LAS-98 Laser Cannon

"This cannon is built on upscaled, weaponized laser technology. It fires a heavy, continuous laser beam that consumes no ammunition unless it overheats. The weapon needs to be loaded with emergency heat dump canisters to fire."
- Armory Description

Stratagem Code

In Helldivers must enter the following sequence, using the controller d‑pad, in order to call down this single-use stratagem during a mission;

This heavy weapon also returns in Helldivers 2 with the same name. It shares the same code as its former iteration:

Unlock Requirement

In Helldivers 2, the Laser Cannon is unlocked at Level 20 and is purchasable with 4000 Requisition points.

In the original, the LAS-98 Laser Cannon is granted to the player as a reward for completing all the missions on its associated planet (typically a medium-high level planet - difficulty 7 to 9).

Helldivers 2

The Laser Cannon can be treated as an upscaled version of the Scythe, and can reliably tackle light armor and medium armor protected targets such as Terminid Hive Guards or Automaton Berserkers. The Laser Cannon fires an accurate, continuous beam over a long range. It does not consume any ammunition, but will eventually overheat and requires to have its heat sink replaced before it can fire again. Only 1 spare heat sink can be carried, so it’s important to manage the weapon’s heat.

The Laser Cannon can sustain fire for longer on colder planets but will also overheat more easily on planets with hot environments. The Laser Cannon will emit a rapid and shrill alarm when it’s about to overheat; like all laser weapons, the Laser Cannon will cool down even when unequipped, so switch to a different weapon while you wait for it to cool down.

Like most heavy weapons, the Laser Cannon suffers considerably from weapon sway, so it is best used when stationary and/or crouched or prone.

Helldivers

This section contains information specific to Helldivers and how the Laser Cannon stratagem behaves in that game.

Upgrades

Upgrade		Cost	Effect
	Mk1		Basic variant, no upgrades.
	Mk2	1	This upgraded version is built from lightweight materials allowing the Helldiver to move and fire.
	Mk3	2	Additional heat dump canisters allow for longer fire time.

Weapon Stats

• The weapon comes with 1 Laser Cannon heat dump canister, and can carry up to 3. Picking up ammunition adds 1 canister.

• Replacing a canister is only necessary if the weapon is overheated. This takes 6 seconds and immobilizes the Helldiver for the duration.

LAS-98 Laser Cannon Detailed Analysis
Weapon Info			Additional Notes
Unlock Rank	Difficulty 7-9 planet
Weapon Type	Secondary
Weapon Category	Laser
Fire Mode	Continuous
Damage
	Base	Upgraded	Additional Notes
Damage per Second (DPS)	400/s	400/s
Center Mass DPS	900/s	900/s
Statistics
	Base	Upgraded	Additional Notes
Heat Capacity	400	560*	* Requires Mk3 upgrade
Heat Generation	88/s	123.2/s*	* Requires Mk3 upgrade
Cooldown Rate	140/s	252/s*	* Requires Mk3 upgrade
Starting Canisters	1	1	Ammunition crates replenish 1 canister
Max Canisters	3	3	Ammunition crates replenish 1 canister
Reload Speed	6 s	6 s	Has no tactical reload; immobilized while reloading
Spread	0°	0°	Fixed firing pattern; slight aim assist
Range	30 m	30 m	To be confirmed
Aim + Movement Speed Mod	todo	todo
Spread Simulation	todo

Gameplay Tips

• The LAS-98 is to the LAS-5 Scythe what the AC-22 Dum-Dum is to the AR-19 Liberator, offering greatly increased damage and boasting the highest damage per second of all continuous laser weapons while having the slowest turn speed while firing and aiming. Like its smaller counterpart, the LAS-98 has perfect accuracy and can be fired continuously as long as its user manages heat generation efficiently, however its higher damage output allows it to take down most enemies faster and even damage enemies the Scythe cannot.
• Sweeping fire with this weapon is not recommended against most enemies as it will waste firing time due to hitting off-center and dealing less than 50% damage, or missing entirely. It is recommended to let go of the trigger to adjust your aim or switch between spread out targets to let the weapon cool down and ensure more firing time is spent on-target.
• Using a melee attack while aiming completely removes the turn speed restriction of the LAS-98 and lets the user's aim snap to the cursor immediately. Mastering this technique allows users to quickly snap between targets with enough practice while allowing the weapon to cool between bursts.
• This weapon has excellent synergy with utility-focused weapons like the RX-1 Rail Gun and AR-14D Paragon. Its effectively limitless ammunition allows Helldivers to use it as a primary weapon and save primary ammo.
• Like the AC-22 Dum-Dum, this weapon is able to damage Cyborg Warlords and Hulks so long as the beam hits its targets dead-center, but not Bug Tanks or Behemoths. This gives its users some form of last-ditch offense against the more heavily armored enemies if offensive Stratagems or support from teammates is not available.

• The LAS-98 will visibly vent steam when at 50% base heat capacity, and emit both an audible alert and even more steam when at 80% base heat capacity, warning its user that an emergency heat dump is imminent. Use these visual and audio cues to learn the heat up/cool down timing for the LAS-98 to prevent having to change heat dump canisters in the middle of a firefight.

Gallery

• 

  LAS-98 Laser Cannon

• 

  LAS-98 Laser Cannon's powerful beam

Notes

• The LAS-98 is evidently too unwieldy to be used as a melee weapon. When carrying this weapon, Helldivers will perform a melee attack by striking enemies with their fist instead of using the weapon itself. This is purely cosmetic however and attacks will deal the same damage as a regular melee attack.

• The LAS-98 Laser Cannon was re-balanced in Patch 3.02. The weapon now has a lower aim speed, to match other shoulder carried heavy weapons.