The new Hive‑world meta favors primaries and throwables underground—here’s where to spend your Medals (and whether 1,000 Super Credits for Dust Devils is actually worth it).
How we’re grading “value per Medal/Super Credit”
- Medal efficiency: How much mission win‑rate, clutch potential, and time saved you get per Medal spent.
- Slot power & uptime: How often it actually solves problems in real missions, across difficulties and factions.
- Gating cost: Pages 2 and 3 of this Warbond require prior spending before you can even buy the big toys (Page 2 unlock at 110 Medals, Page 3 at 270 Medals), so opportunity cost matters.
- Warbond cost context: Dust Devils is a Premium Warbond (1,000 Super Credits)—you can farm SC in‑game and Warbonds don’t expire, but it’s still $9.99 if you buy outright.
- Current meta: The Into the Unjust update added Hive Worlds with long cave sections where your Destroyer can’t fully support you—meaning fewer Stratagem casts underground, and higher value on primaries and throwables you carry in.
TL;DR shopping listCracked (buy first): AR‑2 Coyote (35 Medals)—absurdly efficient for its cost and perfect for the Hive cave meta.High impact, niche: EAT‑700 Napalm (85 Medals), MS‑11 Solo Silo (110 Medals)—devastating, but situational and page‑gated.Consider later / specific playstyles: S‑11 Speargun (85 Medals), G‑7 Pineapple (65 Medals).
AR‑2 Coyote (35 Medals) — Cracked value, buy first
What it is: A new assault rifle with incendiary rounds, medium armor penetration, 45‑round mag, and ~75 base damage—which is already great on paper, but the burn follow‑through pushes it over the top in bug content. Multiple outlets and community tests have converged on that stat profile since launch, and it lines up with how it feels in‑game.
Acquisition & cost: Page 1, 35 Medals—cheap and immediate. That alone skyrockets its value per Medal compared to most primaries locked deeper into other Warbonds.
Why it’s so good now: Hive caves restrict Stratagem usage; your primary does the heavy lifting. The Coyote’s ignitions delete swarm pressure and keep lanes clear without burning all your ammo or call‑ins. Incendiary + medium AP also means it doesn’t fall flat versus medium targets—great versatility for one gun.
Pitfalls to avoid: It won’t solve super‑heavy armor by itself—don’t overcommit to face‑tanking Chargers/Bile Titans. Pair with a proper anti‑armor Stratagem.
Verdict (value per Medal): S‑tier efficiency. If you unlock only one item from Dust Devils, make it the Coyote.
G‑7 Pineapple (65 Medals) — Cluster crowd‑clear, but polarizing
What it is: A cluster frag grenade that splits into mini‑explosives after the initial detonation—excellent at shredding packed swarms, especially in tunnels and nest choke points. Official materials describe it exactly that way; creators and players have confirmed the split behavior.
Acquisition & cost: Page 3, 65 Medals (and you must have 270 Medals spent to even reach Page 3). That gating dents its value if you only wanted this grenade.
Where it shines: Terminid caves and any situation with dense clustering. If your squad funnels bugs into killzones, the Pineapple compounds damage beyond a single frag’s radius.
Where it struggles: Random scatters, open terrain, or armored targets. Several players feel it’s overshadowed by existing throwables unless you deliberately create clusters. If you prefer precision (Impact) or control (Stun/Incendiary), this will feel inconsistent.
Team risk: Friendly fire amplifies with cluster bomblets—announce throws and respect spacing.
Verdict (value per Medal): C+ to B‑ depending on playstyle. Strong in coordinated swarm setups on bugs; otherwise, it’s a luxury pick behind the Coyote/Napalm. The heavy page gating further lowers ROI for casual unlockers.
S‑11 Speargun (85 Medals) — Long‑range gas control with cool tricks
What it is: A single‑shot harpoon support weapon that creates a gas cloud on impact. It’s best thought of as a long‑range gas grenade launcher: impact damage, then lingering area denial that stuns/blinds non‑superheavy/vehicular enemies and can cause infighting. Several community reports also flagged a unique interaction—its gas explosion has demolition force, allowing it to seal bug holes or break automaton structures when placed accurately.
Acquisition & cost: Page 2, 85 Medals (Page 2 unlock requires 110 Medals spent).
Use cases:
- Caves & chokepoints: You can pre‑plan spear shots to deny tunnels, peel packs, and buy reload windows.
- Objective play: The demolition property means it can do utility work (holes/fabricators) if you sink a shot precisely. That’s niche, but it’s useful niche.
Limitations:
- Pace: It’s a one‑shot → reload cycle, so missing feels terrible.
- Damage vs super‑heavy: It’s control, not a Titan/Charger deleter.
- Skill tax: Accuracy and placement matter a lot; otherwise it underperforms compared to simpler meta heavies.
Verdict (value per Medal): B‑ (niche but legit). If you love utility/control tools and play a lot of caves, it’s worth considering; otherwise, spend on Coyote/Napalm first.
EAT‑700 Expendable Napalm (85 Medals) — Swarms go poof, lanes stay on fire
What it is: A disposable launcher (like EAT‑17 in feel) that fires a missile which airbursts into incendiary cluster bombs, blanketing an area in lingering flame. Think area denial, egg clearing, and panic button for collapsing bug fights.
Acquisition & cost: Page 2, 85 Medals (again, 110 Medals spent required to reach Page 2).
Where it excels:
- Terminids: Compounds Coyote burn and locks down lanes when the swarm is overwhelming.
- Defensive holds: Extract sites, drill/oil‑rig escorts, uplinks—drop fire where enemies must pass.
Caveats:
- Caves: Fire is great in enclosed spaces, but it can also block your squad if tossed carelessly.
- Armor: It’s not a precision armor solution; treat it as crowd control and space creation (it nukes chaff so you can focus on heavies).
- Safety: Friendly‑fire and blast timing still apply.
Community impressions since release have been very positive about the raw destructive output; just don’t try to use it like a Railgun replacement.
Verdict (value per Medal): A‑ for bugs, B for bots. If you main Terminid content or you’re embracing the cave meta, this is the best Page‑2 purchase for most players.
MS‑11 Solo Silo (110 Medals) — One missile to rule them all (when the sky is clear)
What it is: A Hellpod‑sized missile silo you drop onto the map. You pick up its remote, designate a target, and launch a single, ultra‑powerful missile. It’s long‑range, spectacular, and one‑and‑done. Official comms describe exactly that flow.
Acquisition & cost: Page 3, 110 Medals (and you must have 270 Medals spent to reach the page). It’s the most expensive single unlock in Dust Devils and the deepest gated.
What it’s for:
- High‑value targets: Fabricators, warp devices, boss‑level nasties, clustered heavy spawns. Community testing suggests its blast compares very favorably with classic “big” call‑ins, with forum chatter even claiming it outmuscles an Eagle 500 in raw damage—treat that as directional, not gospel.
- “We need this dead now”: Drop it on open maps where you’ll always have sky access to call the Hellpod and plenty of sightlines for the missile.
Footnotes & memes: There’s even a wiki note about stacking many Solo Silos to take down an Illuminate Overship—theoretically doable but not realistic in standard play. Cool trivia; don’t plan your build around it.
Limitations:
- Caves: You can’t call the Silo underground—pre‑stage it before diving or avoid cave‑heavy routes.
- Economy: The page gating + 110‑Medal price is a tough ask unless you really value the button.
Verdict (value per Medal): B (joy per Medal is S‑tier, practicality per Medal is C+). An incredible spectacle and clutch nuke on open‑sky missions; merely okay in cave‑centric rotations due to access constraints.
Is the Warbond itself worth your 1,000 SC?
If you play a lot of bugs or plan to tackle Hive Worlds regularly, yes—Coyote + EAT‑700 alone can justify it on gameplay impact, and both come before the steep Page‑3 gate. If you’re Automaton‑focused or already have deep anti‑swarm coverage from earlier Warbonds, it’s more of a “buy eventually”—Warbonds don’t expire, so you can farm SC and grab Dust Devils later.
Total Medal math: If you want everything in Dust Devils, outside coverage estimates put it at ~863 Medals. Most players don’t need 100%—be surgical and your ROI shoots up.
Suggested unlock paths (by budget & focus)
Budget ~150 Medals (early buyer):
- AR‑2 Coyote (35) → immediate power.
- Fill cheap Page‑1 cosmetics to reach 110 spent.
- EAT‑700 Napalm (85) for swarm control.
Why: Maximum impact in Hive caves without touching Page 3.
Budget ~300–350 Medals (mid‑term):
- From above, then choose S‑11 Speargun (85) or start saving toward Page‑3 unlocks if you really want the Solo Silo or Pineapple. Only chase Page 3 if your group wants the big missile or you love cluster throws.
Budget “I want the missile” (~270 spent + 110):
- After Coyote and Napalm, keep investing to crack Page 3 (270 spent), then grab MS‑11 Solo Silo (110). Only do this if your missions are mostly open sky and you crave a one‑press solution to problem spawns.
Automaton‑leaning players:
- Coyote is still a fantastic workhorse, but EAT‑700 loses some luster. Consider Speargun for CC/structure utility or just save Medals for other anti‑armor staples you already like.
“Cracked / Niche / Skip” verdicts
- Cracked: AR‑2 Coyote — absurd value per Medal (35) and tailor‑made for cave meta, with official stats and community sentiment backing its top‑tier status.
- Niche but strong: EAT‑700 Napalm (bugs/defense lanes), MS‑11 Solo Silo (open‑sky nuking, page‑3 luxury), S‑11 Speargun (gas control + utility tricks).
- Skip for most (until later): G‑7 Pineapple—fun and occasionally devastating, but inconsistent outside of organized swarm setups and expensive after page gating; grab after your core kit is set.
Synergies & loadout notes
- Coyote + Napalm: Burn procs stack pressure; clear chaff with Coyote, then carpet the rest with Napalm during spikes. Mind the fire lanes in caves.
- Speargun + objectives: Use demolition from the gas pop to seal holes or crack fabricators when your team forgot a dedicated tool. It’s finicky but clutch.
- Armor tie‑in: Dust Devils includes new armors with Desert Stormer passive (resistance to fire, gas, acid, arc + throw‑range bonus). That pairs naturally with Pineapple and mitigates your own fire/gas shenanigans.
Final word
If you buy Dust Devils purely for power, buy the AR‑2 Coyote immediately and build out from there. For swarm‑heavy bugs and the new cave‑centric missions, EAT‑700 Napalm is the best second purchase. The Solo Silo is glorious but gated and situational; the Speargun rewards precision/control players; the Pineapple is a fun luxury for squads that consistently funnel Terminids into tight killboxes.
Spend smart, and Super Earth will thank you for your fiscal responsibility almost as much as your liberal application of democracy.
