Helldivers 2 Mechs explained and how to get one

Helldivers 2 Patriot Exosuit mech
(Image credit: Sony)

The new Helldivers 2 mech adds some serious firepower to your arsenal of Stratagems, letting you spew bullets with a heavy machine gun or explode enemies with rockets. It's a powerful and fun toy to mess around with in Helldivers 2, and will no doubt prove very useful in high difficulty missions thanks to it's durability. However, it has a surprising number of features – and lack of features – that are worth knowing to ensure you get the most out of your Patriot Exosuit. Here's exactly how you ge the Helldivers 2 Patriot Exosuit mech Stratagem and some tips for using it in battle.

How to unlock the Helldivers 2 Patriot Exosuit mech

(Image: © Sony)

After a community-wide effort to liberate Tien Kwan, all players can unlock the Patriot Exosuit Stratagem provided they meet the requirements – the Stratagem costs 20,000 Requisition Slips and you must be level 25 or higher to unlock it. With the Stratagem unlocked, you can select it as one of your four Stratagems when choosing your loadout at the start of a mission and can then call it in to obliterate some bots and bugs - it's got a lot going for it so it could be one of the best Stratagems in Helldivers 2. However, there are some caveats and things to know about the new Helldivers 2 mech which I've detailed below.

Helldivers 2 Patriot Exosuit tips and features

Helldivers 2 Patriot Exosuit mech shooting down automaton dropship

(Image credit: Sony)

The Patriot Exosuit mech brings incredible firepower and protection into missions, with its heavy machine gun, rocket launcher, and bulky armor. Such firepower is also limited with a small ammo pool, so you'll need to make sure you use your Exosuit wisely whenever you call one in, and you definitely won't be using one for a whole mission. Here's a quickfire list of all the main features and some tips to be aware of when using your mech in Helldivers 2:

  • You can call in a maximum of two Exosuits per mission using the Stratagem. It also has a 10-minute cooldown, so you'll want to make both mechs count!
  • The Patriot is heavily armored and very durable. You can tank a lot of damage while piloting the Patriot, so even if you run out of ammo, there's no need to ditch it right away. If you decide to abandon it, be sure to position it in a way to give you extra cover while on foot.
  • The heavy machine gun shred through weaker enemies and has a high rate of fire. It's a bit like having the gatling sentry strapped to your arm, though you'll want to be careful how you use the limited ammo.
  • Conversely the rocket launcher is extremely powerful, punching through heavily armored targets and can even bring down Helldivers 2 Automaton dropships. Additionally, it can destroy lots of objective-based structures, and well-placed rockets can blow up bug nests and bot fabricators.
  • If you're out of ammo, resort to the Exosuit's stomp attack. With the regular melee button, you can crush smaller bugs and bots underfoot – you can actually squash basic Terminid Scavengers just by walking on them. This attack is quite slow and not hugely powerful, so it's best to hang back and draw enemy fire with your massive, armored hull while you've got ammo, then get into the fray when you're all out.
  • Ammo is very limited and there's no way to resupply. The Patriot Exosuit's machine gun has 1,000 rounds and the rocket launcher has only 14 rockets. This means you've got to aim true and make your shots count. Try not to waste your rockets, and be prepared for your teammates to help too, so there's no need to get too trigger happy.
  • Movement is another major weakness of the Exosuit as it's very slow. On-foot Helldivers are much faster than the mech and it can't sprint either, so you may have to consider ditching your mech if time is of the essence during your mission.
  • There are no Ship Modules to upgrade the mech either. Even though it's part of the Robotics Workshop category, none of the relevant upgrades apply to the mech. This may change in a later update as Exosuit-specific ship modules could be added. Regardless, it's still pretty powerful.
  • Watch for signs of damage and be prepared to ditch your Exosuit. The Patriot unfortunately gives you very little warning that its time has come, violently exploding with you inside. Look for damage and black smoke coming out of the mech, and you'll know it's reaching its last legs and that it's probably time to bail out.
  • The dropship also provides some fire support. When you call in your mech, it doesn't plummet down like a hellpod and instead is dropped off by a ship identical to the one that collects your team at extraction points. It even fires its gun to clear the area for your mech.

Will more mechs be added to Helldivers 2?

This is the only Exosuit available in Helldivers 2 at the moment, and based on some player exploits and hacks (and the first Helldivers game) it seems likely that other Exosuits with different weapon loadouts will be added in the future, though there is no clear release date or Helldivers 2 roadmap update for this. Just because hackers and dataminers were able to access these Stratagems and game files doesn't necessarily mean they are definitely coming to the game either.

Mechs… enjoy from r/Helldivers

The same leaks and datamines also revealed that Helldivers 2 vehicles could arrive in a future update too, and given that they were a major part of the first game, this seems likely as well, especially now that Exosuits have been added.

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Will Sawyer
Guides Writer

Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.

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