One gun gets unfairly overlooked according to veteran Helldivers 2 players

As a game gets more traction and new content, it’s easy to forget what we’ve started with. Like that first piece of equipment or an early weapon. For most of us playing Helldivers 2, that would be the lowly Liberator. This lowly rifle carried us through those early missions, yet quickly gets replaced by all the shiny new toys. Yet there are some who are ready to make the case for the default gun.

The Liberator is still as good as it ever was

The Liberator is the starting gun when you first join Helldivers and start your journey to protect Super Earth and democracy. It’s solid, dependable, has a good fire-rate, but on all accounts, it’s too mundane for most players. Yet one veteran Helldiver called Faust_8 on Reddit has stepped up to make the case for the overlooked weapon.

They asked an important question – have any of us used a Liberator, not as a challenge or a joke, but for real. On hard-hitting missions in particular. Here’s what Faust_8 had to say to promote this point by detailing the build and the thought process:

“Sometimes against Automatons I go full mobility, Light Gunner armor (light armor but with Extra Padding so it acts like a medium) and Jump Pack to zoom around, and AMR as my support weapon. Plus, the Jump Pack can let me get to high ground to better snipe from afar.”

“So then I had to figure out which primary to use. I’d been using Sickle, but I do tire of its spool-up time. Even though it’s brief compared to classic things like the TF2 Heavy, it still annoys me. So then I started thinking about what’s similar to the Sickle but isn’t the Sickle and, well, that’s the Liberator.”

Many of you will point out that this isn’t an optimal or meta build. But bear in mind that each of us has preferences. Some overlooked weapons, stratagems, and boosers can shine in situations that we never thought about. That’s where the Liberator comes into play, as the OP continues:

“It’s basically a Sickle with no spool up time, and never overheats, but does require reloading. Though given its 45 round mag, it doesn’t have ammo issues anywhere near as bad as things like the Tenderizer and Adjudicator. Besides, waiting for the Sickle to cool down is, essentially, reloading anyway.”

“So yeah, I’m level 90 or whatever and sometimes I’m still using the Liberator, it does hold up. It’s still great against all their foot soldiers and does fine against Berserkers too, and the AMR is for everything else.”

To conclude, the Liberator is a good all-rounder, if not too flashy. It does exactly what it says on the tin, has decent handling and range, with light penetration, so you can pick up stratagems that complement it. 

Many Helldivers agree that there’s no shame in using the Liberator

Almost surprisingly, many commenters agree that this gun has been overlooked and neglected by too many players. User An_Old_Beggar comments: “It’s a default weapon, a very solid gun for all necessary situations. I certainly like it”. 

Halcyon_Creed goes a step further, practically heaping praise on the gun: “It’s honestly one of the better overall primaries in the game. Straightforward, no gimmicks.” They then continued to detail a similar build, only with the Defender as primary. Yet it’s easy to see how it can work with the Liberator too.

Doctor_Jgriff pretty much sums up our point: “Half the community is hyper focused on the numbers, the other half is focused on the vibe. One is free, one lives under a tyranny of their own making”. And this is the sentiment we agree with. It’s easy to become slave to the meta. Sometimes it’s better to let loose and enjoy the game. Most weapons are viable and you can have fun with them, even if you’re slightly less efficient.