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The PLAS-1 Scorcher sits on the very last page of the first free Warbond inHelldivers 2,and it’s got many people asking if it’s even worth the grind. Players need to spend about a thousand medals to get the weapon, a feat that will take a few dozen hours to complete.
Specialized weapons likethe Breaker Spray & Pray inHelldivers 2are great at one thing, but often terrible at others. The same idea applies to the Scorcher, though it’s got some nuances that make it a bit more suitable in certain situations compared to others. Here’s what you need to know about this weapon.
Updated June 12, 2025 by Marc Santos:The PLAS-1 is one of the most effective primary weapons in Helldivers 2 when it comes to dealing with light, medium, and, to an extent, heavy enemies. The plasma gun’s projectiles, despite only having light armor penetration, can effectively take down even Automaton Devastators without hitting many weakpoint hits. This, paired with the gun’s excellent handling, makes it a very good choice when fighting this faction. To showcase the PLAS-1’s strength, a companion video was added to this guide.
PLAS-1 Scorcher Stat Summary
The stats are average on paper, but the important bits here are theExplosiveandEnergy-basedtags on the gun. The former means its projectiles deal damage over a small area, while the latter means its shots will not ricochet off armored surfaces. It will still fail to damage heavily-armored parts of targets like Chargers and Bile Titans, but it doesn’t have the risk of accidentally hitting teammates due to its bullets bouncing off.
In practical terms, this weapon plays a similar role to theJAR-5 Dominator inHelldivers 2. Both are designed to counter medium-armored enemies, and both are terrible at dealing with groups. The Dominator deals significantly more damage, especially against weakspots, but its bullets will bounce off medium armor if they connect at a bad angle, and it handles significantly slower than the Scorcher.
Yes.PLAS-1 Scorcheris one of thebest weapons to use against Automatons inHelldivers 2thanks to its ability to damage medium-armored enemies. It can also destroy Scout Strider pilots by shooting directly at their frontal shields, making them very easy to take down. It is very forgiving when it comes to shooting at Devastators — even if you miss its weakspots, you’ll still deal respectable damage against them. The weapon can one-shot Raiders as well with a well-placed plasma bolt to the chest.
All of the above are balanced out by the Scorcher’s low magazine/total ammo capacity, low rate of fire, and the ability of its projectiles to hurt or kill allies in close proximity. These drawbacks make the PLAS-1 Scorcher difficult to use against Terminids, as the bugs tend to swarm players in close quarters. This issue can be somewhat alleviated by bringing a Stalwart or Flamethrower, however.
