MG-43 Machine Gun

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Last updated: 1.002.106
Current patch: 1.003.001


Stratagems
Patriotic Administration Center
Supply
Support Weapon
MG-43 Machine Gun

Weapons
Support Weapons
Heavy Weapons
MG-43 Machine Gun

“

A machine gun designed for stationary use. Trades higher power for increased recoil and reduced accuracy.

— Ship Management Terminal

The Machine Gun is a Stratagem that calls down a Support Weapon capable of rapidly firing armor penetrating rounds.

Procurement

The Machine Gun is unlocked by default upon completing training.

Stratagem Statistics

General
Call-in Time Standard 7.75 seconds
Upgraded 4.75 seconds
Uses Unlimited
Cooldown Standard 480 seconds
With Morale Augmentation 456 seconds
With Streamlined Request Process 432 seconds
With All Upgrades 410.4 seconds

Detailed Weapon Statistics

MG-43 Machine Gun
Fire Rate 900 rpm
Cooldown 480 sec
Call-in Time 3 s
Capacity 175
Reload Time 4.6 s
Tactical Reload 3.8 s
Spare Magazines 3
Starting Magazines 2
Mags from Supply 2
Mags from Ammo Box 1
Attacks
Rifle 8x60mm Full Metal Jacket Projectile
Rifle 8x60mm Full Metal Jacket
Projectile
Caliber 8 mm
Mass 11 g
Initial Velocity 820 m/s
Drag Factor 30%
Gravity Factor 100%
Penetration Slowdown 25%
Damage
Standard 90
vs. Durable 23
Penetration
Direct Armor AP3 Icon.png Medium
Slight Angle Armor AP3 Icon.png Medium
Large Angle Armor AP3 Icon.png Medium
Extreme Angle Armor AP1 Icon.png Unarmored II
Special Effects
Demolition Force 10
Stagger Force 20
Push Force 12

Tactical Information

  • As a general-purpose machine gun, the MG-43 excels at engaging and destroying large numbers of small- to medium-sized enemies. Its high rate of fire combined with high-damage armor-penetrating rounds can make short work of Democracy's enemies.
    • Each box contains a belt of 175 rounds, and the 3 additional reserve boxes allow for a total combat load of 700 rounds, 875 rounds with the Siege-Ready armor passive. Ammo Boxes that spawn in the world restore one ammo box, while a Resupply stratagem will refill two boxes (three if Superior Packing Methodology has been unlocked).
    • The weapon has high recoil, making it difficult to aim for sustained fire, but it becomes more controllable and accurate while stationary and while crouching or going prone and firing in bursts. Depending on the situation, try to always stop and crouch down while firing this weapon in order to properly direct its tremendous damage output. The Engineering Kit or Fortified armor passive can further aid in this.
    • Due to its weight and bulk, the MG-43 can be unwieldy when attempting to shift aim quickly. This makes it difficult to track targets at close range, and can prove to be a liability if multiple enemies get within a few meters. To prevent this, it is ideal to engage targets at long ranges, and kill them before they can get too close. The Peak Physique armor passive can mitigate this, allowing the weapon to be swung to bear on targets much more quickly.
  • The Machine Gun has Armor AP3 Icon.png Medium armor penetration, meaning it can pierce the armor of medium-sized enemies like Hive Guards and Devastators. It is capable of handling any enemy smaller than a Charger or Tank.
  • Fire rate can be toggled between 630, 760 and 900 rounds per minute via the Weapon Wheel.
    • A lower fire rate reduces recoil, making it easier to hit individual targets at long ranges and conserving ammunition but also reducing overall damage output.
    • A higher fire rate maximizes damage output but makes the weapon harder to control outside of close-range combat and chews through ammo very quickly. It's best used when large crowds of enemies at close range need to be dispensed.
  • It is recommended to be tactful when reloading, as doing so immobilizes the player for the entire 4.1-second animation. Interrupting this lengthy animation partway through to avoid enemy fire will let you resume it from a later stage in the reload process (it contains three distinct stages: removing the currently-attached box, inserting a fresh one, and cycling the action if the chamber is empty).
    • If the current belt has not been completely expended, the reload time can be shortened by 0.7 seconds (a 17% faster reload) as there is no need to chamber a new round. This means that it can be beneficial to reload the weapon early, when there are only a few rounds left before it is completely empty.
    • A handy trick to keep from being caught with an empty magazine in the middle of battle is to reload the weapon upon finding an Ammo Box, whether at an enemy outpost or a Minor Place of Interest. Even if carrying a full complement of reserve magazines, replacing the current partially-spent magazine with a fresh one and then picking up the ammo box to bring reserve magazines back to full, reduces the chances that the Machine Gun will run empty in an upcoming engagement.

Applicable Ship Modules

The following Ship Modules affect the MG-43 Machine Gun:

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 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.

Media

Tutorial Video Demonstrating Use of the MG-43 Machine Gun

Change History

Patch
Description

1.001.201
2024-10-29

Fixes

  • The MG-43 Machine Gun now has the 0.5 second shorter reload duration from 1.000.400 properly implemented.
    • The lowered value is actually a decrease from 5 seconds to 4.5 seconds.

1.001.104
2024-10-15

Changes

  • Magazine capacity increased from 150 to 175
  • Starting spare magazines increased from 1 to 2

1.001.100
2024-09-17

Changes

  • Stagger force increased from 15 to 20.

1.000.400
2024-06-13

Changes

  • Decreased reload time from 4 seconds to 3.5 seconds.
    • This buff was not implemented in-game, and was later correctly implemented in 1.001.201.
  • Increased max amount of Magazines from 3 to 4.
  • Increased projectile damage from 80 to 90.
  • Increased projectile damage against durable* body parts from 7.5% to 25%.


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