Depends on the faction, but here are the go-to picks for deleting groups fast:
## Terminids (bugs)
Chaff comes in dense packs, so area damage and fire dominate.
- **Primary:** Breaker Incendiary or Cookout — burn DoT kills entire trash waves with a few shots
- **Grenade:** Incendiary Impact, or Gas grenade (confusion makes them attack each other and stops reinforcement calls)
- **Stratagems:** Orbital Napalm Barrage (best breach-clearer in the game), Eagle Napalm Airstrike, Flamethrower or Stalwart for sustained clearing, plus Orbital Precision Strike or thermites for Chargers/Bile Titans
- **Armor:** Light with Engineering Kit or the fire-resist passive if you're running napalm
## Automatons (bots)
Groups are ranged and armored, so you want penetration and precision.
- **Primary:** Sickle, Adjudicator, or Diligence Counter-Sniper (headshots one-tap Devastators)
- **Support:** Autocannon or Laser Cannon — Autocannon staggers and shreds a whole patrol in seconds
- **Stratagems:** Eagle Airstrike (most versatile stratagem, period), Orbital Laser for emergencies, Stun grenades for Hulks
- **Armor:** Fortified passive (50% explosive resist) — survives rocket devastator volleys
## Illuminate (squids)
- **Primary:** Blitzer or Breaker Incendiary for Voteless hordes; Purifier/Sickle for Overseers
- **Stratagems:** Orbital Gatling Barrage, Eagle Cluster Bomb, Arc Thrower (chains through crowds beautifully)
## Universal picks
**Eagle Cluster Bomb** and **Orbital Gatling Barrage** are the most efficient "one input, patrol gone" options — short cooldowns, huge footprint, low investment. Eagle Airstrike is the best all-rounder because it also kills objectives.
## One tactical note
Wiping patrols isn't always correct. Dead patrols don't call reinforcements, but engaging costs time and ammo, and on higher difficulties patrol density scales with map completion — sometimes stealth armor and just walking around them clears the mission faster.
Balance shifts with patches, so if something feels weak it may have been tuned recently.