Gemini on Question 15, Sep 26

Because Helldivers 2 has two vastly different factions with different behaviors—swarming melee bugs and armored ranged bots—there is no single "best" loadout. Efficiency requires tailoring your gear to the enemy.

To wipe out entire squads (patrols, bug breaches, or bot drops) as efficiently as possible, here are the two most dominant meta loadouts for each front.

1. The Terminid (Bug) Swarm Wiper: "The Pyromaniac"

Bugs swarm in massive numbers. The most efficient way to wipe them out is through damage-over-time (DoT), chaining damage, and area denial.

• •Primary Weapon: SG-225IE Incendiary Breaker
• •Why: Even with recent ammo nerfs, firing a few shots into a patrol sets the entire squad on fire. The fire DoT will kill all the small/medium bugs while you run or reload.
• •Secondary Weapon: GP-31 Grenade Pistol
• •Why: Frees up your grenade slot while giving you a tool to close bug holes and instantly kill Bile Spewers.
• •Grenade: G-23 Stun or G-10 Incendiary
• •Why: Stuns trap chargers and large groups in place so your stratagems can obliterate them. Incendiary creates a wall of fire for choke points.
• •Support Weapon: MG-43 Machine Gun or ARC-3 Arc Thrower
• •Why: The MG-43 on maximum RPM will tear through a bug breach in seconds. The Arc Thrower chains infinite lightning between enemies, bypassing armor and staggering them. (Note: If your team lacks anti-tank, run the Quasar Cannon instead).
• •Backpack: AX/AR-23 "Guard Dog" Rover (Laser)
• •Why: This is your passive squad-wiper. It constantly burns small bugs (Hunters, Scavengers) before they even reach you, racking up hundreds of kills per game.
• •Stratagems:
• •Eagle Napalm Strike: Drop this directly on a Bug Breach. It will instantly kill the initial wave and burn everything that crawls out for the next 10 seconds.
• •Orbital Gas Strike: Extremely low cooldown. Throw it on a bug breach or choke point. The corrosive gas melts small and medium bugs instantly.

2. The Automaton (Bot) Scrap-Maker: "The Stagger & Shatter"

Bots shoot back and have heavy frontal armor. To wipe out a bot squad, you need staggering force, medium-armor penetration, and explosive AoE.

• •Primary Weapon: SG-8P Punisher Plasma or JAR-5 Dominator
• •Why: The Punisher Plasma fires explosive lobs that deal AoE damage and heavily stagger entire groups of Devastators, stopping them from shooting. The Dominator hits like a truck and punches right through medium armor.
• •Secondary Weapon: P-4 Senator or Redeemer
• •Why: Senator can one-tap regular bots and penetrate medium armor in a pinch.
• •Grenade: G-23 Stun
• •Why: Mandatory for Bots. Throw a stun at a squad of Heavy Devastators or a Hulk, and they freeze long enough for you to line up headshots or drop an Airstrike.
• •Support Weapon: AC-8 Autocannon
• •Why: The undisputed king of the Bot front. It wipes out squads of Scout Striders, stun-locks and kills Devastators, destroys Bot Fabricators from across the map, and kills Hulks in two shots to the eye slit.
• •Backpack: (Taken by the Autocannon ammo backpack)
• •Stratagems:
• •Eagle Airstrike: The most versatile stratagem in the game. Throwing this at a Bot Drop or patrol will wipe out the entire squad, including tanks, while also destroying any nearby fabricators.
• •Orbital Laser: The ultimate "oh-shit" button. It will independently track and melt entire squads of heavy units and bases while you focus on other things.

General Tactics for Squad Wiping

• 1.The "Stun & Strike" Combo (The most efficient move in the game): If you see a patrol you must kill, throw a Stun Grenade into the center of them, immediately followed by an Eagle Airstrike. The stun guarantees they won't scatter, and the Airstrike guarantees they all die.
• 2.Funneling: Never fight in an open field if you can help it. Run past a rock formation or through a narrow pass. When the squad follows you, they will clump tightly together, allowing one grenade or primary magazine to kill them all.
• 3.Target Prioritization: For Bugs, kill the Hunters first (they slow you). For Bots, kill the Rocket/Heavy Devastators first (they stunlock and kill you).

Good luck diving, and manage your economy for Super Earth!