Helldivers 2: Is the CB-9 Exploding Crossbow Worth Getting?

Getting some new weapon options in Helldivers 2 always stirs up the community, and the latest Democratic Detonation Warbond has created a fair amount of discussion. With three new primary weapons, a Grenade Pistol, and a Thermal Grenade all becoming available at the same time, the standard meta loadouts might change in the coming weeks. We already saw a similar thing happen with the LAS-9 Sickle, which quickly became a fan-favorite after its release in the Cutting Edge Warbond.

One of the highlights of the Warbond, even before it actually released, was the CB-9 Exploding Crossbow, with many players being excited for a new weapon type coming to the game. With Arrowhead Game Studios sometimes releasing weapons that are in a questionable balance state, let's see if the CB-9 Exploding Crossbow is actually worth unlocking!

CB-9 Exploding Crossbow Stats & Price

The CB-9 Exploding Crossbow can be found on the third page of the Democratic Detonation Warbond, and it will cost you 80 Medals to unlock it. This weapon is quite similar to another option from the same Warbond, which is the R-36 Eruptor. They are both single-shot weapons that deal a ton of explosive damage, while also being able to deal with smaller enemies in a small blast radius. The big difference between the two weapons is in their fire rate and armor penetration. The CB-9 Exploding Crossbow can fire all 5 of its shots without having any reloading animations, but it lacks the Medium Armor Penetration of the R-36 Eruptor.

The CB-9 Exploding Crossbow can fire a total of 60 shots before it runs out of ammo with a magazine capacity of 5 bolts. It does not have any additional attachments, and it has a very steep falloff, making it hard to use in long-range engagements.

CB-9 Exploding Crossbow Performance & Summary

The CB-9 Exploding Crossbow is probably the second strongest primary weapon in the Democratic Detonation Warbond, with the R-36 Eruptor being above it due to it having a bit more utility. While the crossbow is quite strong and can deal with a wide variety of different enemies, not being able to close Bug Holes and Automaton Fabricators really makes it fall behind the Eruptor. It's hard not to directly compare the two weapons due to their similar functions, and the only area we can put the crossbow ahead of the Eruptor is in crowd control and fire rate.

Still, if you are looking for a high-damage weapon that works really well with a support Stratagem, such as the Stalwart, we do think that you will find a lot of success with the CB-9 Exploding Crossbow. It has its uses against both the Terminids and Automatons, with a high amount of explosive burst damage being amazing against a variety of enemy types.

That is everything you need to know about the new CB-9 Exploding Crossbow in Helldivers 2. Even though we don't rate it as highly as the R-36 Eruptor, it's still a very strong option and very unique just by the virtue of being a crossbow. If you are looking for a fun weapon to spice up your loadouts, make sure to give it a try! For more Helldivers 2 news and guides, check out the rest of our website!