Gemini on Question 15, Sep 30

Because Helldivers 2 features two entirely different enemy factions with entirely different combat mechanics, there is no single "best" loadout. What wipes out a Terminid swarm will bounce harmlessly off an Automaton patrol.

If your goal is to efficiently wipe out an enemy squad (patrols, light-to-medium infantry) before they can call in a Bug Breach or Bot Drop, here are the two most optimized loadouts for each front.

1. The Terminid Eraser (Bug Front)

Terminids rely on swarming you with high numbers of unarmored or lightly armored melee units. The most efficient way to kill them is Area of Effect (AoE) damage and Fire.

• •Primary Weapon: SG-225IE Incendiary Breaker
• •Why: It is the undisputed king of bug wave-clear. You don't even need to aim perfectly; just spray a wide arc into a patrol. The fire-over-time effect will burn Scavengers and Hunters to death while you reload or run.
• •Secondary Weapon: GP-31 Grenade Pistol
• •Why: Used for closing bug holes or instantly killing medium-armored Bile Spewers.
• •Grenade: Incendiary Impact (or standard Impact)
• •Why: Throwing one of these into the center of a bug patrol will instantly incinerate 80% of the squad.
• •Support Weapon: GL-21 Grenade Launcher or M-105 Stalwart
• •Why: The Grenade launcher can wipe a patrol of 15 bugs in three rapid-fire shots. The Stalwart (set to the highest RPM) allows you to mow down a squad without ever stopping your sprint.
• •Backpack: "Guard Dog" Rover (Laser backpack)
• •Why: Maximum efficiency. The Rover is passively frying bugs while you are shooting other bugs. It is a massive force multiplier for clearing squads.
• •Stratagems: Eagle Cluster Bomb & Orbital Airburst Strike
• •Why: The Cluster Bomb covers a massive horizontal area and instantly deletes light/medium bugs. You get 4-5 uses before needing to rearm.

The Tactic: See a patrol. Throw an Eagle Cluster Bomb. Spray the survivors with the Incendiary Breaker. The patrol is gone in under 4 seconds.

2. The Automaton Scrapper (Bot Front)

Automatons use ranged weapons, heavy suppressing fire, and medium armor (Devastators). Fire and light machine guns are useless here. You need Medium Armor Penetration, Stagger, and Precision.

• •Primary Weapon: PLAS-1 Scorcher or JAR-5 Dominator
• •Why: The Scorcher fires explosive plasma that damages enemies through their armor (it kills Scout Striders through their front shields in 3 hits). The Dominator has massive "stagger," meaning the moment you shoot a heavy-hitter like a Rocket Devastator, it flinches and cannot shoot back.
• •Secondary Weapon: P-4 Senator (Revolver)
• •Why: It has medium armor penetration. If your primary runs dry, you can still shoot bots through their armor or one-tap them in the head.
• •Grenade: Stun Grenade
• •Why: Crucial for bots. Throw a stun grenade at a patrol, and they freeze in place for several seconds. This gives you time to line up easy headshots or throw an airstrike perfectly on top of them.
• •Support Weapon: AC-8 Autocannon
• •Why: The Autocannon is the Swiss Army Knife of the bot front. It staggers everything, two-taps Devastators anywhere in the chest, one-taps them in the head, and destroys bot fabricators from a distance. (Note: It takes up your backpack slot).
• •Stratagems: Eagle Airstrike & Orbital Laser
• •Why: The Eagle Airstrike is the best stratagem in the game for bots. Thrown perpendicular to a bot squad, it will kill all infantry and destroy heavy tanks. The Orbital Laser is your panic button; throw it into a massive base, and it will track and kill every bot in the area while you hide.

The Tactic: See a patrol. Throw a Stun Grenade to freeze them. Drop an Eagle Airstrike right on their heads. Mop up any surviving Devastators with the Autocannon.

Honorable Mention: Armor Efficiency

To ensure you aren't the one getting wiped out:

• •For Bugs: Wear Light Armor with the Engineering Kit (extra grenades) or Scout (reduced detection range) passives. Speed is your armor against bugs.
• •For Bots: Wear Medium or Heavy Armor with the Fortified passive (reduces explosive damage taken by 50%). This will stop you from being randomly one-shot by a rocket from across the map.

Pro-Tip for Helldive Difficulty: The absolute most efficient way to deal with a patrol is to ping them, avoid them, and not shoot at all. Only engage squads that are guarding an objective you need.