Diver's Best Friend - Automated Stratagem System (ASS) R35

Automated Stratagem System

Select stratagems through a native in-game wheel or list, then throw the beacon normally. Diver's Best Friend runs inside HELLDIVERS 2 through Bingus Shared Loader, using the game's UI and live stratagem data. No external application needs to run while you play.

Stable download | Latest canary | Nexus Mods | Installation and controls | Changelog

Current builds

• Stable: R31 - Scrambled Codes
  Scrambled-code selection and recovery after leaving scrambling areas, plus optional Select on Release.
• Canary / prerelease: R33 - Polish
  Native selection sounds, adjustable sizes and presets, background opacity, and grouped settings.

Choose stable for regular play or canary to try the latest changes. Install only one version: both use the same addon identity and settings. Stable packages use DiversBestFriend-R#-RecentFeature.zip; canary packages use DiversBestFriendCanary-R#-RecentFeature.zip.

Selection modes

• Native wheel
  Controls: Mouse/stick pointing + Confirm
  Layout: Eight slots, with Next/Previous to change pages
• Keybindings list
  Controls: Next/Previous + Confirm
  Layout: Scrolls in list order and wraps around; camera control remains available
• Experimental: Cards
  Controls: Mouse/stick pointing + Confirm
  Layout: Up to 16 native stratagem rows arranged in a circle
• Experimental: Expanded wedges
  Controls: Mouse/stick pointing + Confirm
  Layout: Up to 16 entries on one wheel

Radial layouts retain the original stratagem list at the top left. Mouse/stick pointing takes camera control while the menu is open and restores it when closed.

• Select on Release: optional and off by default. With a Hold menu binding, point at an entry and release to select. Return the pointer to the center before releasing to cancel. List mode uses Confirm.
• Input interval: adjustable from 0 to 250 ms, default 70 ms, for both Confirm and Select on Release.
• Cooldown indicators: native and expanded wheels dim unavailable icons during cooldown or delivery and show the selected entry's remaining time. List and Cards retain their native timer displays.
• Appearance: optional full-color icons, adjustable expanded-wedge darkness and opacity, and automatic centering. Leave the vertical offset at 0 unless you want a custom position.
• Scrambled codes: selection follows the current required sequence. If it changes during entry, reopen the menu and retry.

The mod enters the selected code through the normal game input path. Availability restrictions still apply, and you throw the beacon yourself.

Requirements

This project would not exist without CowboyBingus and their shared modding infrastructure.

• Bingus Shared Loader
  Version: v18 / API 1
  Purpose: Loads the addon
• Mod Bindings Menu
  Version: v2.0
  Purpose: Configurable selection controls
• Mod Options Menu
  Version: v1.0.1 / API 1
  Purpose: In-game settings
• HELLDIVERS 2 on Windows/Steam
  Version: Build 25480438
  Purpose: Supported game build
• Arsenal or a compatible mod manager
  Required for: Installation only
  Purpose: Deploys the addon and dependencies

Install dependencies separately; they are not bundled. The original external Stratagem Wheel app, Equipped Stratagems exporter, and CowboyBingus' gameplay megapack are not required. See Credits for the contributions and earlier work behind the project.

Quick start

1. Close the game and install the three dependencies above.
2. Import the release ZIP into Arsenal, enable it, and deploy. Follow Shared Loader's installation and priority instructions.
3. Restart the game. Open MODS > Diver's Best Friend, choose a selection mode, and Apply.
4. Check Next stratagem, Previous stratagem, and Confirm stratagem in the native bindings menu's MODS tab. Mouse defaults are Wheel Down, Wheel Up, and Mouse 1 respectively.
5. Open the normal stratagem menu in a mission, select an available entry, and Confirm. Keep the menu open until the code finishes, then throw normally. Alternatively, enable Select on Release for a radial layout.

Arsenal lists the mod as Diver's Best Friend - Automated Stratagem System (ASS), with the revision in its description.

For detailed setup and troubleshooting, see Installation and controls. Game updates may require a new mod release because this implementation depends on build-specific native functions and UI layouts.

About the project

I created this because I was getting frustrated with inconsistent OCR in my original Stratagem Wheel helper. Reading live game data and putting the menu inside the game made more sense than continuing to read the screen.

This was vibe-coded with GPT-6 Astra, with me directing development, testing in-game, and iterating on feedback. It's a personal project, but I'm happy to share it.

Community modding tools make this native implementation possible. This is an independent fan project with no official support or endorsement from Arrowhead or Sony. HELLDIVERS 2 and its assets belong to their respective owners.

Feedback and license

Report an issue with your mod revision, game build, selection mode/layout, and steps to reproduce the problem. Relevant entries from DiversBestFriend.log and DiversBestFriend-native.log can help. Please report this mod's bugs here, rather than to the dependency maintainers.

The project code is MIT licensed. The game and separately installed dependencies retain their own licenses and ownership.

Credits | Development guide