Gemini on Question 15, Sep 19

Because Helldivers 2 features two completely different enemy factions, there is no single "best" loadout. What wipes out a Terminid swarm will bounce harmlessly off Automaton armor.

To wipe out an enemy squad (a patrol, a bot drop, or a bug breach) as efficiently as possible, you need to tailor your loadout to the threat. Here are the two most efficient, meta-tested loadouts for deleting squads on high difficulties (Levels 7-10).

1. The Terminid (Bug) Sweeper Loadout

Bugs rely on numbers, speed, and melee. The most efficient way to wipe them out is through fire, crowd control, and area-of-effect (AoE) damage.

• •Primary Weapon: SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary
• •Why: It is the undisputed king of bug clearing. You don’t even need to aim perfectly; just sweep it across a patrol. The fire damage-over-time (DoT) will melt Hunters, Scavengers, and Shriekers instantly.
• •Secondary Weapon: GP-31 Grenade Pistol
• •Why: Frees up your grenade slot and allows you to close Bug Holes efficiently.
• •Grenade: Stun Grenade
• •Why: Throw this into a charging squad or at a Charger. It freezes them in place, grouping them perfectly for a Stratagem.
• •Support Weapon: Quasar Cannon, Commando, or Expendable Anti-Tank (EAT)
• •Why: The rest of your kit handles the small/medium bugs. You need this to instantly blow the head off a Charger or heavily damage a Bile Titan so your squad isn't routed.
• •Backpack: AX/LAS-5 "Guard Dog" Rover
• •Why: While you are shooting or running, this laser drone is constantly sweeping the area, racking up dozens of kills. It acts as a second player covering your back.
• •Stratagems for Wiping the Squad:
• •Eagle Napalm Strike: Throw this horizontally across a bug breach. It will instantly kill everything smaller than a Charger as they crawl out of the ground.
• •Orbital Gas Strike or Orbital Precision Strike: Gas has a microscopic cooldown and melts bug squads. Precision Strike is for deleting Stun-grenaded Chargers/Titans.
• •Armor: Light Armor with Engineering Kit (recoil reduction/extra grenades) or Extra Padding (speed of light armor, defense of medium). Speed is life against bugs.

2. The Automaton (Bot) Scrapper Loadout

Bots rely on ranged crossfire, heavy armor, and dropships. The most efficient way to wipe them out is through armor penetration, stagger, and explosive damage.

• •Primary Weapon: JAR-5 Dominator OR PLAS-1 Scorcher
• •Why: Bots require medium armor penetration. The Dominator staggers heavily armored Devastators out of their shooting animations and kills them quickly. The Scorcher’s explosive plasma damage bypasses the front shields of Scout Striders, killing them in two hits.
• •Secondary Weapon: P-4 Senator (Revolver)
• •Why: High damage and medium armor penetration. Great for quickly popping the heads of standard bots or finishing off Devastators in a pinch.
• •Grenade: Stun Grenade
• •Why: Mandatory for bots. Throw a stun grenade at a Hulk, calmly walk up to it, and shoot it twice in the glowing red eye with your Autocannon.
• •Support Weapon: AC-8 Autocannon
• •Why: The Autocannon is the absolute best weapon against Automatons. It destroys Fabricators from a distance, kills Devastators in two hits, takes down Gunships, and destroys Hulks (with eye-shots). It is a squad-wiping machine.
• •Stratagems for Wiping the Squad:
• •Eagle Airstrike: The single best squad-wiping Stratagem in the game. Throw this at a bot patrol, and the horizontal line of bombs will instantly vaporize everything from standard grunts to heavy tanks.
• •Orbital Laser: The ultimate panic button. Throw this into a heavy bot outpost and watch it methodically melt every enemy and destroy all the fabricators while you stay behind cover.
• •Eagle 500kg Bomb or Orbital Precision Strike: Essential for instantly removing Factory Striders, Detector Towers, or Annihilator Tanks.
• •Armor: Medium or Heavy Armor with the Fortified passive (50% explosive resistance). This will save your life from stray rockets and landmines.

The "One-Button Wipe" Tactic (How to engage)

Having the right loadout is only half the battle. To efficiently wipe a squad before they can call for backup (Bug Breach / Bot Drop), follow this sequence:

• 1.Spot the Patrol: Ping them. Do not shoot immediately.
• 2.The Opening Salvo: The person with the Eagle Airstrike throws it right into the center of the patrol.
• 3.The Setup: As the red beacon lands, throw a Stun Grenade into the center of the squad. This ensures they cannot run out of the blast radius.
• 4.The Mopping Up: As soon as the bombs hit, open fire with your Primary (Incendiary Breaker for bugs, Dominator for bots) to kill the 1 or 2 stragglers that survived the blast.

If executed correctly, an entire squad of 15+ enemies will be wiped off the map in roughly 4 seconds, without a single drop or breach being called in.