Down boy: Helldivers 2 players wish Guard Dog stratagems would get these buffs

The Guard Dog—both normal and Rover variants—are exceptional backpacks for Helldivers 2 players wanting to clear enemies. Perhaps too exceptional, according to one Hell Diver, who thinks it’s time for the Guard Dogs to return to their dog trainers.

In a Reddit thread by u/foggiermeadows on March 3, the Hell Diver talked about how they enjoy bringing the Guard Dog to missions alongside their brother. And there’s good reason for that—the Guard Dog and Guard Dog “Rover” clear enemies efficiently and somewhat accurately, though with limited armor penetration. They’re perfect for Helldivers 2′s crowded bug missions and some bot extermination missions since they can clear through Hunters and Raiders fast.

But the player noted the drone’s permanent uptime leaves them in awkward situations. “Man alive it is infuriating when [a Guard Dog drone] engages while you’re trying to be stealthy” the Diver bemoaned, whose drone would often break stealth to shoot at patrols, causing a Bug Breach or Drop Ship to come down. They suggested an option to stow the backpack while sneaking around, sending a prayer to “Joel” to help “R&D” out and make the update come true.

The response was nearly unanimously in agreement with the initial poster. While some noted you could simply “drop the backpack,” most noted that would be a Band-Aid on an otherwise easy solution. Both the Rover and basic variants have an animation for landing on the Hell Diver’s back while reloading or self-repairing, becoming unable to fire while doing so.

In addition, there’s a dedicated backpack button—”5″ on PC and down on the D-pad for controller—currently used almost exclusively for the Supply Pack and Jump Pack. If players could hit the Backpack Button to force the drone into its reload animation, they could sneak around without worrying about the Guard Dog triggering patrols or angering a Bile Titan out of a nearby nest.

Users noted the alternative benefits to this toggle as well, such as conserving ammo or preventing “the friendly fire issues [Guard Dogs have].” While this might unbalance the “trade offs… for having a bodyguard robot,” it’d require the player to be knowledgeable of their surroundings or risk turning off a key ally for big fights during a bad time. It’d also allow the Guard Dogs to become as flexible as the Shield Pack—our choice for the meta-defining backpack of Helldivers 2.

With forced reloads, better control over your firepower during scrambles, and the capability to use it during stealthy moments, we could see Guard Dogs climbing in popularity across Helldivers 2. Though, admittedly, there are a few more strong Stratagems and weapons we’d like to see buffed first.