How to find and beat Hulks in Helldivers 2

The Hulks are massive beings of metal that can char you or blow you to bits if you don’t defeat them first. These Automatons come in a couple of variants, though they share common weaknesses. That makes them no less dangerous, but our guide will have you turning them into scrap metal in no time.

Where to find Hulks in Helldivers 2

Play in the Automaton sectors found west of Super Earth for a chance to face Hulks. They start spawning on Medium difficulty (level 3) or higher, so pick a difficulty option accordingly. We have faced a good number of them during the “Eliminate Automatons” missions that task you with killing a specific number of enemies before calling in an extraction. They tend to spawn as part of large waves of bots, which often include Striders and Devastators as well.

How to beat Hulks

You might need to beat a Hulk to either pursue a personal order or to defend your friends. They are heavily armoured, practically fully encased in thick metal sheets. The Hulks come in three variants, Bruiser, Scorcher, and Obliterator, which only differ in their weaponry. They all wade forward while pummeling you with ranged attacks.

The main way to deal with Hulks is to beat them with anti-armour weapons. Support weapons like EAT-17, Quasar Cannon, Railgun, Recoilless Rifle, and Commando are great to fight them head-on. Otherwise, try to aim at their weak spots. Their tiny “eye” is positioned centrally on their massive body, so you can use normal weapons to deal damage to them. Similarly, their glowing rear vent is another area that you can exploit to deal extra damage – as long as you manage to outflank them. If all else fails, their leg joints can be destroyed more easily than their body.

Other tips to consider:

• Drop some explosives on them: A grenade launcher or individual grenades are solid weapons to use against the Hulk. Remember to watch out for splash damage. The Scorcher Hulk variant has flamethrowers so you’re better off taking them down from cover.
• Call in an offensive stratagem: While you don’t need an Eagle 500kg Bomb for this foe, you can always call in an Orbital strike or other similar stratagems to take out a Hulk and any foes in the vicinity. 
• Use distractions to expose their back: Tackling this foe is easier with friends as one player can distract them. This creates an opening for your allies to knock the Hulk down. The one who is their primary target should swing around to expose their vents for the other Helldivers to take advantage.
• Use EMS effects to immobilize them: You can use several stun effects to make the Hulk stop in its tracks, such as Orbital EMS Strike, EMS Mortar Sentry, and even a Stun grenade. This will give you a chance to shoot at their weak spots.

Make sure to wear your best armor when facing the Hulks, and use the best weapons you have available. To take down the similarly armoured bug enemies, the Chargers, we have that covered as well.