Is Helldivers 2’s Diligence Counter Sniper worth it?

There are a myriad of weapons to choose from in Helldivers 2, from laser cannons to your trusty pistol. One such primary weapon that has piqued the interest of many players is the Diligence Counter Sniper, one of the game’s few Marksman Rifles.

Many Helldivers will already be familiar with the Diligence weapon system from the full-auto assault variant, but here we’re looking at whether the longer-ranged sniper rifle version can keep up with the rest of the arsenal. Here’s what we know about Helldivers 2‘s Diligence Counter Sniper and whether it’s really worth using.

The Diligence Counter Sniper in Helldivers 2, explained

The R-63CS Diligence Counter Sniper is a Marksman Rifle available on page seven of the Helldivers Mobilize Warbond, meaning you’ll have to fork out a fair few Medals to unlock it. I managed to grab it by the time I reached level 17, so as long as you keep spending your Medals, you’ll be able to get your hands on it soon enough.

The weapon is a semi-automatic sniper rifle version of the Diligence, one of the first guns you’ll use in Helldivers. This is the marksman variant with a moderate rate of fire and higher armor penetration but holds fewer shots in its magazine.

Advantages and drawbacks of the Diligence Counter Sniper

Thanks to its higher zoom and passive stability, the Diligence Counter Sniper is exceptionally accurate when still. The weapon is designed to be used at range and from a crouched or prone position, ideally from an advantageous height.

In lower difficulties up to Medium or Challenging, the weapon one-shot kills most small and medium-sized bugs or bots. Its medium-grade armor penetration makes it very effective against armored targets with specific weak spots like the Berserker, Devastator, Warriors, and Stalkers.

That’s just about where the advantages end, unfortunately. The weapon’s handling is abysmal and is practically unusable from the hip without waiting a long time for your reticle to swing around and focus. A low magazine size means you’ll be reloading this often: It’s one of the only weapons I actually ran out of ammo with and had to call in a Resupply for.

Even at point-blank range firing at full speed is ungainly and very inaccurate thanks to its high recoil, so once enemies have closed the gap and are inside a few feet, be sure to switch to your sidearm or you may be caught staring down your sights.

Is the Diligence Counter Sniper worth the Medals?

Apart from progressing your Warbond, no, the Diligence Counter Sniper is not worth using in Helldivers 2 right now. Its high Medal cost makes it important to purchase so you can open the next Warbond page, but the weapon in its current state is very tough to make work consistently.

The moment you reach a higher Helldivers 2 difficulty, its armor penetration becomes useless and its handling troubles are amplified as the battlefield becomes packed with enemies swarming you from every angle. If you still want to proceed using the Diligence Counter Sniper, it’s highly recommended you bring a Support weapon Strategem with close-range capabilities like the Arc Thrower or the Flamethrower too.