LAS-98 Laser Cannon

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Helldivers 1

Laser Cannon
Permit Type	Supply
Unlock Level	5
Unlock Cost	4000 Requisition
Module	Engineering Bay
Traits	Support Weapon  •  Hellpod
Strategem Code

Weapon Details
Weapon Details
Standard Damage	350
Max Penetration	Medium II
Spare Mags	1 Magazines

“

A laser weapon firing a continuous beam. Doesn't require ammunition, but will need heat sink replaced if it overheats.

— Ship Management Terminal

The Laser Cannon is a heat-based support weapon that fires a sustained beam of energy that penetrates light vehicle armor.

Procurement

The Laser Cannon is unlocked at the Patriotic Administration Center (Engineering Bay subsection) for 4000 Requisition at Level 5.

Stratagem Statistics

General
Call-in Time	Standard	3 seconds
	Upgraded	0 seconds
Uses	Unlimited
Cooldown	Standard	480 seconds
	With Morale Augmentation	456 seconds
	With Streamlined Request Process	432 seconds
	With All Upgrades	410.4 seconds

Weapon Statistics

LAS-98 Laser Cannon
Cooldown	480 sec
Call-in Time	3 s
Fire Limit	10 s
Reload Time	3.6 s
Tactical Reload	5 s
Spare Magazines	1
Starting Magazines	1
Mags from Supply	1
Mags from Ammo Box	1
Attacks
Laser Cannon Beam	Beam

Laser Cannon Beam
Beam
Beam Range	200 m
Damage
Standard	350
vs. Durable	200
Penetration
Direct	Medium II
Slight Angle	Medium II
Large Angle	Medium II
Extreme Angle	Medium II
Special Effects
Status	Fire
Status Strength	0.25
Demolition Force	20
Stagger Force	0
Push Force	0

DPS Fire
Damage
Element	Fire
Standard	50
vs. Durable	50
Penetration
Direct	Medium II
Slight Angle	Medium II
Large Angle	Medium II
Extreme Angle	Unarmored
Special Effects
Demolition Force	0
Stagger Force	0
Push Force	0

Functionality

Rather than using magazines of ammunition, the Laser Cannon builds up heat in its Internal Cooling Element while it is firing. If too much heat is built up in the ICE, it will burn out and render the weapon unable to fire until the heat sink is replaced via a reload. As long as it has not fully burnt out, the heat sink will slowly cool down automatically when not firing, even if a primary or secondary weapon is being currently wielded; this effectively gives the weapon infinite ammo if it is fired judiciously.

From a nearly maximum heat ICE, the weapon will require 15 seconds to fully cool down under standard conditions. Additionally, the beam from the Laser Cannon is capable of igniting targets, setting them on fire if the beam has been focused on them for a period of time. A burning target will take damage over time to its main body, but only if its armor level is not greater than the penetration power of the Laser Cannon. Finally, when firing the Laser Cannon for the first time after a period of inactivity, it requires a short "warm-up" period where the weapon has to be charged before discharging its beam.

Tactical Information

• Because of its beam nature, the Laser Cannon is very easy to aim. Factors such as gravity's effect on the projectile do not apply to the Laser Cannon, simply place the reticle on top of the target and fire. This makes it particularly strong against highly mobile enemies like Gunships and Shriekers.
  • When firing the Laser Cannon, the color of the refracting light on the target will help indicate whether or not damage is being dealt. If blue light is bouncing off of the impact point, it means that the armor on that location is greater than the weapon's ability to penetrate it. Otherwise, orange light will bounce off of the target if it is successfully dealing damage.
• Be aware of the warm-up period when using the Laser Cannon, especially when switching to it from another weapon. The short period where it is unable to be fired can render the wielder vulnerable to attacks, so if the situation permits try to bring the Laser Cannon out earlier and prime it before it is needed.
• As an energy-based weapon, the effectiveness of the Laser Cannon can vary greatly depending on the local environment.
  • An Extreme Cold planet increases the efficiency of the heat sink, causing it to cool down 33% faster (from 15 seconds to 10).
  • An Intense Heat planet will cause the weapon to cool down 33% slower (from 15 seconds to 20), forcing the wielder to wait longer before being able to fire it again.
• The Laser Cannon's hitscan nature, medium armor penetration and potentially infinite ammo gives it great flexibility.
  • Generally, the Laser Cannon is best used to dispatch armored enemies such as Devastators and Bile Spewers, as it can easily punch through their armored areas and inflict full damage. Against Automatons, it is also capable of destroying Hulks by focusing on the red eye unit.
  • Unlike other heavy support weapons, the Laser Cannon can also sweep light targets with the beam to quickly dispatch them, which can save ammo on the primary and secondary weapons. However, this should be done judiciously as it can unnecessarily build up heat in the weapon before it is needed to engage heavier targets, which can limit its firing duration at an inopportune moment. Gauge the enemy strength and composition before committing the Laser Cannon to destroying smaller enemies.
  • Its armor penetration allows the Laser Cannon to deal damage to certain secondary objective structures such as Anti-Air and Mortar Emplacements, as well as Shrieker Nests and Spore Spewers. This can be handy for dispatching objective buildings without having to call down and wait for a Hellbomb.
  • The beam is also not limited to destroying enemies and enemy structures, as it can also destroy fences as well as the cargo container doors at a Minor Place of Interest. This can be particularly useful for saving grenades for more important targets.
• One popular loadout is to use the Laser Cannon alongside other energy-based weapons such as the Scythe, Sickle and Dagger.
  • All these weapons use heat sinks that cool down while not in use; therefore, using one weapon until it is on the brink of burning out, and then switching to a second weapon to let the first weapon cool down, and so on, can be very effective. Additionally, as none of these weapons use ammo, it allows the player to independently roam during a mission without worrying about being tied to a Resupply.
  • This can be further compounded by exploiting Extreme Cold planets and taking advantage of the faster heat dissipation offered by their frigid atmospheres. However, even on planets with moderate temperatures, this weapon cycling tactic can serve to mitigate their normal cooldown weakness, greatly augmenting the player's damage output.
• The Laser Cannon's greatest weakness is that it can only carry one spare ICE. This means that if the heat sink is burnt out, the wielder only gets one chance to reset the weapon before it is rendered unusable while away from supplies.
  • However, the silver lining is that picking up any ammunition, including an Ammo Box, will instantly replenish the heat sink supply. This makes the Laser Cannon unique in that a single Ammo Box found during a mission can fully replenish its reserve ammo.
  • Due to the above, the Laser Cannon benefits greatly from exploring Minor Places of Interest, as picking up stray Ammo Boxes disproportionately replenishes its reserve ammo.
  • In a situation where stray Ammo Boxes are plentiful and numerous enemies are approaching, the Laser Cannon can easily hold its ground by deliberately burning out the ICE and reloading it by using the Ammo Boxes. As changing the heat sink takes significantly less time than waiting for it to cool down, this can drastically improve the Laser Cannon's damage output in defensive situations.

Trivia

• Like other beam weapons such as the LAS-5 Scythe and LAS-7 Dagger, the Laser Cannon is hitscan.

Affected By

The following Ship Modules affect the LAS-98 Laser Cannon:

Department	Ship Module	Effect
Patriotic Administration Center	Donation Access License	Support Weapons deploy with the maximum number of carriable magazines.
	Streamlined Request Process	Decreases Support Weapon stratagem cooldown by 10%.
	Superior Packing Methodology	Resupply stratagem boxes refill the Support Weapons with the maximum number of carriable magazines.
	Payroll Management System	Reduces reload time for all support weapons by 10%.
Bridge	Morale Augmentation	Reduces cooldown time for all stratagems by 5%.
Engineering Bay	Streamlined Launch Process	All Support Weapon stratagems launch immediately once called in, reducing overall deployment time.

Change History

Patch

Description

1.001.100
2024-09-17

Changes

• Cooldown is now slightly faster.
  • This buff was not implemented in-game.
• Removed recoil.
• Now sets enemies on fire faster.
• Can now damage heavier enemies like Chargers, Bile Titans, Impalers, and Hulks.
• Made adjustments to the heat VFX.

1.000.302
2024-05-07

Fixes

• Fixed a rare crash that could occur when using beam weapons

1.000.300
2024-04-29

Changes

• Slightly increased damage
• Slightly reduced damage versus large volume bodies

1.000.100
2024-03-06

Changes

• Increased damage against durable enemy parts, increased armor penetration, improved ergonomics.

Media

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Tutorial Video Demonstrating Use of the LAS-98 Laser Cannon

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LAS-98 Laser Cannon firing continuously for 10 seconds until the heat sink expels.