Gemini on Question 15, Sep 29

Because Helldivers 2 has two very different enemy factions, there is no single "best" loadout. What wipes out a squad of Terminids (Bugs) will often bounce harmlessly off a squad of Automatons (Bots).

To achieve maximum efficiency—meaning the fastest Time-To-Kill (TTK) with the least amount of ammo and lowest cooldowns—here are the two most efficient loadouts for wiping out enemy patrols before they can even call for backup.

Loadout 1: The Terminid (Bug) Swarm Clearer

Bugs cluster together and rush you. The most efficient way to wipe them out is through Area of Effect (AoE) damage and Fire over time.

• •Primary Weapon: SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary (or the SG-451 Cookout). You don’t need to aim perfectly; just spray a flock of bugs once and let the fire damage-over-time (DoT) burn the smaller ones to a crisp while you reload or reposition.
• •Secondary Weapon: GP-31 Grenade Pistol. Excellent for taking out tightly packed groups of Bile Spewers or closing bug holes on the run.
• •Grenade: Incendiary Impact. Instantly creates a wall of fire. Throw one at the center of a patrol, and 80% of the squad will burn to death in seconds.
• •Support Weapon: GL-21 Grenade Launcher or Machine Gun (MG-43).
• •The Grenade launcher can wipe a patrol of 15 bugs in three rapid shots.
• •The MG-43 penetrates medium armor (Hive Guards) and will shred an entire squad in one continuous burst.
• •Stratagems:
• •Eagle Cluster Bomb: The absolute king of wiping out bug squads. You get up to 5 uses before a rearm, it deploys almost instantly, and it covers a massive horizontal area.
• •Orbital Gas Strike: Drop this on a bug breach. The gas lingers and melts light/medium enemies as they spawn.
• •Orbital Gatling Barrage: Low cooldown, high coverage. Throw it at a patrol and walk away.

Loadout 2: The Automaton (Bot) Scrapper

Bots spread out, shoot from a distance, and wear heavy armor. The most efficient way to wipe a bot squad is through explosive damage, stagger, and medium armor penetration.

• •Primary Weapon: SG-8G Plasma Punisher or JAR-5 Dominator.
• •The Plasma Punisher fires an explosive energy ball that damages multiple bots at once and stun-locks heavy Devastators.
• •The Dominator acts like a bolt-gun, staggering and dismembering bots with chest/headshots.
• •Secondary Weapon: P-4 Senator (for piercing armor) or Redeemer (panic button for close-range berserkers).
• •Grenade: G-16 Impact or G-23 Stun. Impacts will instantly kill a tightly grouped squad of small bots. Stuns will freeze Hulks and Devastators in place for an easy Stratagem kill.
• •Support Weapon: AC-8 Autocannon. The Autocannon is the undisputed king of the bot front. It staggers, has explosive AoE for clusters of small bots, two-taps Devastators in the chest, and destroys bot fabricators from a distance.
• •Stratagems:
• •Eagle Airstrike: The single most versatile stratagem in the game. Thrown perpendicular to a bot patrol, it will kill everything from basic troopers to heavy tanks in one swoop.
• •Orbital Laser: The ultimate "fire-and-forget" squad wiper. Throw it at a massive bot outpost or a heavy patrol, and it will automatically track and melt every enemy in the area.
• •Eagle 110mm Rocket Pods: Great for snapping to the heaviest target in the squad (like a Hulk or Tank) while you mop up the infantry.

The Universal "One-Button Squad Wipe" Combo

If you see a patrol that hasn't spotted you yet, you don't even need to use your guns. The most efficient, ammo-saving maneuver in the game is the Stun & Strike:

• 1.Equip a Stun Grenade.
• 2.Throw it directly into the center of the enemy patrol. They will freeze in place.
• 3.Immediately follow it up with an Eagle Airstrike (for bots) or an Eagle Cluster Bomb / Precision Strike (for bugs).
• 4.Keep running. The squad will be completely vaporized before the stun wears off, preventing them from calling in a Bug Breach or Bot Drop.

Recommended Armor:
Look for armor with the Engineering Kit passive (gives you +2 Grenades and reduces recoil when crouching). Having 6 Stun or Impact grenades drastically increases your squad-wiping efficiency.