Gemini on Question 15, Oct 3

Because Helldivers 2 features two entirely different enemy factions with different armor types and behaviors, there is no single "one-size-fits-all" loadout. What melts a bug swarm will bounce harmlessly off a bot patrol.

However, if your goal is maximum efficiency—meaning the fastest time-to-kill (TTK) with the least amount of ammo wasted on a grouped-up patrol or reinforcement drop—here are the absolute best loadouts for wiping out enemy squads for both factions.

The Universal Wombo-Combo (Works on Everything)

Before getting into specific weapons, you must master the single most efficient squad-wiping tactic in the game: The Stun & Strike.

• 1.Throw a G-23 Stun Grenade into the middle of the patrol/breach.
• 2.Immediately throw an Eagle Airstrike directly onto the stunned enemies.
• 3.Result: The stun grenade locks every enemy in place (including Chargers and Hulks). The Eagle Airstrike comes in horizontally and obliterates the entire group. Cost: 1 grenade, 1 Eagle charge. Time: 4 seconds.

Loadout 1: The Terminid Exterminator (Bugs)

Bugs swarm you with high numbers of lightly armored, fast-moving melee units mixed with a few heavily armored elites. Efficiency here means high Area of Effect (AoE) and fire damage.

• •Primary Weapon: SG-225IE Breaker Incendiary. This is the undisputed king of bug clearing. You don't even need to aim perfectly; just sweeping fire across a patrol will ignite them. The fire damage-over-time (DoT) will kill Scavengers, Hunters, and Shrikers while you are reloading or running.
• •Secondary Weapon: GP-31 Grenade Pistol. Essential for closing bug holes quickly without wasting stratagems.
• •Grenade: G-23 Stun Grenade (for crowd control and lining up stratagems) or G-10 Incendiary (to throw at a Bug Breach to passively melt everything climbing out).
• •Support Weapon: Grenade Launcher OR Arc Thrower.
• •Grenade launcher allows you to rain explosive death on a cluster of bugs from a safe distance.
• •Arc Thrower has infinite ammo, chains lightning between up to 3 enemies, and staggers medium bugs like Brood Commanders.
• •Backpack: "Guard Dog" Rover (Laser). This backpack is basically a 5th squad member. It will autonomously fry dozens of small bugs while you focus your heavy weapons on the bigger threats.
• •Stratagems:
• •Eagle Napalm Strike: Throw this horizontally in front of a Bug Breach. It creates a wall of fire that will kill 30+ bugs over its duration.
• •Orbital Gas Strike: Extremely low cooldown. Throw it directly onto a bug breach to passively melt everything that spawns.

Loadout 2: The Automaton Scrapper (Bots)

Bots fight at range, use cover, and possess heavy, front-facing armor. Efficiency here means high stagger, medium-armor penetration, and explosive damage.

• •Primary Weapon: JAR-5 Dominator OR SG-8P Plasma Punisher.
• •Dominator: Acts like a bolter. It staggers heavily armored Devastators out of their firing animations and kills them in a few shots to the chest (or one to the head).
• •Plasma Punisher: Shoots an arc of plasma that explodes. It completely stun-locks groups of bots and bypasses Scout Strider front shields.
• •Secondary Weapon: P-4 Senator (great medium-armor penetration for headshotting Devastators) or Grenade Pistol.
• •Grenade: G-23 Stun Grenade. (Absolutely mandatory for bots. Stun a Hulk, walk behind it or shoot it in the eye with your support weapon).
• •Support Weapon: AC-8 Autocannon. The Autocannon is the undisputed God-tier weapon against bots. It staggers, has splash damage for small squads, kills Scout Striders from the front, destroys fabricators from a distance, and can kill Hulks in two shots to the glowing red eye.
• •Backpack: Taken up by the Autocannon ammo pack.
• •Stratagems:
• •Eagle Airstrike: The single best stratagem against bots. Throw it into a heavy base or at a Bot Drop, and it will destroy fabricators and kill Devastators/Tanks instantly.
• •Orbital Laser: The ultimate "Oh Sh*t" button. Throw it into a heavy outpost, and it will autonomously hunt down and melt the entire squad and their bases while you run away.
• •Morta Sentry / EMS Mortar: Dropping an EMS (stun) mortar before engaging a bot squad locks them in place, allowing you to pick them off with the Autocannon in total safety.

Summary for Maximum Efficiency

If you want to wipe an enemy squad without thinking about it: equip the Stun Grenade and the Eagle Airstrike.

When you see a patrol, throw the Stun, throw the Eagle, and walk away like an action hero while you rack up a x20 killstreak in the background. For the stragglers, sweep with the Breaker Incendiary (Bugs) or mop up with the Autocannon (Bots).