Helldivers 1:LAS-16 Sickle

Helldivers 2

Helldivers 1

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This carbine is based on laser technology but modified in an attempt to get something more similar to a conventional assault rifle. It fires short laser bursts and builds up heat more quickly than the LAS-5 Scythe. The trade off is higher burst damage but a shorter firing time. The LAS-16 is part of the Support equipment kit.

— Armory Description

Unlock Requirement

The LAS-16 Sickle is part of the Support equipment kit and is automatically unlocked by purchasing the respective DLC.

Upgrades

Upgrade		Requirements	Cost	Effect
	Heat Capacity		2	Increases the amount of heat absorbed before overload.
	Heat Sink	Heat Capacity	1	Increases the rate at which the weapon dissipates heat.
	Laser Overcharge		1	Increases damage and heat generation.
	Increased Overcharge	Laser Overcharge	2	Increases damage and heat generation.

Heat Capacity

• Adds another emergency heat dump canister to the weapon, increasing how much heat can be absorbed before an emergency dump is triggered.

Heat Sink

• Increased heat sink capacity improves the cooling rate of the weapon while also increasing the time window for sustained fire.

Laser Overcharge

• Overcharging the laser causes it to output more damage at the cost of generating more heat. Increases damage per pulse.

Increased Overcharge

• Replacing standard capacitors with high-speed, heavy duty models allows for a much lower delay between pulses without sacrificing reliability. Increases rate of fire.

Weapon Stats

• Helldivers start missions with 3 heat dump canisters and can carry up to a maximum of 6.
• The Sickle takes 3 seconds to replace its heat dump canisters, although this is only necessary if the weapon overheats. This process cannot be sped up by any means.

LAS-16 'Sickle' Detailed Analysis
Weapon Info				Additional Notes
Unlock Rank	Rank 1			Unlocked via DLC
Weapon Type	Primary
Weapon Category	Laser
Fire Mode	Full-auto
Damage
	Base	Upgraded		Additional Notes
Damage	50	60†		† Requires Laser Overcharge
Center Mass Damage	120	170†		† Requires Laser Overcharge
Statistics
	Base	Upgraded		Additional Notes
Heat Capacity	400	520*		* Requires Heat Capacity upgrade
Heat Generation (per pulse)	20	28†		† Requires Laser Overcharge
Cooldown Rate	200/s	300/s¤		¤ Requires Heat Sink upgrade
Cyclic Rate of Fire (RPM)	450	552‡		‡ Requires Increased Overcharge
Starting Canisters	3	3
Max Canisters	6	6
Reload Speed	3 s	3 s		Has no tactical reload
Spread	0°	0°		Fixed firing pattern
Max Range	100 m	100 m		To be confirmed
Aim + Movement Speed Mod	todo	todo
Spread Simulation	todo

Gameplay Tips

• The Sickle is unique among laser weapons in that it combines the handling of a conventional assault rifle with the perfect accuracy and heat-based "ammo" management of laser weaponry. This can make the Sickle a very potent general-purpose weapon with a large degree of flexibility compared to both ballistic and laser weapons, letting its user bring virtually any combination of Stratagems and perks to suit their team's (or their own) needs.

• Accuracy is the single most important factor that will determine how well Helldivers will perform when using the Sickle, more so than most primary weapons. While the Sickle deals more damage per pulse on center mass shots than any assault rifle, it deals dramatically less damage on off-center shots: barely 50% to 33% of its maximum damage, not taking armor reduction into consideration. In addition, it also builds up heat the fastest compared to every other laser weapon with sustained fire. Hitting targets dead center is a must in order to make the most of the Sickle's damage potential, infinite ammo, and comparatively small sustained fire window.

• Unlike most laser weapons, the Sickle's pulsed firing mode does not allow it to cut through Cyborg armor like the Scythe or Tanto, making anti-tank Stratagems a requirement when taking on higher difficulty planets.

• The very high center mass damage, perfect accuracy, infinite ammo, and rate of fire make the Sickle the perfect laser DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle), capable of wiping out patrols at range as fast as the Camper or Justice while having no risk of overpenetration when firing between or around teammates or objectives. Additionally, the effectively bottomless magazine and infinite ammo lets the Sickle outlast ballistic weapons while also potentially freeing up a Stratagem slot normally used for Resupply, so long as its user manages heat properly.

• The Sickle tends to have some difficulty when dealing with spread-out crowds, shielded enemies, and mobs of highly resilient enemies such as Bug Brood Commanders and Cyborg Butchers. Consider pairing the Sickle with crowd-control or crowd-clearing Stratagems to allow some breathing room when engaging multiple durable enemies.

Notes

• The LAS-16 Sickle was re-balanced in Patch 5.00. The weapon now deals slightly less damage.