The "infinite ammo, never reload" Helldivers 2 loadout has made fighting the Automatons so much more fun that I can never go back

GamesCo OpHelldivers 2The “infinite ammo, never reload” Helldivers 2 loadout has made fighting the Automatons so much more fun that I can never go backWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

GamesCo OpHelldivers 2The “infinite ammo, never reload” Helldivers 2 loadout has made fighting the Automatons so much more fun that I can never go backWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

Helldivers 2

I don’t like reloading. I understand why games with guns make you reload those guns, and I do appreciate a good reload animation, but minimizing reload time is generally one of my goals in any shooter. It’s why I love weapon perks like Auto-Loading Holster and Ambitious Assassin in Destiny 2, and why games like Doom Eternal, where guns do mercifully have bottomless clips, are some of my favorites. This is also why I’ve utterly fallen in love with a combo of two weapons inHelldivers 2, both of which have infinite or pseudo-infinite ammo for magazines that you technically never have to reload. I’m hooked on the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon as well as the humble LAS-16 Sickle, and combining the two has been absolutely heavenly.

Bury me with my forever guns

(Image credit: Arrowhead Game Studios)

Helldivers 2 LAS-16 Sickle

When choosing weapons and builds and strategies in games, I’ve noticed that I’ve started to value reliability and consistency more than peak theoretical performance. My word for this is how “comfy” something feels. If one option is technically a little weaker than the meta pick, but it’s a lot easier to use and feels better in my hands, I’ll take the comfy option almost every time. And folks, the Quasar-Sickle combo is as comfy as a cool, custom-molded, memory foam pillow at 2am on a hot summer day.

The Quasar Cannon is basically a laser-based rocket launcher with infinite ammo and an overheat mechanic, specifically a cooldown time of about 10 seconds after each shot. You charge up a round, shoot the head off a Terminid Charger or Automaton Hulk with extreme democratic prejudice, then put the weapon away for a little bit before you can fire it again. There’s no tedious pause to reload heavy shells. Keep on movin' and let the Quasar do its work.

The charge period isn’t very long and the cooldown doesn’t feel that long either. Both of these are easy compromises since the Quasar has totally infinite ammo. There are no reserves; if this thing is off-cooldown, you can fire it forever. This makes it incredibly flexible and stress-free to use out in the fields of the Galactic War, and its considerable stopping power makes it a solid pick against virtually any enemy.

If you control your fire and, like me, regularly swap back to the Quasar Cannon on cooldown, it’s rare to see the Sickle overheat. At least, it doesn’t happen often to me on difficulty seven missions. And even then, slapping in a new heat sink is so quick that it doesn’t feel like a punishment for maxing out the heat gauge. You also get a lot of them, and since you have infinite ammo as long as you let the gauge cool off, I basically never need to call in resupply stratagems anymore. Apart from grenades, the only supplies I might realistically run out of would be secondary ammo, which I don’t dip into much since my other weapons have such good uptime, and stims, which I also don’t use very much because my weapons kick more ass than Doom Guy’s sneakers.

How many other guns can say that? “Proven to improve your physical fitness and household budgeting.”

How many other guns can say that? “Proven to improve your physical fitness and household budgeting.”

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Thanks to the Quasar-Sickle special, I don’t have to spend my willpower monitoring reloading anymore. Reloading is a thing of the past. I am in my comfort zone, thriving. Now I can spend my willpower on other things, like summoningthe will to stop playing Unicorn Overlord long enoughto exercise, or resisting the urge to buy more cookware than my kitchen can possibly contain. How many other guns can say that? “Proven to improve your physical fitness and household budgeting.” Your results may vary, but that’s high praise in my book. Super Earth should make that a back-of-the-box blurb for these things, frankly, and while they’re at it send me royalties after the inevitable spike in Sickle sales.These new ship upgrades ain’t gonna buy themselves.

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CATEGORIES

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Nemesis board game models and tokens laid out on a board

1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”

1

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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”

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4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”

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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

Shadow brandishes a gun in Sonic The Hedgehog 3

1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”

1

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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”

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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”

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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”

4

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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

5

Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”

1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

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1

Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”

2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”

2

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3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

3

Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”

4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

4

Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”

5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”

5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”

5

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