RS-422 Railgun
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| Helldivers 2 | Helldivers 1 |
“An experimental weapon which prioritizes armor penetration. Must be charged between shots - choose targets carefully.
— Ship Management Terminal
The RS-422 Railgun is a Stratagem which calls down a Support Weapon that fires highly damaging projectiles at the cost of fire rate.
Procurement
The Railgun is unlocked at the Patriotic Administration Center for 
10000 Requisition Slips at Level 20.
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
| RS-422 Railgun | |
|---|---|
| Fire Rate | 60 rpm |
| Cooldown | 480 sec |
| Call-in Time | 3 s |
| Capacity | 1 |
| Reload Time | 1.25 s |
| Spare Magazines | 20 |
| Starting Magazines | 10 |
| Mags from Supply | 10 |
| Mags from Ammo Box | 5 |
| Attacks | |
| Railgun | Projectile |
| Railgun | |
|---|---|
| Projectile | |
| Caliber | 10 mm |
| Mass | 50 g |
| Initial Velocity | 2000 m/s |
| Drag Factor | 30% |
| Gravity Factor | 100% |
| Lifetime | 5 sec |
| Penetration Slowdown | 0% |
| Damage | |
| Standard | 600 |
| vs. Durable | 225 |
| Penetration | |
| Direct |  Anti-Tank I
|
| Slight Angle | Anti-Tank I
|
| Large Angle | Anti-Tank I
|
| Extreme Angle | Anti-Tank I
|
| Special Effects | |
| Demolition Force | 10 |
| Stagger Force | 35 |
| Push Force | 15 |
| Railgun (99.99% charge) | |
|---|---|
| Damage | |
| Standard | 1500 |
| vs. Durable | 562.5 |
| Penetration | |
| Direct | Anti-Tank I
|
| Slight Angle | Anti-Tank I
|
| Large Angle | Anti-Tank I
|
| Extreme Angle | Anti-Tank I
|
| Special Effects | |
| Demolition Force | 10 |
| Stagger Force | 52 |
| Push Force | 15 |
| Railgun Self-Destruct | |
|---|---|
| Area of Effect | |
| Inner Radius | 0.4 m |
| Outer Radius | 2 m |
| Shockwave Radius | 3 m |
| Damage | |
| Inner Radius | 300 |
| Outer Radius | 299 - 0 |
| Penetration | |
| Inner Radius |  Medium
|
| Outer Radius |  Light
|
| Shockwave | Medium
|
| AoE Effect | |
| Demolition Force | 20 |
| Stagger Force | 5 |
| Push Force | 40 |
*Overcharging increases damage by up to 150%.
Functionality
The Railgun fires projectiles using a charge-based mechanic, and primarily has two firing modes, Safe and Unsafe.
In Safe Mode, holding down the trigger builds up charge in the weapon and quickly readies a shot. While the charge is held, the player's movement is greatly reduced and releasing the trigger will immediately fire the projectile, dealing a high amount of damage. There is no inherent danger in holding a charge in Safe Mode besides the reduced movement speed, so the wielder may charge the weapon for as long as they desire.
In Unsafe Mode, holding down the trigger will overcharge the weapon, increasing the projectile's damage the longer the trigger is held. As with Safe Mode, movement speed is reduced for as long as charge is building up, and releasing the trigger immediately fires the weapon. Charging the weapon in Unsafe Mode can increase the damage dealt by up to 150%, causing the projectile to inflict up to 2.5 times the damage it would in Safe Mode. However, if a charge is held for more than 3 seconds, the weapon will explode, destroying the weapon and inflicting heavy explosive damage to the wielder. The charge meter is visible on the weapon itself when aiming in first-person mode.
Tactical Information
- The Railgun is a high-damage low-fire-rate weapon that inflicts extreme amounts of damage per shot but is limited by its low ammo capacity and the danger of self-destruction if caution is not employed while wielding it in Unsafe Mode.
- With a total combat load of 21 rounds, it is important to make every single shot with this weapon count. Avoid using it against weak and numerous enemies, instead use it to quickly dispatch large threatening targets.
- Movement is reduced to walking speed while the weapon is charging, in both Safe and Unsafe Mode. As this greatly increases the vulnerability of the wielder, it is important to clear the immediate area of any enemies before charging a shot, or to avoid charging the weapon for too long.
- Because the weapon can only hold a single round at a time, it must be reloaded after every single shot. Try to get in the habit of immediately reloading after a shot, as it can be easy to lose track of its reload status when switching to a different weapon and then back to the Railgun.
- Be wary of trying to charge the Railgun too much in Unsafe Mode, as not only will this destroy the weapon but will also inflict enough damage to outright kill the wielder.
- The weapon emits a constant sound while charging, and in Unsafe Mode it increases in pitch as it gets closer to full charge. This is a helpful but ultimately unreliable indicator as to how much charge the weapon has built up.
- When using the weapon in Unsafe Mode, it is highly recommended to aim in first-person mode, as the charge meter on the weapon gives a visual indicator to how close it is to overloading, which is much more reliable than listening for the audio cue.
- Wearing armor with the Fortified passive halves the damage of the weapon's self-destruct when overloading, rendering the explosion survivable. While the weapon will still be destroyed, the player can continue to fight.
- The primary role for the Railgun is to quickly dispatch durable high-threat targets in a single shot. For most medium-sized enemies, this can be done easily in Safe Mode, though for certain targets Unsafe Mode will be required.
- Against Bugs the Railgun is notably effective against:
- Nursing Spewers and Bile Spewers can both be dispatched with a single uncharged shot to the head, or a 45% charged shot to the torso. The extreme durability of the butt sac makes it a poor target, as even a fully charged Unsafe shot would be unable to destroy it in one hit.
- Brood Commanders and Alpha Commanders are vulnerable to a single headshot in Safe Mode, and are generally slow-moving enough that targeting the enlarged head is not difficult. In particular, doing this at long range can eliminate the danger of its headless charging attack.
- Stalkers can be difficult targets to dispatch, as they have large amounts of HP and their ambush style attacks give no chance to charge a shot. A single Safe shot to the head will kill a Stalker, though it can be difficult to hit such a small target quickly on such a fast-moving enemy. Killing it with one shot to the body will require charging the weapon to 65%.
- Against bots the railgun is notably effective against:
- Scout Striders and Reinforced Scout Striders can be destroyed by a single Safe shot to any component that isn't its main cannon or the Reinforced Strider's rail mount. Generally, this means that simply hitting its armored box will destroy it, though for standard Scout Striders this may still give its pilot an opportunity to bail from its destroyed vehicle and continue fighting on foot.
- Berserkers can be destroyed in a single Safe shot to any part of its torso or its pelvis. While Berserkers are often encountered in numbers that make individual targeting unfeasible, kiting them into a line can grant opportunities to destroy several with collateral shots.
- All variants of Devastators can be destroyed with one Safe shot to any part of their body which is not an arm. The mounted shoulder launchers and magazine on Rocket Devastators are not fatal but destroying them prevents it from firing further rocket barrages, while Heavy Devastators can also be dispatched by destroying their backpacks if they can be flanked.
- Gunships can be tough foes, but an Unsafe shot charged to 30% can destroy any of its thrusters in one shot, instantly downing the Gunship. Its fuselage is very tough and will always require at least two Unsafe charged shots to destroy.
- Against the Illuminate, Overseers are protected by ablative armor that protect their bodies from being penetrated by single highly damaging attacks, making the Railgun a poor weapon to fight them. However, a Safe Mode shot to the head will kill any Overseer variant, while hitting the jetpack will instantly down an Elevated Overseer.
- Because of its ability to penetrate tank armor, the Railgun can serve as a support anti-tank weapon, destroying heavily armored targets in several shots to weak spots or helping to finish off enemies that have already been severely damaged by full anti-tank weapons.
- Chargers and Charger variants can be difficult to kill, but under the right circumstances can require four or less shots.
- Chargers and Spore Chargers can be killed in as little as two headshots each charged to at least 60%. However, due to their highly mobile nature and only exposing their heads to easy attacks when directly charging at players, this can be difficult to accomplish without the aid of a Stun Grenade.
- Charger Behemoths are extremely tough and require at least three headshots charged to nearly 100%. Its butt can be a more enticing target, as destroying that requires two Unsafe shots charged to 75% each.
- Chargers become significantly more vulnerable if their torso armor has been broken, exposing their innards to damage. As the innards take triple damage, a single Unsafe shot charged to 10-30%, depending on the Charger variant, is enough to finish it off.
- The legs of Chargers are also quite vulnerable, as a single Unsafe shot charged to 95% can finish off an exposed leg, instantly killing it. Depending on the variant though, cracking the leg armor can be quite difficult, so the aid of other anti-tank weaponry can make a significant difference.
- Impalers can be killed in as little as two charged shots, when they burrow their tendrils and expose their face. However, the charging time of the weapon can make this dangerous, as the second shot must be performed in the presence of active tentacles that can easily interrupt the charging process.
- Bile Titans are extremely challenging, as they are immune to stuns and their heads require at least three fully charged Unsafe shots to destroy. Their speed also makes it easy to close the distance on players and shower them in bile or crush them with stomps, creating a very difficult environment in which to attempt to charge shots.
- Hulks can vary in difficulty, depending on how good the player's aim is. A single Safe shot to its red eye will instantly kill any Hulk variant, while two fully charged Unsafe shots to the main body will also dispatch it. An Unsafe shot charged to 50% can destroy its leg, buying enough time to destroy the second leg for a kill. The arms are also quite vulnerable, requiring only a 35% charged Unsafe shot to destroy either one, greatly reducing the Hulk's lethality.
- Tanks are very difficult enemies to deal with, as they are clad in heavy armor that can reduce the damage dealt by Railgun shots. Targeting the vulnerable parts of a Tank's rear , whether on the heat sink on the turret or the engine compartment on the chassis, will always require at least two Unsafe charged shots, and the Barrager Tank's missile carriage does not possess a heat sink, meaning that its engine compartment must be targeted.
- Factory Striders are extremely tough opponents, as every single body part possesses 100% durability and has large amounts of HP. Even targeting its red eye unit underneath the head armor requires at least five fully charged Unsafe shots, and trying to hit the leg through the gaps between the heavy armor plates requires at least three. The best course of action is to destroy its chin-mounted gatling lasers to make it easier for teammates with full anti-tank weapons to destroy it.
- Harvesters, like Overseers, are protected by ablative armor that makes it very difficult to destroy them in a single hit. Its weakest point is the exposed leg joints connecting the main body to the armored legs, each of these require at least two Unsafe charged shots to destroy and will instantly bring down the Harvester.
- Chargers and Charger variants can be difficult to kill, but under the right circumstances can require four or less shots.
Applicable Ship Modules
The following Ship Modules affect the RS-422 Railgun:
| 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 all support weapons by 10%. | |
| Bridge | Morale Augmentation | Reduces cooldown time for all Stratagems by 5%. |
| Engineering Bay |
Streamlined Launch Process | All Support Weapons launch immediately once called in, reducing overall deployment time. |
Media
Weapon Wheel
First-Person View, 0% Charge
First-Person View, 95% Charge
Third-Person View
Change History
Patch
Description
1.003.000
2025-05-13
Change
- Decreased spread from 10 to 0.1
1.001.100
2024-09-17
Changes
- Durable damage increased from 60 to 225.
- Fully overcharging damage increased from 150% to 250%.
Undocumented Changes
- No longer increase armor penetration level when overcharging.
1.000.400
2024-06-13
Fixes
- Fixed a crash when a player leaves after all their railguns have exploded.
1.000.300
2024-04-29
Changes
- Increased armor penetration in both safe mode and unsafe mode.
- Stagger force slightly reduced.
1.000.200
2024-04-02
Changes
- Undocumented: Charging meter visual added to weapon scope.
1.000.100
2024-03-06
Changes
- Decreased armor penetration in Safe Mode.
- Decreased damage against durable enemy parts.
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