One High-Level Helldivers 2 Weapon Is Definitely Worth The Grind

Helldivers 2 has a handful of high-level weapons that require a real grind, but one in particular is worth the effort. Though Helldivers 2 genuinely gives the majority of gear to players easily, some of the top-tier choices can be akin to those in other games. Luckily, those top choices are not significantly larger upgrades compared to other choices, making them nice to have superior options but not required. This proper balance has been one of the key reasons Helldivers 2 has taken the gaming world by storm and retained its popularity over its first two months.

The way to earn new weapons, armor, and boosters is through the game’s Warbonds. These are like battle passes that Medals can be spent on to unlock cosmetics and gear. The first, which is ten pages long, is free to all and gives everything a player would need to function at a high level. Warbonds after that have consisted of three pages, containing three primary weapons, armor sets, one booster, and a secondary. These new premium Warbonds in Helldivers 2 are priced at 1,000 Super Credits, which can be bought or easily farmed.

The PLAS-1 Scorcher Is Worth The Warbond Grind

Jack-Of-All-Trades Rifle

The PLAS-1 Scorcher is the final weapon of the free Warbond, listed on page 10. It is the hardest to get due to the fact a total of over 1200 Medals will be needed to unlock it. These Medals are best earned by completing high-level missions or farming trivial missions. Which is easier/faster will vary from person to person. However, this grind is unarguably worth it for what might be the best overall primary weapon in Helldivers 2.

The Scorcher falls into the energy-based weapon category but acts like a short to medium-range rifle. It comes with six magazines that carry 15 shots each, making it a weapon that isn’t a heavy consumer, but not enough to spray with. However, unlike other energy-based weapons, it will not overheat. Combined with its average damage, the Scorcher may not seem like this great weapon choice, but the ammo type is what makes it so impactful.

What makes the Scorcher so strong is the plasma explosions that each shot will cause when it impacts. These explosions are great for dealing with hordes of lightly armored enemies, but unlike other explosive weapons, the plasma feature works with medium armor enemies. The plasma explosives will penetrate medium armor to an extent, allowing players to deal with Helldiver 2 enemies like Devastators or Bile Spewers. However, heavy armor units will ignore these explosives and will need to be killed another way.

How The PLAS-1 Scorcher Compares To Other Helldivers 2 Weapons

The Most Flexible Weapon Pick

Though the Scorcher is a great overall weapon, it does have areas where it is not the preferred choice. When facing the Terminids, the Scorcher can become a hazard, as the explosions will kill players. This becomes an issue since most Terminid enemies want to get into melee range and close the gap rather quickly. In contrast, Automatons prefer to stay at range, and even those that try to close the gap take a long time, so they can be killed easily.

Compared to other weapons, the Scorcher can do almost everything just as well, if not better. Shotguns may have a higher impact, but the time to kill will be similar. The only two noticeable differences would be that the other energy-based weapons can go entire missions without needing to be resupplied, and the new Helldivers 2 Arc Blitzer and Plasma Shotgun have better area-clear. The caveat is: these weapons were new additions in the Cutting Edge Warbond and are the only primaries that have these wide-range capabilities.

Overall, the Scorcher is a weapon players can take into any situation and feel confident in their ability to dispatch the enemies of Super Earth. It will just be important to understand ammo consumption and positioning, as those are what will kill if not properly monitored. Even as new weapons continue to be introduced in future Warbonds, the Scorcher will likely keep its spot as a jack-of-all-trades rifle, making it well worth the grind in Helldivers 2 to acquire the PLAS-1 Scorcher.

Source: PlayStation/YouTube

Helldivers 2

Helldivers II is the follow-up to the 2015 multiplayer top-down single-player/co-op shooter from Arrowhead Game Studios. The sequel, which has shifted gears to a third-person shooter format, drops players into the boots of elite super-soldiers who fight to protect Super Earth from invading alien forces while taking the fight to those who threaten the “democracy of Super Earth.”

Franchise

Helldivers

Released

February 8, 2024

Developer(s)

Arrowhead Game Studios

Publisher(s)

PlayStation Studios

ESRB

M

Prequel(s)

Helldivers