Gemini on Question 15, Sep 23

Because Helldivers 2 features two completely different enemy factions, there is no single "best" loadout. Wiping out a Terminid (Bug) swarm requires massive Area of Effect (AoE) and crowd control, while wiping out an Automaton (Bot) patrol requires armor penetration and explosive stagger.

If your goal is efficiency—meaning wiping out a squad in seconds before they can call in a Bug Breach or Bot Drop—here are the top meta loadouts for both factions.

1. The Terminid (Bug) Wiper: "The Firestorm"

Bugs group up closely and rush you. The most efficient way to wipe a bug patrol is blanket them in fire and explosives.

• •Primary Weapon: SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary. Even with recent ammo nerfs, this is the undisputed king of bug clearing. You don't need to aim perfectly; just sweep the shotgun across the patrol. The fire Damage Over Time (DoT) will kill all the small bugs (Hunters, Scavengers) in seconds.
• •Secondary: Grenade Pistol. Use this to instantly delete grouped-up Spewers or clear bug holes.
• •Grenade: Incendiary Impact. Throw one of these into the center of a patrol and watch the kill counter tick up.
• •Support Weapon: Grenade Launcher OR Machine Gun (M-43). The Grenade launcher can wipe a patrol of 15-20 medium-to-light bugs in three trigger pulls.
• •Backpack: "Guard Dog" Rover. This laser drone provides infinite, passive crowd control. It will actively sweep the remaining chaff while you focus on the bigger targets.
• •Offensive Stratagems:
• •Eagle Napalm Strike: Throw this perpendicular to an advancing bug squad. It kills everything instantly except Chargers and Bile Titans.
• •Orbital Gas Strike or Orbital Airburst: Both have incredibly short cooldowns and are designed specifically to wipe out lightly armored squads.

How to execute the wipe: Throw an Eagle Napalm Strike directly onto the patrol. As it hits, fire 2-3 shots of your Breaker Incendiary into whatever walks out of the flames. The squad will cease to exist in about 4 seconds.

2. The Automaton (Bot) Wiper: "The Demolitionist"

Bots fight from a distance, use cover, and have heavy frontal armor. Efficiency here means heavy stagger and high-explosive damage to bypass armor.

• •Primary Weapon: PLAS-1 Scorcher or JAR-5 Dominator. The Scorcher’s explosive plasma ignores Scout Strider front shields, killing them in two hits. The Dominator staggers heavily armored Devastators, stopping them from shooting back.
• •Secondary: P-4 Senator (for penetrating armor on headshots) or Grenade Pistol.
• •Grenade: Stun Grenade. Crucial for bots. Throw this to freeze a patrol in place so you can line up shots or drop a Stratagem on them perfectly.
• •Support Weapon: AC-8 Autocannon. The Autocannon is the Swiss Army Knife for bots. It staggers, has splash damage, and two-taps Devastators. You can wipe an entire bot patrol by just kneeling and spamming the Autocannon into the center of them.
• •Offensive Stratagems:
• •Eagle Airstrike: This is the most efficient squad-wiping tool in the entire game. It destroys armor, kills chaff, and destroys fabricators.
• •Orbital Laser: The ultimate panic button. Throw it near a massive bot base or drop, and it will methodically melt every enemy squad in the area.
• •Orbital Precision Strike (OPS): Excellent for deleting the single Hulk or Tank leading the squad.

How to execute the wipe: Spot the bot patrol. Throw a Stun Grenade to freeze them. Immediately follow up with an Eagle Airstrike. Whatever survives (usually just heavily armored units) gets cleaned up with 2-3 Autocannon shots.

The Golden Rules of an "Efficient" Squad Wipe

No matter what loadout you bring, how you engage determines your efficiency:

• 1.Strike First, Strike Hard: If an enemy sees you and shoots a flare (Bots) or sprays orange pheromones (Bugs), your efficiency drops to zero because a massive reinforcement wave is coming. You must kill the "callers" first.
• 2.Stratagems first, Guns second: The most efficient way to wipe a squad is to throw an Eagle Airstrike or Cluster Bomb from stealth. Your primary weapon should only be used to clean up the 1 or 2 enemies that survive the blast.
• 3.Target Priority: Always kill the small, unarmored units at the back of the squad first. Commissars (Bots) and Scavengers/Hunters (Bugs) are the ones that call in reinforcements. Kill them before you focus on the big guys.