Going up against the Terminids and Automatons in Helldivers 2 can be a vastly different experience. The latter has more advanced weaponry and can be dangerous at range, whereas the former emphasizes numbers and overwhelming power. As such, the approach to fighting the two different factions is markedly different.
This will require players to tailor their loadout accordingly. When facing the bug threat of the Terminids, focusing on weapons, armor, and Stratagems that give you an edge in crowd control is the best way to go about things. This guide will light the way by showing the best weapons and loadouts to deal with the Terminids in Helldivers 2.
Helldivers 2: Best Weapons to Deal with Automatons
Heading to fight the Automatons in Helldivers 2? Make life easier by getting the best weapons for the job.
Best Weapons Against Terminids in Helldivers 2
With fast movement and plenty of numbers, the Terminids are best taken out before they can even get near to you. Otherwise, they can trap players in a never-ending loop of pain and death. Aside from the elites that pack armor, the rest of the swarm are quite easy to handle, as long as you know which targets to prioritize first.
The best weapons to use against the Terminids include:
SMG-37 Defender
SG-225 Breaker
P-19 RedeemerThe sheer power of the Breaker Shotgun is unmatched, and its fast firing rate means that you can shred bugs at close to medium range without ever being in danger. For an even faster firing rate, the Defender SMG does the trick, albeit with less damage and control. The possibility of using it one-handed is also useful when running away, allowing for blind fire that can help reduce the chasing pack. In an emergency, the Redeemer Pistol will do the job against smaller bugs, even when you do not have the luxury of proper aim.
Best Stratagems Against Terminids in Helldivers 2
As for Stratagems to use against the hordes, consider the following for your bug-killing Helldiver:
GL-21 Grenade Launcher/
A/AC-8 Autocannon Sentry 
Eagle Cluster Bomb 
Orbital Laser 
A/ARC-3 Tesla Tower/
A/G-16 Gatling Sentry
Taking down armored foes can be tough, but the Grenade Launcher and Autocannon do the trick quite competently. You get more AoE damage with the former, whereas the latter can punch through the tough defenses of elites like Chargers and Brood Commanders. The choice is yours when it comes to the more difficult enemies.
The Eagle Cluster Bomb is best used against groups of enemies, which is essentially the Terminids in a nutshell. Getting the throw right can easily reduce enemy numbers to a pittance, allowing you more time to pick off the more difficult targets. On that end, the Orbital Laser is your best choice for high-value targets like the Helldivers 2's Bile Titan. It tracks the elite enemies well, constantly blasting them with high damage, and can move on to other targets during its duration.
For defending, the Tesla Tower is hard to beat when it comes to controlling an area. Creating kill zones in choke points becomes much easier with this addition, and there is also the bonus of potentially hitting multiple targets with its electricity. Just make sure you go prone if you go anywhere near it. On the other hand, the shorter cooldown time of the Gatling Sentry may make sense, and it can easily chew through the small, fast-moving enemies that often spawn from bug holes to help the cause.
