LAS-13 Trident

"This shotgun-like weapon is a further development on the laser carbine technology, allowing for a virtually ammunition independent weapon. Suitable for when you want an easier time hitting your target." - Armory Description

Unlock Requirement

The Trident was given for free to all players regardless of rank on 3rd March 2016 to celebrate the one year anniversary of HELLDIVERS' release. It is unlocked by default for new recruits so long as the latest version of the game is used.

Upgrades

Upgrade		Requirements	Cost	Effect
	Heat Capacity		2	Increases the amount of heat absorbed before overload.
	Heat Sink	Heat Capacity	4	Increases the rate at which the weapon dissipates heat.
	Laser Splitter		4	Doubles the amount of laser beams but lowers the individual damage.
	Laser Rate of Fire	Laser Splitter	6	Increases the rate of fire.

Heat Capacity

• Adds another emergency heat dump canister to the weapon, increasing how much heat can be absorbed before an emergency dump is triggered.

Heat Sink

• Increased heat sink capacity improves the cooling rate of the weapon while also increasing the time window for sustained fire.

Laser Splitter

• Replacing standard capacitors with high-speed, heavy duty models and replaces the standard beam-splitting prism with a modified version, allowing for twice as many beams per pulse as the basic model but with reduced power per beam. Increases beam count to 6, reduces damage per beam by ~15% to 40% depending on hit location.

Laser Rate of Fire

• Replaces the weapon's capacitors with higher-speed, ultra heavy duty prototype models, allowing for a much lower delay between pulses without sacrificing reliability. Increases rate of fire.

Weapon Stats

• Helldivers start missions with 2 heat dump canisters and can carry up to a maximum of 4.

• The Trident takes 3 seconds to replace its heat dump canisters, although this is only necessary if the weapon overheats. This process cannot be sped up by any means.

LAS-13 'Trident' Detailed Analysis
Weapon Info			Additional Notes
Unlock Rank	Rank 1		Unlocked as part of the HELLDIVERS' anniversary celebration
Weapon Type	Primary
Weapon Category	Laser/Shotgun
Fire Mode	Full-auto
Damage
	Base	Upgraded	Additional Notes
Damage	90	55†	Per beam, † Requires Laser Splitter upgrade
Center Mass Damage	120	100†	Per beam, † Requires Laser Splitter upgrade
# of Projectiles	3	6†	† Requires Laser Splitter upgrade
Statistics
	Base	Upgraded	Additional Notes
Heat Capacity	400	480*	* Requires Heat Capacity upgrade
Heat Generation (per pulse)	32	32
Cooldown Rate	120/s	140/s¤	¤ Requires Heat Sink upgrade
Cooldown Delay	0.15 s	0.15 s	Time before weapon begins to cool after firing
Cyclic Rate of Fire (RPM)	252	300‡	‡ Requires Laser RoF upgrade
Starting Canisters	2	2
Max Canisters	4	4
Empty Reload Speed	3 s	3 s	No tactical reload
Range	todo	todo
Aim + Movement Speed Mod	todo	todo
Firing Cone Degrees	todo	todo
Beam Spread Simulation	todo

Gameplay Tips

• The Trident is arguably one of the more effective patrol- and mob-suppression tools in the game thanks to its huge firing cone, infinite ammo, and decent damage per pulse. These traits allow it to keep an entire quadrant of the playing field saturated with laser fire indefinitely so long as heat buildup is managed. However, it is the single most expensive weapon in the game to fully upgrade and tends to only be average in all its stats compared to ballistic weapons, and even among other laser weapons. It is best used at close-to-mid-range when dealing with anything more durable than faction patrol units as both its spread and extremely weak off-center damage limit its effectiveness at range.
• While sharing the same pulsed firing mode as the Sickle, the Trident is the only laser weapon that has both a short delay after firing before it starts to cool, and a considerably slower cooling rate. Helldivers are advised to fire single shots at a slower rate of fire than full-auto in order to ensure enough firing time remains for emergency use.
• The Trident has wildly inconsistent spread and range, more so than almost any other weapon, and limited damage potential at any range beyond bayonet distance. For this reason it is best reserved for close quarters fighting or taking out the weakest enemies at range such as Illuminate Observers and Watchers, and Bug Scouts and Vanguards. Memorizing where the edges of the Trident's spread pattern are will greatly reduce the risk and occurrence of friendly fire; failing this, Helldivers should always reposition for a better shot whenever in doubt.
• The Trident synergizes extremely well with damage-mitigating perks and stratagems such as the MD-99 Autoinjector, SH-20 Bubble Shield, and SH-32 Directional Shield due to the extra survivability they offer at close range, allowing Helldivers to easily mow down entire groups of enemies in short order without needing to worry as much about ammo usage or taking too much damage.
• Like the Sickle, the Trident's pulsed firing mode does not allow it to cut through Cyborg armor like the Scythe or Tanto, making anti-tank stratagems a requirement when taking on higher difficulty planets.

Notes

• The LAS-13 Trident was re-balanced in Patch 5.00. The weapon now deals less damage and will usually not kill other players in one hit. Usually.