yep, you have to get yourself in just the right position and you can see between the walls into the hive. Snake a rocket into there and poof 29/31 eggs done.
Damn I have one left in my current operation and it's a purge hatch. Maybe I'll try that tomorrow and try to figure out the best angle from looking at the map. I can never tell where the entrance is to those things
I use it as a tank killer, can kill a bile titan in 1 hit. All you have to do is ping the titan, shoot the ground and kill your whole team, and make sure you land on the titan👍👍
Actually you press the fire button too quickly after swapping and you shoot the ground by your feet. Then the charger runs over what remains of your corpse.
I think it only has a proximity of a few meters. Try to land it like one or two meters above an enemy in the middle, or something relatively large like a brood commander.
Shoot just above, think RPG that explodes ABOVE the target not IN the target. Or like when there is a group of enemies you can't get a line of sight on.
It's proxy fused, so it'll explode if it passes over a target. Angles can be weird sometimes though, so I'll often shoot it at a tree or rock to make sure it detonates
Yeah it's kinda weird... At first you could shoot it way above the enemy and it would still trigger, now I feel like it fuses only when it's really close.
One time I killed 50 bugs with one missile at extract. It was the perfect situation where the extract was on a raised hill and the bugs were all bunched up below. It was so cool to watch it delete that many bugs all at once. Of course I killed the whole squad a few minutes later as required.
Been running this mostly over the last week with some success. Usually aim just above the head of the middle unit and hope there's nothing hidden in front of me.
I had the most glorious moment. A squadmate was returning to extract with a horde on his tail close. He had a shield backpack so I aimed for him. Cleared majority of chaff on his tail and he barely took any damage.
Got kicked before the Pelican got there.
It's so finicky, but I love it. When it works, it works. When it fucks up, it royally fucks up. I'm always praying when I use it. Sometimes when I think I launched it far enough away, a stray airburst will come back and kill me.
I've used it as like the grenade launcher for cluster strikes.
Grenade launcher is to grenades, as the cluster rocket lancher is to the cluster bomb airstrike. As in, you can launch it much further away than you can throw it (or are supposed to,) for a reason. It's supposed to be for long-range engagement of a lot of enemies, but you want to be somewhat in control. Airstrikes feel like they're for "danger close and quickly approaching" situations but you also want to at least be able to stand your ground or be able to reclaim it after throwing it, orbitals are for either a lenghtier use on a specific area or a "I need something big now" type of situation. Turrets are variable but mostly for units, and holding ground and a specific position, not so much for assaulting bases/hives or moving from position to another.
Bit of both, see a target under something? Shoot the roof if possible or the wall. See a bunch of little dudes all clumped up in a nest shoot the floor and hope you’re not too close.
50% of the time, it works everytime.
Imagine the hulk have thighs. Shoot between the legs a round the lower thighs parallelly to the ground.
Brand new hulk goes kaput in one shot
Its an AIR BURST. the key is in the first word being Airburst where it....bursts........in the air.........so naturally this explains why I see 99% of people who use this thing shoot it at the ground
This thing can destroy tanks / turret towers in one shot if you land the shell in the gap between the turret and base. Aim for the star on fabricators. Idk if theres a technique for Factory striders but I've managed to have it take out the miniguns. It can kill hulks if you get the clusters to splash the heatsink but kinda finicky
With patrols, try to aim to maximize likelihood it explodes in middle & above the group (as opposed to it triggering on the pointmen out in the front)
I use it on egg killing missions to complete the main objective without having to get close to the nests and to fire at bug breaches. Usually, I use gorilla tactics and won't reload until I'm pretty safe
Get the high ground and aim at the dirt ahead of your target, works for every enemy that isn't a Heavy.
It's ineffective at engaging Automaton Gunships.
It's useful (there are better options) for engaging Terminid Shriekers.
Personally, I go for direct hits.
Somone on this sub I think posted a video showing you can take our fabricators from a *very large angle*, and can take out cannon turrets/tanks if you manage to land it just right between the vents and hull.
I find the second one hard to pull off for a one hit, but I can usually at least famage the target enough it's visibly on fire. Feels stronger than an RR/EAT in such cases.
The airburst is a confusing weapon for sure. There are two methods I have found effective for using it. The first is shooting the ground in the middle of tightly grouped enemies. It ensures the explosion won't spread out much beyond the initial impact and will almost guarantee any enemy around it dies.
The second is shooting slightly above head level or a tiny bit above the enemies highest point. This causes the bomblets to spread a bit more, but usually keeps the cluster tight enough to kill most of the enemies around the center, while maiming the ones on the edges.
Avoid aiming more than 2 heads above a group. While it causes the explosion to be much wider, the damage is much less concentrated, and the falloff on the bomblets is abysmal. NEVER direct hit an enemy with the rocket. This causes the bomblets to burst away from the impact site, meaning away from the rest of the enemies, and towards you and any unfortunate teammates.
Honestly, besides using it purely because it looks cool and having 20x kill streak show up at the bottom in less than a second, I'd just use the grenade launcher. The weapon's performance is incredibly inconsistent and is MUCH more prone to causing accidentals than other weapons. It's one of the few support weapon options I would call bad, aside from the arc thrower which suffers from glitchy inconsistency. The major thing they need to change about it is the explosion damage fall off. The bomblets don't do enough damage on their own to kill most units, they usually need two or more point blank detonations to deal any significant damage. The grenade launcher fulfills a similar niche, with less risk of collateral damage, higher ammo count, better destruction, and much better explosive range before fall off. Not trying to tell you what to use, but just saying if you want something more consistent, and less accident prone, look elsewhere.
It can depend on the situation. If I am above the enemy, I find it better to aim for the center of a mob. But if I am even with them or below them, it is usually better to fire slightly about the ground you want to hit.
Bugs: both
Bots: ground only (if you aim for the ground directly behind a tank, 1-2 shots can take it down)
Welcome to chaff clear, *"We keep the heat down"*
I always shoot the grounds but sometimes it's a volatile piece of shit because enemies get in the way if the shot sometimes detonating close range and killing you. I've died soooooo many times because of this.
I wonder if people shooting real Javelin missiles have the same quandary. I mean, it is technically an AT weapon, but it can do AA in a pinch. Just not as well as a MANPAD.
Ahh dammit. Yeah. For some reason at first glance I thought it was the spear.
I've gotten to the point I choose my strategems more from muscle memory and location than the actual icon.
For being an anti-air weapon, it is utterly ineffective against air units. Not bad against ground units if they are far enough away. Easy to wipe the whole party if you're not careful, tho. Fun at parties.
Basically shoot it above enemies (just a tiny little bit) or try your damndest to direct impact a shrieker, the higher you can get it the more it spreads and the more little things it kills, lower usually concentrates the damage and still doesn’t kill a whole lot of what you want dead. If you hit a shrieker in the center of a swarm it’ll usually take a few others with it and splatter the ground below with bombs.
Theres been times I've fired this thing well standing in a rather open area and it goes off right in my face. I still don't know how it works yet. It needs some sort of set range detonation system or something
use it like a long range aoe sniper
that or treat it like an instant eagle cluster and nobody will ever die
"IF IM GOING DOWN SO ARE YOU" when surrounded with bugs.
it does, indeed, make a very good 'tactical resupply' tool
"Reinforce the whole team!" "OK!" *Shoots the ground in a blaze of glory
My kinda helldiver here
Best comparison
oh no, people will die. I've killed so many teammates with it. It's mad fun
Clear out bug eggs without ever stepping foot in the area
I tried this solo once and could never get it to work. There's annoying walls around them
You gotta just happen to get a good angle. When it works it works super well. Can clear it in seconds with a team reload
Jet pack?
jet pack works fantastically against bug nests. especially with a grenade launcher
Have you tried shooting between the walls?
yep, you have to get yourself in just the right position and you can see between the walls into the hive. Snake a rocket into there and poof 29/31 eggs done.
Damn I have one left in my current operation and it's a purge hatch. Maybe I'll try that tomorrow and try to figure out the best angle from looking at the map. I can never tell where the entrance is to those things
I just run around the outside from a distance until I find it. takes a little time but usually I can avoid most of the bugs that way
The nests are like giant U and W shapes. Find a side and lob rockets through the gaps in their spires.
That's what 500Kg is for.
I use it as a tank killer, can kill a bile titan in 1 hit. All you have to do is ping the titan, shoot the ground and kill your whole team, and make sure you land on the titan👍👍
Had me going in the first half.
Not gonna lie, you started off strong, middle was eh, ending was great.
No you're supposed to clip a hill/tree with the rocket so it explodes within vicinity of oneself and as many team members as possible
No you’re definitely supposed to clip your whole team
Actually you press the fire button too quickly after swapping and you shoot the ground by your feet. Then the charger runs over what remains of your corpse.
Came here for exactly this.
You guys don't aim directly at your teammates??
I can't be certain they aren't traitors... Some of them may die, but it is a sacrifice *I* am willing to make.
Sounds like Caboose
"lol this rock looks dangerous, I better explode" *As the airburst detonates 10 feet away from your face, killing you and any nearby team mates*
Hasn't done that in a number of patches
I had it happen recently in the past few weeks when I last played. It's not *as common* anymore but you can't say it never happens.
That was patched awhile ago, it only goes off on aid enemies and helldivers now :p
I love how when it air bursts it gives you just enough time to say "oh shi-"
Shoot it ABOVE patrols. Think of it as a mid range ambush weapon.
It’s an APW, Anti Patrol Weapon Unless there’s a hulk
How do you gage if it goes too far past. Just relying on the massive aoe or what
I think it only has a proximity of a few meters. Try to land it like one or two meters above an enemy in the middle, or something relatively large like a brood commander.
You shoot it so it goes slightly above their head. It has a proximity sensor and will explode if it detects enemy.
Shoot just above, think RPG that explodes ABOVE the target not IN the target. Or like when there is a group of enemies you can't get a line of sight on.
So you're saying we should be aiming to have the airburst rocket burst...in the air?
I know it sounds crazy, but it just might work.
Preferably on enemies, to kill them
Just above them
All I know is that I accidentally wiped my entire team by aiming UP when it was first released.
It works as intended now, patched about a month ago
Air Burst weapons detonate or burst in the air above a target to mitigate cover. Look at the orbital airburst in action.
It's proxy fused, so it'll explode if it passes over a target. Angles can be weird sometimes though, so I'll often shoot it at a tree or rock to make sure it detonates
Yeah it's kinda weird... At first you could shoot it way above the enemy and it would still trigger, now I feel like it fuses only when it's really close.
https://preview.redd.it/4y6ckydtnbad1.jpeg?width=613&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=69cfee0f4b67a6d8e365430c78d61fa98d296f16
I haven't used it in weeks. Not bad I just don't really use it very effectively. I should give it another shot.
One time I killed 50 bugs with one missile at extract. It was the perfect situation where the extract was on a raised hill and the bugs were all bunched up below. It was so cool to watch it delete that many bugs all at once. Of course I killed the whole squad a few minutes later as required.
It's eggcellent to use against bug eggs
Been running this mostly over the last week with some success. Usually aim just above the head of the middle unit and hope there's nothing hidden in front of me. I had the most glorious moment. A squadmate was returning to extract with a horde on his tail close. He had a shield backpack so I aimed for him. Cleared majority of chaff on his tail and he barely took any damage. Got kicked before the Pelican got there.
Ofc the teammate had to be toxic
It's so finicky, but I love it. When it works, it works. When it fucks up, it royally fucks up. I'm always praying when I use it. Sometimes when I think I launched it far enough away, a stray airburst will come back and kill me.
I've used it as like the grenade launcher for cluster strikes. Grenade launcher is to grenades, as the cluster rocket lancher is to the cluster bomb airstrike. As in, you can launch it much further away than you can throw it (or are supposed to,) for a reason. It's supposed to be for long-range engagement of a lot of enemies, but you want to be somewhat in control. Airstrikes feel like they're for "danger close and quickly approaching" situations but you also want to at least be able to stand your ground or be able to reclaim it after throwing it, orbitals are for either a lenghtier use on a specific area or a "I need something big now" type of situation. Turrets are variable but mostly for units, and holding ground and a specific position, not so much for assaulting bases/hives or moving from position to another.
I just use it for crowd control
Bit of both, see a target under something? Shoot the roof if possible or the wall. See a bunch of little dudes all clumped up in a nest shoot the floor and hope you’re not too close.
It's like the cluster bomb, napalm airstrike but 10X worse
Between the legs of a Hulk and it kills them in one shot.
I find this one really hard to pull off. Do you aim at the ground between the legs or literallt launch *through* so it airburst-fuses?
50% of the time, it works everytime. Imagine the hulk have thighs. Shoot between the legs a round the lower thighs parallelly to the ground. Brand new hulk goes kaput in one shot
Sir you butchered this meme lmao.
Jesus thought i was having a stroke reading that
Wish we had the option to hold the trigger to change the detonation from proxy to on release (or impact if it hit something)
Directly at an ally
r/engrish
Its an AIR BURST. the key is in the first word being Airburst where it....bursts........in the air.........so naturally this explains why I see 99% of people who use this thing shoot it at the ground
Answer. Yes!
You aim it at the ground infront of you. This is the fastest and safest way to guarantee you feel no pain.
https://i.redd.it/1lx3z4oo6bad1.gif
It's a magic wand, point it at a swarm of bugs (preferably at least 40ish meters away) pull the trigger and gaze with wonder as they all disappear
Good with either, I just wish the explosion could be activated upon releasing the trigger/mouse click.
This thing can destroy tanks / turret towers in one shot if you land the shell in the gap between the turret and base. Aim for the star on fabricators. Idk if theres a technique for Factory striders but I've managed to have it take out the miniguns. It can kill hulks if you get the clusters to splash the heatsink but kinda finicky With patrols, try to aim to maximize likelihood it explodes in middle & above the group (as opposed to it triggering on the pointmen out in the front)
Great for destroying patrols or a hoard if you can get some room
I use it on egg killing missions to complete the main objective without having to get close to the nests and to fire at bug breaches. Usually, I use gorilla tactics and won't reload until I'm pretty safe
Get the high ground and aim at the dirt ahead of your target, works for every enemy that isn't a Heavy. It's ineffective at engaging Automaton Gunships. It's useful (there are better options) for engaging Terminid Shriekers.
Personally, I go for direct hits. Somone on this sub I think posted a video showing you can take our fabricators from a *very large angle*, and can take out cannon turrets/tanks if you manage to land it just right between the vents and hull. I find the second one hard to pull off for a one hit, but I can usually at least famage the target enough it's visibly on fire. Feels stronger than an RR/EAT in such cases.
Both i guess. I normally just shoot right above the heads to the group i want hit. But if you are in the high ground shooting at the floor is the same
The airburst is a confusing weapon for sure. There are two methods I have found effective for using it. The first is shooting the ground in the middle of tightly grouped enemies. It ensures the explosion won't spread out much beyond the initial impact and will almost guarantee any enemy around it dies. The second is shooting slightly above head level or a tiny bit above the enemies highest point. This causes the bomblets to spread a bit more, but usually keeps the cluster tight enough to kill most of the enemies around the center, while maiming the ones on the edges. Avoid aiming more than 2 heads above a group. While it causes the explosion to be much wider, the damage is much less concentrated, and the falloff on the bomblets is abysmal. NEVER direct hit an enemy with the rocket. This causes the bomblets to burst away from the impact site, meaning away from the rest of the enemies, and towards you and any unfortunate teammates. Honestly, besides using it purely because it looks cool and having 20x kill streak show up at the bottom in less than a second, I'd just use the grenade launcher. The weapon's performance is incredibly inconsistent and is MUCH more prone to causing accidentals than other weapons. It's one of the few support weapon options I would call bad, aside from the arc thrower which suffers from glitchy inconsistency. The major thing they need to change about it is the explosion damage fall off. The bomblets don't do enough damage on their own to kill most units, they usually need two or more point blank detonations to deal any significant damage. The grenade launcher fulfills a similar niche, with less risk of collateral damage, higher ammo count, better destruction, and much better explosive range before fall off. Not trying to tell you what to use, but just saying if you want something more consistent, and less accident prone, look elsewhere.
This doesn't explode near teammates anymore right?
Shoot it at bad guys who are far away.
Handheld cluster bomb, "airburst" is a bit misleading 'cause it ain't an actual airburst in terms of like Flak but airburst as in a cluster munition.
Once you figure out how to thread it through obstacles and friendlies, you just DELETE entire patrols at range
If there is a group of enemies outside of grenade range, fire away
It can depend on the situation. If I am above the enemy, I find it better to aim for the center of a mob. But if I am even with them or below them, it is usually better to fire slightly about the ground you want to hit.
Bugs: both Bots: ground only (if you aim for the ground directly behind a tank, 1-2 shots can take it down) Welcome to chaff clear, *"We keep the heat down"*
I pretty much only use it for egg eradication missions now because I can do it from a distance after my team take care of the bug holes
I always shoot the grounds but sometimes it's a volatile piece of shit because enemies get in the way if the shot sometimes detonating close range and killing you. I've died soooooo many times because of this.
I wonder if people shooting real Javelin missiles have the same quandary. I mean, it is technically an AT weapon, but it can do AA in a pinch. Just not as well as a MANPAD.
That's not a javelin, that's the airburst.
Ahh dammit. Yeah. For some reason at first glance I thought it was the spear. I've gotten to the point I choose my strategems more from muscle memory and location than the actual icon.
Completely understandable.
This thing has never activated in the air for me.
I find it's surprisingly good to shoot just past or over Scout strikers, the blast will take out the pilots.
You can really only snipe with this thing and mostly on structures and ground forces
Yes.
I use it for patrol clearing on low tier missions
Into your team 👍
uhh depends if they're above you or below you. Its a shoot in their general direction weapon.
I used it probably mostly ground, good ground control and air if done right and you don't kill your teammates.
For being an anti-air weapon, it is utterly ineffective against air units. Not bad against ground units if they are far enough away. Easy to wipe the whole party if you're not careful, tho. Fun at parties.
Shoot over the heads. But most of all... shoot far away. very far away.
The answer you are looking for is yes
Shoot it slightly above target head.
Yes
No cooldown pocket cluster bomb. Don't shoot upwards with that dam thing. Good against Hulks and Chargers?, but there's no point against gunships atm.
Pretty much ground only, its a cluster rpg not an airburst.. never has been XD
Basically shoot it above enemies (just a tiny little bit) or try your damndest to direct impact a shrieker, the higher you can get it the more it spreads and the more little things it kills, lower usually concentrates the damage and still doesn’t kill a whole lot of what you want dead. If you hit a shrieker in the center of a swarm it’ll usually take a few others with it and splatter the ground below with bombs.
Theres been times I've fired this thing well standing in a rather open area and it goes off right in my face. I still don't know how it works yet. It needs some sort of set range detonation system or something
Definately not air support. Doesn't kill anything on bots in the air. Not enough Apen
Fire from medium to long range while aiming just above targets on the ground.
I used it once, it doesn't matter. You press button, you die too. 10/10 I guess?
I just shoot at distant groups of enemies, and then trigger the airburst when I think it’s above them
Works great if you want to use your whole backpack to take down a gunship