3 days after Helldivers 2 dev's CEO denied the existence of heavy machine guns, they now exist: Introducing the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon and the MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun

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A helldiver stands, patriotic in front of a Super Earth flag, while holding a helmet in Helldivers 2.
(Image credit: Arrowhead Games)

Earlier this week, the CEO of Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead Games flatly denied the existence of heavy machine guns—Johan Pilestedt has track record of being tongue-in-cheek, though it's not clear whether he accidentally blurted out some Super Earth secrets or fired a knowing wink our direction, here.

(Image credit: Johan Pilestedt via Twitter)

Turns out, we are getting not one, but two heavy weapons to help us in our march against the bots: the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon and the MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun (HMG), which are both available in-game right now. 

(Image credit: @helldivers2 on Twitter/X.)

Both of these heavy-duty weapons should help thin the herd of Super Earth's foes by offering even more anti-armour options—though the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon appears to be geared most towards taking out tanky enemies, as it's shown obliterating Automaton hulks in its preview footage. That should be a very welcome addition, considering the bot's relative lack of popularity among the playerbase.

The HMG costs 6,000 requisitions, while the Quasar Cannon costs 7,500—if you can only afford one, however, I recommend the HMG just for efficiency's sake, since Troost currently has the "Weapons Experimentation" environmental condition. This makes the Quasar Cannon available to everyone contributing to the war effort.

As for the weapons themselves, I hopped in to test them out. Interestingly, the HMG has massive variations in recoil based on whether you're standing or prone—even more than most guns—making it a more defensive weapon than its Quasar Cannon cousin. This tracks with Pilestedt's comments earlier in the week, where he noted that requiring a tripod was "the idea with the HMG" that didn't exist, but now does.

The cannon, meanwhile, takes about five seconds to spin up before unleashing a powerful blast, then initiates a roughly 12 second cooling period—though I was on a cold planet, so it may take longer to recharge elsewhere.

All-in-all, these weapons should complement your Helldivers' arsenal nicely, helping plug the hole left in our hearts by the Railgun's recent nerfs. Honestly though? This cannon is so damn fun to fire that I don't know if I miss the old Railgun at all.

Most notably, neither of these weapons need a support backpack. This makes the Quasar Cannon a nice alternative to the Recoilless Rifle, which is quicker to fire but limited in both its ammo capacity and its hefty reload time. 

Harvey Randall
Harvey Randall
Staff Writer

Harvey's history with games started when he first begged his parents for a World of Warcraft subscription aged 12, though he's since been cursed with Final Fantasy 14-brain and a huge crush on G'raha Tia. He made his start as a freelancer, writing for websites like Techradar, The Escapist, Dicebreaker, The Gamer, Into the Spine—and of course, PC Gamer. He'll sink his teeth into anything that looks interesting, though he has a soft spot for RPGs, soulslikes, roguelikes, deckbuilders, MMOs, and weird indie titles. He also plays a shelf load of TTRPGs in his offline time. Don't ask him what his favourite system is, he has too many.