The Railgun is one of the most popular weapons in Helldivers 2. But for it to be truly viable against Heavy enemies, it needs a small change. For it to reach its maximum potential, you must set the Railgun to Unsafe mode in Helldivers 2.
You need to open up the weapon wheel to set the Railgun to Unsafe mode. For PC users, that’s the R key. If you’re using a controller, hold the X button for the Xbox pad or the Square button on PlayStation 5. This opens up a menu if the weapon you’re currently holding has additional options. For the Railgun, open the menu and hit the right directional button to swap it from Safe to Unsafe. And get ready to pray.
Railgun in Unsafe mode makes bugs and divers splat in Helldivers 2
Setting the Railgun to Unsafe lets you charge the weapon beyond safe levels — if it isn’t obvious already. You can see where the charge stops while looking aiming the weapon in first person. The small, black bar represents the limit of the charge while in Safe mode.
Setting it to Unsafe lets you increase the charge beyond it… until a certain point.
Using the Railgun in Unsafe mode allows you to dish out more damage and shred enemy armor. Foes like the Charger tend to laugh at some anti-tank weapons, but the Railgun fully unleashed wipes the smile off its face.
The gun is particularly useful in grounding Chargers. Fire two charged shots at a Charger’s legs to tear the armor off. Follow up with some shots from your primary weapon, and the bug is busted.
Obviously, using the Railgun in Unsafe mode in Helldivers 2 comes with a massive caveat. If you missed the screenshot of the corpse above, let me explain instead. Charging the weapon too long will cause an explosion, instantly killing your diver. Charging and firing shots while fighting enemies will take time and practice to master. I suggest using it in first-person mode for a while before changing back to third person. But don’t be surprised if you leave a few missing appendages around while you’re at it.
