AR-14D Paragon

The AR-14D Paragon is in reality an old assault rifle rarely seen in use amongst the armed forces. It uses the same cartridge as the AR-20L Justice but in a heavier, semi-automatic rifle. The rifle has been modernized and now fires a poison-laced round causing targets hit to spasm and slow. Part of the Hazard Ops equipment kit.

Compared to other assault rifles, chiefly the AR-19 Liberator, the Paragon deals an extraordinary amount of (armour-piercing) damage per round. This is offset by the rapid depletion of its limited ammunition supply. In an emergency situation, unloading the Paragon's entire magazine in a few successive bursts will make short work of all but the most heavily-armoured enemies. This eats through the Helldiver's ammunition supply even more quickly, though. When initially getting familiar with the Paragon, therefore, you might want to bring an extra Resupply strategem or take the Stratagem Priority Perk to prevent running out.

While the poison damage is negligible and only kicks in when the bullet deals damage to a target (so it doesn't work on shielded targets), the poison's slowing effect is very powerful. It is recommended to split your shots between targets if there are multiple high-threat enemies closing in simultaneously. This will slow whatever you damage to a crawl and provides ample time for Tactical Repositioning (AKA "bravely running away") and for teammates to assist.

Weapon Stats
Helldivers start with 5 magazines of Paragon ammunition, and can carry up to 10. Each magazine contains 20 rounds (25 with the Extended Magazine upgrade). If 2 or less rounds remain in the magazine when the weapon is fired, the 'low ammunition' warning sound will play.

Reload time for a fully emptied magazine is 2.5 seconds; if reloaded while there are still rounds in the magazine, this drops to 1.25 seconds. In addition, this keeps a round in the chamber. This means a Paragon with the Extended Magazine upgrade and a chambered round gives a total of 26 shots before needing to be reloaded.

Unlock Requirement
The Paragon is a DLC weapon, available at any rank to those who purchase the Hazard Ops equipment kit.

Bayonet
Proper management of ammunition is required to maximize the usefulness of the Paragon. To conserve ammunition, consider finishing off enemies that you have slowed (but not killed) by catching up to them and utilizing the bayonet. Adding one to this weapon will greatly increase its lethality in close quarters combat. Most medium-level enemies can be killed with one or two stabs of the bayonet. A drawback is that it slows down the Helldiver's melee attack, which can lead to problems when engaging individually weak but numerous enemies such as Bug Scouts.

Unshielded Helldivers die instantly to a bayonet attack, unless they are wearing Heavy Armour. The bayonet upgrade extends the range covered by the 'Melee Dodge' technique. Without a bayonet, it requires more precise timing to reliably use the dodge.

Burst Fire
While difficult, single shots can still be performed with the Burst Fire upgrade by slightly depressing the trigger button instead of pushing it all the way down. It is well worth learning this "half-trigger" tap, since many weaker enemies can be killed with a single, accurate rifle round shot to their center mass. If you find yourself unable to fire in burst mode, make sure you turn on 'Veteran Controller Mode' in the game's settings.