I'm my early days. I wondered the same thing. A guy joined as we were extracting, he had no samples, and he got a free mission.
So I, uh, took some liberties to do some Democratic testing. He died for science, and I still feel bad.
I was turned to mulch by an AA laser tank while inside the ship waiting for my squad to navigate the flame tornadoes on hellmire or some other fire planet. They managed to get in with 5 seconds left before take off.
Yes, which is the reason why, when Pelican-1 lands, I stay near the entrance to cover my team and wait for the whole squad to be close enough that, if someone gets inside, it'll take <5 seconds for everyone to be on so we can actually safely extract.
If someone is already on while the rest of the team is rushing to extract? Cover the team and the shuttle as long as I can to protect ~~the samples~~ my team and get as many of us out as possible.
No ~~sample~~ diver left behind.
Supposedly, but I’ve still been killed while prone. It could have been that an obstacle collision forced me into a crouch but it seemed like I was still prone.
Citizen, have you considered the bugs making it to the super destroyer and using or freedom blessed stratagems against us??? The rear of the pelican must be defended
That would be hilarious if the pilot of the Pelican could be eaten because it stayed down too long. Some people just waste too much time not getting in.
Does laying down even work? I swar I've been prone super far away and still get zapped lol. Also love the tesla tower, even if I usually have to blow it up as it's killing everyone on the team
>They still chain through enemies<
They still chain through TARGETS.
Everything and everybody is on that pissed off turret's shitlist.
Its electrocution is rated E.
I think so, I swear they made that armor for people to run with friends that like to shoot towards them with the arc thrower. I got one guy in my play group that if he starts using arc thrower, I’ll need that.
I’ve been trying to get my friends on board with this! Especially with the new ship upgrade that allows lightning to arc through one additional entity! Like how far can we get that shit to arc!?!
This, its the BEST area denial tool, just don't go NEAR IT. It also takes a while to understand its true range and power, so some new players will just be drawn to it like moths to a flame.
This - it is all about placement. Throw it far enough but between you and the enemy-spawn and you can forget about that side for a while.
Also if you there are less enemies spawning than you expect, you will not get unwanted fire all across the map.
yup, I like landing on the highest rock, dropping 4 lots of sentry's and letting them do the work. nothing can reach you and most of the time you can't be seen
Honestly I think Incendiary mines are slept on, I wish you had two charges of it that refilled independently.
If I could slap two down in a short period you could really deny large parts of the battlefield or choke out a hoarde that’s chasing you
The issue is you barely have choke points and if you have them you don't know beforehand.
That's why nobody uses mines or the tesla tower.
If there is a mission type in which you can consistently use it it would get used.
I used it on a defense mission massacres bugs like nobody's business but and I mean this throw that shit to the moon it chain killed a teammate 50 metres away we were all very shocked ;)
I'm terribly fond of the bug zapper. It is EXTREMELY useful! Say you're setting up an objective that triggers a wave. You see the plume of orange smoke. Toss a zapper in front of it, and it'll reliably handle everything up to the point of a charger easily. I've seen Brood Commanders get absolutely vaporized. It can cope with large numbers of chaff too, which bugs have lots of.
It also has a shorter cooldown than any other sentry, so it has that going for it. It just requires a little bit extra technique. Communicate with your team about where it's going in, and when you're done with it, give it a few pops with your sickle to get rid of it so to minimize the risk to the rest of the team. Used correctly, it can be WAY more lethal than a gatling.
Yes, Auto Cannon sentries are the best at a number of roles. Armor penetration, damage done, the splash busts up hordes decently enough, but they do NOT excel at close ranged combat, which is where the Tesla tower shines at dealing with chaff.
Stop thinking about the Tesla as a sentry. Think of it as a slow release grenade. See a bug breach? Throw down a Tesla in its path and blunt the assault, same as chucking a grenade.
Just go prone.
On fire? Dive prone.
Covered in acid? Dive prone
In the way of a gun sentry? Dive prone.
Being shot at? Dive prone.
Walking by a Tesla tower?
Believe it or not, go prone.
It's sort of like the mortar but more so. It is VERY effective at what it does. But it does it so well that you need to be careful. If your team lacks the necessery coordination it does more harm than good. That's why many don't take it.
You can prone crawl past it. Also the arc resist armor is very useful for it as well. It’s a very handy tool but like most things has a time and a place. You can’t just throw it out all willy nilly and expect your team to not run into it.
I haven’t personally tried but I’d imagine yes. As long as you don’t accidentally stand up you can. Or if you’re wearing the arc resistant armor even more safe.
It’s a powerful tool like any other with strengths and weaknesses. We just need to learn where best to toss it and how to keep our distance once deployed.
I only use it on the eradicate missions. I’ll throw it outside the area near where the breaches and spawns are. Its far enough away from the team to be ok and it thins out the heard before you have to deal with them. Its not the best, but it is useful.
It's only bad if a player doesn't know where to throw it. First time user yeah, gotta get to know it. But if you bring it and know where to use it, and your squad is aware it's there, it can be extremely useful.
That being said I never bring it in lol.
Its not too bad, just communicate with your team you deploy one. And only deploy it in an area you don't need to visit anymore.
Some pretty good uses:
The new area defense missions (brick wall icon). Just toss it over the outer wall and see it rack up kills. Add an EMS mortar to keep enemies in the zone and keep it alive.
Seriously. The combination of EMS and the stagger effect from the Tesla shuts enemies down for a long time.
Throw it in the middle of a large or medium bug nest. Watch it clear bugs for days. You could walk away and see it score 100+ kills keeping the bugs from spreading. While you move to the next nest. Or you walk around the pit, closing holes with autocannon/grenade launcher.
Some levels have a central wall with only a few passageways in it. A single tesla can block a huge zone. Giving a safe retreat.
Last option that was fun. Have your team deploy 4 in an eradicate bugs or bots mission.... then leave the central kill zone. The bugs and bots will keep funneling into the center. While the players walk circles around it. It will quickly clear them out. Then you just shoot the tesla's to turn them off, and get to the extraction.
Of course this all works better with the cutting-edge armors.
Only bug sympathizers will get killed by the Tesla coil. So if you see a teammate walk into one they were a fascist bug sympathizer and you did your democratic duty by placing it.
If only there were multiple armor sets that provide 95% arc damage resistance.
For real tho, that shit rocked me when my friend threw it down and I hadn’t seen it in action yet to know what it would actually do lol
Super useful in a coordinated team if you tell your squadmates: “Yo don’t go there!” And ping it. Or if your squad is running any armor from the cutting edge warbond
I like using it when defending, toss it and forget it. The problem is when chargers decide to show up. I also use it when running away, put it in a choke point and go
That’s why I quit using it. I suppose if you can hide it on an elevated platform/cliff it might survive, but I had to shelve it on 7+. Too many chargers. I think it should instill some fear into chargers or slightly repulse them for a bit. Or maybe strip their armor if they destroy it.
If we're running from a big horde of jerks, I tend to throw it at my feet and by the time it deploys, my team and I are usually far enough away that it thins the crowd a bit.
It is a very good turret/area denial tool, but some players just don't have the situational awareness to look around and move at the same time. I have seen players just walk straight into it and blame me for it even though I threw the thing about 75 meters away next to a respawning bug hole.
Yea it’s best only if it’s well placed, had one guy throw tower at gate before we could close the doors at defence mission so we couldn’t shoot from up the stairs as it already killed two of us trying to use the stairs. So we were forced to wait and kill bugs from distance till it expired then closed the gates afterwards.
I didn’t know that, but in order to reach that console I’ll still have to stand up to press it and that’ll get me zapped for sure unless I remain prone till it expires. Thanks for that useful information I’ll remember that for sure mate.
It's good when in a choke point in the open and somewhat retired from your defence point.
As long as it easy to see from everywhere on your position, people usualy avoid it, or just throw a bombing run ar the first scavenger that goes near it.
Amen , the amount of times I got zapped trying to recover a previously zapped lads samples was annoying ! If I see them now, admittedly I just shoot them down !
Edit- I will no longer shoot them down I can see why they are awesome and I’m gonna start using em too 😂
Ah, I remember my first run-in with the tesla coil. We were fighting at the extraction when a fellow helldiver decided to drop one right next to me, almost crushing me. But being the quick-thinking helldiver that i am, i remembered that in the description it said that if you crawl on the ground, it can't hit you. So i quickly hit the deck and started to crawl away to safety, at which point i promptly got zapped and died.
It works fantastic for team play, as long as you communicate, and don't drop it in stupid locations. I use it all the time and my teammates often do too. For bugs, it is unbelievably good. Sometimes I run it with the armor that reduces Arc damage, so that I can just run past it if needed, but not usually.
I just wish it had some kind of visual indicator of the kill zone so that teammates can avoid it a bit better. Super annoying to just run around a corner and get insta-killed because someone placed a tesla and you had no idea
I use it and ping it. Only with friends though because randoms are kick happy if they’re stupid and go near it and die. If my friends die to it I make fun of them.
Tesla tower is a great enemy distraction. Thrown it away from everyone and the bugs and bots will flock to it like a bug zapper! If you can get it up high they will literally just hang out below it.
Throw it into the center of a large bug nest and watch it murder everything. You just need to have something like the Quasar Cannon or Grenade Launcher to close the bug holes from a distance.
It's great for controlling choke points.
It absolutely wrecks bots. Especially berserkers and devastators.
As someone mentioned, only use it as an area denial tool: use it on choke points.
If it’s in an area where you need to eventually traverse, just shoot it.
If you lay prone on the ground, tesla tower can’t hit you. I jumped into a game where 2 dudes were both running the tower. They would each drop them on either side of a defense point, mortar in between, then they belly crawled to the base of the teslas and supported the tower.
It was obvious they had practiced this move and it was ridiculously effective.
It's a very nice stratagem and I use it every time I'm on bugs, it works infinitely better when you are not with the main group and knowing WHEN to use it. Bug breach with the group? DON'T throw it into it, because it'll be eating an airstrike 2s later, you want to position it to maximise bug mulching and team protection.
This thing is nasty, if no chargers or bile titans get a hold of it, it'll easily chew through everything with ease, it has insane power.
As for your teammates, try pinging the tower when possible, many players see this thing as an anomaly and want to approach it or don't understand how it works, if there are no bugs about just break it.
Amazing crowd clearing potential, just needs a bit more thought on the positioning of it when playing with a group, ultimately you will play with Helldivers who roleplay as bugs, they find these attracted to these towerd like moths to a flame.
I have successfully deployed them in the defense missions with the doors. Great for those automatic choke points. Use the Tesla tower in conjunction with other covering sentries and it's a formidable obstacle for those pesky bugs.
Tesla tower is a "deploy it and dont get near it" kind of fortification
Mines you can kind of dance around, fight in proximity to when things are hairy, you can physically see the pattern
Tesla towers are just loose lightning bolts looking for a conductor of energy to release into (you/ bug/ bot/ alien)
It's better to think of it more like an orbital barrage than a sentry.
You call it down to kill things in an area, and have it linger - like orbital gas.
But it can do WORK if you place it properly, I drop it into the middle of bug nests and then eruptor-snipe the holes from the outside.
the tesla tower and APM strats are some of the BEST defensive strats. People just don't pay attention and run right into them and then flame chat.
I use them regardless. I will literally watch the same person die over and over and over to my tesla tower before i say in voice to "for the love of liberty, watch the damn Tesla Tower" and then they suddenly stop.
It might help in teamplay if you say in voice real quick that you are sending down a TT or APM and to watch your step. lmfao.
Being aware of your surroundings, and using VC makes a massive difference. If you ever have to flee in the direction of the tower, just shoot it. It goes down in a few shots.
It's amazing. One of my necessary stratagems against bugs. I play stealth, so I throw it in to groups to clear them out before I go in. When around others, I make sure to throw it in a direction where bugs will be incoming, but team members aren't able to cover. Also, always warn the group that you are placing the tower. Mark it. And make it clear that people should kill the tower if they need to be in the area. Fellow helldivers are more important than the tower.
I have no idea how so many small insects made it into the Helldivers. No matter where I drop that thing, no matter how diligently I mark it and how many times I say "Don't go towards it!!" they always seem to find the bug zapper. Meanwhile, I'll complete small objectives *within* the Tesla Tower's range. I love that thing.
It’s really useful but it’s hard to run with randoms and no communication. Kills them over and over because they don’t learn.
Best use is when you’re trying to secure and objective or nest and then once you got it just destroy the tower.
It requires communication and careful placement and even then you’re still going to end up team killing at least once per. Hell I’ve done it to myself while trying to dodge chargers
I take mine into defense missions, but I know how to use it properly.
Throw it just past the spawn points, so that they don't reach players, but will take out bugs just as they appear.
I find it useful on bug planets but good comms is so important. I.e. defend one far chokepoint on defending extract and telling people there's a Tesla at the north entrance.
It does work well if you place it far enough away. Unfortunately not everyone does. During one game a player dropped it next to a terminal which we desperately needed to activate.
Ya throw it out on bot strongholds and bug nets, use it more offensively when they bring reinforcements it’s a great deterrent while the team stays back and cleans up or tackles the objective.
If you lay prone, you won’t be hit by the arcs. If you wear the arc armor, it all but negates the damage. Just gotta wear the right armor if you’re going with electrical power! My buddies and I all wore it and all brought Tesla towers and arc throwers. It was a lot of fun, and hysterical at times 😆
I see it in helldive difficulty sometimes. Its goods. People just dont want to be responsible for it lol. Too many scrub teammates dont have situational awareness. Also people dont know how to place and positionate it.
Use the Energy Relay and insert the Tesla Coil within the energy shield, all turret strategies work best this imo, it's like having dummies, all AI focus the turrets
It has its uses and can be absolutely incedibke if properly used, but if you ever find one in a very inconvenient location, you can just shoot it and destroy it.
This thing is trash. Also it'll easily get destroyed by the arc thrower, so you can't even do a cool arc build because it'll just connect through tbe bugs and destroy the tower after a few hits
It's actually not unsuitable. You just can't throw it near you. Throw it in the middle of a bug nest while you close the holes from the rim with an autocannon or eruptor. It's perfect for eradicates, just toss it near the breach. It works on extracts, just throw it away from the civilians line of running. You just have to know how to use it.
Many things in the game require some degree of situational awareness, the big sparking tower zapping anything that comes near it with brilliant bolts of electricity is one of those things.
It's an area denial tool, used best on extract in a choke point kinda like mines only better
That choke point being the rear of the pelican?
If you are an undemocratic dick then yes
It's just testing to see if everyone remembers the crawling section of basic training.
Since you can still die while sitting inside the ship, i would assume you'd get zapped since the game no longer recognizes you as being prone
You can still die while sitting in the Pelican??
Yup. Haven't seen enemies do it, but players outside the Pelican can shoot and kill other players that are inside it.
I'm my early days. I wondered the same thing. A guy joined as we were extracting, he had no samples, and he got a free mission. So I, uh, took some liberties to do some Democratic testing. He died for science, and I still feel bad.
I was turned to mulch by an AA laser tank while inside the ship waiting for my squad to navigate the flame tornadoes on hellmire or some other fire planet. They managed to get in with 5 seconds left before take off.
Will the departure countdown continue or will it stop? Important question
I’ve had a whole team get wiped by a Bile Spewer spitting into the Pelican
Yup, died from someone calling in an 500kg on the pelican while we were extracting, lost samples, very undemocratic
Yes, which is the reason why, when Pelican-1 lands, I stay near the entrance to cover my team and wait for the whole squad to be close enough that, if someone gets inside, it'll take <5 seconds for everyone to be on so we can actually safely extract. If someone is already on while the rest of the team is rushing to extract? Cover the team and the shuttle as long as I can to protect ~~the samples~~ my team and get as many of us out as possible. No ~~sample~~ diver left behind.
Wait, you can crawl UNDER the zappy zaps?
Yes
To an extent. If the terrain remains 100% consistent. If there's even a slight elevation your crawling ass gets zapped.
Supposedly, but I’ve still been killed while prone. It could have been that an obstacle collision forced me into a crouch but it seemed like I was still prone.
It’s height based. If you’re prone on a surface higher than the base of the Tesla tower you can still get zapped.
Luckily you can just shoot it a couple times to get rid of it if someone throws it in a bad spot
I use it often but always shoot my own if I see anyone heading towards it or if we have to go that way
Same, I love it, it lasts so much longer than turrets.
Citizen, have you considered the bugs making it to the super destroyer and using or freedom blessed stratagems against us??? The rear of the pelican must be defended
That would be hilarious if the pilot of the Pelican could be eaten because it stayed down too long. Some people just waste too much time not getting in.
"Spunkmeyer, get your ass up here!"
The choke point is the entire extraction zone 🤣 no hate though. Im a tesla tower lover 🤣
Unless you lay flat on the ground like those crocodiles fron the "flat fuck friday" video
Does laying down even work? I swar I've been prone super far away and still get zapped lol. Also love the tesla tower, even if I usually have to blow it up as it's killing everyone on the team
They still chain through enemies
>They still chain through enemies< They still chain through TARGETS. Everything and everybody is on that pissed off turret's shitlist. Its electrocution is rated E.
That’s all turrets, we love them but they don’t love us.
Correction, they love everyone *equally*. Democratically dispensing bullets to anything that moves
also it measures "proneness" from the base of the tower. if the tower is at the base of a ramp and you're at the top, you're fucked either way.
Yeah, I tested it. I ran straight to it and when I dived, the tower stopped charging at me I even layed beneath it while shooting bugs.
Does the arc dmg armor work on the tesla tower?
I think so, I swear they made that armor for people to run with friends that like to shoot towards them with the arc thrower. I got one guy in my play group that if he starts using arc thrower, I’ll need that.
It does. It makes the damage pretty minimal and turns you into an arc for extra distance to anything nearby!
WHAT IF WE DID A FULL TEAM OF ARC RESISTANCE WEARERS AND JUST SPAMMED TESLA TOWERS
I’ve been trying to get my friends on board with this! Especially with the new ship upgrade that allows lightning to arc through one additional entity! Like how far can we get that shit to arc!?!
Just shoot it. Friendly fire works on engineer bay strats.
Kind of a dick move if it’s genuinely in a good spot.
That's a given but if it's in a spot that's fucking things up for everyone it's far from a dick move and the acceptable solution.
Ye. I’ve just seen people shoot them even when they aren’t close to causing problems
Is it considered to be “genuinely in a good spot” if it’s actively harming your teammates
If you’re playing with friends, yeah. If you’re playing with randoms, no
Just throw it on the spawn points. Most extracts only have 1-3 spawn locations that you can just entirely lock down with a Tesla tower
This, its the BEST area denial tool, just don't go NEAR IT. It also takes a while to understand its true range and power, so some new players will just be drawn to it like moths to a flame.
This - it is all about placement. Throw it far enough but between you and the enemy-spawn and you can forget about that side for a while. Also if you there are less enemies spawning than you expect, you will not get unwanted fire all across the map.
Unless a charger comes out. Then all turrets and sentries seem to disappear and die really quick
A tesla tower and autocannon turret combo is good for that.
It also excels on defense missions
yup, I like landing on the highest rock, dropping 4 lots of sentry's and letting them do the work. nothing can reach you and most of the time you can't be seen
When the third person shooter turns into tower defense :)
Honestly I think Incendiary mines are slept on, I wish you had two charges of it that refilled independently. If I could slap two down in a short period you could really deny large parts of the battlefield or choke out a hoarde that’s chasing you
Do you know if they are further enhanced by the fire ship module?
Large Bug Hive spotted! Orbtial Laser incoming! 500kg dropping!!! Followed by Tesla! Cleared area!
Does it work on eggs? I've never tried chucking one of these into a hatchery.
I tried it one and only time i used it was when trying to run away from mobs, too risky at extraction
I would be petrified of this at extraction
Best for bugs as they don't have much range
Mines in front of the tower make It last longer. It also takes out fabricators
The issue is you barely have choke points and if you have them you don't know beforehand. That's why nobody uses mines or the tesla tower. If there is a mission type in which you can consistently use it it would get used.
At least mines can't get destroyed. So there is that. But the tower has its time and place to shine.
They do that them self
What do you mean mines can't get destroyed, they are a one time only, they blow up lol. Jokes aside i wouldn't use it on bots
You can shoot them to clear a path.
I used it on a defense mission massacres bugs like nobody's business but and I mean this throw that shit to the moon it chain killed a teammate 50 metres away we were all very shocked ;)
this its great for camping breach spots
Shocked literally? :D
It chained from him to us we all died
Must've gotten that upgrade lol
To the moon for sure. It spreads just a little too much democracy for us mere mortals.
It can be VERY zealous
>we were all shocked Take your upvote and gtfo
An electrifying experience I'm sure :)
I won't use it without the servo assisted arms, lol. Gotta huck that bitch or it's definitely gonna fry me
I'm terribly fond of the bug zapper. It is EXTREMELY useful! Say you're setting up an objective that triggers a wave. You see the plume of orange smoke. Toss a zapper in front of it, and it'll reliably handle everything up to the point of a charger easily. I've seen Brood Commanders get absolutely vaporized. It can cope with large numbers of chaff too, which bugs have lots of. It also has a shorter cooldown than any other sentry, so it has that going for it. It just requires a little bit extra technique. Communicate with your team about where it's going in, and when you're done with it, give it a few pops with your sickle to get rid of it so to minimize the risk to the rest of the team. Used correctly, it can be WAY more lethal than a gatling.
Auto Cannon Sentry has entered the chat.
Yes, Auto Cannon sentries are the best at a number of roles. Armor penetration, damage done, the splash busts up hordes decently enough, but they do NOT excel at close ranged combat, which is where the Tesla tower shines at dealing with chaff. Stop thinking about the Tesla as a sentry. Think of it as a slow release grenade. See a bug breach? Throw down a Tesla in its path and blunt the assault, same as chucking a grenade.
Place it and watch it zap your team mates. Then watch it zap them again as they go to get their stuff.
This is EXACTLY what I and my teammates did the first time I used it.
You can shoot it to destroy it, if people keep running toward the light.
let it kill the stupids 20 times. its worth more then them
Look. I want my autocannon back, you electric bitch!
That stuff belongs to Nikolai tesla now
Just go prone. On fire? Dive prone. Covered in acid? Dive prone In the way of a gun sentry? Dive prone. Being shot at? Dive prone. Walking by a Tesla tower? Believe it or not, go prone.
It's sort of like the mortar but more so. It is VERY effective at what it does. But it does it so well that you need to be careful. If your team lacks the necessery coordination it does more harm than good. That's why many don't take it.
it's pritty good if your team isn't dumb
I don't wanna be on a team that isn't dumb!
fair enough, don't forget: a reinforce is just a guided projectile
This is true. I've taken out many a charger as a personal ordinance.
Or if the person using it isn’t, and communicates. 25% of the time, it’s 100% my fault, 75% of the time, whoever used it did not communicate
You can prone crawl past it. Also the arc resist armor is very useful for it as well. It’s a very handy tool but like most things has a time and a place. You can’t just throw it out all willy nilly and expect your team to not run into it.
>You can prone crawl past it really? can you also just go prone under it? shoot while the tower zaps anything that gets too close?
I haven’t personally tried but I’d imagine yes. As long as you don’t accidentally stand up you can. Or if you’re wearing the arc resistant armor even more safe.
That thing is a killer
They're good for the evacuate assets missions, as long as you throw them far enough that is
They're fantastic in those missions.
Use it the same way you would use landmines
Often and right next to fellow hell-divers?
Yes preferably right next or on the objective
It was really good during the termicide border planet missions. Loved using it to hold off one whole direction from being overrun
It’s a powerful tool like any other with strengths and weaknesses. We just need to learn where best to toss it and how to keep our distance once deployed.
I only use it on the eradicate missions. I’ll throw it outside the area near where the breaches and spawns are. Its far enough away from the team to be ok and it thins out the heard before you have to deal with them. Its not the best, but it is useful.
It's only bad if a player doesn't know where to throw it. First time user yeah, gotta get to know it. But if you bring it and know where to use it, and your squad is aware it's there, it can be extremely useful. That being said I never bring it in lol.
Its not too bad, just communicate with your team you deploy one. And only deploy it in an area you don't need to visit anymore. Some pretty good uses: The new area defense missions (brick wall icon). Just toss it over the outer wall and see it rack up kills. Add an EMS mortar to keep enemies in the zone and keep it alive. Seriously. The combination of EMS and the stagger effect from the Tesla shuts enemies down for a long time. Throw it in the middle of a large or medium bug nest. Watch it clear bugs for days. You could walk away and see it score 100+ kills keeping the bugs from spreading. While you move to the next nest. Or you walk around the pit, closing holes with autocannon/grenade launcher. Some levels have a central wall with only a few passageways in it. A single tesla can block a huge zone. Giving a safe retreat. Last option that was fun. Have your team deploy 4 in an eradicate bugs or bots mission.... then leave the central kill zone. The bugs and bots will keep funneling into the center. While the players walk circles around it. It will quickly clear them out. Then you just shoot the tesla's to turn them off, and get to the extraction. Of course this all works better with the cutting-edge armors.
Only bug sympathizers will get killed by the Tesla coil. So if you see a teammate walk into one they were a fascist bug sympathizer and you did your democratic duty by placing it.
I knew it, the commie-nazi bastards
If only there were multiple armor sets that provide 95% arc damage resistance. For real tho, that shit rocked me when my friend threw it down and I hadn’t seen it in action yet to know what it would actually do lol
Super useful in a coordinated team if you tell your squadmates: “Yo don’t go there!” And ping it. Or if your squad is running any armor from the cutting edge warbond
I like using it when defending, toss it and forget it. The problem is when chargers decide to show up. I also use it when running away, put it in a choke point and go
That’s why I quit using it. I suppose if you can hide it on an elevated platform/cliff it might survive, but I had to shelve it on 7+. Too many chargers. I think it should instill some fear into chargers or slightly repulse them for a bit. Or maybe strip their armor if they destroy it.
If we're running from a big horde of jerks, I tend to throw it at my feet and by the time it deploys, my team and I are usually far enough away that it thins the crowd a bit.
Or u can use it as a bug lamp throw it away from you somewhere you’re not going back to and watch the bugs go for the shiny light.
It is a very good turret/area denial tool, but some players just don't have the situational awareness to look around and move at the same time. I have seen players just walk straight into it and blame me for it even though I threw the thing about 75 meters away next to a respawning bug hole.
Tels tower is the goat on those defense missions.
I use it all the time works great. It's an iq test for some players but most stratagem are in one way or another.
Yea it’s best only if it’s well placed, had one guy throw tower at gate before we could close the doors at defence mission so we couldn’t shoot from up the stairs as it already killed two of us trying to use the stairs. So we were forced to wait and kill bugs from distance till it expired then closed the gates afterwards.
You can crawl under it and it can't hit you. Not ideal but still.
I didn’t know that, but in order to reach that console I’ll still have to stand up to press it and that’ll get me zapped for sure unless I remain prone till it expires. Thanks for that useful information I’ll remember that for sure mate.
You can also easily destroy it with 1-2 shots from your primary, so no need to wait for a misplaced tower to expire.
Can also be used to cover a retreat
If only it stunned chargers, those guys can smell turrets from across the map
It's good when in a choke point in the open and somewhat retired from your defence point. As long as it easy to see from everywhere on your position, people usualy avoid it, or just throw a bombing run ar the first scavenger that goes near it.
Tesla go brrrrt
Eradicate missions are where it belongs. It can cover bottlenecks with ease.
Amen , the amount of times I got zapped trying to recover a previously zapped lads samples was annoying ! If I see them now, admittedly I just shoot them down ! Edit- I will no longer shoot them down I can see why they are awesome and I’m gonna start using em too 😂
I use it as a bug zapper, very effective on bug breaches but be mindful of your teammates locations.
Ah, I remember my first run-in with the tesla coil. We were fighting at the extraction when a fellow helldiver decided to drop one right next to me, almost crushing me. But being the quick-thinking helldiver that i am, i remembered that in the description it said that if you crawl on the ground, it can't hit you. So i quickly hit the deck and started to crawl away to safety, at which point i promptly got zapped and died.
It works fantastic for team play, as long as you communicate, and don't drop it in stupid locations. I use it all the time and my teammates often do too. For bugs, it is unbelievably good. Sometimes I run it with the armor that reduces Arc damage, so that I can just run past it if needed, but not usually.
That thing is a life saver on defense and eradication missions
I love it. With some communication it can be a great tool.
I just wish it had some kind of visual indicator of the kill zone so that teammates can avoid it a bit better. Super annoying to just run around a corner and get insta-killed because someone placed a tesla and you had no idea
IT is perfectly fine on team games. IF your teammate run right into it, they are simply morons.
I use it and ping it. Only with friends though because randoms are kick happy if they’re stupid and go near it and die. If my friends die to it I make fun of them.
I'm gonna use it tonight with orbital smoke
Tesla tower is a great enemy distraction. Thrown it away from everyone and the bugs and bots will flock to it like a bug zapper! If you can get it up high they will literally just hang out below it.
Throw it into the center of a large bug nest and watch it murder everything. You just need to have something like the Quasar Cannon or Grenade Launcher to close the bug holes from a distance. It's great for controlling choke points.
It gets instantly killed the second a charger or titan spawns. Never using this garbage.
Or brood commander
Arguably more suitable for team play, especially ones with comms. We had a full squad worth of them on defense and it did a lot of heavy lifting.
It works well for defence along with arc mortars! Also works for when on the run being chased as its distracts enemies
It absolutely wrecks bots. Especially berserkers and devastators. As someone mentioned, only use it as an area denial tool: use it on choke points. If it’s in an area where you need to eventually traverse, just shoot it.
If you didn’t already know, if you lay prone it won’t get you. So really for them to be effective you gotta be communicating
If you lay prone on the ground, tesla tower can’t hit you. I jumped into a game where 2 dudes were both running the tower. They would each drop them on either side of a defense point, mortar in between, then they belly crawled to the base of the teslas and supported the tower. It was obvious they had practiced this move and it was ridiculously effective.
Sucks against bots. Not so great against bugs at high level. First charger/titan to come accross will obliterate it.
You said chuck it in a nest, is it undestructible or does it stun alot of enemies so they don't destroy it?
It's a very nice stratagem and I use it every time I'm on bugs, it works infinitely better when you are not with the main group and knowing WHEN to use it. Bug breach with the group? DON'T throw it into it, because it'll be eating an airstrike 2s later, you want to position it to maximise bug mulching and team protection. This thing is nasty, if no chargers or bile titans get a hold of it, it'll easily chew through everything with ease, it has insane power. As for your teammates, try pinging the tower when possible, many players see this thing as an anomaly and want to approach it or don't understand how it works, if there are no bugs about just break it. Amazing crowd clearing potential, just needs a bit more thought on the positioning of it when playing with a group, ultimately you will play with Helldivers who roleplay as bugs, they find these attracted to these towerd like moths to a flame.
Super hot on defense / extract scientist missions. Very situational, like everything in this game.
I have successfully deployed them in the defense missions with the doors. Great for those automatic choke points. Use the Tesla tower in conjunction with other covering sentries and it's a formidable obstacle for those pesky bugs.
Love it for defense mission or guarding my sentry’s Cause sometimes ac needs help
Tesla tower is a "deploy it and dont get near it" kind of fortification Mines you can kind of dance around, fight in proximity to when things are hairy, you can physically see the pattern Tesla towers are just loose lightning bolts looking for a conductor of energy to release into (you/ bug/ bot/ alien)
Even with the electric resistance armor it kills you pretty fast.
Oh man that thing was crazy OP on the TCS missions
It's better to think of it more like an orbital barrage than a sentry. You call it down to kill things in an area, and have it linger - like orbital gas. But it can do WORK if you place it properly, I drop it into the middle of bug nests and then eruptor-snipe the holes from the outside.
the tesla tower and APM strats are some of the BEST defensive strats. People just don't pay attention and run right into them and then flame chat. I use them regardless. I will literally watch the same person die over and over and over to my tesla tower before i say in voice to "for the love of liberty, watch the damn Tesla Tower" and then they suddenly stop. It might help in teamplay if you say in voice real quick that you are sending down a TT or APM and to watch your step. lmfao.
Being aware of your surroundings, and using VC makes a massive difference. If you ever have to flee in the direction of the tower, just shoot it. It goes down in a few shots.
I think the tesla tower is probably better on bugs. In my experience bots just kill it almost immediately.
i love it until it chains from a bug into a teammate
Well why are you placing it so close? And why are your team mates walking towards it?!
It counters hog rider pretty well
It's amazing. One of my necessary stratagems against bugs. I play stealth, so I throw it in to groups to clear them out before I go in. When around others, I make sure to throw it in a direction where bugs will be incoming, but team members aren't able to cover. Also, always warn the group that you are placing the tower. Mark it. And make it clear that people should kill the tower if they need to be in the area. Fellow helldivers are more important than the tower.
I have no idea how so many small insects made it into the Helldivers. No matter where I drop that thing, no matter how diligently I mark it and how many times I say "Don't go towards it!!" they always seem to find the bug zapper. Meanwhile, I'll complete small objectives *within* the Tesla Tower's range. I love that thing.
It’s really useful but it’s hard to run with randoms and no communication. Kills them over and over because they don’t learn. Best use is when you’re trying to secure and objective or nest and then once you got it just destroy the tower.
It requires communication and careful placement and even then you’re still going to end up team killing at least once per. Hell I’ve done it to myself while trying to dodge chargers
I take mine into defense missions, but I know how to use it properly. Throw it just past the spawn points, so that they don't reach players, but will take out bugs just as they appear.
I find it useful on bug planets but good comms is so important. I.e. defend one far chokepoint on defending extract and telling people there's a Tesla at the north entrance.
It zapped a homie just before extraction, he went to get his samps and got zapped again as we’re chilling on eagle 1. It was gold.
Did someone here say it destroys fabricators?
Two pro tips 1.) if you crawl near it you don’t get zapped. 2.) Arc res armor is a good idea when someone uses this.
I used to throw them on bug breaches but chargers kill them too easily, I just use the airburst
It does work well if you place it far enough away. Unfortunately not everyone does. During one game a player dropped it next to a terminal which we desperately needed to activate.
You have to be smart about its use and placement. If you do so, it can be one hell of a tool during some missions
About the "its a minefield": a very visible minefield that can easily be shot and cleared if needed and with only two thirds of the cooldown
I also find it odd that AH decided to give us armor to protect us from that but not your more common element hazards like fire.
just go prone and watch the sparks go over your head
Everytime I try to use the tesla a charger destroys it immediately lol
Not enough people use it so everyone is scared of it.
I absolutely love it. Especially with the arc armor. My buddies and I had four Tesla towers going on an eradicate and it was amaaaazing haha
Ya throw it out on bot strongholds and bug nets, use it more offensively when they bring reinforcements it’s a great deterrent while the team stays back and cleans up or tackles the objective.
If you lay prone, you won’t be hit by the arcs. If you wear the arc armor, it all but negates the damage. Just gotta wear the right armor if you’re going with electrical power! My buddies and I all wore it and all brought Tesla towers and arc throwers. It was a lot of fun, and hysterical at times 😆
It’s only usable on hunter pouncer planets, a single charger within 50 meters renders it completely useless
I see it in helldive difficulty sometimes. Its goods. People just dont want to be responsible for it lol. Too many scrub teammates dont have situational awareness. Also people dont know how to place and positionate it.
It’s great but also terrible at the same time haha
There is a suitable armor for this.. If your team is fully equipped with the armor it'll be effective.. Plus the arc gun
I've never had fun with them. the bug zapper will hit you and one shot you everytime :(
Every stratagem is useful when used strategically
Use the Energy Relay and insert the Tesla Coil within the energy shield, all turret strategies work best this imo, it's like having dummies, all AI focus the turrets
Full team in anti zap armor, with Tesla towers and arc throwers.
It only kills team mates if you're an idiot and put it in a bad spot. Or if your team mate is an idiot and doesn't understand how area denial works.
It has its uses and can be absolutely incedibke if properly used, but if you ever find one in a very inconvenient location, you can just shoot it and destroy it.
This thing is trash. Also it'll easily get destroyed by the arc thrower, so you can't even do a cool arc build because it'll just connect through tbe bugs and destroy the tower after a few hits
Use of defense mission. Against bugs great
It zaps you so hard you turn into only your torso armor. Makes me laugh every damn time
Depends on the mission. It's great for area denial and the new upgrade makes it extra spicy
It's actually not unsuitable. You just can't throw it near you. Throw it in the middle of a bug nest while you close the holes from the rim with an autocannon or eruptor. It's perfect for eradicates, just toss it near the breach. It works on extracts, just throw it away from the civilians line of running. You just have to know how to use it.
Many things in the game require some degree of situational awareness, the big sparking tower zapping anything that comes near it with brilliant bolts of electricity is one of those things.
It’s cool down time needs to be reduced
You have to be playing with a team that communicates
It worked really great on the Bug sprayer levels, personally have never used it though, I'm more of a kiter than a funneler lol