There’s no mistaking the silhouette of this iconic weapon in Helldivers 2 for anything else. The APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle is the go to weapon for dealing with armored and mechanized evil, and this Helldivers 2 guide is all about getting your hands wrapped around one of these bad boys in-mission, and using it right.

UPDATED April 16

Helldivers 2 Update Patch Notes 01.000.203 Apr 16

Helldivers 2 Unlock Anti-Materiel Rifle

The APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle is a Stratagem in the Patriotic Administration Center section of the Stratagem tab in the Ship Management menu. The weapon will need to be unlocked with 5,000 Requisition Slips once you’ve reached Level 2.

Supply Stratagem Permit
APW-1 Anti-Materiel Rifle
A high-caliber sniper rifle effective over long distances against light vehicle armor. This rifle must be aimed downscope.

Stats
Call-In Time: 3 sec
Uses: Unlimited
Cooldown Time: 480 sec
Stratagem Item Traits: 1 Support Weapon and 1 Hellpod

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Helldivers 2 Use The Anti-Materiel Rifle

Once you own the Anti-Materiel Rifle, be sure to incorporate it into your loadout before making planetfall. On the ground, have the weapon dropped from above using the following input:

⇩⇦⇨⇧⇩(Down, Left, Right, Up, Down)

Now that you’re the designated team sniper, you’ll want to hold the back line, especially since the weapon must be aimed downscope to fire effectively. While it can be hipfired, there is no onscreen reticle to make a judgment about where to land your shots.

The Anti-Materiel Rifle has three magnification levels: 50m, 100m, and 200m, allowing you to hang pretty far back as you plink-plink the enemy. If only most planets weren’t so shrouded in fog and dust. But if you do have clear skies and a jump pack, make for the high ground and take an overwatch position.

Given the need to use it while aiming down the scope, you may want to best optimize settings associated with first-person mode switching using our guide on the subject. Additionally, the Anti-Materiel Rifle is best used either crouched or prone to counter the heavy muzzle rise and recoil. 

Ideally you will want to avoid using the weapon on unarmored, squishier enemies, although it does seem to have penetration, and may be effective at thinning out densely packed mobs. At that point, you will be contending with the Anti-Materiel Rifle’s plodding rate of fire instead.

It goes without saying that your backup weapon would ideally be the polar opposite of the Anti-Materiel Rifle as far as rate of fire is concerned.

Despite it commonly being recommended for use exclusively against the armored ranks of the Automatons, the Anti-Materiel Rifle is great for shredding the armor-like carapace of certain Terminid species as well, right before switching to a mop-up secondary weapon.

I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger Because He Said He Could Get Me Into Helldivers 2

That’s all the tips and tricks we know for the Anti-Materiel Rifle in Helldivers 2.

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