When You Should Use HEFA

[Outcast Seer]

(1) You are using a UGL.

(2) Marines are not pushing.

(3) Xeno(s) just dashed at a marine gunline.

(4) You launch the HEFA at the xeno(s) line of retreat.

(5) You are absolutely certain that nothing will block the path of the HEFA.

Why?

HEFAs are inefficient as a weapon, but can still be used for crowd control.

HEFAs will never kill a xeno on its own, nor do they have the massive stun potential of HEDPs. But even though it has a small stun radius, it still stuns xenos. Even though its damage is terrible any distance from the grenade, standing on a HEFA still hurts xenos.

Correctly timed, a HEFA launched in this manner will force the xeno(s) to either:

(a) Attempt to retreat through the HEFA blast, risking a damage burst and/or being stunned while under fire from marines.

(b) Delay their retreat for the HEFA to detonate, extending the time they are exposed to marine fire.

(c) Move around the HEFA, also extending their exposure to marine fire.

Reasoning for these Conditions:

(1) UGL gives you much greater control over HEFAs. Nothing is worse than priming a HEFA in-hand, only to get knocked down or stunned by xenos or FF.

(2) If you attempt to cut off a xeno with a HEFA while marines are pushing, you exponentially increase the risk of FF.

(3) The goal is to ensure that no matter how the xeno(s) act, they experience a negative outcome. To achieve this, the xeno(s) must be in a position where they are pressured to escape from marine fire.

(4) Your goal isn't to directly hurt the xeno(s), it is to limit their choice and movement.

(5) HEFA has a reputation for a reason. If you don't know, don't blow.

[UnwaveringGrey]

Accurate.
Your post has definitely been about my experience with trying to use the HEFA in the grenadier kit. HEFA is decent for zoning and generating FF.

The only thing that I can add is that I have used hefa successfully during a marine push, but that was during a smaller push with three or four marines pushing two xenos. The initial ugl hepd produced a stun on a warrior, the follow up ugl HEFA provided a second stun and damage. That bought us the time we needed to kill that warrior. The trick was that that the warrior was stunned by the hedp. It got up to run once the stun wore off, but it didn't have time to get clear of the hefa blast radius. Plus the marines had stopped to shoot it while it was down, so they were at the edge of hefa range. I think two of the marines ate a little shrapnel, but honestly that's decent given that the CO would probably BE two marines to secure a kill on a T2 any day of the week.Two hedp would have been strictly better, but even when pushing hefa is definitely useful under certain circumstances if you're being very careful.

EDIT: The 200 IQ play would still have been to put the hefa one tile behind the stunned xeno though, because then it either rests in order to stay under the shrapnel, which means we can shoot it to death, or it stands up and is adjacent to or on top of the hefa. I was still learning the hedp stun timing at that point though.

[Moosetasm]

In all seriousness, they’re good for suicide bombing. One in each hand, give your team warning, and you may be able to (between making the xenos retreat and clearing weeds) open a large enough hole in the xeno’s defenses for a successful push.

[Swagbag]

The only time I've seen HEFA used "effectively" was by some random alpha marine who had a box of HEFA, yes.

Basically he hod a mod88, would prime a nade and throw it down south civ res hallways, and shoot the nade farther and farther to destroy walls to stay away from spitters and sentinels.

Less not forget the initial release HEFA or M15s included with shrapnel either, much worse than HEFA FF now.

M15's would have shrapnel that would go past your vision by a lot.

[UnwaveringGrey]

Basically he hod a mod88, would prime a nade and throw it down south civ res hallways, and shoot the nade farther and farther to destroy walls to stay away from spitters and sentinels.

Well damn. He was playing the game on a whole different level.

[Nyvrem]

My most effective uses of HEFA have been on stunned xenoes. If a xeno is on the same tile as the HEFA when it goes off, they do actually take massive damage.

Hell I once killed a boiler that wasn't paying attention/crashed by just tossing two HEFA nades. Wasn't even stunned and I don't think she was hurt either. She just gibbed. Two HEFA nades for a free T3 kill is always a plus in my book.

[CABAL]

My most effective uses of HEFA have been on stunned xenoes. If a xeno is on the same tile as the HEFA when it goes off, they do actually take massive damage.

Hell I once killed a boiler that wasn't paying attention/crashed by just tossing two HEFA nades. Wasn't even stunned and I don't think she was hurt either. She just gibbed. Two HEFA nades for a free T3 kill is always a plus in my book.

HEFA supposedly does around 300 dmg if all shrapnel connects, so its a bit stronger than PB. By this you can measure how many HEFA's have to explode under a beno to kill it. Perfecly heatlhy T3 like Elder Rav won't die from HEDP stun and one HEFA.

[UnwaveringGrey]

No, one hedp and one hefa won't kill a T3, nor should they. They should buy a few competent ungas enough time to secure that kill though

[ShepTI]

Would be interesting if HEFA put shrapnel in xenos like it does marines, and similarly had to be removed to walk freely. That'd give it more crowd control power and make a much more useful nade

[FortyPercent]

Would be interesting if HEFA put shrapnel in xenos like it does marines, and similarly had to be removed to walk freely. That'd give it more crowd control power and make a much more useful nade

Acid.
Blood.