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Reinforcements have arrived to push back the Automatons and Terminids in Helldivers 2. The LAS-99 Quasar Cannon is now available as one of two new support weapons designed to tilt the Galactic War in our favor. It is a shoulder-mounted anti-tank weapon that fires an energy burst capable of tearing through any armor on the battlefield. It also pretty much one-shot kills all small and medium enemies, regardless of where you hit them.
That power, however, comes at a serious cost, as the Quasar Cannon has to be charged for a few seconds before firing, and there is a long cooldown period to wait before firing a second time. This is unlike the other support weapons in Helldivers 2, so you'll need to know a few things before understanding how to get the most out of the Quasar Cannon in Helldivers 2.
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Looking to spend your hard-earned Supercredits in Helldivers 2? Here's what is available for sale on the Superstore.
How to Get the Quasar Cannon in Helldivers 2
You need to be level 18 with 7,500 Requisition Slips to unlock the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon in Helldivers 2. Interact with the Ship Management terminal on your Super Destroyer, and scroll down to the Engineering Bay section to find the new support weapon.
Once you have unlocked the Quasar Cannon, do not forget to equip it during the mission loadout phase. Then call in the Quasar Cannon by punching the following stratagem button inputs in Helldivers 2: Down, Down, Up, Left, Right.
How to Use the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon
The
LAS-99 Quasar Cannon is an energy weapon that uses a battery (and heat sink) instead of traditional ammunition. However, it works differently than the other energy weapons, such as the 
LAS-98 Laser Cannon and the newly added LAS-16 Sickle in Helldivers 2.
Firstly, the Quasar Cannon can only be fired once before overheating. It takes around 3 seconds to charge each shot. Hold the fire button while aiming at the target until the cannon charges and releases a ball of explosive energy.
Unlike the Railgun in unsafe mode , the Quasar Weapon does not blow up if overcharged. It will automatically fire once fully charged.
Once fired, the Quasar Cannon takes around 10 seconds to cool down before it can be charged for another shot again. That essentially means the Quasar Cannon has infinite ammunition in Helldivers 2, as it does not need to be reloaded between shots, only cooled down.
Strangely enough, the hot or cold environmental conditions in Helldivers 2 do not affect the charging times. However, cold weather does reduce the cooldown time by 3 seconds. Hence, the Quasar Cannon is not a support weapon that you should equip on planets with soaring temperatures. Keep it only for the icy and snowy planets.
The Quasar Cannon has a considerable sway which can be reduced by either crouching or standing still while charging. Make your shot count, since you only get one try before the weapon goes on a long cool-down.
Is the Quasar Cannon Worth It in Helldivers 2?
The LAS-99 Quasar Cannon is designed to destroy armor, so it needs to be pitted against the highly popular EAT-17 to confirm if it is worth it or not in Helldivers 2.
To start with, the Quasar Cannon does the same amount of damage as the EAT-17 but with the added advantage of infinite ammunition and infinite range. It is the perfect weapon to destroy Shrieker Nests from afar, and you do not have to worry about any bullet drop when targeting Spore Spewers over 500 meters away in Helldivers 2.
Enemy Unit | Quasar Canon Shots Required |
|---|---|
Bile Spewer | 1 shot to the head. |
Bile Titan | 2–4 shots to the head. |
Brood Commander | 1 shot anywhere. |
Charger | 1 shot to the head. |
Shrieker Nest (Structure) | 2 shots per tree/stalk. |
Bot Dropship | 1 shot to any of the four engines. |
Devastator | 2–3 shots to the body. |
Hulk | 1 shot to the visor, or 2 shots to the vent. |
Scout Strider | 1 shot to the body. |
Tank - Annihilator | 2 shots to the vent. |
Tank - Shredder | 1 shot to the vent, or 2 shots to the turret. |
Cannon Tower (Structure) | 2 shots to the vent. |
Helldivers 2: How to Beat Devastators
Devastators come bearing rifles, shields, mini-guns, and rocket launchers. Here's how to take all of them down in Helldivers 2.
That being said, the Quasar Cannon starts to lose sustainability on higher-difficulty missions where you face a lot of heavily armored enemies. With all the Helldivers 2 ship module upgrades, you can get two EAT-17 rocket launchers every minute.
The Quasar, on the other hand, has an 8-minute cooldown time without the Orbital Fluctuations and Complex Stratagem Plotting modifiers, which increase your stratagem cooldown and call-in time by 50 percent and 100 percent respectively.
In other words, you can always expect to have an EAT-17 when needed. You can even call it in twice during the same fight. That, however, is not possible with the Quasar Cannon. If you die and spawn elsewhere, or cannot go back to retrieve the weapon, you lose your anti-armor edge. This is akin to a death sentence when playing level 7 or higher missions.
The Quasar Cannon can destroy bug holes, bot fabricators, Illegal Broadcast Towers, and container/cache doors. It, however, cannot destroy facility buildings in Helldivers 2 .
In summary, the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon and the EAT-17 have their places in Helldivers 2. The Quasar is not a weapon you want when pitted against multiple Chargers or Bile Titans, for example. The EAT-17 is much faster, gives excellent mobility, and has a reactionary gameplay style that remains unmatched.
The Quasar Cannon can still work on higher-difficulty missions, but only as long as you have your teammates to peel enemies off you. That aspect makes this a beautifully designed weapon in terms of balance. Its infinite energy bursts lower the skill ceiling for new players, but can still be used by veterans with the right team composition.
Helldivers 2
- Franchise
- Helldivers
- Released
- February 8, 2024
- Developer(s)
- Arrowhead Game Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Sony
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
