Reach Level 10 in Helldivers 2 and you can unlock two versions of the Guard Dog attack drone Stratagem. AX/AR-23 is the standard one armed with a ballistic gun and the AX/LAS-5 Rover comes with a laser beam rifle. Both work pretty much the same, from looks to unlock level and cooldown, their biggest differences are their colored stripes and weapons. So which one should you bring with you when you’re dropping down to spread freedom and democracy?
Laser Rover vs Gun Guard Dog: Which One Is Better in Helldivers 2?
We found that the Laser Rover Guard Dog outperforms the Gun Guard Dog in most situations. In terms of range, both seem to engage any enemies they see at around 11 to 13 meters or 36 to 42 feet. Though on the one hand, the Gun Guard Dog deals slightly bigger damage than the Laser. Three quick shots can easily destroy a weak Scavenger Terminid while it takes about 1 second of constant laser stream to kill one.
However, on the other hand, the Laser Guard Dog can stay up indefinitely whereas the Gun Guard Dog will retreat to your backpack to reload. From our rough estimation, the Gun Guard Dog can spend about 30 rounds and takes around 8 seconds to reload its ammo on your backpack.
The first thing to consider about which Helldivers 2 Guard Dog is better, is that their main function is crowd control. The automated attack drone is completely useless against armored enemies and you can only rely on them to kill mobs. Therefore, Helldivers 2 Laser Guard Dog having practically unlimited uptime is much better than Gun’s bigger damage. Rover will let you focus on main threats like Chargers while its laser deals with smaller bugs like a bug spray made of intense heat.
Second, don’t forget that everything in this game causes a friendly fire. Because of that, the damage from the Gun Guard Dog can prove more fatal during intense firefights. It’s very easy for your teammates or even yourself to get into its line of fire when surrounded by the aliens. A four-round burst from a Gun Guard Dog can easily blow your heads off while the Laser’s chip damage is more manageable.
Therefore, all things considered, Laser Rover can be considered the best Guard Dog in Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2 is available on PlayStation 5 and PC.
