Claude on Question 15, Sep 27
What's the most efficient loadout for wiping out an enemy squad in Helldivers 2?Depends on which faction's "squad" you're deleting, but the underlying formula is the same: stagger + area damage + one reliable heavy-armor answer.
The general recipe
- •One AoE stratagem with a short cooldown for patrols (Gas Strike, Orbital Gatling Barrage, Strafing Run, Eagle Cluster Bomb)
- •One heavy-hitter for Chargers/Hulks/Harvesters (EAT, Recoilless, Quasar, Autocannon, thermite)
- •A primary that staggers or applies fire/arc so chaff dies without precise aim
- •Stun or Impact Incendiary grenades — stun especially, since a stunned group is a free kill with any explosive
Terminids (bugs)
- •Primary: Breaker Incendiary or Cookout
- •Secondary: Grenade Pistol (closes holes) / Crisper
- •Grenade: Impact Incendiary
- •Stratagems: Napalm Eagle Airstrike, Orbital Gatling Barrage or Gas Strike, Flamethrower or Stalwart, Guard Dog Rover
- •Fire is king here. A napalm strike on a breach basically resolves the whole fight.
Automatons (bots)
- •Primary: Sickle, Purifier, or Diligence Counter-Sniper
- •Secondary: Senator or Ultimatum (one-shots fabricators, tanks, gunship towers)
- •Grenade: Thermite or Stun
- •Stratagems: Eagle Airstrike, Orbital Laser or 120mm Barrage, Autocannon or Laser Cannon, Shield Generator Pack or AC Sentry
- •Armor: Fortified medium — the explosive resistance is disproportionately good against rocket devastators.
Illuminate (squids)
- •Primary: Halt (stun rounds) or Blitzer
- •Secondary: Ultimatum — deletes Harvesters and warp ships
- •Grenade: Thermite or Gas
- •Stratagems: Eagle Cluster Bomb, Gas Strike, Quasar Cannon or Arc Thrower, a sentry
- •Voteless hordes melt to arc and fire; the real threats are Harvesters, so bring two answers for them.
Tactical notes that matter more than the loadout
- •Cluster Bomb and Gatling Barrage are the most ammo-efficient patrol erasers. Airstrikes are better saved for bases and breaches.
- •Stun grenade → any explosive is the highest-DPS combo in the game against clustered enemies.
- •Kill the scout striders / Watchers / Shriekers first — they're what turns a squad fight into three more squad fights.
- •Muscle Enhancement and Vitality boosters do more for survivability on high difficulties than most people expect.
- •Coordinate cooldowns with your team instead of everyone dumping stratagems on the same patrol.
Fair warning: Arrowhead patches balance constantly, so specific weapon tiers shift. If something on this list feels weak, it probably got nerfed since I last had good data — but the stagger/AoE/anti-heavy framework holds regardless.
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Depends on which faction's "squad" you're deleting, but the underlying formula is the same: **stagger + area damage + one reliable heavy-armor answer.**
## The general recipe
- **One AoE stratagem with a short cooldown** for patrols (Gas Strike, Orbital Gatling Barrage, Strafing Run, Eagle Cluster Bomb)
- **One heavy-hitter** for Chargers/Hulks/Harvesters (EAT, Recoilless, Quasar, Autocannon, thermite)
- **A primary that staggers or applies fire/arc** so chaff dies without precise aim
- **Stun or Impact Incendiary grenades** — stun especially, since a stunned group is a free kill with any explosive
## Terminids (bugs)
- Primary: **Breaker Incendiary** or **Cookout**
- Secondary: **Grenade Pistol** (closes holes) / Crisper
- Grenade: **Impact Incendiary**
- Stratagems: **Napalm Eagle Airstrike**, **Orbital Gatling Barrage** or **Gas Strike**, **Flamethrower** or **Stalwart**, **Guard Dog Rover**
- Fire is king here. A napalm strike on a breach basically resolves the whole fight.
## Automatons (bots)
- Primary: **Sickle**, **Purifier**, or **Diligence Counter-Sniper**
- Secondary: **Senator** or **Ultimatum** (one-shots fabricators, tanks, gunship towers)
- Grenade: **Thermite** or **Stun**
- Stratagems: **Eagle Airstrike**, **Orbital Laser** or **120mm Barrage**, **Autocannon** or **Laser Cannon**, **Shield Generator Pack** or **AC Sentry**
- Armor: **Fortified** medium — the explosive resistance is disproportionately good against rocket devastators.
## Illuminate (squids)
- Primary: **Halt** (stun rounds) or **Blitzer**
- Secondary: **Ultimatum** — deletes Harvesters and warp ships
- Grenade: **Thermite** or **Gas**
- Stratagems: **Eagle Cluster Bomb**, **Gas Strike**, **Quasar Cannon** or **Arc Thrower**, a sentry
- Voteless hordes melt to arc and fire; the real threats are Harvesters, so bring two answers for them.
## Tactical notes that matter more than the loadout
- Cluster Bomb and Gatling Barrage are the most ammo-efficient patrol erasers. Airstrikes are better saved for bases and breaches.
- Stun grenade → any explosive is the highest-DPS combo in the game against clustered enemies.
- Kill the **scout striders / Watchers / Shriekers** first — they're what turns a squad fight into three more squad fights.
- **Muscle Enhancement** and **Vitality** boosters do more for survivability on high difficulties than most people expect.
- Coordinate cooldowns with your team instead of everyone dumping stratagems on the same patrol.
Fair warning: Arrowhead patches balance constantly, so specific weapon tiers shift. If something on this list feels weak, it probably got nerfed since I last had good data — but the stagger/AoE/anti-heavy framework holds regardless.
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