LAS-16 Sickle

This carbine is based on laser technology but modified in an attempt to get something more similar to a conventional assault rifle. It fires short laser bursts and builds up heat more quickly than the LAS-5 Scythe. The trade off is higher burst damage but a shorter firing time. The LAS-16 is part of the Support equipment kit.

Upgrades
Heat Capacity
 * Adding another emergency heat dump canister to the weapon increases how much heat can be absorbed before an emergency dump is triggered.

Heat Sink
 * Increased heat sink capacity is a popular upgrade that improves the cooling rate of the weapon. This also has the effect of increasing the time window for continuous fire.

Laser Overcharge / Increased Overcharge
 * Overcharging the laser causes it to output more damage at the cost of generating more heat. This is usually offset by adding more heat capacity and heatsinks.

Weapon Stats
Helldivers start with 3 Sickle heat dump canisters, and can carry up to 6. Replacing a canister is only necessary if the weapon is overheated, and takes 3 seconds. As the Sickle is a laser weapon, it does not have the ability to perform a fast reload or retain a round in the chamber.

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

Gameplay Tips

 * Smaller than the LAS-5 Scythe (which fires a continuous beam), the LAS-16 Sickle is more similar to a conventional assault rifle in function. It focuses on short, accurate blasts to deliver high burst damage. This also makes the weapon heat up significantly faster than the Scythe. As long as the weapon is not overheated, ammunition is effectively limitless. The boosted burst damage makes it a better weapon for the midgame, when it can effectively help bring down relatively high-toughness opposition and wipe out patrols before they raise the alarm.
 * However, because its usage time is shorter, the LAS-16 tends to fall behind in sustained damage-per-second, even compared to the LAS-5. If your opposition is going to mostly be enemies with tougher defenses that have to be worn down (such as is the case for the shielded Illuminates), the LAS-16 isn't as great a choice. Use it carefully, however, and it's a weapon that can be brought on most missions without becoming a liability.