Delete the flying bile‑titan in seconds: the smartest MS‑11 chains, when to go Eagle, when to go Rail, and how to keep your squad out of the splash zone.
TL;DR (read this before your next dive)
- Your best delete button: Orbital Railcannon Strike timed the moment the Dragonroach hovers to breathe—it reliably one‑shots if it locks the roach as the largest target near your beacon.
- Your “aimed superweapon”: MS‑11 Solo Silo. Pre‑place it safely, then hold fire to guide the missile with the laser pointer and swat the roach when it commits to a line. It’s consistent, precise, and squad‑friendly when you control the lane.
- Your flexible backup: Eagles. Strafing Run is fast and parallel to your facing; 110mm Rocket Pods prioritize the largest target near the beacon; 500kg hits very hard but approaches from behind the caller, so think about your team’s position and terrain.
- Guns that work: Quasar Cannon, Epoch, EAT‑17, Recoilless—headshots or body‑chunking during hover do real work. RS‑422 Railgun is fine, but community testing suggests not a one‑shot; expect multiple headshots.
- Armor, weak spots & a tidy window: The Dragonroach circles, strafes with green fire, then hovers—this is your burst window. The head is heavily armored but low HP for its class; wings are softer and “shot‑off” DPS also contributes.
Know your target: behavior, windows, and weak points
The Dragonroach is a massive flying Terminid—think a Bile Titan with wings. It patrols overhead, dives to torch you with green fire, then typically hangs in a hover while continuing to spew flames. That hover is the safest and most reliable time to delete it with heavy ordnance or precise anti‑tank shots.
Mechanically, the head is a high‑value target: heavy armor (AV4) but only ~1.5k HP, so dedicated anti‑tank (EAT, Quasar, Recoilless, Epoch charge) that actually connects with the head can end the fight quickly. Failing headshots, wings are unarmored—stripping them bleeds the health bar and may bring it down fast, especially during the hover.
Key habit: Listen and look for the hover after a flame pass. Train your squad to call “HOVER!” the instant it stalls—this is when Rail, MS‑11, Eagles, and AT headshots land with far higher consistency than when it’s sweeping.
Loadouts that win the hover
- Anchor (caller): Orbital Railcannon Strike or MS‑11 Solo Silo (not both on the same diver). Your job is to hold a kill tool and only commit during hover.
- Finisher: Quasar Cannon / Epoch (charged) or Recoilless / EAT‑17 to capitalize if the delete doesn’t stick.
- Air pressure: Eagle Strafing Run or 110mm Rocket Pods to keep it honest between passes (and to finish). Pods try to pick the largest target near the beacon; Strafe is fast and lines up parallel to your facing.
- Tank option: EXO‑45 Patriot (HMG + rockets) or EXO‑49 Emancipator (dual autocannons). Exosuits eat a breath and return fire, and they’re excellent in caves where air/orbital support can be limited or risky.
About the RS‑422 Railgun: Great weapon, but the roach is a tough aerial target. Expect 2–3 headshots rather than a one‑tap. Use unsafe mode only if you’ve truly mastered charge timing.
The three smartest stratagem chains (MS‑11 vs Eagles vs Rail)
1) “Rail Delete”: Orbital Railcannon Strike → (Eagle follow‑up if needed)
When to choose: You want a fast, clean, single‑use delete with minimal collateral.
Steps that work:
- Save your Railcannon for the roach (don’t spend it on lesser adds).
- When it starts to hover, throw the beacon at its feet (or slightly ahead of its head if it’s holding a drift).
- Call Rail immediately; backpedal out of the column.
- If the beam somehow mistargets or leaves it limping, Eagle Rocket Pods or a charged Epoch/Quasar finishes.
Why it’s strong: The Railcannon reliably one‑shots Dragonroaches when it locks, and timing the hover makes that lock far more consistent. Cooldown is a constraint—treat it like a boss bullet.
2) “Guided Justice”: MS‑11 Solo Silo (guided) → Eagle Strafe (cleanup)
When to choose: You want aimed, on‑demand power with surgical control in open terrain or along a known approach.
Steps that work:
- Pre‑place MS‑11 behind cover and away from high‑traffic team lanes.
- Keep the laser pointer holstered until the roach commits to a line or enters hover.
- Hold fire to guide the missile—keep the beam above friendlies and ahead of the roach’s body (don’t paint wings; aim center‑mass).
- If it survives or dodges, Eagle Strafing Run parallel to your facing to rake the body during its recovery.
Why it’s strong: MS‑11 lets you pilot the strike in real time—no more guessing where a bomb will land. It’s safer for squads that discipline their firing lane and laser etiquette.
3) “Eagle Pin & Finish”: Strafe → 110mm → (500kg only if pinned)
When to choose: You prefer short‑cooldown pressure with lots of attempts.
Steps that work:
- Use Strafing Run to force a dodge or keep chip damage landing.
- Follow with 110mm Rocket Pods—they’ll prioritize the largest target near the beacon; stick the beacon on or just beyond the hover.
- 500kg only when it telegraphs hover in safe terrain—remember it approaches from behind the caller. On bluffs or uneven ground, this is a classic team‑wipe if you aren’t careful.
Why it’s strong: You get more tries than a single Rail/MS‑11. With clean comms and lane control, Eagles finish reliably while staying mobile.
“Rail options” compared (what to bring and why)
| Tool | What it does best | Reliability vs. Roach | Cooldown / Cost | Team Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orbital Railcannon Strike | One‑shot delete during hover | High, if lock lands | Long; save for roach | Low (small column) | Throws beam at largest target near beacon; hover timing improves target acquisition. |
| RS‑422 Railgun (support weapon) | Precision follow‑up, safe range | Moderate (2–3 headshots typical) | Ammo/charge, not cooldown | Medium (strays, unsafe mode) | Great hands reward; not the best “first delete.” |
Safe firing lanes: how to keep your squad alive
Set lanes before you pull aggro. Call “Left lane” and “Right lane” for AT shots; assign one diver the vertical lane for Rail/MS‑11.
- Eagle vectors: Strafing Run and 500kg enter from behind the caller. If you’re on a ridge, the bomb may land short and vaporize your squad. Face the enemy, throw, and step aside.
- MS‑11 laser discipline: Keep the laser above heads; don’t sweep through teammates when guiding. Fire from a flank so the missile’s path doesn’t cross the main lane.
- Rail column: Everyone rehearses “Beacon→Backstep”. The caller throws the beacon, the team backs out of the invisible kill column, then re‑engages.
- Hover cone: No one stands directly under the roach during hover. Spread into a wide U so backblast, splash, and flame jets don’t chain.
- Exosuit spacing: Mechs soak breath well, but they’re big hitboxes. Keep infantry off the mech’s nose so stray Epoch/Recoilless shots don’t catch torsos.
Common wipe causes (and the fixes)
- Bomb-from‑behind blindspot. 500kg and Strafing Run run in from behind the caller; on hills or when your team is behind you, this TK’s squads. Fix: Face clear ground; quick “Behind clear?” call before throwing.
- Greedy MS‑11 sweeps. Guiding the missile through your team or terrain lip bounces splash into allies. Fix: Pre‑place off to the side, keep the beam high, paint center‑mass at hover.
- Rail mistarget. Throwing Rail at a moving roach amid other heavies may pull to something else. Fix: Wait for hover; ensure it’s the largest target near the beacon.
- Wing‑clip non‑kills. Shots that splash wings chunk HP but don’t always finish; the roach retaliates. Fix: During hover, prioritize head/body with Quasar/Epoch/EAT.
- Standing in the breath. Green fire lingers and stacks; squads panic‑cluster and melt. Fix: Dive through the line or behind cover, then punish the hover window. Mechs can tank a pass.
- Over‑trusting RS‑422. Expecting a one‑shot railgun kill leads to overcommit exposure. Fix: Treat RS‑422 as finisher—plan for 2–3 headshots or supplement with Eagles.
Role-by-role playbook
Caller (Rail or MS‑11)
- Rail: Keep it ready; mark the hover; throw‑call‑backstep. No YOLO tosses mid‑flyby.
- MS‑11: Set the silo in a safe pocket. Don’t paint wings; hold fire to guide the body at hover.
Eagle pilot
- Strafing Run to herd, 110mm Pods to finish, 500kg only on clean lanes. Remember your run origin is behind—clear comms before pressing the button.
AT/Heavy (Quasar/Epoch/Recoilless/EAT)
- Stow greed until hover; then two quick charges (Epoch/Quasar) or a clean headshot (Recoilless/EAT) ends it. Exfil the cone if it rears for another breath.
Exosuit driver
- Face‑tank a breath pass, track the body, and dump autocannons/rockets while it hovers. Avoid pinning your team’s lanes with your chassis. Great in caves.
MS‑11 vs. Eagles vs. Rail — which should your squad lean on?
- Choose Rail if you want certainty: one shot during hover, minimal friendly risk, and a straightforward call. The tradeoff is cooldown; play around it.
- Choose MS‑11 if you value aimed precision and can control a lane. It doubles as a boss/structure delete elsewhere, and the pointer makes high‑skill plays possible.
- Choose Eagles if you want tempo—more attempts, more pressure, and flexible cleanups. Just master approach vectors and beacon placement to avoid TKs.
Pro tip: Pack both an instant delete (Rail or MS‑11) and tempo tools (Strafe/110mm) so you can force the hover and capitalize when it appears. The roach dies fastest when your first heavy call is reserved for that moment.
Extra: community‑validated tricks
- Orbital Railcannon while hovering is widely reported to instantly delete Dragonroaches—prep, dodge the pass, throw at feet, call beam.
- Wings are HP sponges but don’t always end it—don’t tunnel on wings if you can reach head/body in hover.
- If you insist on RS‑422, practice unsafe‑mode timing on still targets first; then graduate to hover windows so you aren’t charging in flight paths.
Suggested squad card (plug‑and‑play)
- Slot 1 (Delete): Orbital Railcannon Strike or MS‑11 Solo Silo.
- Slot 2 (Tempo): Eagle Strafing Run.
- Slot 3 (Finish): Eagle 110mm Rocket Pods or Quasar / Epoch user.
- Slot 4 (Tank/Map): EXO‑45/EXO‑49 where viable; otherwise a dedicated Recoilless/EAT diver.
Run that, respect the hover, and your “bug‑dragon” will spend more time dying than flying.
Patch & balance note
Enemy HP, armor values, and stratagem behaviors can shift with patches and live‑ops balancing. The hover timing, lane discipline, and delete‑then‑tempo philosophy above remain robust even as numbers move. For current specifics on Dragonroach traits and stratagem behavior, check the Helldivers wiki entries cited throughout.
