In the fight against the alien and machine invaders in Helldivers 2, players will have to rely on more than just their good aim and powerful weapons. Stratagems are a great tool to level the playing field against overwhelming and dangerous numbers, and even at the early stages of the war, they can easily turn the tide in your favor.
As players progress further in the game, they will gain more access to increasingly complicated and useful Stratagems, but before that, there is still plenty of fighting to get through. To make sure you are on the right track, consider getting these Stratagems unlocked first to give yourself the best chance of surviving the initial onslaught in this co-op shooter.
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Stratagems to Get First in Helldivers 2
This list contains Stratagems that are meant to bring the hurt to your enemies without the need to fire a weapon yourself, and are great tools to use against enemy forces or their installations. They are also relatively easy to unlock and will be great Stratagems to keep around all the way to the end.
Orbital Precision Strike
- Call-In Time: 3 Seconds
- Uses: Unlimited
- Cooldown Time: 100 Seconds
A Stratagem that technically doesn't need to be unlocked, but it doesn't take away from the fact that the 
Orbital Precision Strike is a powerful friend to call upon no matter where you are. It only takes a short while to activate, and if you are able to tag your target or place it in the path of the object of your ire, the resulting strike can decimate most foes or buildings. Plus, it has a relatively short cooldown that makes it useful for long missions.
Anti-Personnel Minefield
- Call-In Time: 3 Seconds
- Uses: Unlimited
- Cooldown Time: 180 Seconds
Have you ever found yourself playing alone or with others and needing a good defensive option to defend your position? Enter the 
MD-6 Anti-Personnel Minefield , which can cover a large area with explosive mines that are always going to be useful. This way, you can focus on another area entirely while the mines do their thing. Make sure none of your teammates are near the area, as friendly fire is an easy way to annoy others trying to help the cause.
Grenade Launcher/Recoilless Rifle
- Call-In Time (Grenade Launcher): 3 Seconds
- Uses (Grenade Launcher): Unlimited
- Cooldown Time (Grenade Launcher): 480 Seconds
Depending on which faction you are more willing to face, the next Stratagems to add to the rotation can either be the Grenade Launcher or the Recoilless Rifle support weapons. The former is excellent against the Automatons, and its AoE damage ensures that everything around your target gets hurt as well.
- Call-In Time (Recoilless Rifle): 3 Seconds
- Uses (Recoilless Rifle): Unlimited
- Cooldown Time (Recoilless Rifle): 480 Seconds
As for the Recoilless Rifle, use it against the bugs, especially those armored ones that have a tendency to bounce grenades away, like the Charger. Punch it through the head or the body, and its damage should keep you safe for a little while more.
Gatling Sentry
- Call-In Time: 3 Seconds
- Uses: Unlimited
- Cooldown Time: 180 Seconds
Another excellent defensive or offensive tool to have is the Gatling Sentry, which can easily eliminate groups of enemies using its powerful and fast-firing gun. It can provide cover as you advance on a position, but do note that it can easily kill you as well if you happen to be in its line of fire. Going prone is always a good idea, and make sure everyone around you is aware that a Gatling Sentry is being deployed to avoid accidental deaths.
Eagle Airstrike
- Call-In Time: 0 Seconds
- Uses: 2
- Cooldown Time: 15 Seconds
The Eagle Airstrike is a great way to bomb an area in an instant, killing everything in sight and helping to close a few Terminid holes or Automaton factories along the way. Its quick deployment is a great plus, especially for those caught in a bind, but the trade-off is that it has only two uses before a long cooldown period, which thereafter you will have two uses again.
The sheer utility of the Stratagem makes it worthwhile to unlock the Eagle Airstrike and, as long as players steer clear of bombing out their own crew, the enemies of Super Earth will fall easily in the face of its explosive might.
