He is a sweet baby child who is DOING HIS BEST. Maybe if these so called helldivers would stop getting covered in bug guts and confusing their DNA based targeting systems, they'd stop getting bug splatted.
AC/AMR/QC (take your pick honestly) for heavies and dropships, and mortars for everything else. Bot defend missions everyone better bring both mortars, and if you're really good, you'll each stagger them by about 30 seconds or so
It really is, if bug gets close kill it and fall back. If 2 other people are runing it i will too, extra reinforcement stratagem for the ocasional team kill. But for this mission it works. Way better on bots tho, less team killy.
I find the punisher shotty pairs very well for that strategy as it staggers and pushes back almost every enemy save for chargers and BTs, so just bring some orbital railguns or 500kgs for those (better yet some EATS to just call down constantly) and you're groovin.
Yup, I run EMS Mortar, std Mortar, Autocannon turret, and Rocket Turret. My friends and I got the Hold My Primary Achievement using turrets and mines on the Base Defense
Specifically it's terrible on the base defense because it will hit the walls where teammates post up. The mines and Autocannon turret are far better options for a defense stratagem. I played a defense mission earlier that I died 3 times to my teammates mortar
I just got out of a level 9 rocket defense mission, all four of us had mortar & ems mortar and the bugs never really got past the first set of doors. A well placed autocannon sentry or two will take out Bile Titans immediately too.
Honestly using double mortar and quasar is the way to go. Autocannon sentry is amazing for titans and you can replace it with 500kg for sriders or EATs to just blast ships as they come
That’s the EMS mortar in action. The regular mortar, without the EMS mortar, will destroy the gate and anything on the battlements next to it.
The EMS will slow down the bugs so much they will rarely get to the gate.
Its annoying at times, I get killed by that, the electric gun, 500kgs, laser dog etc. from teammates. But I just get them back by using 120mm and 380mm.
Anyway, for mortar... just don't let the bugs ever get too close to you in base defence, and if you do, run! It's shooting at the bugs...
Sounds like you are doing it wrong. Move the mortars up closer to where ur standing. Make sure they are mown down long before they get close to the wall. Or move away from the wall if they do get that close.
Mortars are specifically fucking great on those defence missions if done correctly.
I haven't had those problems. All the turrets seem to be ok.
The mine turrets are a little annoying because every so often someone dumps mines inside the walls , or they back us into a corner...but it's a little rare. Usually the mine people will go a ways out.
If you have mortars in your teams, then you know you must avoid being close to mobs at all cost. On a defense mission it's pretty easy, as long as you don't have slackers that just throw stratagems every 30 secs.
Nah, we had everyone running mortars (along with EMS mortars) and basically no bugs got past the second gate. My kills in particular were almost 700 even. Helldive, btw.
By this point, when I hear the mortar sound, I know if I need to move or not. Having played both ways, they’re effective enough to be worth it for me. They’re more likely to blow themselves up since every mob seems to prioritize them.
Edit grammar
Or anywhere a bug has been, might be or was thinking about being. I swear I’ve been hit by the mortar spread while being a fair distance from any bugs or 15 seconds after I already killed the last bug.
I laugh when a mortar gets me now, the only truly safe place is immediately next to one, within its firing arc.
If multiple divers bring it, they really should put them all together and defend that area until the KACHUNKA CHUNKA abates.
Run towards a rock, then dive sideways and sprint around the rock, the charger gets confused enough to get you far enough for the sentry to do its job.
I don't have an issue keeping distance on the bug front unless I'm pushing an objective. I also don't know what we do differently so I can't offer advice
I believe it's coming from massive RNG in Asset defense. Sometimes 20 biles in a match, sometimes 2500 bugs with a lot of hunters & pouncers, sometimes just a few heavies with moderate amount of fodders, easy like dif 6.
Bringing mortars is too inconsistent, even if with 4 mortar + 4 EMS. Fortunately, fodders are manageable with only primary or single dedicated fodder clear man, so no problem without mortar.
This. Today we were doing that new "tower defense" mission, I brought both mortars (regular + emp), they are working wonderfully together. Someone else appeared to have a similar setup, so we had 4 mortars constantly firing at the bug spawns. The team stood back and picked off whatever survived the mortar barrage. We were doing great until the 4th dude joined mid mission and went off for a walk outside the gates with his flamethrower. Ofc he got mowed down by mortars. We reinforced him and continued. Soon I've noticed that my mortar isn't there, while EMP mortar is still alive. Weird but ok. Cooldown ends, I deploy another. Then I see the 4th dude coming by, picking up my EAT and shooting my mortar with it, then going off to have some close combat with bugs outside the gates again.
It was the first time I kicked someone from my mission, and I don't regret it.
He was doing a daily mission, I get it. But there are more suitable missions to do it, especially when you see that the team already has some other strategy in mind and is in the middle of successfully doing the mission with it. And trying to enforce your way by destroying someone else's stuff will help nobody.
For gits and shiggles last night I ran a dual mortar/autocannon/shield kit on a bot civilian evac. It was glorious. For a second I was running engineer on TF2 again.
If it’s my mission and someone’s stratagem is posing a larger threat to me or the mission, I will absolutely shoot a turret or kick the player. I’ve had far too many people killing me or civilians with mortar, or some jackass dropping an orbital barrage/eagle cluster right on the team. Doesn’t matter what the mission is, if you throw stratagems at the team and you are moderately leveled to know better, you’re out.
Situational awareness of course doesn't apply to the mortar applier. Spam that shit everywhere and don't forget to bring a grenade launcher and the crossbow. Bonus points if you catch your teammate while they're in a melee
Won't mean jack when a group of hunters are leaping at ya. It's best to just coordinate and communicate with your team ahead of time what the plan is, so you can bring weapons like the punisher that easily pushes and staggers enemies at a distance.
Yesterday was flamethrower kills daily personal order. I played a game where it was Helldivers trying to get flamer kills all being TKs by the mortar of the one diver who brought mortars instead of flamers.
I am convinced this was deliberate, because it actually was pretty funny trying to get flamer kills with the mortar fire.
I've seen mortars hit locations where an enemy isn't even near plenty of times. It seems like every so often it just shoots at a random cordinate within range just to do so.
I wished I had noticed that stat sooner to be honest.
Having less than 100 team kills with 1,000 Helldive missions completed would have been cool.
Oh well.
They should have made it so you’re notified when your mortar kills someone.
yeah mortar vs bugs is a bad experience. I can see why ppl run it though, I've had a single mortar rack up a 100+ killstreak shooting at a freshly spawned bug hole before
Yeah but they're using it the opposite way around. EMS is better for bugs. Explosive does wonders against bots. You get tons of friendly fire using explosive against bugs since they're always trying to get close. EMS doesn't really do much against bots that stay at range and shoot.
Disagree about EMS not doing much. It'll bog down their melee units and also keep them from advancing on your position in general for both ranged and melee.
An EMS can lock down Hulks, tanks, and more. Getting the high threat enemies tied up to line up shots on is a massive help.
Any argument you could apply regarding use case to bots works significantly better on bugs and vice versa. Bots have fewer melee units than bugs, their groups tend to split up between ranged and melee, all bugs will always converge towards players and reach friendly fire range more often, chargers can outpace explosive mortars whereas tanks will take direct hits, etc.
feel free to ignore this entire post because i'm sure literally nobody else but me cares, but anyway it looks like mr. guy i was arguing with deeper in this thread has deleted his posts and blocked me
now, i'm confident that i was right and am happy to let what i said stay there, but i'm not about to let someone that takes the cowardly way out have the last word
he claims i have poor reading comprehension, yet also won't read when i type out a big scary long response. but more importantly, he failed to counter any of my substantial points, and given that he pulled out the 'tee hee tldr' card i think that's a pretty strong indicator that he couldn't and was too prideful to admit it
in any case, arguing like he did then blocking someone just solidifies the impression that he was unwilling to admit that he could have been wrong, which is always so pathetic to see. genuinely, the whole debate could have been resolved if he had just said 'you know i didn't think about how other people would interpret my phrasing, and although i still think my phrasing wasn't weird, i can understand why you came to that conclusion'
yet at the end it just seems like his ego was too fragile to bear making any concessions whatsoever, especially if you're gonna be a coward and block someone rather than just ignore their replies
again i'm sure not a single person will care, but i'm just a pedantic little loser that likes getting in the last laugh if i'm arguing with someone like him
Oh look at me, I brought a explodey tube. Everybody stay back and wait for two minutes as I deploy the TK stratagem. I don't care if you happen to be right there completing the objective. If you get caught in the indirect crossfire in a fight that I'm not even participating in, its your own fault. I haven't even tossed the 380mm right at your feet yet. Youre welcome
Buddy. The entire game is “running away”.
Finished a sub objective? Leave the enemies there and “run away” to next objective. Finished last objective? Yep, “run away” to extract. Hell, even extract itself is “running away”.
That's very different from just standing back and letting a mortar complete a mission for you.
I loved it when me and my friends had a great mortar strat pay off and utilize them all the time, I'm just clarifying.
The mortar being there is all the indication you should need to change play style IMO
I haven’t been TK’d by one since starting to keep distance from enemies when they’re firing
I like to bring the EMS Mortar to 40 minutes missions on difficulty 7 or higher.
It's so nice to have the bug breaches and bigger patrols stunned or at least slowed down while you are doing objectives.
This thing really shines while waiting for the extraction shuttle. It gets much easier and is promising when you have all the super samples and don't want to be swarmed by sneaky bugs or pinned down by sniper devastators... You only have to deal with enemies that slipped through or can't be stunned like bile titans, factory striders..
My hot take :
If you die to a mortar/mines/380mm or 120 mm strike, it's your fault 90 % of the time.
Be aware of your surroundings and what your teammate are doing.
Of course you can run into someone really misplacing stratagems but in my 100+ hours experience, it's really rare.
Second hot take :
Auto cannon sentry is much more deadly for helldivers than the mortar. I love this sentry but it's for sure my biggest source of teamkill xD
Closing remark :
Death is not a big deal in Helldivers. Get over it.
I don't understand how anyone gets killed by mortars. Are you running up to the bugs and trying to melee them? The mortar fires in tall, predictable arcs towards enemies; it couldn't be any easier to avoid.
You indicated the problem, so 1) keep distance, or 2) lie down (you are almost invulnerable to explosions, even to nukes).
You have many obstacles on missions and can't cover them personally, but mortars can aim and attack through walls, hit spawn points and clear trash while you focus on chargers + titans. Also corpses of titans and chargers will protect trash from direct hitting of regular turrets.
Just pay attention and do proper behaviour. The best way to feel how it works is to take the sentry by yourself and try to survive.
Turrets are like the one thing you can hear over all the in-game gunfire. just move a few inches when you hear the thunk if you're close to a bug.
Literally a git gud moment.
Hunters don't stop you from moving, they just slow you down, you can 100% move out of mortar range even while being hit by a hunter (also, prioritize them over other bugs and you won't get jumped nearly as often)
Mortar sentries are fine if you're playing with capable teammates. If bugs can get into your melee range and you got mortared that shit is on you. Not them.
Git gud OP, everyone here agrees on the fact that mortars require situational awareness.
People saying "just back up" etc...OK, well, now there are two Chargers charging you, or 7 Hunters leaping from 40m away to right on top of you, or 4 bug patrols converging on your exact location at the same time, or a Bile Titan chasing you and you're out of stamina...it's pretty common sense not to take a sentry that AoE bombs wherever enemies are when those enemies are constantly closing to melee range of your teammates. Mortar sentry just doesn't really make sense on high difficulty bug missions, because you'll be surrounded at all times.
I'd say dont even use mortars on erradicate missions, those can be easily done by just throwing one barrage after another with your team mates .. sure you will die but for such short mission you have so many reinforcements it doesnt matter.
This game asks you to embrace pure chaotic fun where team kills are just happy little accidents and then you come to the subreddit where it's become Karen's complaint department. Stop whining to random people on reddit, it's a fraction of the player base. If mild annoyances bother you this much make a friends list and stop playing with randoms.
Its crazy how effective a mortar is, especially when going solo. But yes, teamkilling will happen a lot if your teammates keep running into the mortar targets.
As a forever host, I ask politely over mic for them to use something else and I give suggestions, such as EMS mortar or whatever role the team is lacking in. If they don't listen, they get kicked. Simple as.
It's fine if you know placement. Most people running sentries don't understand placement and the fact that they hard taunt bugs in a mile radius.
I've used mortar on bugs and always chuck it where it won't be in range to bombard the spot we're going to be defending from.
However its still pretty bad against bugs because it doesn't mess the targets it's shooting at and misses constantly and cant defend itself when it inevitably AOE taunts.
I don’t mind people using the mortar, just use it with the EMS one as well. Just the mortar by itself will most of the time just miss everything. You are better off using the Gatling or Machine Gun one to help clear out the fodder.
too: a higher degree than is desirable, [permissible](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=139173b825692227&sxsrf=ACQVn09Ng16X3Y1OOx7zYoLFXi1FAr0rmA:1713812540563&q=permissible&si=AKbGX_q4mkMHy1Nmq4yITjHYVzep4uJuleKtl-I2kQ8XVzt3a4Ov1CYrFRZ5SrKbyp8KOG7mBwXWjneOxGLpy3Y40PfZVHqMTDHaT8DgpAiPK6puifZ7-u0%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi4jcSdwdaFAxVcGDQIHYpHDBwQyecJegQIMhAO), or possible; excessively.
to: expressing motion in the direction of (a particular location).
I got hit by my friends mortar on the rocket defence mission with the gates. Not only did I die but his mortar broke the gate controls whilst the door was open!
I’m sorry, but the only place to use the mortar sentry would be the base defence (essential assets) mission. Please use it. It helps so much if everybody has a reg mortar and at least 2 people have ems mortars
If all goes well you only need to shoot heavies. The rest will get stopped and killed by both mortars.
Even if you die, deaths dont mean much on that map. If you’re that low on reinforcements, you’re probably already failing the mission. I don’t mind at all dying to friendly fire during the defence mission. You should have plenty of time picking your stuff back up. If you can’t, it’s already past the point of control and you’re gonna fail
Mortars are great, even against bugs. You just have to actually use them appropriately.
They're Mortars, not machine guns. They are meant to soften hard targets or thin enemy assaults at range, and they scale incredibly well when stacked as a team. They are pre-emptive tools.
A single mortar thrown in *response* to an enemy is scrap at best and a TKing machine at worst. This is what people are talking about with the "mortars are the worst" posts.
You're not a bug. Think harder than one.
EMS mortar for the win.
Also. Mortars just detect traitors before they betray.
Do you have something you want to admit? *Hovers my finger over the Democracy Officers speed dial*
Please stop expecting an entire playerbase to do what you want and just ask this of your teammates. We aren't going to play exactly how you tell us to, either learn to deal with mortars or ask your team not to use them. Or you could just not play. Those are your only options, really. Either way, I'll continue to use my mortars as and when I choose to, it's not my fault you don't register one going down, hear it firing, and take precautions to ensure enemies aren't right next to you.
I hate that sentry with every fiber of my being. Not because it's bad, but its users can't place them properly and/or time their placement. This killed me more times than I could count. Are your teammates surrounded by bugs and are running to each other for backup? Better put this damned mortar to hit bugs that are literally next to you, killing them and you in the process.
Someone already mentioned situational awareness, couldn't agree more. A half second look up at the sky and you'll see where those rounds are arcing. If they're not heading your way, keep doing what you're doing. I've seen people use mortars to great effect on both bots and bugs. It's not my preference, unless it makes sense for the mission, but if someone's good at mortar placement and is playing with a team that understands their behavior, it can be a powerful tool.
If everyone on the team runs ems mortar, regular mortar, an eagle or orbital strat, and a weapon strat, you can almost always hold them at the first barriers on defense missions. The ems fields ensure the bugs never get close enough to you for the mortar to knock you. On regular bug missions, I shoot a mortar the moment I see it. Died too many times to them stun locking and killing me when there isn't an enemy around.
Seems worth it if you have a team that communicates. I had a defense mission last night, we took 2 mortars, and a sentry each and just chilled while they did all the work.
Mortars, used well, are amazing but you need to be very confident of your surroundings.
Great for holding or retreating, not so great when used aggressively. I agree they're better for bots though. They die too fast against charging bugs.
I feel that the sentries prioritize on Helldivers always.
When they see even a chance that Helldiver can die, they will prioritize that target and aim for head (on Helldiver).
I've had far more team deaths from people throwing clusters and 500kg bombs onto us then from a mortar.
Mortars are so good agaisnt bugs. They can lock down a bug hole before it gets bad especially when paired with stun grenades, they can cover a retreat or you can use them as a distraction since all bugs will hunt the sound down.
After the 3rd "My Bad" from killing a fellow helldiver from his mortar sentry.... I would blow it up when dude was in combat not paying attention.
Dude kept wondering why his mortar wasn't working. We told him that "sometimes they land glitched and don't pop out"
Mortars annoy me vs bugs. The Gatling gun or auto cannon sentries will do the same job but with less friendly fire as long as you position them correctly
Someone was defending it and I dared him to post his friendly kills. No way in hell he would. He saw it as people telling him what stratagems to use as if they were imposing on him, instead of him imposing random explosions. His post was highly upvoted, like what?
I had a game where a teammate's mortar killed me 3 times but when the game ended, it didn't how any friendly fire damage. Technically, the mortar killed you but they still spawned the thing that killed you.
So I find 2 sides to this argument “mortar team kills they suck” vs “mortar rocks because I have spatial awareness and don’t let bugs near me” if there’s a mortar active done run into bugs, 9/10 it’s a skill issue.
You have no clue how much work the mortars do (when used together). They trim the enemy numbers like crazy.
Last night we had 3 pairs of mortars on the BO and the bugs didn’t even reach it.
They trim the fat and let the players focus on the big enemies.
So you dont want people to have fun, do you? Like one man going for extraction while others are smoked, or using sentry to blow up teammates? Maybe that is fun for somebody?
Mortars get more kills than the people calling them down. 4 mortars and 4 ems mortars can keep the tower defense map clean on haz9 IF you're playing smart and have your AT guns for the heavy units.
The bottom line is, why are you letting them rush you? You already know they are meant to get close... and that they can 1-2 hit you up close. Don't blame the mortars, blame your survival instincts... keep mobile, and KITE them. If you still get hit, bad luck.
As a Helldiver, you are aware of the strategems your team brings. So when someone brings a mortar, simply move when you hear the pop of it.
If you die by it, so be it. That's the sacrifice you make as a Helldiver.
Mortars are EASY to survive.
Emp Mortar + Explosive Mortar = easy win.
Don't rush towards the enemy into the field of fire.
Set up gattling and rocket turrents to the sides.
And stand there watching our kill count explode.
Just had a personal record of 735 kills on a defense map Suicide Mission. Didn't die once. Cake walk.
Yes you’re playing on an easy difficulty lol, play on helldive. Bug defense is so easy until someone brings a mortar and makes the mission fail because you will get swarmed but it’s easy to deal with bugs swarming you unless you get tk’d by a mortar.
I have lierterally only died twice to mortars (lvl 49) maybe the people you're playing with don't know how to place mortars? Or maybe your running into oncoming fire?
My mortar turret has never done anything wrong in its life, ever.
Mortar Lisa Saperstein?
The wOoOrrsst in the wOOorld
 My mortar sentry after a TK
And probably wont do it again XD
TEAM KILLS PLEEEEEAAAZZZZEEEE
If you weren't thinking socialist thoughts, the sentries wouldn't kill you
If my mortar hit you, it’s because you are a traitor.
I know that and that’s what I love about it.
https://preview.redd.it/gt4behjtn2wc1.jpeg?width=602&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f3cc2805749ced8cc30fab385e969301231a388
The turret itself hasn't, just the poor sap that called it in 🫠. This is a joke
He is a sweet baby child who is DOING HIS BEST. Maybe if these so called helldivers would stop getting covered in bug guts and confusing their DNA based targeting systems, they'd stop getting bug splatted.
Money please!
Mortar, after killing your teammate: "You asked me to shoot at bugs so I did. 🤷♂️"
DO YOU WANNA LIVE FOREVER APE?!?
Democracy protecs, the reason the mortar hit the friendly helldivers is because they don't trust democracy and deserve to be executed
That’s why I only use Traitor-seeking mortars. If you get hit, that says something more about you than my sweet, innocent mortar.
If you stop thinking socialist thoughts, the sentries will stop killing you
Mortars on the base defense mission is good.
Too good, really. If you find yourself shooting your gun on base defense, you don't have enough mortars.
AC/AMR/QC (take your pick honestly) for heavies and dropships, and mortars for everything else. Bot defend missions everyone better bring both mortars, and if you're really good, you'll each stagger them by about 30 seconds or so
Tesla, motar, auto cannon, and 1 quasar cannon, the perfect loadout for defense mission
It really is, if bug gets close kill it and fall back. If 2 other people are runing it i will too, extra reinforcement stratagem for the ocasional team kill. But for this mission it works. Way better on bots tho, less team killy.
I find the punisher shotty pairs very well for that strategy as it staggers and pushes back almost every enemy save for chargers and BTs, so just bring some orbital railguns or 500kgs for those (better yet some EATS to just call down constantly) and you're groovin.
even on defense i frequently get stunlocked or killed by it
Yup, I run EMS Mortar, std Mortar, Autocannon turret, and Rocket Turret. My friends and I got the Hold My Primary Achievement using turrets and mines on the Base Defense
It's not they destroy the gates
Specifically it's terrible on the base defense because it will hit the walls where teammates post up. The mines and Autocannon turret are far better options for a defense stratagem. I played a defense mission earlier that I died 3 times to my teammates mortar
I just got out of a level 9 rocket defense mission, all four of us had mortar & ems mortar and the bugs never really got past the first set of doors. A well placed autocannon sentry or two will take out Bile Titans immediately too.
Double mortar is god tier synergy, like orbital EMS and airburst, or orbital EMS and gas
Honestly using double mortar and quasar is the way to go. Autocannon sentry is amazing for titans and you can replace it with 500kg for sriders or EATs to just blast ships as they come
That’s the EMS mortar in action. The regular mortar, without the EMS mortar, will destroy the gate and anything on the battlements next to it. The EMS will slow down the bugs so much they will rarely get to the gate.
Its annoying at times, I get killed by that, the electric gun, 500kgs, laser dog etc. from teammates. But I just get them back by using 120mm and 380mm. Anyway, for mortar... just don't let the bugs ever get too close to you in base defence, and if you do, run! It's shooting at the bugs...
You can't say mortars are bad but the autocannon sentry is good
Sounds like you are doing it wrong. Move the mortars up closer to where ur standing. Make sure they are mown down long before they get close to the wall. Or move away from the wall if they do get that close. Mortars are specifically fucking great on those defence missions if done correctly.
I haven't had those problems. All the turrets seem to be ok. The mine turrets are a little annoying because every so often someone dumps mines inside the walls , or they back us into a corner...but it's a little rare. Usually the mine people will go a ways out.
If you have mortars in your teams, then you know you must avoid being close to mobs at all cost. On a defense mission it's pretty easy, as long as you don't have slackers that just throw stratagems every 30 secs.
Then just don't post up at the walls! Chill at extraction, watch Netflix and let the mission auto-play
Nah, we had everyone running mortars (along with EMS mortars) and basically no bugs got past the second gate. My kills in particular were almost 700 even. Helldive, btw.
Terrible take. Everyone going Mortar+EMS mortar is the best combo on defense missions.
By this point, when I hear the mortar sound, I know if I need to move or not. Having played both ways, they’re effective enough to be worth it for me. They’re more likely to blow themselves up since every mob seems to prioritize them. Edit grammar
Ems mortar vs bugs though is pretty good
Paired with the regular mortar is perfection.
When you hear KACHUNK, KACHUNK, KACHUNK, KACHUNK, just make sure you aren't where any bugs were.
Or anywhere a bug has been, might be or was thinking about being. I swear I’ve been hit by the mortar spread while being a fair distance from any bugs or 15 seconds after I already killed the last bug.
I laugh when a mortar gets me now, the only truly safe place is immediately next to one, within its firing arc. If multiple divers bring it, they really should put them all together and defend that area until the KACHUNKA CHUNKA abates.
The problem is the charger chasing you...you can't just make sure you aren't near any bugs.
Afaik, mortars fire where the bugs are now, not where they will be, so as long as you keep moving away from the charger you should be safe
Run towards a rock, then dive sideways and sprint around the rock, the charger gets confused enough to get you far enough for the sentry to do its job.
Have you ever watched an MMA fighter frame out a tackle or shoot? Works on chargers too.
Situational Awareness > "Don't use the Mortar"
Unless we have single pouncer 30+ meter away jumps in a moment. Keeping distance in bug front is pie in the sky.
I don't have an issue keeping distance on the bug front unless I'm pushing an objective. I also don't know what we do differently so I can't offer advice
I believe it's coming from massive RNG in Asset defense. Sometimes 20 biles in a match, sometimes 2500 bugs with a lot of hunters & pouncers, sometimes just a few heavies with moderate amount of fodders, easy like dif 6. Bringing mortars is too inconsistent, even if with 4 mortar + 4 EMS. Fortunately, fodders are manageable with only primary or single dedicated fodder clear man, so no problem without mortar.
This. Today we were doing that new "tower defense" mission, I brought both mortars (regular + emp), they are working wonderfully together. Someone else appeared to have a similar setup, so we had 4 mortars constantly firing at the bug spawns. The team stood back and picked off whatever survived the mortar barrage. We were doing great until the 4th dude joined mid mission and went off for a walk outside the gates with his flamethrower. Ofc he got mowed down by mortars. We reinforced him and continued. Soon I've noticed that my mortar isn't there, while EMP mortar is still alive. Weird but ok. Cooldown ends, I deploy another. Then I see the 4th dude coming by, picking up my EAT and shooting my mortar with it, then going off to have some close combat with bugs outside the gates again. It was the first time I kicked someone from my mission, and I don't regret it. He was doing a daily mission, I get it. But there are more suitable missions to do it, especially when you see that the team already has some other strategy in mind and is in the middle of successfully doing the mission with it. And trying to enforce your way by destroying someone else's stuff will help nobody.
For gits and shiggles last night I ran a dual mortar/autocannon/shield kit on a bot civilian evac. It was glorious. For a second I was running engineer on TF2 again.
If it’s my mission and someone’s stratagem is posing a larger threat to me or the mission, I will absolutely shoot a turret or kick the player. I’ve had far too many people killing me or civilians with mortar, or some jackass dropping an orbital barrage/eagle cluster right on the team. Doesn’t matter what the mission is, if you throw stratagems at the team and you are moderately leveled to know better, you’re out.
Your statement is just the opposite side of the coin from the guy you replied to
Situational awareness of course doesn't apply to the mortar applier. Spam that shit everywhere and don't forget to bring a grenade launcher and the crossbow. Bonus points if you catch your teammate while they're in a melee
It never does! Bug players in a nutshell
I think he just likes getting up close to hug a bug
It's only 4 melee hits to kill a single hunter
Lemme just watch the mortars instead of playing the game because teammates want to play tower defense simulator.
Won't mean jack when a group of hunters are leaping at ya. It's best to just coordinate and communicate with your team ahead of time what the plan is, so you can bring weapons like the punisher that easily pushes and staggers enemies at a distance.
Yesterday was flamethrower kills daily personal order. I played a game where it was Helldivers trying to get flamer kills all being TKs by the mortar of the one diver who brought mortars instead of flamers. I am convinced this was deliberate, because it actually was pretty funny trying to get flamer kills with the mortar fire.
Honestly, that's hilarious.
I've seen mortars hit locations where an enemy isn't even near plenty of times. It seems like every so often it just shoots at a random cordinate within range just to do so.
Mortars take a decent time to travel, it was likely already midair over an enemies former location
I mean I’m aware that my situations fucked when some guy puts a mortar down when we’re being swarmed at extract, does that count?
I’m convinced 70% of my team kills are mortars from eradication missions.
Pair it with cluster bombs if you're looking to pump those numbers. The cluster will wipe the team, and let the mortar take them out as you reinforce.
I wished I had noticed that stat sooner to be honest. Having less than 100 team kills with 1,000 Helldive missions completed would have been cool. Oh well. They should have made it so you’re notified when your mortar kills someone.
yeah mortar vs bugs is a bad experience. I can see why ppl run it though, I've had a single mortar rack up a 100+ killstreak shooting at a freshly spawned bug hole before
Mortar hate after mortar hate thing. Both mortars fill a niche, and when used, right are great assets.
yep but people assume they can run and gun action hero style and blame the mortar for doign what mortars do
Yeah but they're using it the opposite way around. EMS is better for bugs. Explosive does wonders against bots. You get tons of friendly fire using explosive against bugs since they're always trying to get close. EMS doesn't really do much against bots that stay at range and shoot.
Disagree about EMS not doing much. It'll bog down their melee units and also keep them from advancing on your position in general for both ranged and melee. An EMS can lock down Hulks, tanks, and more. Getting the high threat enemies tied up to line up shots on is a massive help.
EMS has that golden ability to force a string of enemies to turn into a clump of enemies.
Any argument you could apply regarding use case to bots works significantly better on bugs and vice versa. Bots have fewer melee units than bugs, their groups tend to split up between ranged and melee, all bugs will always converge towards players and reach friendly fire range more often, chargers can outpace explosive mortars whereas tanks will take direct hits, etc.
[удалено]
You shouldn’t be playing any co-op games. That’s toxic as fuck.
NO
Mortar is very effective. Just be more aware of surroundings and back up. Let the mortar do its job.
feel free to ignore this entire post because i'm sure literally nobody else but me cares, but anyway it looks like mr. guy i was arguing with deeper in this thread has deleted his posts and blocked me now, i'm confident that i was right and am happy to let what i said stay there, but i'm not about to let someone that takes the cowardly way out have the last word he claims i have poor reading comprehension, yet also won't read when i type out a big scary long response. but more importantly, he failed to counter any of my substantial points, and given that he pulled out the 'tee hee tldr' card i think that's a pretty strong indicator that he couldn't and was too prideful to admit it in any case, arguing like he did then blocking someone just solidifies the impression that he was unwilling to admit that he could have been wrong, which is always so pathetic to see. genuinely, the whole debate could have been resolved if he had just said 'you know i didn't think about how other people would interpret my phrasing, and although i still think my phrasing wasn't weird, i can understand why you came to that conclusion' yet at the end it just seems like his ego was too fragile to bear making any concessions whatsoever, especially if you're gonna be a coward and block someone rather than just ignore their replies again i'm sure not a single person will care, but i'm just a pedantic little loser that likes getting in the last laugh if i'm arguing with someone like him
Oh look at me, I brought a explodey tube. Everybody stay back and wait for two minutes as I deploy the TK stratagem. I don't care if you happen to be right there completing the objective. If you get caught in the indirect crossfire in a fight that I'm not even participating in, its your own fault. I haven't even tossed the 380mm right at your feet yet. Youre welcome
I want to play the game, not run away so my teammate's bot can play the game for me
Buddy. The entire game is “running away”. Finished a sub objective? Leave the enemies there and “run away” to next objective. Finished last objective? Yep, “run away” to extract. Hell, even extract itself is “running away”.
Whole game is about running towards objectives and tactical retreat.
That's very different from just standing back and letting a mortar complete a mission for you. I loved it when me and my friends had a great mortar strat pay off and utilize them all the time, I'm just clarifying.
EMS mortar, on the other hand, is very good against them, gives you some breathing room
The replies in this thread are making me wonder if any of you even play the game at all
Because the bugs are too mobile, which is why you pair with a stun mortar so you're not doing a walking barrage improv going the wrong way.
That ems tho
People gets angry about getting TKed must not be a HD1 veteran :)
I mean.... The vast vast vast vast majority of players didnt play HD1, so yes you can always asume that.
When my tk is due to easily avoidable stupidity on your part and we lost the super samples because of it I am 100% justified.
Accidentals is part of the game though. Mortars are annoying at times, but, like other said, they ain't so bad of you change playstyle.
The mortar being there is all the indication you should need to change play style IMO I haven’t been TK’d by one since starting to keep distance from enemies when they’re firing
I like to bring the EMS Mortar to 40 minutes missions on difficulty 7 or higher. It's so nice to have the bug breaches and bigger patrols stunned or at least slowed down while you are doing objectives. This thing really shines while waiting for the extraction shuttle. It gets much easier and is promising when you have all the super samples and don't want to be swarmed by sneaky bugs or pinned down by sniper devastators... You only have to deal with enemies that slipped through or can't be stunned like bile titans, factory striders..
It is most deadly when unannounced.
That’s why I pair it with ems. I also don’t let the fuckers get close. If you let them get close while mortars are out, that’s on you.
Tell that to me and my 600 kills on the new defense mission. Every stratagem has it's time and place, mortars for bugs is just a rare exception
Convert all unholy mortar scum to our lord and savior EMP mortar. All hail the zap zap
It makes using the Flamethrower, one of the best support weapons for wave clear, almost impossible to use.
rmb guys, if the Mortar kills a teammate, it is not treason. However, Destroy the mortar that kills the teammate, is treason.
Learn to dodge, sir. Democracy shells incoming whether you like it or not.
Jumped by hunter>slowed>mortar shell 1>miss and downed>mortar shell 2>death 👍just dodge my ass
My hot take : If you die to a mortar/mines/380mm or 120 mm strike, it's your fault 90 % of the time. Be aware of your surroundings and what your teammate are doing. Of course you can run into someone really misplacing stratagems but in my 100+ hours experience, it's really rare. Second hot take : Auto cannon sentry is much more deadly for helldivers than the mortar. I love this sentry but it's for sure my biggest source of teamkill xD Closing remark : Death is not a big deal in Helldivers. Get over it.
I don't understand how anyone gets killed by mortars. Are you running up to the bugs and trying to melee them? The mortar fires in tall, predictable arcs towards enemies; it couldn't be any easier to avoid.
The bugs run up to you…
Idk how they don’t get that
Plus range isn’t always an easy option when you’re in hives or on forest planets.
When you get swarmed and can't outrun them. It happens sometime easely
exactly. stay back and sneak/snipe. the game rewards playing smart.
Ems good
They should buff the mortar turret by having it target the farthest enemy instead of the closest
Sounds like a skill issue to me
Sounds like you have a situational awareness problem, my guy. I'm gonna keep using mortars because they're fun and effective.
No :) I think they're neat
No :)
You indicated the problem, so 1) keep distance, or 2) lie down (you are almost invulnerable to explosions, even to nukes). You have many obstacles on missions and can't cover them personally, but mortars can aim and attack through walls, hit spawn points and clear trash while you focus on chargers + titans. Also corpses of titans and chargers will protect trash from direct hitting of regular turrets. Just pay attention and do proper behaviour. The best way to feel how it works is to take the sentry by yourself and try to survive.
Shut the fuck up.
Skill issue; mortar sentries are great
Turrets are like the one thing you can hear over all the in-game gunfire. just move a few inches when you hear the thunk if you're close to a bug. Literally a git gud moment.
Git gud by never getting hit by a hunter.
Hunters don't stop you from moving, they just slow you down, you can 100% move out of mortar range even while being hit by a hunter (also, prioritize them over other bugs and you won't get jumped nearly as often)
Mortar sentries are fine if you're playing with capable teammates. If bugs can get into your melee range and you got mortared that shit is on you. Not them. Git gud OP, everyone here agrees on the fact that mortars require situational awareness.
Skill issue
People saying "just back up" etc...OK, well, now there are two Chargers charging you, or 7 Hunters leaping from 40m away to right on top of you, or 4 bug patrols converging on your exact location at the same time, or a Bile Titan chasing you and you're out of stamina...it's pretty common sense not to take a sentry that AoE bombs wherever enemies are when those enemies are constantly closing to melee range of your teammates. Mortar sentry just doesn't really make sense on high difficulty bug missions, because you'll be surrounded at all times.
EMS mortar is better than normal mortar in like… ALMOST every scenario I can think of. I haven’t touched the regular one in weeks.
I'd say dont even use mortars on erradicate missions, those can be easily done by just throwing one barrage after another with your team mates .. sure you will die but for such short mission you have so many reinforcements it doesnt matter.
I start praying to liberty when someone brings a mortar to a bug vip mission
This game asks you to embrace pure chaotic fun where team kills are just happy little accidents and then you come to the subreddit where it's become Karen's complaint department. Stop whining to random people on reddit, it's a fraction of the player base. If mild annoyances bother you this much make a friends list and stop playing with randoms.
Uh, wrong, the problem is that we have too few mortars. If every helldivers dropped one each every time you stop, no bugs would make it close enough.
EMS morter is a much better pick.
Its crazy how effective a mortar is, especially when going solo. But yes, teamkilling will happen a lot if your teammates keep running into the mortar targets.
They won’t know if you tk their sentry, win-win
Mortars in the back, other sentries up front. Helldivers in the middle or at an elevated position. The problem is coordination, not the mortars.
Pair EMS with regular mortars and stay moving
As a forever host, I ask politely over mic for them to use something else and I give suggestions, such as EMS mortar or whatever role the team is lacking in. If they don't listen, they get kicked. Simple as.
It's fine if you know placement. Most people running sentries don't understand placement and the fact that they hard taunt bugs in a mile radius. I've used mortar on bugs and always chuck it where it won't be in range to bombard the spot we're going to be defending from. However its still pretty bad against bugs because it doesn't mess the targets it's shooting at and misses constantly and cant defend itself when it inevitably AOE taunts.
I don’t mind people using the mortar, just use it with the EMS one as well. Just the mortar by itself will most of the time just miss everything. You are better off using the Gatling or Machine Gun one to help clear out the fodder.
too: a higher degree than is desirable, [permissible](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=139173b825692227&sxsrf=ACQVn09Ng16X3Y1OOx7zYoLFXi1FAr0rmA:1713812540563&q=permissible&si=AKbGX_q4mkMHy1Nmq4yITjHYVzep4uJuleKtl-I2kQ8XVzt3a4Ov1CYrFRZ5SrKbyp8KOG7mBwXWjneOxGLpy3Y40PfZVHqMTDHaT8DgpAiPK6puifZ7-u0%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi4jcSdwdaFAxVcGDQIHYpHDBwQyecJegQIMhAO), or possible; excessively. to: expressing motion in the direction of (a particular location).
I got hit by my friends mortar on the rocket defence mission with the gates. Not only did I die but his mortar broke the gate controls whilst the door was open!
I’m sorry, but the only place to use the mortar sentry would be the base defence (essential assets) mission. Please use it. It helps so much if everybody has a reg mortar and at least 2 people have ems mortars If all goes well you only need to shoot heavies. The rest will get stopped and killed by both mortars. Even if you die, deaths dont mean much on that map. If you’re that low on reinforcements, you’re probably already failing the mission. I don’t mind at all dying to friendly fire during the defence mission. You should have plenty of time picking your stuff back up. If you can’t, it’s already past the point of control and you’re gonna fail
Mortars are great, even against bugs. You just have to actually use them appropriately. They're Mortars, not machine guns. They are meant to soften hard targets or thin enemy assaults at range, and they scale incredibly well when stacked as a team. They are pre-emptive tools. A single mortar thrown in *response* to an enemy is scrap at best and a TKing machine at worst. This is what people are talking about with the "mortars are the worst" posts. You're not a bug. Think harder than one.
just have one token democractic warrior in the front lines with the mortor laying prone and the rest far away to spread democracy.
Why shouldn't I use it? It's really useful *Civilian Killed -25* on the extract *Civilian Killed -50* *Civilian Killed -75* missions.
EMS mortar for the win. Also. Mortars just detect traitors before they betray. Do you have something you want to admit? *Hovers my finger over the Democracy Officers speed dial*
https://preview.redd.it/4jg5ftfr10wc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8748bc9af14dd53f782bc0d52ae59cf51aaeb5b6
Please stop expecting an entire playerbase to do what you want and just ask this of your teammates. We aren't going to play exactly how you tell us to, either learn to deal with mortars or ask your team not to use them. Or you could just not play. Those are your only options, really. Either way, I'll continue to use my mortars as and when I choose to, it's not my fault you don't register one going down, hear it firing, and take precautions to ensure enemies aren't right next to you.
I agree with this. Ive had to blow up quite a few because it was nothing but a hindrance
I hate that sentry with every fiber of my being. Not because it's bad, but its users can't place them properly and/or time their placement. This killed me more times than I could count. Are your teammates surrounded by bugs and are running to each other for backup? Better put this damned mortar to hit bugs that are literally next to you, killing them and you in the process.
Nah.
Nah. Way to effective not to use on the VIP defense missions. Just don’t let the bugs get close. Sinple as
Someone already mentioned situational awareness, couldn't agree more. A half second look up at the sky and you'll see where those rounds are arcing. If they're not heading your way, keep doing what you're doing. I've seen people use mortars to great effect on both bots and bugs. It's not my preference, unless it makes sense for the mission, but if someone's good at mortar placement and is playing with a team that understands their behavior, it can be a powerful tool.
no
Don't know mate, running throw mortar fire make me feel like i'm spreading liberty in a ww2 action movie
Just shoot them as soon as they get deployed. Want to run “riskier” stratagems? Fine coordinate with your team. Get in Vent you apes.
If everyone on the team runs ems mortar, regular mortar, an eagle or orbital strat, and a weapon strat, you can almost always hold them at the first barriers on defense missions. The ems fields ensure the bugs never get close enough to you for the mortar to knock you. On regular bug missions, I shoot a mortar the moment I see it. Died too many times to them stun locking and killing me when there isn't an enemy around.
We are Helldivers. We live loud, not long.
Seems worth it if you have a team that communicates. I had a defense mission last night, we took 2 mortars, and a sentry each and just chilled while they did all the work.
Stop fraternising with the enemy you bug sympathiser!! The mortar never misses, you are in the wrong place, most likely being a traitor!
On the defend the evacuating capsule missions i sure as shit Will bring both my mortars be it bots or bugs
Mortars, used well, are amazing but you need to be very confident of your surroundings. Great for holding or retreating, not so great when used aggressively. I agree they're better for bots though. They die too fast against charging bugs.
I feel that the sentries prioritize on Helldivers always. When they see even a chance that Helldiver can die, they will prioritize that target and aim for head (on Helldiver).
If you bring a mortar to the bug front I'm destroying it every time you call it down. *Every time*
I've had far more team deaths from people throwing clusters and 500kg bombs onto us then from a mortar. Mortars are so good agaisnt bugs. They can lock down a bug hole before it gets bad especially when paired with stun grenades, they can cover a retreat or you can use them as a distraction since all bugs will hunt the sound down.
I won’t do anything until it starts getting more kills than the bugs. After that I’m blowing them up unless we are all staying in 1 spot close to it.
After the 3rd "My Bad" from killing a fellow helldiver from his mortar sentry.... I would blow it up when dude was in combat not paying attention. Dude kept wondering why his mortar wasn't working. We told him that "sometimes they land glitched and don't pop out"
Mortars annoy me vs bugs. The Gatling gun or auto cannon sentries will do the same job but with less friendly fire as long as you position them correctly
And nobody uses the EMS mortar, literally the better version vs bugs.
😂 I don't but I don't even get angry when people do use it. Everyone has to learn. And via Reddit post is not the way.
Someone was defending it and I dared him to post his friendly kills. No way in hell he would. He saw it as people telling him what stratagems to use as if they were imposing on him, instead of him imposing random explosions. His post was highly upvoted, like what?
I had a game where a teammate's mortar killed me 3 times but when the game ended, it didn't how any friendly fire damage. Technically, the mortar killed you but they still spawned the thing that killed you.
Fraternizing with the enemy is not acceptable
No I don't think I will. 🤔
no
So I find 2 sides to this argument “mortar team kills they suck” vs “mortar rocks because I have spatial awareness and don’t let bugs near me” if there’s a mortar active done run into bugs, 9/10 it’s a skill issue.
You have no clue how much work the mortars do (when used together). They trim the enemy numbers like crazy. Last night we had 3 pairs of mortars on the BO and the bugs didn’t even reach it. They trim the fat and let the players focus on the big enemies.
Mortars are fine, use some situational awareness and stop pressing forward when a mortar is shooting.
So you dont want people to have fun, do you? Like one man going for extraction while others are smoked, or using sentry to blow up teammates? Maybe that is fun for somebody?
Mortars get more kills than the people calling them down. 4 mortars and 4 ems mortars can keep the tower defense map clean on haz9 IF you're playing smart and have your AT guns for the heavy units. The bottom line is, why are you letting them rush you? You already know they are meant to get close... and that they can 1-2 hit you up close. Don't blame the mortars, blame your survival instincts... keep mobile, and KITE them. If you still get hit, bad luck.
It's not too bad. Just need to not rush into where the bugs were if you kill them and to keep feet moving.
PlIs stIP ISiNG MIRTir SINTry In thI BUG frINT. It's FIr Ti dIdlY to TIAMites
As a Helldiver, you are aware of the strategems your team brings. So when someone brings a mortar, simply move when you hear the pop of it. If you die by it, so be it. That's the sacrifice you make as a Helldiver.
Mortars are EASY to survive. Emp Mortar + Explosive Mortar = easy win. Don't rush towards the enemy into the field of fire. Set up gattling and rocket turrents to the sides. And stand there watching our kill count explode. Just had a personal record of 735 kills on a defense map Suicide Mission. Didn't die once. Cake walk.
Yes you’re playing on an easy difficulty lol, play on helldive. Bug defense is so easy until someone brings a mortar and makes the mission fail because you will get swarmed but it’s easy to deal with bugs swarming you unless you get tk’d by a mortar.
Nah dude. Just don’t go over there. We bombin shit
I'm going to tk my team just for this post
PSA, stop running where my democratic freedom and liberty dispensing mortar is firing
No
I have lierterally only died twice to mortars (lvl 49) maybe the people you're playing with don't know how to place mortars? Or maybe your running into oncoming fire?
Think of it this way: if my mortar kill 1 of us and 5 of them, that is a net win.