Recent updates
March 18, 2024: We added the Shock Trooper loadout to our list and tweaked the meta loadouts in view of balance changes and new weapons.
Working out the best Helldivers 2 loadout for your galactic warrior is a bit of a puzzle at first, as you gradually unlock new weapons and armour you can try. The sheer variety in terms of Stratagems alone makes it tough to know what to bring, especially when you only have four slots to work with when you head out for a mission.
If you’re looking for some easy builds you can put into practice, I’ve unlocked all the Stratagems, and have a pretty good handle on what’s decent and worth bringing to a fight. Hopefully, our best Helldivers 2 builds will give you some ideas you can implement if you’re looking to be pointed in the right direction.
All Rounder
Primary: AR-23 LiberatorSecondary: P-2 PeacemakerGrenade: G-12 High ExplosiveArmour Perk: Med Kit (stim inventory and second stim duration +2)Stratagems: Orbital 120MM HE Barrage, Eagle Strafing Run, Machine Gun, Supply Pack
If you don’t have a particular enemy in mind when devising a loadout, then you’re a lot like me. Sometimes I want to set one loadout and then stop thinking about it, and for that, I always fall back on the default Liberator assault rifle. Pick off bugs from a distance in ADS, stall a charging Stalker at full-auto, or hipfire in a desperate escape—the Liberator can do it all well.
When I don’t want to think particularly hard about Stratagems, I default to becoming the ammo mule. The Supply Pack is my single favorite item in Helldivers 2 because it’s always useful. Not only can you resupply your entire loadout at the press of a button, but you can also be a hero to your squadmates when they’re running dry. The Supply Pack pairs especially well with one of the best, ammo-hungry support weapons in the game (the standard machine gun) and the Med Kit armor perk that can keep your stims topped off at all times. Big damage and high survivability are a winning combo in any scenario.
Pathfinder
Primary: R-63 DiligenceSecondary: P-19 RedeemerGrenade: G-16 ImpactArmour Perk: Scout (Markers placed on the map generate radar scans every two seconds. Reduces range at which enemies can detect you by 30%)Stratagems: Jump Pack, Anti-Material Rifle, Gatling Sentry, Eagle Cluster Bomb
Sussing out where the secondary objectives are in Helldivers 2 can be difficult, so sometimes it’s worth bringing someone as a scout who can explore and stray from the team a bit but still extricate themselves in a bad situation. Light armour, the Scout perk, and a Jump Pack will help you move fast, detect objectives on the map, and literally boost away from any situation where you might get swarmed.
The R-63 Diligence and the Anti-Material Rifle will help you pick off targets at a distance, while the P-19 Redeemer can be that emergency pull if you do get swarmed and don’t have the Jump Pack charged. The Gatling Sentry is also perfect for baiting away enemies, while the Eagle Cluster Bomb is easy to chuck down behind you as you’re retreating to waylay any swarms that might be hot in pursuit. If you don’t feel you need this then you could bring an Orbital Precision Strike, use the sentry to bait in a tough armoured target, then call down the strike on top of the turret to deal with them.
Nest Buster
Primary: AR-23P Liberator PenetratorSecondary: P-19 RedeemerGrenade: G-12 High ExplosiveArmour Perk: Engineering Kit (reduces recoil when crouching or prone by 30% and gives two extra grenades)Stratagems: Grenade Launcher, Supply Pack, Orbital Precision Strike, Eagle Cluster Bomb
If you’re doing blitz missions or want to quickly take out bug nests and secondary objectives so you can get onto the main stuff, this is the build I recommend. The AR-23P Liberator Penetrator is my favourite assault rifle due to its medium armour penetration, and the P-19 Redeemer is great for when you’re backed into a corner. The most important parts of this build, however, are the Grenade Launcher and the Supply Pack.
Grenade Launchers can close bug holes from range with well placed shots, and they can also destroy Spore Stacks or even Rogue Transmission towers at a distance, speeding up your mission considerably. In terms of airstrikes, Eagle Cluster Bomb is still the best for clearing large groups of enemies often, while Orbital Precision Strike is perfect for taking out single hole nests and quickly moving on without even having to go near them. If you want a flashier version of this build, consider swapping the Supply Pack for a Guard Dog to watch your back, or include the Eagle 500KG bomb for busting those big nests.
Bot Cruncher
Primary: R-63 DiligenceSecondary: P-2 PeacemakerGrenade: G-6 FragArmour Perk: Extra Padding (provides extra armor rating)Stratagems: Eagle Airstrike, Orbital EMS Strike, Autocannon, Gatling Sentry
I haven’t completed as many Automaton missions as Terminid, but it seems like precision is the way to go. The Diligence is a very powerful single-shot rifle with an adjustable scope, and it unlocks early on the free warbond. As a backup, I prefer the Peacemaker pistol for its steadier hand when going for headshots.
When calling in help, Automatons require a different approach. Airstrikes work as well as they do against bugs, but consider an EMS strike to disable bundles of armoured walkers instead. The frequency of armoured Automatons means I often rely on a support weapon, too, in this case being the Autocannon. It’s best used with two people for non stop firing, but even operated alone the Autocannon tears through walkers and infantry with high accuracy and fire rate. It’s like having a little tank on your shoulder.
Titan Killer
Primary: AR-23P Liberator PenetratorSecondary: P-19 RedeemerGrenade: G-16 ImpactArmour Perk: Fortified (Reduces recoil when crouching or prone by 30% plus 50% explosive damage resist)Stratagems: Orbital Laser, Orbital Railcannon Strike, Eagle Cluster Bomb, Spear
This is the build that I generally take to missions where I’m required to kill lots of armoured targets like Chargers or even multiple Bile Titans—this build requires you to be quite high level to access its Stratagems, but you can always tweak it slightly. First off, I always take the AR-23P Liberator Penetrator for its medium armour penetration, and the P-19 Redeemer is a must for quick burst damage if you get swarmed. A solid grenade pairing for this is the G-13 Impact which will instantly kill a Bile Spewer if you hurl one at it.
The Orbital Laser and Orbital Railcannon Strike are both amazing for single target damage, though if you don’t have either, a well-placed Orbital Precision Strike can still kill a Charger or Bile Titan. Eagle Cluster Bomb also gives you an easy way of clearing big enemy groups with its four uses and fast cooldown. The cherry on top is the Spear. While its targeting is a bit broken at the moment, it has incredible range and homes on targets, so is perfect for a moving armoured target or one that’s far away. You could also use the Recoilless Rifle if you want something with a bit more versatility, since the Spear can only target big armoured enemies.
Bug Masher
Primary: SG-225 BreakerSecondary: P-19 RedeemerGrenade: G-12 High ExplosiveArmour Perk: Democracy Protects (50% chance to not die on lethal damage)Stratagems: Orbital Airburst Strike, Eagle Strafe Run, Recoilless Rifle, Anti-Personnel Minefield
This is what I bring on higher difficulty missions against bugs. The Breaker shotgun is an early standout as one of the best primary weapons in Helldivers, both for its raw DPS output and its surprising range for a videogame shotgun. It’ll fire about as quickly as you can pull the trigger, and up close it’ll liquify any basic bugs giving chase. Its main downside is that magazine—it’s small, and you will have to reload often. With its high fire rate, the Redeemer is a natural backup when the Breaker’s running dry.
For Stratagems, focus on raw explosive power. My squad likes the Orbital Airburst Strike for its large area of effect against swarms, and the Eagle Strafe Run is a personal favorite for an immediate barrage in a straight line. The Recoilless Rifle is one of the best early support weapons to quickly deal with heavy armor targets like Chargers, but is best used with a squadmate assisting with a team reload.
Pyro Specialist
Primary: SG-225IE Breaker IncendiarySecondary: P-19 RedeemerGrenade: G-10 IncendiaryArmour Perk: Engineering Kit (reduces recoil when crouching or prone by 30% and gives two extra grenades)Stratagems: Flamethrower, Eagle Napalm Airstrike, Incendiary Mines, Shield Generator Pack
Fire is really strong against bugs and so I put this build together as a fun way of fighting the big insects on jungle planets—though it’ll work just about anywhere there’s stuff to torch. Essentially this build is about cramming as much fire as you can onto one Helldiver. The SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary gives you a spray and pray shotgun that burns enemies, while G-10 Incendiary Grenades will let you burn specific areas, plus you’ll two extra grenades from your Armour Perk.
In terms of Stratagems, the Flamethrower is an obvious pick for torching everything in sight, while the Eagle Napalm Strike and Incendiary Mines will give you even more area denial with fire. Lastly, though it’s a high level unlock, I’d recommend the Shield Generator Pack, since it’ll help reduce the damage you take when accidentally burning yourself. Trust me, that’ll happen quite a lot.
Shock Trooper
Primary: LAS-16 Sickle or SG-225 BreakerSecondary: P-19 RedeemerGrenade: G-16 ImpactArmour Perk: Electrical Conduit (Provides 95% resistance to arc damage)Stratagems: Arc Thrower, Shield Generator Pack, Orbital Laser, Tesla Tower
The Arc Thrower has always been a topic of debate in Helldivers 2; it’s a strong heavy weapon, but its tendency to zap team members makes it a slightly troublesome pick. However, the new Cutting Edge Warbond has three suits of armour available with the Electrical Conduit passive, reducing arc damage by 95%. It’ll still hurt you if it hits, but provided your whole team is wearing this new armour, it won’t straight up kill you anymore, letting you all run Arc Throwers and fry everything in sight.
Obviously this arc resistance is also a great opportunity to bring the Tesla Tower, and you can further mitigate all of the damage by bring a Shield Generator Pack. For when you’re not using the Arc Thrower, the new LAS-16 Sickle primary is pretty decent; it’s kind of like an energy-based AR-23 Liberator with infinite ammo that you have to heat up a little bit before you start firing. Either that or just bring the SG-225 Breaker to quickly whip out and blast anything getting too close.
Meta loadout for bugs
Primary: SG-225 Breaker or SG-225IE Breaker IncendiarySecondary: P-19 RedeemerGrenade: G-16 ImpactArmour Perk: Democracy Protects (50% chance to not die on lethal damage)Stratagems: Railgun, Shield Generator Pack, Orbital Railcannon Strike, Eagle Cluster Bomb
Though the Railgun was nerfed in a recent patch to make it less efficient at cracking Bile Titans and Chargers, I still think it’s the strongest meta pick, besides everyone donning Electrical Conduit armour and bringing Arc Throwers. The key difference with the Railgun now is that you need to switch the weapon to unsafe mode—hold the reload button while aiming—and overcharge it to break Charger leg armour or headshot Bile Titans. If you charge too much it’ll explode and hurt you, so be sure to practice and keep an eye on the little charging bar next to the scope.
Despite a hit to its mag size, the SG-225 Breaker is still very strong, as is the SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary for burning up swarms. The P-19 Redeemer also continues to be the best secondary for blasting your way out of tight spots, while the G-16 Impact will kill most troublesome enemies you hurl it at while also taking out nests.
In fact, the only real change I recommend in terms of the new meta is bringing Orbital Railcannon Strike instead of Orbital Laser. While I love the laser for its versatility at clearing up enemies and killing single targets, the Railcannon has infinite uses, making it a little more effective at coping with the sheer number of Bile Titans you face on the highest difficulties.
Meta loadout for bots
Primary: SG-225 Breaker, R-63 Diligence, JAR-5 Dominator, or LAS-16 SickleSecondary: P-19 RedeemerGrenade: G-12 High ExplosiveArmour Perk: Democracy Protects (50% chance to not die on lethal damage)Stratagems: Railgun, Shield Generator Pack, Orbital Laser, Eagle Cluster Bomb or Orbital Precision Strike
Same as with the loadout above, besides taking all Arc Throwers and relying on the Electrical Conduit passive to reduce friendly fire, it doesn’t feel like the highest difficulty meta has shifted all that much. Sure, the Flamethrower and Laser Cannon both got a buff, but not significant enough to beat out the Railgun on unsafe mode, especially in dealing with armoured targets like Hulks and Devastators which are undoubtedly the hardest part of the highest difficulties.
You do have a lot more choice in terms of viable primary weapons against bots, though; the SG-225 Breaker, R-63 Diligence, JAR-5 Dominator, or even the new LAS-16 Sickle will all serve you pretty well. You could even bring the new SG-8P Punisher Plasma if you wanted to experiment a bit more, since this grenade launcher-esque energy shotgun is brilliant at stunning annoying Automaton enemies.
In terms of survivability, the Shield Generator Pack is even more important against bots since they have ranged weaponry, while Democracy Protects armour will mitigate some of that incoming lethal fire. The P-19 Redeemer gives you a secondary that can stop a charging berserker, while the G-12 High Explosive grenade can be hurled into a bunch of bots for maximum damage and still also take out an outpost.
Lastly, for your airstrikes, the Orbital Laser is fantastic at clearing both enemies and tough single targets at the same time. You could also bring the Eagle Cluster Bomb for clearing enemies, though you might favor the Orbital Precision Strike as an easy way to take out Automaton installations and outposts instead.
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