades for 2 shotting the eye off hulks, the scorcher can handle almost everything else. Including Tanks and Cannon Turrets. I prefer shotguns against bugs since they don’t stop pressing W.
I might be too high rn but this sounds like a young Ron Swanson trying to sell me a weapon
idk, i´ve been running the dominator for everything for i think a week now. it has medium armor pen and is explosive.
it oneshots warriors and devastators in the head and everything smaller outright. i really dont see myself using anything else anytime soon.
its also low on ammo, so i trained myself to use my secondary on singlefire to doubletap trashmobs when they get to close for comfort.
now every weapon i bring has a role: secondary for trashmobs, main for mediums and quasar for anti-tank. no matter what the game throws at me, i have the tool for the job.
as i heard it untill now, explotion dmg just ignores armor, but only the explosion part of the dmg dealt. means the AOE explosion dmg hits the rider of the stryder and kills him in 3-4 shots. armor dosent just protekt it reduces dmg if its not deflecting. thats the reason the slugger is so effektiv bc its dmg is high enouth to just still kill even with reduced dmg. but the scorcer explodes while beeing deflektet, so u still bring 100% of the explosion part into your target. good example would be the chargers back, it reduces 90% of normal dmg but not explosive dmg thats why the scorcer is supereffektiv and a mg is not.. (exept the heavy one that shreds evrything)
Scorcher feels like a The Outer Worlds weapon.
Ron Swanson of Helldivers. good vids
I knew I loved this gun the second I picked it up because it feels like a weapon from destiny 1 with explosive rounds. I miss my cryptic dragon every day.
Dude you really have some of the best Helldivers 2 content I've seen!
Appreciate this video and the Dominator video, keep it up can't wait to see more from you dude! For Super Earth! 🫡
I do not kill myself although it has happened before and 1 thing to the viewers is that it can very easily take out turrets and tanks if you aim their back.
You can easily do to that from very far.
For tanks u can climb them and lay into them taking it down very easily.
Sheild + hellbomb + shield gen + q cannon is what I use the most.
For bugs ill replace the shield for a dog rover from time to time.
I can argue it is the best primary hands down.
In the game there is Explosive dmg that is just a dmg multiplier on weak spots and there is True Explosive dmg that is an AOE.
True Explosive can pen armour. Explosive cannot.
Scorcher works as both Explosive and True Explosive.
Great video! I don't have the scorcher yet but I'm sure I'll try it out soon. Wouldn't the Jump Pack be better for the terminids since you could just jump away from swarms?
This gun makes the grind of maxing the starter Warbond worth it.
I'm pretty sure it's also the angle of impact that affects the damage. In the big clips a lot of the shots seemed to ricochet.
i am very surprised i don't see more of the Base DMR, i love that thing. hate the slugger that everyone goes on about
That weapon looks sick gunna take alot more playing to get it for me
Believe it or not, I find the Dagger to be useful with this weapon against bugs. Clears the trash for free so I can use the Scorcher for mid-tier enemies. I also pair it with Arc Thrower so it is the only thing that requires ammo. No ammo problems if you can do just fine without.
Yall using the plasma breaker?
That is impressive against bots. One shot (usually) on walkers. The stagger affect is effective paired with the Libby rover drone for quick headshots.
Plenty of ammo 12/12 so use it as a support weapon for arcing your grenade launcher over walls and into groups.
Terrible ammo economy but this thing hits like a support weapon and easier handling than slugger.
Utility for killing walkers from the front is crazy and it can stagger devastators + kill them quickly.
Dealing with rocket devastators quickly is what Helldive difficulty bots is all about.
The scorcher is so good against bots that I actually feel bad for using it. I usually like using a variety of weapons, but I feel gimped against the bots if I'm not holding the scorcher.
Fantastic review. First time viewer here. Think what I liked best was not what you said but how you said it. Too many videos I see on HD2 are people yelling trying to add that extra hype in for no real reason. You’ve gained a new subscriber! Keep it up!
Just curious, what’s the end song you used? That slow theme is 🔥
Thanks for the kind words!
The end song is actually from the main theme, "A Cup of Liber-tea".
@@WarriorVII did you slow it down? Doesn’t sound like the several versions I’ve downloaded.
It’s just the area of effect that the scorcher has. The explosive damage leeks though
I really think that if they brought the mag capacity to 20 rounds, it would be a good sweet spot
If you wear any 50%rez to explosive armor the close range kill become a non issue just be sure to take 1step back and you will take like 2% damage
The 15 rounds per mag is a real bummer, I expected abit more from the scorcher instead of having to run the supply pack with it losing one slot of your load out sucks considering its last gun you can unlock in the default warbond.
Scorcher Is my go to weapon for automatons, like instantly, precise, tactical, efficient, while for bugs i'd rather get something faster
As i Always Say, right tool for the right job
Finally got it last night but haven't played with it yet. Been playing since day 1 😅
The scorcher is OP. I hope they never nerf it.
It oughta be good considering how many medals it takes.
I don’t think they’ll nerf it. It feels pretty balanced where it is right now. With its poor ammo economy and ability to kill yourself even through a personal shield it definitely isn’t nearly as strong as some other weapons
Don't be dumb. They aren't stupid.
They don't make hard to unlock things stronger because they aren't shit at game design.
The plasma scorcher feels strong but it doesn't feel OP.
I still prefer the diligence, or even the plasma punisher.
This is legit a game changer for bots lol
Maybe similar to Darktide there’s metal armor(bots), and then there’s carapace/natural armor(bugs). Plasma better on bots, ballistics better on bugs?
scorcher is my go to for bots, better options for the bugs I think but it's not bad
This game's base warbond has a criminal shortage of mid-range options for primary weapons. The game in general really
yea but its also extremely easy to save up the 1k SC to unlock a different one.
My problem with it is fighting normal devastators. I can't seem to hit their heads, and they've soaked over 2 magazines before dying to a single pistol headshot.
Idk, man, something about regular devastators just completely counters the scorcher....
Incredible review, could you do one for the jar 5 dominator?
It's great, but nowadays I use the sickle. It's not as powerful, but I love how versatile it is (and isn't a shotgun).
I prefer a primary weapon that's universally okay, rather than great but situational
Sickle is arguably the best gun in the game atm.
@@WarriorVII Shhh, don’t say that. Remember what happened to railgun! Sickle is meh, borderline garbage, really!
@@AngryBoozer Railgun is perfect now. The adjustment was needed, imo. Sickle will likely get a nerf because it dwarfs every other auto weapon currently, so imo that is also needed (to some extent). Though, I'd also be fine with the ARs getting a buff. Two of them need it BAD.
The scorcher is ok... have you ever tried the SLUGGER?
Scorcher is amazing but the limited ammo is a real issue. Unlike the video recommendation with ammo backpack, I would recommend the guard dog rover vs bugs. That cleans up the trash mobs fine leaving scorcher and whatever support weapon you prefer to clean up the bigger stuff. I might actually seriously consider the backpack against bots though. I usually use the shield generator vs bots but I have had real issues with ammo.
I could offer numerous recommendations, but for the video's sake I chose one, and the reason being a supply pack provides valuable ammo for the Scorcher. With or without a Rover, the Scorch burns through ammo fast.
I do like rovers for the reason you gave, and definitely think they're a suitable alternative for trash bugs - I was specifically talking about making the most of the Scorcher.
In terms of bots, the extra ammo is definitely nice as the devastators can be beefy/soak up shots. Also, while the shield gen is nice, just make sure you're running explosive resist armor (at least medium) against bots. I find that when I use the shield gen I end up using it as a crutch rather than adapting my playstyle around the bots and just being more careful/strategic. *shrug*
I can recommend the Redeemer as sidearm. Use it for the smallest targets to be more effective with ammo usage and ammo restocks.
great video.👍👍
6:40 incorrect, the punisher plasma also does that and more reliably one shot, its just that those projectiles arc and are easy to miss
I easily main the scorcher on the bots, but personally prefer the sickle on bugs
scorcher against bots, slugger against bugs. my two go to guns.
This is why I like plasma guns. The shotgun is better imho. It's basically a 12 mag grenade launcher. Slightly less splash damage, but far more shots to make up for it over the grenade launcher. It can 1 shot walkers too. With a Quasar special and Senator in hand I can dispense democracy to all types bots!
I HATE that I forgot about the Plasma Shotty when I said the Scorcher is the only primary that can easily dispatch walkers. In fact, both plasma weapons can, as you stated.
I'm still working with the plasma shotty - it's been pretty mid to me and have been convinced it needs a buff. But I'll keep an open mind.
@@WarriorVII Just think of it as a mini-nade launcher. Even has that trademark knockback effect that all Punishers get. Great for staggering rocket devastators, shield bois, and can even blow up hulks and tanks if you hit em in the back a few times.
I'm not having great luck with this weapon...suspect it may be more effective for Mouse/WASD users....thoughts?
6:28 Great video, but the plasma shotgun is also able to one to two shot walkers in the front
6:35
The Plasma Punisher would like to have a word. It one taps striders from the front.
yup
Gottem
Plasma Punisher has a learning curve, but well worth it.
Yeah, I replied to someone else who mentioned this. Completely forgot about it. Both Plasma weapons penetrate with the explosions!
damn.. I never thought of pairing the scorcher with a supply pack so I stopped using it because of that even though i liked its versatility. I think ill have some fun with it now. thanks for the tip. like and sub. Any suggestion for specific builds against bots and bugs?
My suggestion is always play around and test different builds that appeal to you. Ultimately, use whatever is both fun and effective.
Some basic suggestions would be... for bugs, especially on higher difficulties, you generally want good wave clear options as well as a reliable method to close holes. I usually run +2 grenade armor for the latter, though you could also just use the grenade pistol for hole closure. If I run a shotgun as my primary, say like the Incendiary Breaker, then I would prioritize heavy armor for my stratagems ie. 500kg, Precision Strike, Airstrike, etc. Basically things that take down Chargers and Biles. But carrying a support weapon is also VERY useful for this as well, like an AT rocket or Quasar. But generally bugs force you to be varied with your approach as you'll need both effective wave clear AND anti-armor. There's multiple ways to do this, as sometimes I'll main an Arc Thrower the entire match for wave clear, and then just use my grenade pistol for hole closure and mainly use heavy armor stratagems for any big enemies.
With bots, you generally want to go with precision weapons and focus more on heavy armor/base destruction stratagems. Again, there is some play here with which primaries you want to rock, anything from an SMG to AR works fine, but you'll need something that effectively headshots or at the very least staggers devastators. Bots are also very susceptible to any form of plasma, so both the Plasma Punisher as well as the Scorcher are excellent options. I like to servo assist armor which enables me to chuck any stratagems deep into the heart of a base and stand back and watch the destruction - both 380 and 120 barrages are good for this, but orbital laser is definitely king for bots. Spear shines against them as well, as its the only AT weapon that can destroy fabricators and heavy turrets from any angle. The new airburst rocket is also effective at clearing small bases and fabricators. The Anti-Material rifle is also VERY good for bots as it can headshot literally anything, even Hulks (2 shots). Auto-Cannon also a bot staple because it can destroy fabricators and take down hulks.
Hope that helps - that was more broad than specific, lol.
The honor is mine. 💪
comparing the total ammo between the slugger and the scorcher is exactly the same: 75 rounds, but with the slugger you can reload whenever you want without wasting any bullet
p.s.: i just unlocked the slugger and it’s insanely powerful, can’t wait for the scorcher
They're sort of two sides of the same coin, with slight differences but used similarly. Love em both.
The only thing I feel that holds this gun back is the low ammo count and it NEEDS good accuracy.
Its the only gun I've run completely out of ammo with.
plasma punisher is underrated.
Please do a punisher plasma video!
It’s like the weapons with potential they lower the ammo
Scorcher is OP , its only weakpoint is low ammo. But this can be fixed with supply pack. That's why i dont like to use it.