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With the latest Chemical Agents Warbond here, we offer the best loadouts to use to eradicate the Automatons and Terminids in Helldivers 2. A good loadout will help you rack up your Medals, complete Major Orders, and most importantly serve up a sweet cup of Liber-tea. We’ve categorized our top Helldivers 2 loadouts based on roles you can fill in the game. Remember that you can experiment and replace any of these items based on what works best for you. For example, while the SG-225 Breaker Shotgun neatly slots itself into our list, you can always pick other primary weapons after some practice. Here are the loadouts we’ve covered:
- Beginner
- Best for Automatons
- Best for Terminids
- Anti-Armor and Tank
- Scout
- Support
The booster added with Viper Commandos Warbond, Experimental Infusion, is an amazing pick. You should have one in every group.
Best beginner loadout in Helldivers 2
- Primary: AR-23 Liberator Assault Rifle
- Secondary: P-2 Peacemaker
- Grenade: G-12 High Explosive
- Armor: CM-09 Bonesnapper Medium armor with extra stims
- Stratagems: Orbital Railcannon Strike, Machine Gun Sentry, Recoilless Rifle, Supply Pack
- Booster: Vitality Enhancement
- Excellent at mid-range
- Deals with waves fast
- A little weak again large enemies but you can compensate with the G-12 High Explosive and Recoilless Rifle
If you want to be good against most enemies and take them out at medium range right from the early game, this is the loadout for you in Helldivers 2. The assault rifle is great against waves of weaker enemies thanks to its fast fire rate and quick reload speed. The secondary pistol is once more great against weak foes but may struggle against stronger opponents. Remember to keep grenades handy for bug nests and hordes. For a stronger weapon to take out larger and more difficult enemies, the Recoilless Rifle is a great missile launcher that not only takes out most larger foes in one or two shots, but it comes with a backpack to allow for multiple reloads.
Best loadout for Automatons in Helldivers 2
- Primary: SG-225 Breaker Shotgun or R-36 Eruptor
- Secondary: P-19 Redeemer or GP-31 Grenade Pistol
- Grenade: G-12 High Explosive
- Armor: FS-05 Marksman Heavy armor with explosive resistance
- Stratagems: Shield Generator Pack, Orbital Walking Barrage, LAS-99 Quasar Cannon, Mortar Sentry
- Booster: Vitality Enhancement
- Superb durability against automatons thanks to heavy armor and Shield Generator Pack
- Quasar Cannon and R-36 Eruptor tear through Factory Striders and Gunships
- Mortar Sentry and Orbital Walking Barrage work a treat against swarms
- The Breaker isn’t quite as effective due to recent nerfs
Facing Automatons isn’t easy but this loadout can help. Durability is the name of the game here, meaning that you should be able to withstand hits as you dish out damage. That’s why we’re prioritizing Heavy armor even though it lowers your stamina. The Shield Generator Pack is another must-have at higher difficulty levels, letting you take more damage. As for the enemies, the Quasar Cannon and R-36 Eruptor are good against the new Factory Strider and Gunship foes. The Railgun’s ‘unsafe mode’ isn’t as effective, especially since it can’t beat the former’s infinite ammo. And if enemies overwhelm you, feel free to call in a Mortar Sentry and an Orbital Walking Barrage. The Breaker sits at a high spot on our Helldivers 2 weapon tier list for good reason. Despite the recent nerfs, it still packs a punch at close range.
If you’re feeling spicy, you can take the PLAS-1 Scorcher to deal with groups of Automaton troops. While not the best weapon in the game, it can shake up your playstyle while remaining decently effective.
Alternative loadout for Automatons
- Primary: R-63 Diligence
- Secondary: P-19 Redeemer or GP-31 Grenade Pistol
- Grenade: G-16 Impact or G-123 Thermite
- Armor: B-01 Tactical or any armor with the same Extra Padding perk
- Stratagems: Eagle 500KG Bomb, Orbital Laser, LAS-99 Quasar Cannon/EAT-17 Expendable Anti-Tank/GR-8 Recoilless Rifle, Mortar Sentry
- Booster: Vitality Enhancement
- One-shot kills on large enemies with the R-63 Diligence
- 500KG Bomb wipes out Fabricator locations with ease
- Orbital Laser gives you breathing space when overwhelmed
- Requires solid aim
Marksman Rifles are slept on in Helldivers 2, with players favouring weapons such as the Eruptor instead. But, for the Automatons the R-63 Diligence is a great choice as many of the larger enemies can be taken out with even just one well-placed shot. Enemies such as the Scout Strider can be taken down with one bullet from behind to take out the driver, and the same for enemies such as the Devastator from the front. When taking out the more grunt-like enemies, the precision from the Diligence can take them out with a well-placed headshot. The G-16 Impact Grenade is also great for taking out the Scout Striders immediately, although they can be more difficult to destroy Fabricators with due to the immediate detonation. But, you will soon figure out how to line your aim up to be able to effectively destroy them without wasting too many Grenades. Alternatively, you can opt for the Thermite, which deals incredible damage – perfect for taking down those heavily armoured bots.
For Stratagems, this loadout favors pure destruction, with the 500KG Bomb being a great option for destroying Fabricator locations with a single use or taking down hordes of enemies. The Orbital Laser is a great choice for destroying multiple large enemies passively while you regroup or just need to thin the herd. Finally, the Quasar Cannon, an Expendable Anti-Tank, or Recoilless Rifle is a great choice for a missile launcher to destroy larger enemies as well as dropships which can be taken down with a well-placed shot to the thrusters on the side.
Focus on single-target damage while fighting the Automatons
Unlike the Terminids, large AoE attacks aren’t very effective against Automaton units with high health and armor. Resort to explosives and other lethal picks against them.
Best loadout for Terminids in Helldivers 2
- Primary: SG-225 Breaker Shotgun or SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary
- Secondary: P-19 Redeemer
- Grenade: G-12 High Explosive
- Armor: CE-Trench Engineer Medium armor with lower recoil and bonus grenades
- Stratagems: Grenade Launcher, Orbital 380MM HE Barrage, Eagle Cluster Bomb, Autocannon Sentry
- Booster: Stamina Enhancement
- Absolutely tears through bug breaches thanks to the grenade-heavy focus
- CE-Trench Engineer Medium armor increases your stock of grenades
- Double edged sword – reliance on grenades
If taking down bug nests and blowing bugs to bits sounds like your role, consider this loadout. It focuses on keeping as many grenades on you as possible, from the armor choice to the Grenade Launcher supply weapon. This is because you can thin herds out fairly easily by closing bug breaches with grenades. If you want to pick the Flamethrower or Arc Thrower instead, just remember to have something to close bug breaches with. Instead of the Breaker, the JAR-5 Dominator is decent against crowds of foes. Use our best ways to farm Medals in Helldivers 2 guide if you want to quickly unlock the best weapons.
Alternative loadout for Terminids
- Primary: SMG-72 Pummeler, PLAS-1 Scorcher, or LAS-16 Sickle
- Secondary: P-19 Redeemer
- Grenade: G-12 High Explosive or G-13 Incendiary Impact or G-4 Gas
- Armor: CE-Trench Engineer Medium armor with lower recoil and bonus grenades
- Stratagems: Grenade Launcher or Flamethrower, 500KG Bomb, Eagle Cluster Bomb or Orbital Laser, Autocannon Sentry
- Booster: Stamina Enhancement
- SMG-72 Pummeler undercuts the swam potential of the Terminids
- Damage over time from the G-13 Incendiary Impact grenade and Incendiary perk
- If things get hairy, you’ll wish you had a shotgun
The Shotgun is a great choice for taking down the Terminids, but if you favour weapons such as Assault Rifles or SMGs, then try this loadout. The SMG-72 Pummeler from the Polar Patriots Warbond has great stopping power, which can help to stop enemies in their tracks to allow you to take down stronger enemies without being attacked, or to help create distance which is crucial to not get overwhelmed by the Terminids.
The G-13 Incendiary Impact Grenade, also from the Polar Patriots Warbond, is a great choice due to the Incendiary perk which will damage enemies over time with fire. For Stratagems, the Flamethrower is a great choice if you don’t want to use the Grenade Launcher, for the same reason as the Incendiary Impact. Similar to the alternative Automaton loadout, the 500KG Bomb and/or Orbital Laser can be great options for clearing out large areas very quickly.
Best Anti-Armor and Tank loadout in Helldivers 2
- Primary: SG-225 Breaker Shotgun or R-36 Eruptor
- Secondary: P-19 Redeemer or GP-31 Grenade Pistol
- Grenade: G-123 Thermite
- Armor: DP-40 Hero of the Federation Medium armor with the Democracy Protects perk
- Stratagems: LAS-99 Quasar Cannon, EMS Mortar, Orbital Laser, Eagle 500kg Bomb
- Booster: Vitality Enhancement
- Works great against larger, armored enemy types
- Democracy Protects perk boosts survivability
- Thermite grenade is able to quickly disptch heavies
- Slow-ish fire rate
- Can struggle against hordes of weak enemies
If you need some hard-hitting gear for Hulks, Tanks, and Bile Titans, try this loadout. For a better fire rate, the Plas-1 Scorcher and LAS-16 Sickle are good options too. The Quasar Cannon is great against these massive enemies, especially when you target their weak spots. The EAT-17 Anti-Tank is another solid supply weapon. While Heavy armor is usually better at dealing with laser fire and brutal attacks, the Democracy Protects perk lets you withstand lethal injuries 50% of the time. It’s an essential perk when your enemies overwhelm you.
Best Scout loadout in Helldivers 2
- Primary: R-63 Diligence Marksman Rifle or AR-23P Liberator Penetrator
- Secondary: P-19 Redeemer
- Grenade: G-12 High Explosive (or G-16 Impact if you prefer them)
- Armor: SC-34 Infiltrator Light armor with markers for radar scans
- Stratagems: Jump Pack, Anti-Materiel Rifle, Gatling Sentry, Eagle Strafing Run
- Booster: Stamina Enhancement
- Perfect for a stealthy, obejctive-based playstyle
- Diligence Marksman Rifle delivers superb long-range options
- Not as effective against tightly-packed enemy groups
- Light armor has poor durability
If you want to create radar scans and adopt a stealth approach, use this loadout in Helldivers 2. Try not to use this solo though as enemies can chew through Light armor. But with markers for radar scans, you should be able to find optional objectives easily. Evade patrols and focus on the objective when you’re using this build. While the Diligence Marksman Rifle is good at long range, it’s not great against multiple enemies packed together. Consider the regular assault rifle or its penetration variant if you prefer having a good rate of fire. If you really want a support weapon that isn’t a sniper, the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon will let you knock out the occasional armoured opponent.
Best Support loadout in Helldivers 2
- Primary: PLAS-1 Scorcher or JAR-5 Dominator
- Secondary: P-11 Stim Pistol
- Grenade: G-4 Gas or G-23 Stun
- Armor: CM-09 Bonesnapper
- Stratagems: Supply Pack, Steriliser, Shield Generator Relay, EMS Mortar Sentry
- Booster: Experimental Infusion (alternatively: Stamina Enhancement or Vitality Enhancement)
- Help your team operate at higher efficiency
- Line up enemies for your squad with gas, EMS, and stuns
- Save your teammates with stims and the stim gun.
- Not meant for solo play
- You won’t be racking up kills with this build
If you prefer to play a supportive role in your squad, then this loadout should help you remain effective on the field. Obviously, this build is all about team play, so it’s clearly not optimal for solo play. Your main objective is to keep the team functional and up and running between objectives. To do that, use the Steriliser stratagem to debuff enemies with gas, then shield them with the Shield Generator Relay. If there’s a horde coming up, use the EMS Mortar Sentry to slow them down to allow your team to line up their offensive stratagems. Lastly, when they need a resupply, no need to call one down from the orbit – you carry one on your back with the Supply Pack. Use the Sim Pistol to heal them up (make sure to switch from primary, so there’s no friendly fire). Your grenades can either add gas debuffs, or you can use the Stun to set up big enemies for your squad. Lastly, when all else fails, the Scorcher or Dominator are strong options to get in a few shots of your own.
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