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Stratagems return from the first game and refer to a wide variety of powerful ordnance and war materiel that Helldivers are able to call down from their Super Destroyers during missions. Each Stratagem has its own unique code consisting of a sequence of directional inputs between 3 and 8 button presses long.
List of Stratagems
Overview[ | ]
There are several standard-issue Stratagems which are available to all Helldivers regardless of rank, such as the Orbital Precision Strike and the MG-43 Machine Gun stratagems. Players can gain access to more by successfully completing missions and gaining the necessary Requisition points to purchase them in the Ship Management terminal found on their Super Destroyers. The maximum amount of Requisition you can have at once is 50,000.
Each player can choose four Stratagems to bring on a mission in addition to any mission specific Stratagems granted by Helldiver Command - this is a crucial decision to be considered carefully as it is the Helldivers' greatest advantage over their foes. Unlike the first game, you cannot have several identical Stratagems in your personal loadout.
Once the mission has begun the player is free to call down supplies or ordinance at any given time. However, as all Stratagems have a cooldown period that has to be waited out in-between uses, players are advised to plan ahead. Stratagems will also become unavailable after the mission time expires and Super Destroyers will leave their orbits.
After putting in the correct code, a stratagem beacon is ready for deployment, and all that is left is for the Helldiver to throw it where it is needed. Once thrown, it will display a bright pillar of light that is visible to all Helldivers in the area, including the type of stratagem being deployed by looking at it. This will either be delivered by the Super Destroyer, Eagle Fighter, or Pelican dropship
A red light means offensive ordnance will be deployed, and it is not recommended for friendly Helldivers to be nearby. A blue light means either hardware delivery, reinfocements, or non-lethal payloads, which poses less risk to friendlies. However, most hardware and reinforcements are deployed using a Hellpod, an atmospheric entry vehicle that plummets onto a planet's surface with lethal force. Anything the pod collides with will either sustain heavy damage, or outright killed.
Once the beacon affixes itself to a valid surface, it is armed and will anchor itself into onto it, becoming immovable once the countdown starts. Note that the list of valid surfaces includes other Helldivers and enemies. It is a completely valid tactic to throw a stratagem beacon onto an enemy, to either ensure the attack won't miss, or they'll be the unwitting target of a hellpod calldown.
- Large enemies may have pockets where a beacon may settle, allowing the stratagem to precisely track the target. (Some smaller enemies may also catch beacons, but this appears to be unintended as the stratagem will continue targeting where the beacon first appeared.)
- High terrain may prevent a beacon from settling, even if it is flat. This appears to be a gameplay choice to prevent cowards from engaging with no risk to themselves.
- SH-32 Shield Generator Pack - A Helldiver's shield backpack may unwittingly catch a stratagem beacon, with any incoming Hellpod able to crush its wearer despite the protection. Using the Drop command may spare the Helldiver.
- Stratagems will not activate out of bounds. This may be more of a factor on Eradicate missions that have a smaller mission area.
- Reinforce stratagems will generally call all available Helldivers. If a subsequent Reinforce is called, it will not activate unless another Helldiver was killed after the first Reinforce was called.
Categories[ | ]
Stratagems are divided into four broad categories based on their intended use:
- Offensive Stratagems allow the player to call down a variety of heavy ordnance, firebombs and airstrikes all designed to take the fight directly to the enemy.
- Supply Stratagems can provide the player with defensive drones for automatic delivery of freedom, utility backpacks, supply backpacks for ammunition, and heavy weaponry.
- Defensive Stratagems grant the player certain operable and automated turrets and mines to help defend against the enemy horde.
- Mission Stratagems are granted to the player by Helldiver Command to deal with problems regarding mission completion. Some of them are always available, and other become available when they are needed or after completion of certain Objectives. Cooldowns on such stratagems are shared by the whole team. Mission specific stratagems typically won't be available to call in anywhere but in close proximity to relevant objectives.
Modifiers[ | ]
Certain mission modifiers may affect how or if stratagems can be called in. For instance, Hellpods or strikes may be off-target, or an entirely different stratagem may be called than the one intended.
The Stratagem Jammer tower can also prevent activation of beacons in its area unless disabled by a Helldiver.