Expedition Guide - Hellbug Hunt

August 14, 2015 | | Viewed 14,167 times | Expeditions,

A Guide To Surviving Hellbug Hunt

Hello and welcome to my guide on Hellbug Hunt.

In this guide I won't cover the basics of expeditions as there are already plenty of places on this site to find this information including this great guide here Alcatraz Guide

This guide will mainly cover equipment, enemies and rooms you will need or encounter during Hellbug Hunt. I hope this information will help you and keep you alive longer :)

I compiled this from notes I have taken and personal experience, everyones views differ so if there is something you would like to add please leave feedback in the comments section

Loadouts
Enemies
Environment

LOADOUTS

A lot of people run Expeditions using their set loadout, just one loadout mind you. From the outset I created Two loadouts and explained the benefits to my clanmates who a few themselves now run with this strategy.

1. Offensive/Defensive Loadout

2.Defensive/Self Revive Loadout

Most people put Self-Medicated in their one loadout, this is pretty pointless as the you are not getting the benefits of the perk until you have already lost your Self Revive. So it is almost like wasting one perk slot, I would also recommend not using Turn the Tide on your primary loadout as it takes mere seconds to switch loadouts to your Revive one.

I won't go into too much detail about Defensive Perks there are a few and they are pretty much self explanatory but one I would recommend highly if you have the Arktech Revolution DLC is Immunized which reduces Bio Damage received.

Another benefit of giving yourself those extra couple of Perk slots in your first loadout is again if you have Arktech Revolution DLC you can bump up the damage of the Nano you are using, if you are using Lifesteal or Syphon weapons will also heal you quicker.

This is where people have mostly different opinions, I can only talk from experience and what I have used and what's worked best for me.

Detonators

A great way of clearing rooms especially at lower levels, favourites are ground pounders for their extra blast radius. I feel they work best when entering expeditions in a group having a couple of players using them and a couple with Assault Rifles or Sub Machine guns makes a nice balance. I have listed a few of the more desirable ones.....

DC-8 Milking Maid Mk II : Radiation Nano bypasses 2.5-3 Armor Plates increasing the damage output dramatically! An easier to get variant is the non jackpot Radiant Solstice GL-1 Ground Pounder

Autumn's Scourge Mk II : Cause Biological damages to enemies, two main bonuses are its ability to help remove plates and also slow the enemies down. Again the non jackpot variant is the Plate Slicer GL-X Corruptor

Semi Automatic Sniper Rifles

I usually carry a semi automatic sniper rifle in my Defensive/Self Revive Loadout as well as a good lifesteal weapon. The reasoning is because they are designed for long distance combat which is what you may need when your Self Revive timer is ticking back up. Main uses are for taking out Archers/Artillery before getting too close to a room and also for killing the Hellion. Another great use for a Bio Sniper Rifles is removing enemies plates at distance. Here are a couple noticeable ones and their benefits.....

The Devil's Advocate Mk II : A Favourite for many, its fire nano coupled with Lifesteal is great for taking out Archers or The Hellion quite fast.

Undertaker : Fairly new Jackpot weapon which has great potential for removing Archers from rooms in a rapid fashion whilst getting that lifesteal healing effect

Heartseeker : Not the most popular of Sniper Rifles but does give you that 2% Self Revive on a kill, clearing a room with 5 Archers in at a distance...........well the math is easy but a great benefit!

Any non Jackpot versions of the above guns are desirable also.

VBI SS-2 Ranger or FRC Quick Repeater

I use a Bio SS Ranger for taking plates away and a Syphon Spinal Tap FRC Quick Repeater for killing the Hellion as the lifesteal/syphon combo almost guarantees full health revive per crit shot incase I get hit by his Radiantion spit attack.

Sub Machine Guns

Sub Machine Guns are great for dealing high damage at a close to medium distance and are also great for restoring your health via Lifesteal or Syphon. Although myself I tend to use them more in the other expeditions as enemies in there tend to have more exposed crit spots, but they are still a viable weapon for Hellbug hunt. I won't list them here as there are to many variants/jackpots/synergies which are via to use but most of them pretty self explanatory.

Assault Rifles

Blast Rifle!!!! There I said it, nice and simple. They seem to be the best all round weapon and quite versatile depending on roles, mods and synergies. High Damage and Low Recoil is the most desired mix but as they burn through ammo quite fast a high capacity magazine is a bonus. I'll talk a little more about these guns as I use them almost all the time.

Rolls.......like mentioned above DMG, Mag & low bloom please, but don't worry too much if your rifle is lacking slightly in any of these fields as the overall gun tends to make up for it.

Mods...... High Capacity Magazine, Power Bores, External Recoil Reduction & Stabilization Sights please sir. Well I don't stray to far away from the standard except for if I am using a BioNano Blast Rifle, I tend to put a Sustained Power Muzzle V on as it helps keep the power output going at further distances so I can strip them plates of enemies and still have time to finish them off.

Nano..... We this all depends for me theres 2 ways through Hellbug Hunt.....Radiation which does the best damage overall to plated enemies but is not a good option if people in the group are using bio weapons as the Armor piercing benefit is gone. Bio/Fire combo I feel is the strongest option for Hellbug Hunt as it works well for standard enemies,Captains and Bosses a like.

Note: If you happen to have a Blast Rifle that still has a high recoil = bloom, then don't worry too much, a good Stabilization Sight V will help dramatically as long as you are constantly on the move whilst firing (a little practice needed).

Noticeable Blast Rifles......

Chaos : I have seen people put Bio/Rad converters onto this Jackpot and use it, I dont have one myself but people have said its a great combo

DC-11 Piper Mk II : The "King" of Blast Rifles, can't get a much more perfectly rolled weapon than this has all the benefits you would want (Minus lifesteal) an alternative is the non jackpot Radiant Solstice Blast Rifle

Grenadier Blast Rifle : A Grenadier Synergy Blast Rifle further reduces the recoil and bloom and can make most blast rifles achieve zero or minus bloom.

Spinal Tap Blast Rifle : For me the most useful weapon in the arsenal when it comes to Hellbug Hunt if you don't have one try and get one, the lifesteal (and rest of the synergy) compliment these guns so well and they will save your life as well as hitting the enemy hard.

Unless you are invincible you will probably want to equip yourself an Ironclad or Rhino shield (Although lower capacity can be used on lower tiers). Most people will use or want to use Ironclad or Rhino Survivor shields, but again as I mentioned above using two loadouts you wont see the benefits of one of these shields passives (+20% Self-Revive refresh on shield break) whilst you already have your self revive full, so if you choose the two loadout option putting the Survivor shield on your second loadout is the best option. These free's up the first loadout to use a different passive on shield there are many from boosting HP to increasing firerate etc all of which will help you more if you still have your self revive. A favourite for Expeditions is........

Guardian Angel : This is a Jackpot Survivor shield with a Radiation resistance, that resistance wont help much in Hellbug Hunt as 90% of the enemies you face will be Bio nano, but the Jackpot dropped quite alot and there are lotsof these shields floating about.

Tip?: If you do use two loadouts it may be worth sacrificing an Ark shield in your first loadout slot for a legendary Ironclad IV EX or Rhino IV EX with Bio Nano resistance,just a thought.

Make sure before you head into any Expedition (especially Hellbug Hunt) that you have stocked up on Stims, Spikes and Grenades. Here I have listed a few I found to be quite useful when dealing with Hellbugs!

Damage Spike : Increases all damage output, very handy for clearing rooms fast, killing bosses or when you are panicking with your back against a wall.

Ammo Spike : Does what it says, refills ammo which in some cases can save your life.

Protection Spike: Great paired with a Damage spike to protect your group whilst clearing bugs.

Armor Repair Stim: This is invaluable, some people don't want to fix their plates every 2 minutes, those people die! having a 30% damage reduction from your plates especially when hitting later tiers is a must.

Heal Stim: I don't use these myself but they could just save your life at any point!

Bio Grenade : The favoured Grenade amongst Expedition dwellers. Creates a large pool of bio mess, not only do they assist in removing armor plates they also slow the enemy which can buy you time.

Flashbang Grenade : Can stun groups of enemy bugs leaving them open to fire.

Shrill Grenade : Similar to Bio Grenades they create a large pool, irradiating enemies which not only damages then but increases armor piercing capabilities.

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The Bad Guys!

On your journey through Hellbug Hunt you will encounter all the fan favourites plus a few newer and more deadly variations, I have listed the enemies within and some key points below.

Reminder: 90% of Enemies in Hellbug Hunt are Bio Nano

5 x Armor Plates
Ranged attacks
Bio Archers will fire an arched trajectory projectile which creates a medium size blast radius upon impact causing biological damage as well as a slowing effect over a period of time.
Incendiary Archers will fire an arched trajectory projectile which creates a medium size blast radius upon impact causing fire damage as well as continuous fire damage over a period of time.
Electrical Archers will fire a straight pathed projectile which upon impact causes electrical damage as well as removing the players HUD

Top Tips: Even though a ranged attacker, Archers still pack a punch (especially on later tiers) but the primary objective of Archers is to slow you down so you are easy fodder for Warriors, Captains or Bosses. Always stay on the move when encountering these guys and try to keep a medium to long distance from them and try to take them out first when "hitting" a room.

Killing Methods: Archers have a softer shell and less plates than warriors and are best killed using Radiation or Fire Nanos.

7 x Armor Plates
Close & Ranged attacks
Ability to speed up dramatically
All Warriors have the same attacks which consist of a close melee attack, a ranged "ground pound" attack and the ability to burrow beneath the ground and attack from underneath the player.

Weak points: The mouth and the rear

TopTips: The best thing to do with Warriors is to stay as much as distance as you can. Be aware of where they are around you in the room and if you see them rearing on their hind legs move out the way as this is their strongest attack which fires a blast directly where they are facing. Warriors can speed up very quickly but they can also stop for a second or two, especially during/after one of their attacks. This gives a good opportunity to flank around the back and hit their weak spots.

Killing Methods: Warriors have a lot of plates and a very hard shell, I tend to use a bio/fire loadout which is great for taking them down, dropping their plates with bio and switching out to fire works well, Radiation is a great way of dealing with these guys.

3 x Armor Plates
All attacking Skitterlings in Expeditions are Bio Nano
Low damage but a chance to slow the player down with biological effect.
Chance to create a Chrysalis which can turn into a Warrior
Annoying

Top Tips: Skitterlings don't pose much threat on their own (except for when you have 5% Health left and are running away from them) but given they have the ability to slow you down should be cleared quickly.

Killing Methods: Guns

Captain
8 x Armor Plates
Ranged Attacks
Bio Nano
Fires an arched trajectory projectile which creates a medium size blast radius upon impact causing biological damage, slowing effect and releasing 4 parasites which cause massive amounts of damage.

Top Tips: Keep a distance and possibly out of view of Plaguebringers until you are ready to attack them and they should be killed asap. If caught in or near their projectiles impact shoot and kill the parasites immediately.

Killing Methods: You are going to want to drop these guys plates as soon as possible as they seem to have "Super Plates" not sure if this is a bug,lag or anything else but they take little damage whilst they still have plates. Drop a Damage Spike and use bio to remove plates and then fire to finish them fast.

Captain
5 x Armor Plates
Ranged Attacks
Incendiary Nano
Fires an arched trajectory projectile which on impact causes fire damage as well as continuous fire damage over a period of time.

Top Tips: Much like the standard Archer except with higher health and increased damage, these guys don't cause to much of a problem except taking slightly longer to kill.

Killing Methods: Having slightly higher health than Archers you may want to take their plates away before killing but Radiation seems to work nicely as well.

Captain
7 x Armor Plates
Shield
Close and Ranged attacks
Electric Nano
Has same attacks as Warriors which are a close melee attack, a ranged "ground pound" attack and the ability to burrow beneath the ground and attack from underneath the player.
Gives nearby Allies a shield.

Weak points: The mouth and the rear

Top Tips: Kill these guys asap, as mentioned above they give all nearby allies shields as long as it still has a shield itself this can make the room very hard to clear. If the Electrified Conqueror spawns first in the room immediately attack it and lure it out. Also be careful to keep attacking it as it can regenerate shield and plates. If it burrows under ground it will resurface with shield and plates intact also.

Killing Methods: Given its large shield Electric nano weapons are tempting but won't get you too far without removing plates and after the shield is gone again reduced damage to health. Radiation weapons take time to kill this guy also. The best method I have found is to drop a Damage Spike use Bio to remove the plates and shield and switch out to fire nano to finish the guy off hitting weak spots is a bonus.

Captain
10 x Armor Plates
Shield
Radiation Nano
Has same attacks as Warriors which are a close melee attack, a ranged "ground pound" attack and the ability to burrow beneath the ground and attack from underneath the player.
Gives nearby Allies 3 additional Armor Plates

Weak points: The mouth and the rear

Top Tips: This guy doesn't pose as much of a threat as the Electrified Conqueror but his ability to give allies more plates makes dropping him first desirable. Again watch out for his ranged attack.

Killing Method: The best way I found to kill the Irradiated Conqueror is to use Bio to drop his plates, his shield is extremely weak and you will find you will have removed his shield before all his plates are gone, switching out to fire nano to finish him off.

Boss
7 x Armor Plates
Multi nano attacks
Close and Ranged attacks
Attacks include a close ranged melee attack, rolling melee attack, a ground pounder ranged fire attack, radiation ranged acid attacks.
Can spawn Crystals and Skitterlings which can turn into warriors.
Spawns additional Warriors and Archers at 75%, 50% and 25% Health

Weak points: The underside and rear

Top Tips: At lower levels using a damage spike you can kill Hivelord quite fast but then have to deal with the additional Warriors and Archers he spawns so unless you are in a prepared group a better method is to keep on the move, herding up the enemies if you can.

Killing Methods: First thing you want to do is remove Hivelords armor plates and then fire nano is the way to go. Keep an eye out for his attack animations, when he is on his hind legs shoot his underside to crit him. Once he has done his rolling attack is a good idea to drop a damage spike and shoot his rear to again crit him. Don't forget the crystal he spawns can also be used to damage him and nearby enemies.

Boss
8 x Armor Plates
Attacks include a ranged "dive" melee attack and ranged radiation spit attack.
Can spawn Skitterlings which turn into warriors
Spawns additional Warriors and Archers at 75%, 50% and 25% Health

Weak points: The Tail

Top Tips: Keep a distance from this guy, if he cant see you so well you can still hit him or at least he wont do his dive attack and you can dodge his radiation spit. Good thing is his crit spot is almost always exposed.

Killing Method: Again use bio to remove his plates and then fire nano to kill him, keeping your distance and combining a Damage Spike with a Sniper rifle will drop this guy fast.

Rifleman: Ranged assault Riflle attack, Ranged grenade attack.
Sniper: Ranged Sniper Rifle attack.
Shotgunner: Close ranged Shotgun attack.
Cleaver: Close melee attack, Close ranged jump melee attack.

Top Tips: These guys don't pose much of a threat at lower levels but as tiers rise be careful for cleavers getting too close, grenades and especially Snipers.

Killing Methods: Due to their low plates Fire nano is the best way to kill them.

Blitzer: Ranged Sub-machine gun attack.
Igniter: Ranged Sub-machine gun attack, Ranged Fire-Bomb attack.
Blaster: Ranged Rocket Launcher attack.
Rioter: Close ranged Sawn-Off attack, Ranged Run attack.

Top Tips: Be careful of Blasters rockets, usually they will "shout out" before firing. Igniters and Blitzers also seem to have an increased damage attack when they turn their gun sidewards. Rioters can be tricky and have a very strong Sawn-Off attack keep a distance.

Killing Methods: Similar to Mutants their low plates make fire nano the best choice. Dropping a grenade or using a grenade launcher on Rioters will also give you time to attack them once their shields are lowered.

Pheromone Secreters?????

Pheromone Secreters will attract Hellbug Warriors which give you a great chance to hit their Crit points on their rear. I am not 100% sure exactly what the Pheromone does to the Hellbugs as I don't think Expeditions is the ideal place to test attacks from enemies :D. The Bug appears to have green smoke emanating from it, I don't think it gives them a defensive buff but it may increase their attacks somewhat.

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ENVIRONMENT

Random as it might seem at first each room in Hellbug Hunt has its own set amount and type of Hellbug, barring whether or not it contains a captain (this seems to be more RNG based). Below I will list the names of the rooms and what you are likely to find inside learning these will give you the edge upon entering the Expedition. First I will list the 2 methods of attacking a room....soft of

The Stand Back And Shoot Everything Until It Reaches Us Method!

The most common method people use is to open the door, plant a spike and shoot everything until its dead or until you are dead. On lower tiers this is fine but as tiers rise and so does Hellbugs health you may find yourself trapped against a wall with X amount of Warriors & Archers hailing down hell on you. This method essentially gives you a time limit before its too late but in larger groups can be quite effective.

The "I'm Rambo" Method!

The door opens and you go in guns blazing. Okay this method is for more skilled players and if you get the hang of it using your environment and wits to your advantage can clear a room extremely fast. The other bonus of this is that you can flank enemies and hit their crit spots, especially if you are in a group and the rest of your group preferred the alternate method. I have saved many a life doing this.

Personally I work both methods depending on the room, if you have nowhere to retreat to always make sure you exit the room before you are overwhelmed, keep an eye on your minimap for bug locations and the other eye on their attack animations. Always be on the move especially if there are still Archers afloat!

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Main Rooms

Gulanite Scraps

Archers & Skitterlings
Only Bio Hellbugs
Can contain a Captain

This room is very easy to clear with between 3-6 Archers and a few Skits, depending on your loadout there isn't really any need to drop armor plates so a good Radiation or Fire weapon is king in this room.

Gulanite Gathering

Archers, Warriors and Skitterlings
BIo, Electrical and Incendiary Hellbugs
Can contain a Captain

This room is like Gulanite Scraps does not pose much threat and can be cleared easily at a distance, the only difference between this room and Gulanite Scraps is that it contains an increased amount of Skitterlings and usually just one Warrior.

Nascent Hatchery

Archers, Warriors, Skitterlings and Chrysalises
Primary enemies all Bio nano
Can contain a Captain

First port of call, take out as many of the Chrysalises as you can they have low health and taking them out early prevents them spawning more Warriors or Archers. The rooms contains a handful of Archers, Warriors and Skitterlings so keep on the move at all times

Diabolic Hatchery

Archers, Warriors, Skitterlings and Chrysalises
BIo, Electrical and Incendiary Hellbugs
Can contain a Captain

This room is much the same as Nascent Hatchery but contains Hellbugs of all nanos so can be a bit of a firework show, treat the rooms as the one above.

Hive Outgrowth

Archers, Warriors and Skitterlings
Only Bio Hellbugs
Can contain a Captain

Be very cautious when entering this room as there is a large amount of Archers and Warriors in here, this room and the next on the list are the most difficult in this Expedition. If you choose to enter and fight be sure to stay on the move and be wary of where bugs are and when they are going to attack,if there is an area to fall back stay close by.

Hive Expansion

Archers, Warriors and Skitterlings
BIo, Electrical and Incendiary Hellbugs
Can contain a Captain

Very similar to Hive Outgrowth this room contains a large amount of bugs, the only difference from the previous room is that the Hellbugs have differing nanos and possibly the ratio of Warriors to Archers is greater in this room. It can contain 8+ Warriors. Treat it as same as the room above

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Connecting Rooms

Rogue Clutch

2 Archers and 1 Warrior
All Bio Nano

This connecting room is very easy to clear and always contains two Archers and one Warrior.

Advanced Mutation

Archers and Warriors
All Bio Nano
Can contain a Captain

Room will contain a Captain as well as two Archers or one Archer, one Warrior. It is easy to work out whether the Captain is goingto be a Warrior Captain or Archer Captain so if upon entering this space you see a normal Warrior you might have a Plaguebringer on your hands, remembering this could save you life at some point!

Skitterling Terror

6 x Bio Skitterlings

Easiest room on the map a good tip clearing it faster is to run through the Skitterlings backwards, they have a tendancy to jump over your shoulder straight into your crosshairs.

Roving Patrol

2 Mutant Riflemen and 2 Mutant Cleavers

Room is pretty simple to clear, just watch out for the Cleavers attacks at a higher level.

Repair Squad

2 Mutant Shotgunners and 2 Mutant Snipers

Be careful when entering this room as the Snipers will fire the second they see you and on higher tiers have an extremely powerful attack which could leave you dead in one shot. Chuck in a Grenade to ruin their day and finish them off.

Blaster Patrol

2 Rioters, 2 Blasters and 1 Igniter

Keep your distance from the Rioters, throwing in a grenade or using a detonator will make them lower their guard....or blow up.

Blitzed Raiders

2 Blitzers, 2 Igniters and 1 Blaster

Another easy(ish) room, just don't run in too fast as fire from the Raiders sub machine guns can do quite a large amount of damage very fast.

Bonus Rooms

There are only two types of bonus room in this Expedition, one has a supply crate which drops three random supplies (Stim, Spike or Grenade) and the other is a Golden Skitterling which drops loot as you kill it with rarity depending on tier.

Hope this guide helps you out, I shall be adding more after more testing. Would appreciate feedback to add to this guide as I said this is from my experience only....