Helldivers 2: Arc Thrower Guide

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How to Properly Use the Arc Thrower

Why Use This Instead of Explosives?

Key Takeaways

The Arc Thrower in Helldivers 2 is a versatile weapon with unlimited ammo and the ability to ignore armor.
Properly using the gun involves mastering the timing of charging each bolt and avoiding friendly fire when chaining between enemies.
The Arc Thrower excels in crowd control and is capable of taking down heavy bugs, making it a valuable alternative to explosives and the Flamethrower.

In Helldivers 2 there’s almost every weapon at your disposal that is viable to use. The Arc Thrower is one weapon that the community is split on in terms of how useful it is. The Arc Thrower seems underwhelming when you first pick it up, but after some time you might just change your mind on the weapon and how it works.

How it Works

The Arc Thrower is one of the more unique weapons in Helldivers 2. It has unlimited ammo, ignores armor, and chains between enemies that are nearby. It also has an unfortunate habit of murdering your own teammates if you happen to shoot an enemy when they are on the other side of it. You’ll end up chaining the arc bolt into your poor teammate, and they’ll be reduced to atoms. The gun requires the user to keep an eye out on their surroundings and monitor where their teammates are located.

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How to Properly Use the Arc Thrower

While the gun is a bit challenging to use at first, it really starts to shine in how versatile it is after several missions. Arc Throwers aren’t capable of shooting very quickly, you have to charge up each bolt properly and then release the trigger accordingly. The Arc Thrower doesn’t need to be fully charged for each shot, just a brief charge will do just fine, and then you can shoot the gun fairly quickly. Since this gun can ignore armor, learning the timing through trial and error is extremely important.

It was mentioned before, but do not point this weapon in the direction of your teammates. It will chain the arc bolt from enemies onto the team, and unless they have a shield pack or the special armor that will negate arc damage up to 95%, they will instantly die. Keep an eye out for the rest of the team and switch weapons accordingly for the situation. Being next to each other is safe and won’t result in any friendly fire.

15
3 Sec
Unlimited
480 Sec
Engineering Bay
Hellpod, Support Weapon

Projects an arc of lightning at close range. Charges up to project bolts, and may discharge through multiple targets.

ARC-3 Arc Thrower

Projects an arc of lightning at close range. Charges up to project bolts, and may discharge through multiple targets.

Why Use This Instead of Explosives?

The Arc Thrower has many benefits in comparison to the rest of the Stratagem weapons. It has unlimited ammo, which is a huge plus. Being one of the few weapons to ignore armor is a big deal as well. The only issue with that is the lack of big damage that the other stratagems pack. With practice and proper use of the Arc Thrower, you can absolutely take down almost any heavy bug in the game that’s threatening you. This weapon is also just as good, if not better, than the Flamethrower in crowd control scenarios. You’ll chain arc damage among the groups, and you don’t have the added benefit of a hunter leaping at your face while on fire. Overall, it’s just a smoother weapon to use at this point in time in comparison to the Flamethrower. It does the same thing but with less risk to yourself.

In the end, all that matters is that you use a set of stratagems that works best for you. Finding the balance of the Arc Thrower is probably the most entertaining part of the weapon for me. Getting a grove down and chaining bolts into a Chargers face for maximum democracy is a fantastic feeling.