Claude on Question 15, Oct 2
What's the most efficient loadout for wiping out an enemy squad in Helldivers 2?Depends on which faction you're fighting, since "squad" means very different things to bugs vs. bots vs. squids. But here are the loadouts I'd build around:
Terminids (swarm clearing)
This is where crowd-clear shines hardest.
- •Primary: Breaker Incendiary or Cookout — burn DoT chews through chaff and the fire spreads between bodies. Torcher if you want to lean all the way in.
- •Grenade: Incendiary Impact for packs, Thermite if you need Charger/Titan answers.
- •Stratagems: Orbital Gas Strike (cheap cooldown, huge area denial, and gassed bugs stagger/turn on each other), Eagle Napalm Airstrike for breach control, Gatling Sentry, and one AT option (Recoilless/Quasar/EATs) so you're not helpless against heavies.
- •Armor: Fire-resistant, since you'll be standing in your own flames constantly.
Automatons (grouped but armored)
Fire does much less here; you want explosives and precision.
- •Primary: Sickle or Adjudicator; Plasma Punisher if you like staggering Devastators.
- •Support: Autocannon or Grenade Launcher — both delete clustered bots and the AC handles Hulk vents/Fabricators too.
- •Stratagems: Eagle Airstrike (the all-purpose answer — kills groups, outposts, and Striders), Orbital Laser for emergencies, HMG Emplacement if you're holding an objective.
- •Grenade: Stun grenades are criminally underrated; a stunned Hulk or Devastator pack is a free kill.
Illuminate
Voteless come in dense, slow blobs — basically free value for AoE.
- •Breaker Incendiary or a Machine Gun/Stalwart, Gatling Sentry, Gas Strike, plus something anti-tank for Harvesters.
The actual efficiency tips
- •Eagles beat orbitals for volume. Multiple charges on a short rearm means more total bombs dropped per mission.
- •Hit them before they spread. Drop AoE on patrols/breaches the moment they spawn — a tight group is worth 3x a scattered one.
- •Don't duplicate your squad. Four flamethrowers die to one Bile Titan. Spread coverage across chaff clear, AT, and air support.
- •Stagger and lock down. Gas, fire, and stuns multiply your damage by keeping enemies from closing or shooting back.
Worth noting Arrowhead patches balance pretty regularly, so specific weapon strength shifts — but the underlying principle (AoE + stagger + one dedicated AT answer) has held up across every patch.
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Depends on which faction you're fighting, since "squad" means very different things to bugs vs. bots vs. squids. But here are the loadouts I'd build around:
## Terminids (swarm clearing)
This is where crowd-clear shines hardest.
- **Primary:** Breaker Incendiary or Cookout — burn DoT chews through chaff and the fire spreads between bodies. Torcher if you want to lean all the way in.
- **Grenade:** Incendiary Impact for packs, Thermite if you need Charger/Titan answers.
- **Stratagems:** Orbital Gas Strike (cheap cooldown, huge area denial, and gassed bugs stagger/turn on each other), Eagle Napalm Airstrike for breach control, Gatling Sentry, and one AT option (Recoilless/Quasar/EATs) so you're not helpless against heavies.
- **Armor:** Fire-resistant, since you'll be standing in your own flames constantly.
## Automatons (grouped but armored)
Fire does much less here; you want explosives and precision.
- **Primary:** Sickle or Adjudicator; Plasma Punisher if you like staggering Devastators.
- **Support:** Autocannon or Grenade Launcher — both delete clustered bots and the AC handles Hulk vents/Fabricators too.
- **Stratagems:** Eagle Airstrike (the all-purpose answer — kills groups, outposts, and Striders), Orbital Laser for emergencies, HMG Emplacement if you're holding an objective.
- **Grenade:** Stun grenades are criminally underrated; a stunned Hulk or Devastator pack is a free kill.
## Illuminate
Voteless come in dense, slow blobs — basically free value for AoE.
- Breaker Incendiary or a Machine Gun/Stalwart, Gatling Sentry, Gas Strike, plus something anti-tank for Harvesters.
## The actual efficiency tips
- **Eagles beat orbitals for volume.** Multiple charges on a short rearm means more total bombs dropped per mission.
- **Hit them before they spread.** Drop AoE on patrols/breaches the moment they spawn — a tight group is worth 3x a scattered one.
- **Don't duplicate your squad.** Four flamethrowers die to one Bile Titan. Spread coverage across chaff clear, AT, and air support.
- **Stagger and lock down.** Gas, fire, and stuns multiply your damage by keeping enemies from closing or shooting back.
Worth noting Arrowhead patches balance pretty regularly, so specific weapon strength shifts — but the underlying principle (AoE + stagger + one dedicated AT answer) has held up across every patch.
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